fiction involving the game of Go.

[Brian R.]

Brian R. wrote: "Karen, thank you much for the lead and don't worry about the reference being slight. Most new items that people find are fairly slight references. The more substantial ones are generally already on..."

I should note, and give thanks for, a major exception to my comment about most new items being minor references. Manny's good friend Notgettingenough turned me on to Rendezvous At Kamakura Inn which was an enjoyable mystery in its own right, as well as being replete with go references and a great go-related cover.

[Brian R.]

Micha wrote: "I haven't finished reading the whole thread yet, Brian R., so I don't know if this has come up already, but I suspect you are looking for books such as The Master of Go by Kawabata Yasunari (which ..."

Kawabata also mentions the game briefly in Palm-of-the-Hand Stories. Given his level of interest in the game, it is a bit surprising that he didn't mention it more often.

[Brian R.]

Micha wrote: "Joel wrote: "go plays a somewhat significant role in david mitchell's The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet.

You know, I should have read this already because I love David Mitchel..."

So, have you read Thousand Autumns yet? If so, what did you think of it?

[Carolyn]

Have you read Popco by scarlett Thomas. It features the game 'go' as does The Stone Monkey by jeffrey Deaver. I enjoyed both books

[Brian R.]

I liked the first 90% or so of PopCo. far-fetched to some degree, but a nice blend of mystery and romp, with many digressions on math, cryptography and other interesting topics [another Goodreader described it as trying to be a lighter sort of Cryptonomicon. The politico-social undercurrents were just a tad heavy handed but close enough to my own values that they resonated well.
The last tenth, however, just collapsed. The political message became so overt that it was like reading a tract - one with which I happen to agree but that may be part of the problem; the point of view seemed so self-evident to me that the harder it hit the more trite and preachy it sounded. The conclusion to the plot was both implausible and randomly vague. A sad fate for a story that had been fun for so much of its length.
I definitely intend to read [book:The Stone Monkey|142545]. I've never read any of the Lincoln Rhyme mysteries and heard good things about them. The one about magic and magicians is another that I want to read some day. Tahnks for the reminder.

[Micha]

Brian R. wrote: "Brian R. wrote: "Karen, thank you much for the lead and don't worry about the reference being slight. Most new items that people find are fairly slight references. The more substantial ones are gen..."

Thank you for the recommendation! I just added it to my "go" reference list!

[Brian R.]

Fans of literature with scenes of go should note that the Chung Kuo series by David Wingroveis being rereleased in a completely revamped edition. It has grown from 8 volumes to 20, although only the first two books of the revised version have been published so far. I've read most of the first book and the references to Go are fewer than in most books of the original series. Probably not enough for anyone other than a confessed "maniac" to add to his/her Go shelves. Whether or not the new version will be as fun to read as the early volumes of the original were, I'll have to judge when I get farther into the series.

[karen, future RA queen]

dammit. i was coming here to call your attention to this review:

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

but it looks like you already know about the series. stupid message 38. i will never be able to find a new one for you...

[Christy]

I just read this story today and remembered this thread: Ken Liu's "Mono No Aware" in The Future is Japanese: Stories From and About the Land of the Rising Sun. It's a beautiful story and Go plays a significant thematic role in it.

[Brian R.]

Christy wrote: "I just read this story today and remembered this thread: Ken Liu's "Mono No Aware" in The Future is Japanese: Stories From and About the Land of the Rising Sun. It's a beautiful story and Go plays ..."

I defenitely have to buy and read this. Sounds excellent, and from a couple of reviews I gather that there will be a number of other stories well worth the time.

[Brian R.]

Brian R. wrote: "Fans of literature with scenes of go should note that the Chung Kuo series by David Wingroveis being rereleased in a completely revamped edition. It has grown from 8 volumes to 20, although only th..."

The second volume of the revised series has more go references than the first, andthey are more integral to the plot, but we will see if the rewrites of the original series contain as much about the game as the earlier version.