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R. A. Lafferty may be the best SF writer you've never read. Or is he? (3rd book in Ace SF Specials)
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- Опубліковано 6 вер 2023
- 3 of 46 ASFS (series one)
Looking at all the books in the first series of Ace Science Fiction Specials (1967 - 1971) and 8 books purchased for ASFS but published after the run in 1972.
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This man is a Gem a Gift and a Beautiful Mind.
Yep, I've read Lafferty. As Harry S. Truman said, "There is nothing new in the world except the history you do not know." This quote explains so much about the human condition or, as Georg Hegel said, “We learn from history that we do not learn from history.”
Yes, and Hegel added: History repeats itself, first as tragedy, then as farce.
This book is very relevant this day and age
Hmmm. Care to elaborate? I have my own thoughts but don’t want to assume.
I'm glad someone is reading and talking about Lafferty. (I was going to suggest a different pronunciation of his middle name, but found that opinions are divided.) He has been a favorite author of mine since I bought my first SF mag off a rack at Central Cigar Store in my youth. It included one of his short stories, possibly "In Our Block" or "Slow Tuesday Night". I loved that story, whatever it was, and from that day became a fan of science fiction and R.A. Lafferty. I have read Past Master and Fourth Mansions and my personal favorite, The Devil is Dead. Also Space Chantey, The Reefs of Earth and a lot of his short stories. I thoroughly enjoyed all of these, including most of the stories I read. Some authors are mostly about the destination, but I think Lafferty was all about the journey. As you said, he loved mythology. He liked to play with it and add to it and incorporate it into his stories.
I'm really enjoying your own journey through these Ace SF Specials! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Rick. I’m really enjoying the variety of authors in the Ace Specials. It is a great snapshot of SF in the late ‘60s to early ‘70s. It was a real transitional time as the new wave and literary SF became influential.
I had never heard of him until I came across his short "Land of Great Horses" in Harlan Ellison's Dangerous Visions. I was soon buying every anthology I could find with Lafferty. I find his writing to be an idiosyncratic delight
Looking forward to trying some more Lafferty. Suspect I might connect better with his short stories.
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I was also frustrated by Past Master. Really found his writing style got in the way, and perhaps there wasn't that well developed a story to start with. Read it about 20 years ago, so having trouble remembering details, but I do remember it put me off trying anything else by him.
Before that I had read one of his short stories in an anthology (Best SF 7 ed. Edmund Crispin) and really enjoyed that.
After 20 years it's probably time to give him another go so I have the SF Masterworks Lafferty short story collection and, once I get the courage, I'll give it a go.
I think I have the same book in a Tor Essentials. Will get there someday.
I remember reading this book when I was about 15 back in '68. I loved science fiction and had been reading it voraciously for four years or so. I bought this one at the local neighborhood store based on the cover and the blurbs. I was mystified and bored by the characters and the plot but in those days I always finished a book if I started it. Those days are long gone. I give them maybe 20 pages now and don't hesitate to abandon a novel that starts boring or irritating somehow. Thank you for reviewing this book I hadn't thought of in over 50 years.
In exploring vintage SF I certainly try to finish a book and think about it. I understand why some might abandon this and other books. I know I have. The forum of UA-cam is an added incentive for me to finish a book so I can relate my reading experience. Thanks for watching!
Yeah, I read him about 30 years ago, and my reaction was about the same as yours. He left me a little bit bewildered. I think he was writing about the time Vonnegut was a big thing. I remember the mechanical dogs that were used by the government to suppress dissent. I really liked the book, but his conclusions were difficult to discern. Possibly Lafferty couldn't see where he was going and didn't know where he wanted to go. So he was like a man in a puzzle arcade dazzled by the neon lights but unable to thread his way out of the maze. And that is a bit like life itself. isn't it ? Cheers.
Interesting metaphor. More and more I’m leaning towards the journey is more important and a conclusion is unnecessary for a lot of authors.
@@vintagesf Perhaps for the authors but not for readers. Readers feel disappointed and perhaps cheated if the story lacks a satisfactory conclusion. BTW have you done anything on Leigh Brackett and Robeert Scheckley
@@frankmorlock1403 Scheckley’s Mindswap is coming up September 18th. I have Brackett’s The Long Tomorrow but not sure when I will get to it.
Yeah, Lafferty is better in the short stories. He is great in that anthology.
Looking forward to reading Nine Hundred Grandmothers. Thanks for watching!
The thing with Lafferty is that he's a writer's writer in terms of his acclaim. He came up in a time when the New Wave had hit the USA from the UK and Modernist-influenced US writers like Delany, Disch and Sladek had spent time in Britain after being drawn to what Ballard, Moorcock and others were doing with 'New Worlds' and 'Impulse'. In those days everything was up for grabs as Delany and Ellison were winning awards and showing the old guard that people wanted better writing that meshed Modernism with the raw energy of genre fiction. But because he was sui generis and a conservative to boot, Lafferty didn't really fit anywhere and his commercial star faded. Had he been discovered and published as a mainstream Fabulist- like John Barth, John Gardner, Pynchon, Coover and Brautigan, he'd have had massive acclaim and would now be even more forgotten.
I have mixed feelings about his work: while he is audacious, original and a true one-off, his ambition is also marred by lack of discipline and excess at times- he can't quite pull off the Joycean thing the way Burgess and Hoban could, but he's to be admired for his unique vision. I prefer his novels to his shorts, finding him a very self-indulgent writer, though I do always go back to him. A friend of mine published two of his very last novels which I'm going to cover on my channel at some point, as they never had mass market paperback editions.
