Astrobe a Dystopian Utopia | R. A. Lafferty, Gene Wolfe, Thomas More

[@socrates17]

Great discussion. It was linked to in the Gene Wolfe FaceBook group. I've subscribed. I read Lafferty before I read Wolfe. I bought and read every volume of the Ace Science Fiction Specials as they were published, making Past Master my 1st Lafferty, in 1968. Then I read Fourth Mansons when it came out, so 2 Lafferty novels before I got to his short stories, in the collection Nine Hundred Grandmothers (1970). Many Lafferty fans tell people to start with his short stories, but I didn't do that and still became a rabid fan. I met him once at a WorldCon and had him sign a hardcover reissue of Past Master. He told me that I paid too much for it, but I politely disagreed. I started reading Wolfe with The Fifth Head of Cerberus in 1972, followed that with Peace & The Devil in a Forest before The Shadow of the Torturer came out. I loved Wolfe, and I loved Wolfe's prose, but I didn't connect it with Lafferty until this video. Thanks!

[@literallybooks]

Thank you. So great you were able to meet and talk with him and get a signature. I’ve read a bit more Lafferty since I made this video and more and more I’m becoming a devoted Lafferty fan. On a related note Daniel Peterson, Chris (liminal spaces), Richard (vintage sf), and myself did an epic 4 way panel discussion on Lafferty a couple days ago. Scheduled to appear in multiple parts on Daniel’s Channel (@Doctor_Rocker) soon(ish). It was a fantastic time and should be very entertaining. We recorded for seven hours so I don’t even remember exactly what I said 😆

[@LiminalSpaces03]

I've been out of town for a week (this is Chris) and watched this right when I got home, and this video is incredible! I just checked my shelves and I don't have anything by Lafferty! I'll have to check my anthologies. I'm going to keep my eye out for lafferty from here on out! Great video, as always!

[@literallybooks]

I know his writing is harder to classify and he makes style choices that some readers might dislike but I loved Past Master. A sort of sci-fi magical realism. I think you’d enjoy this book. I’m sure there are other good ones by Lafferty, but I don’t know which ones to recommend. Best of luck and Thank you!!

[@andrewnmnjohnson]

There's a channel called Daniel Otto Jack Petersen that mainly covers Lafferty. The channel has a 50 minute video on Past Master. I watched three videos on Snuffles where he debates whether the story is cosmic horror.

[@literallybooks]

@@andrewnmnjohnson. Yes! Thanks to Chris from Liminal Spaces (above 😁) I discovered @doctor_rocker and really enjoyed his discussion. If fact he was kind enough to recommend some other books by Lafferty. Its great to see people spreading the word about his videos. Thank You! I’ll look for the other videos you mentioned as well.

[@Crabby303]

Must check this out - just finished Book of the New Sun, if Wolfe rates Lafferty then he's definitely worth a go imo, plot sounds intriguing.. cheers for the tip! :)

[@literallybooks]

There’s a good chance you’ll find something to like in Past Master. Basically this would be a go to recommendation for someone who wants non-Wolfe Wolfe. 😆. Thanks for dropping in!

[@Doctor_Rockter]

So fun to see someone encounter Lafferty for the first time! Very pleased you enjoyed falling down this rabbit hole and will be on the lookout for more Lafferty. I liked your emphases on the strangeness of Hopp-Equation space, the religious symbology, the odd 'detachment' that paradoxically involves the reader more than the characters or narrator, and that the Cathead rejection of Utopia is 'an idea that pervades the book'. Lots of interesting insights. Brilliant ending quote too. I'm just starting a series going through Past Master chapter by chapter and I'll direct people over here to check out your reaction. Thanks for this! :)

[@literallybooks]

Thank you. I jumped into this book with both feet and couldn’t have had a better experience. I had so much more to say but what I missed the most was neglecting to mention how the humor is this casual absurdity. I want to say bemused as well. I found it charming. Also the way Lafferty ignores what he thinks is irrelevant. The mechanics of time travel? Who cares. They can do it. No more time needs to be wasted. He seems more interested in his idea than explaining something. That approach is just gold. Your videos, though I’ve only just started on them, are a true treasure.

[@Doctor_Rockter]

@@literallybooks totally - the humour and the leaping over explanation for the sake of ideas (and some of the ideas are pretty big!). And yet that brief evocation of disappearing in the 'crackling air' when he time travels. His compact but vivid little touches are almost more convincing than hefty mechanics. Thanks for the kind feedback. Looking forward to these burgeoning conversations around Lafferty in these online environs. :)

[@literallybooks]

@@Doctor_RockterYes, I need to pick your brain about what Lafferty Novel to try next. 😁

[@Doctor_Rockter]

@@literallybooks Alas, the short answer, of course, is whatever you can actually find in print! There's an ok edition of The Reefs of Earth from Locus Press, but it has some typos and lacks Lafferty's italics (which he used liberally, breaking yet another 'creative writing' rule haha). Sometimes I think of that novel as sort of Bradbury meets Twain but put through the Lafferty juicer, including a heaping dose of Lafferty's more macabre sense of humor. Alien/goblin children trying to wreak havoc on in Oklahoma with lots of little stories within stories that are wonderful. If you want Lafferty's gonzo take on planet-hopping space opera, you could try Space Chantey if you can find it in print. It's Homer's Odyssey in a sort of space western, almost animated cartoon, mode. Again, plenty of tall tale grotesqueries and some very fun and salty planetary adventures. Fourth Mansions is a tougher work but tends to be a favorite among Lafferty's readers. It's even more of a dense, layered novel of ideas than Past Master, and a little longer and more convoluted. The prose is generally up a notch from the previous novels. An everyman news reporter caught up in the machinations of secret psychic factions in Oklahoma, Texas, Mexico, and Washington DC. Lots of weird, trippy imagery and offbeat humor. Colorful cast of characters. If you're thinking of any others you can get hold of and want my little potted description, just hit me up! Different novels hit different readers differently, of course. If you've gotten the Lafferty bug, the ups and downs and adventures of finding what you like is fun. And, for me, even what I wasn't as keen on at first usually becomes a favourite, major or minor, on subsequent reads.

[@literallybooks]

@@Doctor_RockterThank you so very much. I found Space Chantry and Reefs of Earth (as an ace double, which I’m hoping is faithful to Lafferty’s intent 🤞) bundled together for a very reasonable price. And I’m trying to decide which Fourth Mansions to get (I know a cover should not be important but that glowing eyed frog has me enchanted). I do have more to ask about but I think I’ll move those questions to your video I’m watching. I can consume media very slowly but it is nice to know there’s a wealth of content on your channel to enjoy.

[@BrentDavis75]

Thank you -- Past Master is now in my Audible library! Enjoyed your review very much.

[@literallybooks]

Haha, fantastic! Enjoy.

[@mattygroves]

Great video, thanks for talking about Lafferty! He's an odd one. I've only read a couple short stories, but I think he has a very different perspective and sensibility from anything being published now.

[@literallybooks]

You’re absolutely right. His writing is poetic and absurdist, kind of like magical realism only sci-fi instead of magic. Thanks for watching!