Reviews of AtD

[The Great Quail]

Ok, I admit, I've had a copy for almost three weeks now. (And yes, I feel
*very* fortunate. Please do not hate me. I wish we all had copies!) Because
of my insane work schedule, I have only read 250 pages -- so there's no way
a full-length Modern Word review will be ready any time soon.

Which leads me to regard some of these early published reviews with a cocked
eyebrow. Though I have only scratched the surface, there's already enough to
write a complicated piece discussing numerous aspects of the book. I cannot
imagine that the average book reviewer, under deadline, with other books in
the quiver, can possibly do this epic any real justice by November 21.

That's not to say that some haven't read it, grasped it's basic themes, and
may write a wonderful review. But the reviews I've been reading so far seem
fairly dismissible -- just like many early M&D reviews. And like that novel,
I suspect we won't see serious writing about AtD for a year or so after
publication. 

Just my two cents, so as many of you have already suggested, some of these
reviews can be taken with a grain of salt.

MILD SPOILERS BELOW.....(Regarding my opinion so far)

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Well, so far, I have to say, I love the book. Though it is nothing like I
was expecting. If I had to put a label to it, I'd call it a "scientific
romance," written in a mélange of styles that border loosely on the
Edwardian. It's certainly more accessible than GR or M&D, largely because
Pynchon's prose has been honed to a diamond-like clarity and he's writing in
an essentially modern voice.

It's also very humorous, in an ironic, twinkling kind of way. At it takes on
a hell of a lot of subjects. Even in 250 pages, I am amazed by its breadth,
and it keeps changing, moving from airy, bright wonder to Lovecraftian dread
to political convolution. And the writing! Some of the passages, the
descriptions, are worth reading again and again. I feel sorry for reviewers
to misspend their time searching for deeply developed characters or, worse,
who consider it to be just a compilation of lists. Trust me, so far every
page holds a small marvel, and the book is surprisingly full of whimsy,
magic, and Borgesian delights. (Which isn't to say it doesn't have its dark
edge. In fact, I recently read a very "9/11" section that simply seethed on
the page; and the book is not afraid to show the destructive side of
capitalism.)

To a large extent, I really do feel that it "singles up all the lines."
There's a little bit of every novel he's written in here. I'd say it reminds
me most of Mason & Dixon, but there's a lot of GR and even Vineland. I'd say
more, but it seems premature, and I don't want to spoil anything. And again,
these are off-the-cuff comments based on 250 pages...!

--Quail