Moments ago I finished Awake in the Night Land by John C. Wright.
As I sit to give you my thoughts on it... the first thing that comes to mind is a question. How does one review... or critique... something like this? I am unfit.
One does not critique the great works of literature. One appreciates them. You define good and bad by them. Good and bad do not apply to them.
And so... it is with quivering hand that I place Awake in the Night Land in the most cherished of bookcases... where it will stand... not with the merely great. Not with Zelazny or Heinlein. No. It rests with the masters that tower over the merely great. It shall stand with Tolstoy.... with Faulkner... Defoe... Melville.
A few men have great things to say. A few great men say things beautifully.
Cherish the tiny few who say a great thing in a beautiful way.
John C Wright is one such man. Awake in the Night Land is one of the finest books of any type in any genre I have ever read. It is Moby Dick. It is Paradise Lost. It is Crime and Punishment.
This is not hyperbole. Great books challenge you. They speak to the spark in your soul. One may improve himself... by merely reading them.
Go.
Go and read. Go and appreciate.
***UPDATE***
upon reflection I would offer some advice to the reader. Read with patience. Each story builds upon the last. You will have questions and frustrations as you go. Keep going. The struggle of the climb improves the view from the top.
7 comments:
Just finished the second novella. Human spirit, indeed.
Also, how are you putting an ebook on one of your shelves? Or did Vox somehow land you a dead tree copy?
its a metaphor dammit.
Get off my lawn!!!
The fact that this book impressed you enough to render you, a plain speaking man, basically speechless is quite a review in and of itself.
This may in fact be an historical event in the history of Blogger Blaster, Nate is technically speechless. If I were a fan of SF, I would read the book based on just your post alone, not even the great review that Vox gave also. He too was having trouble finding the right words also.
Dag, I second that thought, Miss Susan!
Awake in the Nate Land - that will be my next book...that one kinda wrote itself
I bought this on your recommendation and started it only to realize it's a sequel to The Night Land, written in 1912 (yeah, I'm slow that way). That's okay, The Night Land is free on Kindle so I'm reading that first. More to enjoy!
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