Such fun to re-read. So grand and goofy all at the same time. Pure Asimov. Without his optimism & brio underpinning it, this story wouldn't still...moreSuch fun to re-read. So grand and goofy all at the same time. Pure Asimov. Without his optimism & brio underpinning it, this story wouldn't still work, 50+ years after publication. But it totally does.(less)
In this volume, it's fun and funny to see Mantel's response to the horde of WOLF HALL readers who complained—here on Goodreads and in plenty of other...moreIn this volume, it's fun and funny to see Mantel's response to the horde of WOLF HALL readers who complained—here on Goodreads and in plenty of other forums, I presume—about the often-opaque pronouns. She doesn't capitulate and simply drop in clearer Cromwells. Instead, she writes:
"Blah blah blah," he said; he, Thomas Cromwell.
—and with that construction it seems to me that Mantel is both (a) clearing things up, and (b) saying: "Oh come on: it's Cromwell, obviously. Keep up." It's the proud pragmatist's solution: mending the problem, conceding nothing. In fact, I think it seems quite… Cromwell-ian. Just perfect.(less)
If I had to choose between THE LITTLE PRINCE and this book, I'd choose this book, because in a way you can use it to *derive* Saint-Exupéry's classic....moreIf I had to choose between THE LITTLE PRINCE and this book, I'd choose this book, because in a way you can use it to *derive* Saint-Exupéry's classic. If THE LITTLE PRINCE is the diamond, this book is the coal: a hard-earned mass of adventure and experience. Saint-Exupéry comes across with such vitality, such brio; it feels like a long letter from your most astonishing friend. Sublime.(less)
My god, the language. The names. tegeus-Cromis! Canna Moidart! I was underlining whole pages—copying them out. Nominally, this is a book about a poet-...moreMy god, the language. The names. tegeus-Cromis! Canna Moidart! I was underlining whole pages—copying them out. Nominally, this is a book about a poet-warrior roaming a depleted planet. In truth, I think it's a book about how beautiful and bad-ass English can be.(less)
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