Gene W. Banks
December 2, 2012 7:35 AM Subscribe
What interesting writing has been done on the overlaps between Gene Wolfes "Book of the new sun and Iain M. Banks Culture novels?
I'm re-reading the second volume of Wolfes New sun" books, Claw of the conciliator, and can't shake the image that there are Special Circumstance folks and droids hiding in the corners. I'm certainly not the first to make the connection —the pre-search reveals this comment — but a cursory google didn't turn up any longer text on the subject.
I've still to read the rest of the series, so it's spoilers territory, but I'm curious and already plan for my post-Wolfe withdrawal.
I'm re-reading the second volume of Wolfes New sun" books, Claw of the conciliator, and can't shake the image that there are Special Circumstance folks and droids hiding in the corners. I'm certainly not the first to make the connection —the pre-search reveals this comment — but a cursory google didn't turn up any longer text on the subject.
I've still to read the rest of the series, so it's spoilers territory, but I'm curious and already plan for my post-Wolfe withdrawal.
Big fan of both authors. I'm also unaware of any such writing.
I bet I know where you're heading with your train of thought, but there's no way to address that in any detail without SPOILERS.
The closest I can get is, "Is there a direct, specific, SC appearance later in the novels?"
No.
At the very least, the timing is backwards - Book of the New Sun was published 80-83, the first Culture novel didn't appear til 87.
posted by soundguy99 at 8:26 AM on December 2, 2012
I bet I know where you're heading with your train of thought, but there's no way to address that in any detail without SPOILERS.
The closest I can get is, "Is there a direct, specific, SC appearance later in the novels?"
No.
At the very least, the timing is backwards - Book of the New Sun was published 80-83, the first Culture novel didn't appear til 87.
posted by soundguy99 at 8:26 AM on December 2, 2012
Response by poster: Yeah, I realise that I have the chronology backward, but I've read Banks for a long time and just discovered Wolfe, which is perhaps why it's sticks out for me.
It's not so much that I expect a crossover, but the milieu and setting reads like what a Ship might do a sarcastic report on. "Well, fuligin is outside the capability of my sensor array."
Soundguy99: I'll get back to you once I finish the novels to see if your bet is correct.
posted by monocultured at 8:42 AM on December 2, 2012
It's not so much that I expect a crossover, but the milieu and setting reads like what a Ship might do a sarcastic report on. "Well, fuligin is outside the capability of my sensor array."
Soundguy99: I'll get back to you once I finish the novels to see if your bet is correct.
posted by monocultured at 8:42 AM on December 2, 2012
Don't know how active it still is, but you could ask/search on the Urth mailing list. I would second the earlier commenters though - I've read a lot by both authors, and a fair bit of Wolfe critical literature, and I've never heard this idea come up before.
posted by crocomancer at 8:43 AM on December 2, 2012
posted by crocomancer at 8:43 AM on December 2, 2012
Response by poster: I'll go poke the mailing-list once I'm done with the series. Haven't read mailing-lists for a long while, takes me back…
posted by monocultured at 9:31 AM on December 2, 2012
posted by monocultured at 9:31 AM on December 2, 2012
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posted by Potomac Avenue at 8:01 AM on December 2, 2012