Across the Wounded Galaxies: Interviews with Contemporary American Science Fiction Writers

by Larry McCaffery (Editor)

Modern science fiction writers, including Gregory Benford, William S. Burroughs, Ursula K. LeGuin, and Bruce Sterling talk about their careers, influences, and works

Genres: Science Fiction

267 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 1990

Reviews

[Nathan "N.R." Gaddis]

Well now. My reading of the Master Interviewer's Quartet comes to a conclusion, or at least an end. In addition to this one, don't miss ::
Anything Can Happen: Interviews with Contemporary American Novelists
Alive and Writing: Interviews with American Authors of the 1980s
Some Other Frequency: Interviews with Innovative American Authors
And if you're one of these characters that likes to complain about how literary critics don't pay no attention to popular literature, if you're one of these characters that complain about 'goldfinching', well, this guy here, this Larry McCaffery guy, is like one of the first of the academical sort to say, Hey, we should really start paying attention to really contemporary fiction in an academic sense, and really take it seriously and do our academic stuff on it and not just work on all of these dead and safe folks. So then you have Larry working on anything and everything our literary culture was turning out from McElroy/Gass/Etc to Gibson/Wolfe/ET.AL. In other words, he's your guy.

He's retired now, but do what this little video of him talking about what he does :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6F6vr...

And so this collection of interviews with science-fictional writers. I did science fiction back when I was a kid, got started on the ABC's but really can't claim to have been any kind of unbearable sci-fi reader, never got into it all really all that deep. But sure am just a little tempted to tear into the massive reading list provided here by these authors and their interviews. It would definitely keep me reading for a while. But I doubt it'll happen ; I've been rather disappointed by the handful of sci-fi classics I've read in recent memory. Anyways, here's the people in this book and what of theirs I've touched ::

Gregory Benford (nada)
William Burroughs (Naked Lunch ages ago, but I'll be swinging through more of his work at some point)
Octavia Butler (no plans)
Samuel Delany (Dahlgren this year ; and Hogg of course and a few others I'm sure)
Thomas Disch (nichts)
William Gibson (did Neuromancer once which was fine but likely no more)
Ursula le Guin (she and Larry seem to agree about my ranking of her Always Coming Home ; was disappointed in Lefthand)
Joanna Russ (did The Female Man)
Bruce Sterling (nada)
Gene Wolfe (nichts)

Which I think is just fine. Larry did once expect regret for not having gotten around to interviewing PDK ; but that's fine with me ;; there's already enough coo-coo stuff expressed in here by Burroughs.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice collection of interviews with old pros and, at the time, up and coming, science fiction writers from Larry McCaffery. At times throughout all the interviews McCaffrey is a bit intrusive and focused on "postmodern" literature and it's influence on the authors but overall his questions bring thoughtful and generally illuminating answers. As should be expected, some interviews are better than others. Neither William Gibson or Bruce Sterling's interviews worked very well for me even though I love their writing and Benford is a bit of a bore. (Bruce Sterling's picture in full on mullet may, however, be totally worth the price of admission!) William Burroughs, Thomas Disch, Octavia Butler and Gene Wolfe shine brightly and Samuel Delany, Ursula Le Guin, and Joanna Russ all have some fine moments as well. Overall, well worth a read.

[Brown Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Obviously a book with a limited audience, this is everything you could ask for such a book, if you want such a book.

I feel I not only learned a lot about the interviewees, I learned a bit about writing and the publishing business, and a smidge about how to be a better person.

I love this book, and recommend it to you.

[Paul Hartzog · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exellent collection of interesting interviews. You could say they are somewhat dated, or you could revel in the historicity of "this is what these people felt/though at that time" (which I do). Either way, there's good stuff in here if you are curious about how these writers go about the process of creation.

[Glen Engel-Cox · Rating 2 out of 5]

Most of these interviews are dryly academic, as McCaffrey tries to relate this diverse group of SF authors into (or out of) the recently acceptable literary schools (mainly post modernism). There is some action--Bruce Sterling for most of his interview, Thomas Disch on certain other authors--and McCaffrey doesn't always stay with the academic format, but most of the pages are such snoozers. In every interview there is the inevitable "who are you reading" and "who are your influences" questions, which are interview cliches, but still prove to illuminate something about each author, if only "how" they answer these interminable questions. I enjoyed the Sterling, Gene Wolfe, Samuel Delany, and Octavia Butler interviews the most. Gregory Benford was an incredible bore, and William S. Burroughs walks all over the feigning McCaffrey.

[Frank Taranto · Rating 2 out of 5]

A group of interviews with some big names in SF done by an english professor. Too much talk about postmodernism and not enough about the authors and their books.

[t.s. cronenberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gregory Benford is a bore and the most transparent of educated idiots, but otherwise this was an incredibly insightful read.

[Billy Kid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interviews with a bunch of science fiction writers. It's great if you're interested in getting to know your favorite author's perspective or if you're interested in getting recommendations from them.