Hello!
I’ve decided, after being asked by an editor at Abrams Image (publisher of lovely art books) what science fiction and fantasy he should be reading, and after many conversations too unremarkable to convey at length by people who dismiss sci-fi but would probably enjoy it, and after a re-read of Junot Diaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (which is itself wondrous), I’ve decided to start a project on this blog.
Twice each week (usually on Tuesday and Saturday), I’ll post a sentence from a work of science fiction or fantasy that belongs to a book worth reading, and a little on why you ought to read it.
This is not a definitive list, nor an attempt to create a canon. What it is, is a quick demonstration of the quality of writing that’s out there. And despite my disavowing the whole canon thing, I’m also going to take the opportunity to include works that aren’t generally thought of as science fiction or fantasy, or works that are that come from authors who don’t think of themselves as writers of either. We don’t have a really good word yet for imaginative literature (people have tried labeling it fabulism, and speculative fiction, and sci-fi, and so on, here in the States, and none of it really works, and imaginative literature is on the mark but too much of a mouthful), but I’m including everything that belongs under the wider umbrella.
By the end, I hope this list will expose literary readers to sf/fantasy they should consider, sf/fantasy readers to literary fiction they should consider, to both groups, some classics they may have missed (or should re-read), and to people who don’t read as often, books that they might get something out of, which will ideally induce them to pick a couple up and have a go. And I hope some of you will suggest things you think I should read.
Today’s sentence is from Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, by Susanna Clarke (Bloomsbury, 2004):
A great magician has said of his profession that its practitioners “… must pound and rack their brains to make the least learning go in, but quarrelling always comes very naturally to them,” and the York magicians had proved the truth of this for a number of years.
First, the quote-within-a quote speaks to the reader. It feels true. It’s philosophical, but not in an intrusive way. In my case, I was reminded of how I have trouble retaining little details, and also of how, when there’s a cyclist who wants to blow past people on a crowded street, I want to give him a flying tackle. But I shouldn’t, and don’t, tempted as I may be to dive into one of those Critical Mass twerps.
Next, the sentence hints at a wider conflict among the York magicians. It turns out there’s a lot more going on in the story than their academic infighting. Susanna Clarke creates a wonderful alternate history of England (the novel is set during the Napoleonic Wars), and skillfully uses magic as both a multi-level metaphor and an engrossing part of the world she creates with her novel. I find her writing elegant, and the book’s a page-turner. The first time I read it, I plowed through its thousand pages in eight hours of riding the bus to and from Boston.
So if you’ve not read Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, it’s well worth your time and energy. When you’re done, feel free to discuss with other readers (or fire off a missive) in the comments section below.
You’ll find this in the fantasy section of your local bookstore.
Filed under: 100 Sentences, Adventures, Writing | Tagged: books, culture, fantasy, fiction, junot diaz, lists, literary fiction, literature, magical realism, novels, sci-fi, science fiction, susanna clarke, the brief wondrous life of oscar wao
This is a great blogging project! I loved Oscar Wao–it was nothing like what I was expecting, and much better than I could have hoped. One of the things I like about it is imagining those who only read “literary” fiction looking up references to Galactus and the Phantom Zone on Wikipedia… It was an ambitious novel, but I was impressed with its elegant execution. I look forward to your recommendations of works of similar quality that I might not otherwise hear about.
And you’ve reminded me that I need to re-read Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell soon. I remember the first 100 pages not being as much of a page turner for me, but once Strange entered into it, I couldn’t put it down (except to rest my arms). I’m still moved by the ending.
I think this will be fun. I’d worry about running out of books, except that I don’t think that will happen. I’ve already found quotes from about a dozen other titles to get me started. The only challenge will be keeping the Ursula Le Guin to other authors ratio to an acceptable range.
As for Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, that sentence, plus the footnote, were what hooked me. At that point, it set in that I was dealing with something that was going to demand my attention, and after getting caught up in the atmospherics, it turned out to have all the other aggregates.
Neat idea! I look forward to seeing what else you list (and probably recommending some things, because, as a general rule, I can’t resist recommending things).
I’ve been amazed by how many people loved Oscar Wao, specfic and mainstream fans alike. I went in expecting not to like it very much, and it turned out to be one of the best books I read last year.
I’m all ears on the recommendations, especially if it looks like I’m picking things that are too obvious, or there seems to be some glaring hole yet to be filled.
As for Oscar Wao, I picked it up because of the cover, saw the epigraphs, and was in. I wish Junot Diaz would write faster (it took ten years between Drown and Oscar Wao), but some people need the ten years to write a novel. Susanna Clarke did, and so did Tolkien.
Thanks! I’ve already added your blog to my favorites list since I plan to return each week. As a science fiction author I love to read science fiction. With a considerable of luck, perhaps my book will one day make it on your list. Check out my first and recently released novel, Long Journey to Rneadal. This exciting tale is a romantic action adventure in space and is more about the characters than the technology.
Cool! Hopefully I’ll be able to come up with a good variety of books. I have a feeling quite a few of my picks will be obvious, but I have a couple that I know are curveballs (and at least one isn’t, strictly speaking, a “book”).
Hi, Eddie:
Good to see you at WorldCon during Fi Patton’s reading. Thanks again for the workshop help earlier at Polaris. Very useful.
Are you planning on continuing this project? I’ve been checking by every few days, since the first was interesting. Not to pressure, understand, but I was wondering if I’m just not seeing the continuation.
Hi Eddie.
I hope you continue with this project; it’s important to recognize good writing, no matter what the genre…Just the other day, an established literary writer told me he “doesn’t read fantasy and sci-fi,” and thus, had difficulty offering me feedback on my work. Doesn’t read fantasy/sci-fi? What about Kafka’s Metamorphosis, or Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go, or as you point out, Junot Diaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao? Good writing belongs to everyone.