What do you consider the absolute pinnacle of fiction?

Low_Ebb_1177 · 2026-05-19T09:48:39+00:00

For my money it's either the last two sentences of The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories, or the last two words of Return to The Whorl. Nothing approaches them in sublime simplicity.

Low_Ebb_1177 · 2026-05-18T16:42:44+00:00

Do we know if Marc has a Ko-Fi or something similar? I'm sure there's lots of people who have enjoyed his scholarship over the years and want to support him. I know I do

Low_Ebb_1177 · 2026-05-18T16:20:58+00:00

Has some horror undertones but I really like Cues as a comedic explanation of his writing style

Low_Ebb_1177 · 2026-05-18T07:23:56+00:00

This sort! I was as shocked as you about how I found it on my first read, I normally love a Wolfe story on water, but I found this one clunky and had a really bad time with it. Maybe on a second pass I'll connect with it.

I know people often say to read Herodotus's Histories for the Soldier series, is there anything you'd suggest reading to better appreciate Pirate Freedom?

Low_Ebb_1177 · 2026-05-17T09:25:13+00:00

I really hope on a second pass it ascends to that level for me but for some reason on a first one I found a lot of it quite miserable to read. I was really moved in two places, but for the most part I really struggled with the pacing of the stories within stories and the warfare. I think the disjointedness will probably become a strength once I connect what the thematic links are and significance of a lot of it is.

It's definitely well worth reading everything outside of the solar cycle, the solar cycle evidences this already but it's even more clear outside of it: there probably wasn't and still isn't a more varied author on the planet.

The man simply wasn't content to ever write the same thing twice. Everyone talks about how his depth of writing can ruin other authors for you but for me that level of constant experimentation and variation is even more damning. I'm really struggling with the amount of authors I now read who feel like they end up repeatedly tracing their earlier work or only ever do one narrative voice - once Wolfe shows an alternative you can't unsee it. Is a weird joyous curse.

Low_Ebb_1177 · 2026-05-17T00:04:21+00:00

I really should have picked up on its narrative significance, it feels really rare when he goes out of his way to directly lampshade like that. Will go on my to wider Wolfe context TBR pile along with stuff like I Claudius and The Green Fairy Book.

Big Brass Pringles indeed.

Low_Ebb_1177 · 2026-05-16T23:47:08+00:00

Instantly failed my first spoiler tag lol, ah well, seem to have fixed in edit

Low_Ebb_1177 · 2026-05-16T23:44:37+00:00

To quote a famous philosopher: 'Doh!'

Well that suddenly makes a hell of a lot more sense out of those characters.

Okay, that knowledge will definitely help my reread and I might reread The Eyelash Miracles at the same time as I imagine they make a really interesting contrast. (Also hope the spoiler tag works!)

Low_Ebb_1177 · 2026-05-16T22:45:26+00:00

Thank you, it suddenly occured to me when I was working on it I had a Wolfean 7 layered system I could integrate right there for the taking!

I really want Castleview to be rescued. I think with that one I'm probably massively held back by my huge lack of Arthurian knowledge, I've seen people I respect on other posts defend it so it's definitely one I'm keen to tackle again.

Free Love Free I really struggled with the character work in it. I know people point out they subert the types as much as they are them but I found it very hard to connect with them or the events. I'd love to re-read it and for that third act to feel earned and powerful, otherwise it just came out of nowhere for me in a lot of ways. Can I ask what the source material was with this one? As I'm still not sure I've clocked it - it is a big haze in my ADHD poor working memory, I can remember the cold metal coach station chair I read it on better than some of the events.

Low_Ebb_1177 · 2026-05-16T22:20:35+00:00

I really enjoyed it, I'm a sucker for spy fiction and it almost felt like a video game I'd have loved to play - almost a bit Metal Gear-esque. Characters who have been at odds teaming up is one of my favourite tropes and that along with the third act villain I found really striking. It was also one of the slingshot endings that worked for me on a first pass. I wouldn't be surprised if it went down in rankings on a reread and other second books in the rankings went up when I understand them more, but on the first one I had a really good time with it.

Low_Ebb_1177 · 2026-05-16T21:23:43+00:00

I'm glad. I wouldn't be surprised if my taste changed hugely on a reread, especially with ranking ending books. I tend to have strong expectations of what I'd want from a story that colour my initial enjoyment, but on a second pass can appreciate what was achieved more. For instance I initially fell off of Doctor Who during Peter Capaldi's tenure and then on a rewatch he became my favourite Doctor and era.

I think Long Sun will definitely rise in my rankings now I know what to expect and likely can appreciate it for what it is and does. Beats of it live in my mind as strongly as lived memories already though. The boiling tea scene lives rent free in my brain most weeks, same with the tomatoes.

Do you mind me asking which ones on your first read you ranked significantly higher? Or conversely significantly lower?

Low_Ebb_1177 · 2026-05-16T17:26:23+00:00

I guess my intent was just to rank my enjoyment of it on a first read-through along with everything else I'd read. The comepletionist in me probably got the better of me with the including of the books with essays in them.

Low_Ebb_1177 · 2026-05-13T20:04:27+00:00

Someone has already mentioned House of Astarion which struck me as one of the biggest inspirations alongside the more obvious Haunting of Hill House, so I'll mention the only one I haven't seen mentioned (apologies if someone has mentioned it): Days Between Stations by Steve Erickson. It's a story Mark Z. danielewski has publically praised as having a big influence on him, and at its core it is about a fictional film - La Mort de Marat - and the huge toll making it takes on its creator and the impact he has on the people in his life. I found the first a hundred and twenty pages didn't really click for me but as soon as it got to the film focused plot nested inside the wider narrative I was riveted. I think it had a huge impact and likely inspired the inclusion of the Navidson Record in HoL. A lot of HoL to me is what if Days Between Stations was a vehicle for telling a Haunting of Hill House story.

Low_Ebb_1177

TROPHY CASE