Chad Post
asked
Jeff VanderMeer:
Annihilation and Authority bring to mind a few Stanislaw Lem books (Solaris and His Master's Voice in particular) along with the Strugatsky brothers (Roadside Picnic)--do you view Lem & Strugatsky as influences on your work? Which other works by these authors, or works by other fantastic world authors would you recommend to bide the time until Acceptance finally comes out?
Jeff VanderMeer
Lem and Strugatsky have had zero influence on my work, for better or worse. They aren't authors who really resonate with me, but I haven't read that much of their work. To be honest, I haven't even read Roadside Picnic--I read the first chapter in a bookstore once. But I do plan to catch up on Lem soon. I'm not really sure what to answer re what to read....most of what I've loved recently hasn't been fantastical. Smith Henderson's Fourth of July Creek is spectacular and so is anything by Evie Wyld.
More Answered Questions
Sheryl
asked
Jeff VanderMeer:
Regarding POV in Wonderbook: What is the best way to solidify an omniscient objective POV in the mind of the reader as they enter a story – without making the narrator a defined presence or character in his own right? I find that readers sometimes latch on to the first character to speak or act and respond as though the story was written in third person limited. Thus, POV shifts read as inappropriate head hopping.
João
asked
Jeff VanderMeer:
Reading through your Wonderbook, I found, on page 30 "(...) My novel Annihilation was inspired by a dream in which was walking down the spiral staircase of a submerged tower, descending into the ground below." Would the origin of that dream be the staircase at Quinta da Regaleira, in Sintra, Portugal, where you have been a couple of years ago? Best regards to you and Ann, from João, in Lisbon
Christopher Walborn
asked
Jeff VanderMeer:
As a reader, one of the best things about discovering a new author is the opportunity to discover additional writers through following the author's influences, peers, and the new writers championed by the author. What authors or specific works would you like to introduce to someone who's mostly familiar with "literary" classics? (I don't like the literary/genre dichotomy, but what easier way to describe it?)
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more