Latest Erickson

[Arturo Gonzalez]

Paul writes

:The latest Erikson is Arc 'd X.  It does have a Pynchon blurb from what I 
:remember (I don't have the book in front of me).  In many ways it is like 
:is Mao II blurb.  Maybe we could begin discussing the _forms_ blurbs 
:take, you know, analyzing them in terms of the conventions of the genre.  
:I'm joking.
:
:Anyway Pynchon's blurb goes something like this:  This is the freshest 
:bit of American writing since The Declaration of Independence.
:
:Hopefully someone will be able to correct my paraphrase.
:Incidentally, would someone please comment on Erikson--I've looked at Arc 
:'d X quite a few times, just never bought it.  Worth reading?

Paul,
 I did get Arc d'X because Pynchon praised it so much, but
to be honest, I didn't like it.  I read it a couple of years ago when
it came out, but I've lost my copy.  It was some sort
of time travel, nonlinear history novel, that just didn't do it for
me.  Sorry about the short synopsis, but I really can't recall much
in terms of plot (some sort of futuristic city government by theologians,
where history is rewritten.  Somehow, Thomas Jefferson's slave-lover, 
enters the story, and in the end Thomas Jefferson leads a slave rebellion
out of his Virginia mansion.)  But, the writing didn't impress
me as much as I expected (remember the Pynchon's review of Love in the
Time of Cholera, and how the book lived up to it?)

Anyway, maybe other people can offer different views of Erickson?

Art