Novelty : Four Stories

Rating:
Summary: Artistically nouvelle
Review: A collection of four novellas from John Crowley, perhaps best known as the author of Little, Big. I admire Crowley's writing, although, like Howard Waldrop's, I often don't follow everything that's going on. In particular in this volume, I was lost in the time travel story, "Great Work of Time." History was never one of my strong suits, so I guess I shouldn't wonder why I'm not that attracted by alternate history. "In Blue" and "Novelty" were both reminiscent of stories that I had previously read in SF, but done with an artistic frame of mind.

For me it was "The Nightengale Sings at Night" that made this collection worthwhile. One of the hoariest clichés of SF is the Adam and Eve story, and although "Nightengale" has Adam and Eve in it, it is nowhere near the cliché. That's because the starting point of this story is the creation--that same moment in Genesis--whereas the cliché ends at the creation. Crowley, although "explaining" an aspect of the creation myth here, is also being slightly satirical in his exploration of it. In all, it makes for a wonderful story.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful, like all work by Crowley
Review: Includes Great Work of Time, In Blue, Why the Nightengale Sings at Night, and the title peice, Novelty. Everything here is very good, in particular the first two selections. In Blue did not do much for me and Novelty, which is a look into Crowley's creative thought process, while interesting, is not something I would recommend to a casual reader. Anyway, I loved the stories and would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Crowley's longer fiction.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Short Fiction from one of our best stylists
Review: John Crowley's well-deserved recognition as one of the best literary stylists writing in the English language is readily apparent in these four fantasy novellas that date from the late 1980's. His "Great Work of Time" is an intriguing Rashomon-esque time travel fantasy about Cecil Rhodes and British economic imperialism in East Africa at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. It was almost as compelling a read as the "The Nightingale Sings At Night", which offers a fantastical twist on the Adam and Eve creation myth saga. The other two tales, "In Blue" and "Novelty", I found much less compelling, but they are redeemed by the same lyrical prose Crowley uses in other tales. It was a wonderful surprise to find this book at a library; a surprise which I think many readers will also discover.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Short Fiction from one of our best stylists
Review: John Crowley's well-deserved recognition as one of the best literary stylists writing in the English language is readily apparent in these four fantasy novellas that date from the late 1980's. His "Great Work of Time" is an intriguing Rashomon-esque time travel fantasy about Cecil Rhodes and British economic imperialism in East Africa at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. It was almost as compelling a read as the "The Nightingale Sings At Night", which offers a fantastical twist on the Adam and Eve creation myth saga. The other two tales, "In Blue" and "Novelty", I found much less compelling, but they are redeemed by the same lyrical prose Crowley uses in other tales. It was a wonderful surprise to find this book at a library; a surprise which I think many readers will also discover.

Rating:
Summary: Soulful delectations from one of my favorite authors
Review: This collection of four stories by John Crowley covers a wide range of themes and styles. Here's the breakdown by story.

The Nightingale Sings at Night is Crowley's version of a Creation and Fall myth that is clever and cute but lacking the depth of meaning and rich textures that I've grown accustomed to in his writing.

Great Work of Time is a strong entry with vivid descriptions that evoke the proper mood for the times and places we're shown. Crowley presents a unique concept for time travel and the "effects" of altering the past. But he falls into the same trap many writers before him have in writing time traveling stories: eventually he over explains his idea in pages of exposition. Crowley is such a talented writer I felt he could easily have written these portions instead as events in the story, subtly building the air of mystery he so successfully achieves in the rest of the narrative. Some of these passages read more like notes to himself than useful story devices and the overall effect is that this tale would be a good candidate for a rewrite in an expanded and more fleshed out form. The all too brief glimpse into the future shows us a wonderfully distorted world inhabited by strange creatures, but we never learn much about them. I really wanted more. Overall, what's present is classic Crowley, but seems somehow unfinished.

With the story In Blue, Crowley departs from sensuous descriptions in favor of a more sparse style to evoke the sterile world in which his characters move (reminding me of a Kubrik film). Every event that happens and thought that Hare has adds to his breakdown in a believable way. But what I still have not reconciled is Crowley's attitude towards this world. At first it all appears a set up for an indictment of the catch-22 logic of this mild mannered dystopia, but what are we to think when Hare eventually finds his place in the Revolution? I'll be mulling this one over for some time to come.

And in Novelty we see possibly the kernel of inspiration for the Aegypt books. There are strong parallels between the writer character in Novelty and Pierce Moffett, both impotently trying to convey mystical deep meanings that seemingly lose their impact once expressed. This one was a little hard to get into at first. For me, writers writing about (not) writing ranks up there with films about filmmaking. Can it be well done? Yes, but it still seems too self-involved. Novelty is rather short, though, and by the end I was engrossed, mainly because the writer character gets around to describing what he wants to write instead of describing how he can't get around to writing. In fact, these passages read more like poetry than prose and coalesce beautifully.

I highly recommend this book for Crowley fans. But for those unfamiliar with him, Otherwise: Three Novels might be a better place to start. Engine Summer alone is worth the price of admission.

Rating:
Summary: Soulful delectations from one of my favorite authors
Review: This collection of four stories by John Crowley covers a wide range of themes and styles. Here's the breakdown by story.

The Nightingale Sings at Night is Crowley's version of a Creation and Fall myth that is clever and cute but lacking the depth of meaning and rich textures that I've grown accustomed to in his writing.

Great Work of Time is a strong entry with vivid descriptions that evoke the proper mood for the times and places we're shown. Crowley presents a unique concept for time travel and the "effects" of altering the past. But he falls into the same trap many writers before him have in writing time traveling stories: eventually he over explains his idea in pages of exposition. Crowley is such a talented writer I felt he could easily have written these portions instead as events in the story, subtly building the air of mystery he so successfully achieves in the rest of the narrative. Some of these passages read more like notes to himself than useful story devices and the overall effect is that this tale would be a good candidate for a rewrite in an expanded and more fleshed out form. The all too brief glimpse into the future shows us a wonderfully distorted world inhabited by strange creatures, but we never learn much about them. I really wanted more. Overall, what's present is classic Crowley, but seems somehow unfinished.

With the story In Blue, Crowley departs from sensuous descriptions in favor of a more sparse style to evoke the sterile world in which his characters move (reminding me of a Kubrik film). Every event that happens and thought that Hare has adds to his breakdown in a believable way. But what I still have not reconciled is Crowley's attitude towards this world. At first it all appears a set up for an indictment of the catch-22 logic of this mild mannered dystopia, but what are we to think when Hare eventually finds his place in the Revolution? I'll be mulling this one over for some time to come.

And in Novelty we see possibly the kernel of inspiration for the Aegypt books. There are strong parallels between the writer character in Novelty and Pierce Moffett, both impotently trying to convey mystical deep meanings that seemingly lose their impact once expressed. This one was a little hard to get into at first. For me, writers writing about (not) writing ranks up there with films about filmmaking. Can it be well done? Yes, but it still seems too self-involved. Novelty is rather short, though, and by the end I was engrossed, mainly because the writer character gets around to describing what he wants to write instead of describing how he can't get around to writing. In fact, these passages read more like poetry than prose and coalesce beautifully.

I highly recommend this book for Crowley fans. But for those unfamiliar with him, Otherwise: Three Novels might be a better place to start. Engine Summer alone is worth the price of admission.