Very interested to watch your video. I think I might like his short stories. I find challenging writers easier to appreciate in shorts. I’m inclined to look for the story rather than the art. While I don’t think this will change, I don’t mind trying to learn more about a writer and what’s behind their work.
Youre very critical (academic syndrome) for someone who hasn't written anything remotely creative.
@@ericchristen2623 I assume you're referring to me? Well yes, I AM critical as much of my published writing IS popular (rather than academic) critical, historical and contextual material about SF - I'm a critic first (one of my books topped the Amazon UK bestseller list in two categories- Classic SF & Literary Criticism). Have you read all my work? It's not for me to say, but I suspect some readers would say my short pieces for 'Deep Ends' were creative.
Aside from that, what is wrong with being critical? Is having an opinion that can be backed up with a little more than 'I like this,' a bad thing? If you 'Take your pleasure seriously' as a song says, a bit of insight and exploration can enhance the enjoyment of a work hugely. Incidentally, I'm not an academic, holding no degree, despite having guest lectured at several universities. My suspicion is that you are simply a Lafferty devotee- nothing wrong with that- who cannot be bothered to formulate a reply. And I have a sneaking suspicion you've done some academic flavoured writing yourself....
(Richard, apologies for responding thus in your video comments, hope you understand)
I haven't read anything by Lafferty, although I've seen his name on spinner racks for years. My introduction to SF was through Carr-edited anthologies I checked out from our local library, so Carr's selection of Lafferty's books for the Ace series, plus your review, makes me want to try out his work. I'll probably start with short stories--for a novel-length book, I have to be in the right mood for "in it for the journey, not the plot" narrative.
I've read Lafferty but only his short stories. I find him to be an original and a delight. I think fans didn't stick with him for a number of reasons, a main one being that's he's about as far from standard sf as you could get. I don't think he was serving what the average Campbell reader wanted. I'll have to try Past Masters. I think I own it (I've got a whole lot of books on that TBR pile) because that cover looks very familiar.
Interested in hearing your views after reading it.
I've read several of his short stories, including some of his stories from the 70's 'Euremas Dam' is one and was in a Terry Carr , Best of the year Collection. When his stories stay focused, they're brilliant diamonds with some not needing any polishing, other stories felt too rambling and just didn't pull me in. I could understand his playfulness with words but his style was 'too' folksy for me and so I struggled. Overall, I'd rate his writing as 5/10 with a handful of stories hitting 7/10
I read Past Master and also found the plot frustrating to follow. The ending especially baffled me, but on reflection I think I might have an idea what happened and I like it better the more I mull it over. It’s one I’d like to re-read eventually.
With this type of novel I think I would get a lot more out of reading it a second time. No preconceived notions, no plot expectations, just trying to understand the journey.
Yes, I have read him. Is he the best? I don't know, but I did like his books. Looking at his bibliography on Wikipedia, I mainly read the short story collections, because that was what was available at the library.
I’m looking forward to Nine Hundred Grandmothers. I find challenging writers more accessible in their short stories.
Damn, I'm embarrassed to admit not having read him, though I've seen his name float around over the years; I might have read a short story or two by him, though. Thank you for perhaps giving me my next writer to obsess over. He sounds like a true American original. I don't know why, but as you began to cite some of the imagery of the novel, Frank L. Baum came to mind--the unsettling weirdness of his chimeras, the unconcealed sadism and grotesquery that bubbles up raw from the unconscious. If he was an ex-soldier, he most likely had a pension of some sort to live off of, which I'm sure helped him survive. I don't know what it is, but I can instantly spot a hardcore alcoholic even when he's dry; it would make sense if he served in a war; a lot of those men were shattered and alcohol was their medicine. God rest his soul.
Just wanted to add, I started reading the novel today. Really nice flashes and flourishes of prose and imagery; but there's already some unintentional quirkiness going on the narrative, but it's easily forgivable, the lack of drive/unifying force I like in every novel I read, no matter the genre. I can see, now, why Zelazny would like him. Anyway, thanks for reviewing the novel.
@@unstopitable I’m enjoying my read through of the Ace Specials. It is introducing me to authors that I’ve never read. Glad you’re along for the ride!
I don't think I have, nor do I have any on my shelves. 🤷♂️
Another reason to scavenge!
@@vintagesf like I need an excuse!
If you want to get a taste of why Lafferty is so well loved, read "Nine Hundred Grandmothers" (the story), and maybe "Continued on Next Rock". Lafferty was best at the short story form, and to really appreciate his work one has to have a taste for absurd humor.
Nine Hundred Grandmothers won me over. I have a video about ‘The Best of R.A. Lafferty’ where I explain how I grew to love Lafferty’s short fiction.
If you want a straightforward story, don't read "Fourth Mansions". If you want to read a superb shaggy-dog story that'll blow your mind and entertain you along the way however, go for it!
I’m going to go for it. Committing to read through the Ace Science Fiction Specials is exposing me to authors and literary styles I wouldn’t normally choose to read. I’m enjoying that overall experience, perhaps growing my literary culinary palette.
@@vintagesf I can't wait to hear what you make of it! With Lafferty, you have to imagine that you're in a pub (probably in Ireland) and the older guy at the bar has launched into a story after a few drinks: it's rambling, he wanders off on a tangent at the drop of a hat, you don't believe a word of it, but oh how he tells it, and you find yourself hanging on every word and never wanting it to get to closing time.
@@leemason6897 Love the picture you paint. Now I’m looking forward to having a pint with Lafferty!
@@leemason6897 Your description of the Irish storyteller sounds a bit like Flann O'Brien.