robertsl@stolaf.UUCP (Laurence C. Roberts) (01/22/86)
Has anyone out there read _Castle_of_the_Otter_ or _Planet_Engineering_? From something I read in Dann & Duzois' _Mermaids_, _Castle_ is about the writing of the Book of the New Sun - and note the play on _Citadel_of_the_ _Autarch_. And _Planet_Engineering_ is probably columns from _Plant_ _Engineering_, which Wolfe edits. Supposedly somebody, TOR I think, has come out with a $16 edition of _Free_Live_Free_, with slightly revised text. Anybody seen it? Anyway, if anyone has read any of these books, please drop me a line letting me know if they're worth finding.
math.linda@LOCUS.UCLA.EDU@caip.RUTGERS.EDU (02/06/86)
From: Linda Wald <math.linda@LOCUS.UCLA.EDU>
all my letters to Laurence Roberts bounced ........
Castle of the Otter first showed up as a reviewers goof -- he thought that
the fourth book of the book of the New Sun was so titled. Wolfe then wrote
it anyway -- the subtitle is 'a book about the Book of the New Sun'. It contains
essays, history, some background, and even one chapter where all the main
characters (who were willing) stand up and tell a joke. If you liked Book
of the New Sun, you'll probably enjoy it. It's available from the Science
Fiction Book Club.
Plan[e]t Engineering is NOT reprints from Plant Engineering (by the way, Wolfe
is now writing full time .) It was published by NESFA press, and may still be
available from them. It commemorates Wolfes appearence as Boscone XXI GoH.
The stories , articles and poems were chosen by a jury of NESFA members.
It includes 'Books in the Book of the New Sun' and 'The Computer Iterates the
Greater Trumps' as well as stories and , oh yes, one article from Plant
Engineering on 'The Anatomy of a Robot' . I enjoyed the collection. If you
too enjoy Wolfe, I can reasonably safely say you will too. Good luck getting
ahold of it.
I read the Ziesing edition of Free Live Free and liked it. If such things
bother you, it's really only borderline sf. I haven't read the Tor edition,
but A Change of Hobbit has it as does Mark Ziesing Booksellers (P.O.Box 806
Willimantic CT. 06226).
Enjoy,
Linda Wald (math.linda@ucla.locus.arpa)