tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670543499274741427.post8052916162181777881..comments2024-03-26T17:54:54.592+01:00Comments on Speculiction...: Review of Jack Faust by Michael SwanwickUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670543499274741427.post-54440256950951933722017-08-21T12:12:57.952+02:002017-08-21T12:12:57.952+02:00Yeah, I agree, could have been...Yeah, I agree, could have been...Jessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07796098208589965362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670543499274741427.post-40503331089327968022017-08-20T01:30:37.032+02:002017-08-20T01:30:37.032+02:00@ Jesse --
Absolutely agree with you about both T...@ Jesse --<br /><br />Absolutely agree with you about both THE IRON DRAGON'S DAUGHTER -- and I _loathe_ most 'high fantasy' -- and this one, JACK FAUST, which is a great concept that Swanwick fails to deliver on because of the longeurs of its middle stretch. <br /><br />It's almost inexplicable to me that this author, almost always adept and frequently brilliant -- indeed, I'm struggling to think of a living SF writer I'd rate more highly -- dropped the ball on this one, a concept that if he'd delivered on would be up there with the likes of the classics that everybody recognizes, like A CANTICLE FOR LEIBOWITZ, FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON, and CHILDHOOD'S END. I can only guess that, knowing what he potentially had in JACK FAUST's basic concept, Swanwick stiffened up mentally and lost sight of what he was doing.<br /><br />Mark Pontinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11988614518618495319noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670543499274741427.post-17575822672784039442017-08-10T13:14:23.273+02:002017-08-10T13:14:23.273+02:00I haven't read Vacuum Flowers, and therefore c...I haven't read Vacuum Flowers, and therefore cannot comment. But regarding The Iron Dragon's Daughter, it never dragged for me. If I remember correctly, the novel is told almost episodically (almost), with each "episode" representing a step in the maturation of the main character. I remember that some "episodes", indeed, may have been superfluous, but were presented from so singular an imagination that they were impossible not to read. I can't say the same about the middle parts of Jack Faust. The parts with Gretchen as main character seemed more a nod toward contemporary feminism than an integral part of the development of Faust and the world he helped create. Surely I've stepped on the toes of many a contemporary feminist by saying so, regardless, the novel would have been more streamlined, and focused, without it.<br /><br />Is Swanwick a better short story writer than novel-length? I don't know. I don't think I've read enough to say definitively one way or the other. Based on what little I've read, he is equally good at both. :)Jessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07796098208589965362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670543499274741427.post-20920595116903502552017-08-09T08:15:33.852+02:002017-08-09T08:15:33.852+02:00There really are stories that would benefit from b...There really are stories that would benefit from being told at novella/novelette length rather than being stretched too thin into novel format. I also remember that Jack Faust dragged on for a while in the middle, but in the end, my overall impression remains positive. But then I'm a sucker for retellings of the Faust myth. To me personally, Iron Dragon's Daughter or Vacuum Flowers suffered more in comparison from being too long. But then we all know that Swanwick is a formidable short story writer and that that is his ideal length.<br />Cheers,<br />KlaasAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com