Wish he’d hurry up and bring out the next one. Slacker.

I would also suggest that Iain Banks transplanted the idea to science fiction in ‘Matter’.

Tnanks Kim, it’s easy to write something good about these books.

Let the record reflect, though, there’s a tonne of fairyland crap out there, too. I recently bought an Elizabeth Bear book because I’d heard good things about its conptemporary fairy treatment. God it was dreadful. Even though I’d paid for it, I couldn’t finish it – her characters are terribly, just counters to be pushed about by the narrative, and the dialogue rings about as true as a bell made of horse manure.

Donaldson’s Thomas Covenant books could arguably fit in this genre. I would argue against it because a) I think there is very little interaction between the world, as it were b) Donaldson’s realm as more in common with a high fantasy, Tolkien setting and most importantly, c) because they’re crap.

I must guiltily confess to enjoying Terry Brooks’ “Magic Kingdom for sale” books. My only defense is that I was thirteen at the time.

Tim, Mirrlees was indeed a most unusual figure, and a somewhat tragic one, ending her life as a seeming recluse, though no one really knows. Michael Swanick, in an article linked to above argues that her wealth allowed her to retreat from writing and the world at large – though it’s hard to know how far that retreat went beyond writing.

I did, indeed, do a short review of A Voyage To Arcturus. Sounds like you and I largely agree; a seminal, bizarre book, not without its flaws.

Incidentally Patrick, I remember you did a brief review ages ago about Voyage to Arcturus. I finally got a copy of that, too, and read it, late last year. A supremely odd book, though perhaps not quite the masterpiece that others have claimed it to be, methinks. Love the bizarre scientific ideas it has, though, and the odd convergence of science fiction and theosophical speculations (a la Jung, Blavatsky etc.)

Nice piece Pg.

Jonathon Strange and Mr Norrel is my recent fave in the Fairyland ouvre.