Rob Maru wrote: >Sonja wrote:
>> Lalith Vipulananthan wrote: >> >> > GSV Nearly finished Otherland! >> >> I'm still waiting for the correct version (PAN paperback, UK >>version) of part 4 to appear, so I can finally finish the bloody thing. Is it >>worth it, or am I wasting my time? The correct version? Was the UK paperback printed incorrectly? What happened? >I liked it. Lal's view on Otherland: [likes] - the concept. It allows Williams to create all kinds of fantastic worlds without having to rely on suspension of belief (it's all virtual reality). - the language. He creates slang for the book that everyone uses (except the oldest characters), and some more obscure and confusing speech for the teenage gangs. Some might call it literary masturbating but I think it's an excellent touch and serves to stand the series apart from other near-future set novels which have no such creativity on display. - references. He throws in a *lot* of literary references, most of which are clear but with a few more obscure ones. Frex, the Odyssey shows up at some point and has actually rekindled my interest in Greek history/mythology. No bad thing IMO. - the characters. Almost all of the characters are distinctive, with only a couple coming across as stereotypical. - the story. It's a really good idea and it does make me keep reading just to find out what the hell is actually going on and the big secrets at the heart of Otherland. [dislikes] There's only one really: - pace of the plot. It builds up gradually in book 1, comes to an almost complete halt in book 2, picks up in book 3 and then slows down again in book 4. It's frustrating because large chunks of the narrative, though descriptive, beautiful and easy to read, are seemingly unnecessary and do nothing to advance the story. Unfortunately, I can't go in details about that here (unless Rob wants to talk about this off-list). Thankfully, as I said before, these bits are easy to read and the characters are developing all the while so it's not a total waste of time. Plus I read fast normally and so slightly crapper sections don't bother me that much as I read those faster than the rest. In short, it's epic, it's genre-crossing and it's good but sadly it's no classic. *sigh* 650 pages to go. Lal GSV Scan-master ----------------------------------------------------------------------- The information contained in this e-mail is confidential and solely for the intended addressee(s). Unauthorised reproduction, disclosure, modification, and/or distribution of this email may be unlawful. If you have received this email in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete it from your system. The views expressed in this message do not necessarily reflect those of LIFFE Holdings Plc or any of its subsidiary companies. -----------------------------------------------------------------------
