Shriek: an Afterword, part 2: From start of Part 2 Chap. 5 to end (ENDING SPOILERS)

[Amy (Other Amy)]

Putting up the final Shriek thread for when everybody gets here.

[Amy (Other Amy)]

I actually had to read Finch to believe that he kept Janice's story arc intact from City of Saints and Madmen. I am incredibly impressed; it strikes me that he has really pulled off a rather impressive feat by taking a pompous, bloviating bit character and made her someone I care about and cheer on, even (view spoiler)[knowing that she is already dead (hide spoiler)] (spoiler for COSAM "Patient X" and the very end of Shriek).

[Traveller]

Phew, okay, that pretty much ended on a cliffhanger for me! :P

(Regarding the Shift, that is.)

I've started Finch, and it appears obvious that it starts off afterwards, so now I'm curious to get to it!

[Amy (Other Amy)]

It seems like he loves to write peripheral tales: something huge happened in the in between space, but no telling what it was! (I don't mind; normally I actually love things like that, but I do wish somebody somewhere had specified just what the Shift was. No matter. This was a great book, and maybe JV would say that its the people and their lives that actually matter, not the great history in motion around them.)

[Traveller]

I suspect that through snippets in Finch, we might learn what happened during the Shift, and yeah, you are right, he doesn't like to spoonfeed his readers- you have to piece things together; but I think I prefer that to infodumping.

[Traveller]

PS, how far are you with Finch, btw? I've never read Fahrenheit 451 before, so I'm going to do that first.

[Amy (Other Amy)]

I'm on chapter five, I think, but I must confess that I gave in to evil impulses and sped read the rest to find out what happened. I have to finish the book the regular way as a good girl tonight and tomorrow night.

[Traveller]

Amy (Other Amy) wrote: "I'm on chapter five, I think, but I must confess that I gave in to evil impulses and sped read the rest to find out what happened. I have to finish the book the regular way as a good girl tonight a..."

Amy, all I have to say to you, is :

[Amy (Other Amy)]

Actual LOL :) That is great.

[Traveller]

Have you seen Puss in Boots? Funniest animated movie ever!

[Amy (Other Amy)]

No, I am terrible about keeping up with movies. Looks like I need to make time for that one, though.

[Traveller]

It's one of the few animated movies that I would highly recommend to adults- and do try and watch it with someone who has a good sense of humor with whom you can share the fun! It's very snappy, and full of life and zest. (..and you will especially love it if you enjoy flamenco dancing).

[Apologies to Vandermeer readers for the off-topic...]

[Whitney]

Traveller wrote: "[Apologies to Vandermeer readers for the off-topic...]."

I'm sure Vandermeer readers are quite used to seemingly off-topic digressions. But now I'm wondering how flamenco dancing cats are going to play into the later narrative.

[Whitney]

Amy (Other Amy) wrote: "It seems like he loves to write peripheral tales: something huge happened in the in between space, but no telling what it was! (I don't mind; normally I actually love things like that, but I do wis..."

If I were to try and codify what I think makes up good weird fiction, one of the things I would say is that any book that ties things up in a neat explanatory bow is disqualified. Great weird fiction gives you just enough to paint your own disturbing picture, and leaves enough out to preserve that feeling of unease and uncertainty.

The things that are there give us enough to speculate what "The Shift" means. Knowing Duncan's theory about the Gray Caps and being told his books are becoming popular; seeing the increasingly fungoid world through the lens of the glasses; being told by Janice how much in denial the Nativists are (no relevance to the real world there, eh?), etc.

[Amy (Other Amy)]

Whitney wrote: "Amy (Other Amy) wrote: "Great weird fiction gives you just enough to paint your own disturbing picture, and leaves enough out to preserve that feeling of unease and uncertainty."

I agree with you here, but I also think there is a matter of skill involved. As a for instance, Lovecraft stories often fail (for me) because he doesn't give enough detail to hang the sense of horror he is going for on; I can't gin up enough terror in my mind to participate in the tale with him because I am busy wondering what the heck it is that is supposed to be so scary. I think VanderMeer skirts the very edge of this with the Shift. He sticks the landing though, and it comes off brilliantly. (This book is growing in brilliance in my mind as I have more time to let it settle. I am more shocked emotionally now than I was when I first read it.)