tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9092255328391459954.post8600279601495263819..comments2023-07-05T03:51:31.577-04:00Comments on I WANT A DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF THE THING: Finished Past Master Not-a-Reviewtrawlermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05540909996117280033noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9092255328391459954.post-56334941206292986072014-06-09T20:07:45.560-04:002014-06-09T20:07:45.560-04:00Thanks, Kevin! I've now read "The Hole on...Thanks, Kevin! I've now read "The Hole on the Corner" aloud to my children with mixed results. "Narrow Valley" is next. I'll try to post something about reading to them.trawlermanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05540909996117280033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9092255328391459954.post-51137772792861121222014-06-06T16:01:00.661-04:002014-06-06T16:01:00.661-04:00And serious congratulations on the little one! The...And serious congratulations on the little one! The pictures of your kids all holding their new brother are great--that's what this world is all about. <br />Or in the words of the visitors from Skandia, "Happy increase!" <br />(see "Guesting Time" the last story in <i>900 Grandmothers</i>)Kevin Cheekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17615258563790520320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9092255328391459954.post-90377792746909329902014-06-05T19:32:09.903-04:002014-06-05T19:32:09.903-04:00"Narrow Valley" is among my three favori..."Narrow Valley" is among my three favorite Lafferty stories, along with "Days of Grass, Days of Straw" and "Hole on the Corner." It is also, in my opinion, his best story for reading aloud. Try it on your kids. Get the voices of the Rampart children distinct from each other just a little. See if they laugh out loud at the "I've had it. I think I'll go out back and die" conversation between Clarence Big Saddle and Clarence Little Saddle. I tell you, it works!Kevin Cheekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17615258563790520320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9092255328391459954.post-65605168791490961962014-06-03T19:21:25.096-04:002014-06-03T19:21:25.096-04:00Hey Kevin, thanks for all of your interaction and ...Hey Kevin, thanks for all of your interaction and encouragement. I've been very busy the past week with the birth of a new son: http://shotsnaps.blogspot.com/2014/06/our-little-fire.html<br />But, I've been meaning to respond to your last comment and also put up a short post about "Narrow Valley." Hopefully in the next couple of days.trawlermanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05540909996117280033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9092255328391459954.post-48336873395367089802014-06-02T21:13:18.128-04:002014-06-02T21:13:18.128-04:00Have you checked out the review of Past Master at ...Have you checked out the <a href="http://mporcius.blogspot.com/search?q=lafferty+past+master" rel="nofollow">review of <i>Past Master</i> at the MPorcius Fiction Log</a>? Kevin Cheekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17615258563790520320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9092255328391459954.post-39125727691587734212014-05-27T21:32:14.305-04:002014-05-27T21:32:14.305-04:00And in further celebration, have you tried reading...And in further celebration, have you tried reading Lafferty aloud? I challenge you: Read the opening chapter of <i>Past Master</i> aloud to your children. Firstly, you will be surprised how well his words work for oral storytelling. Secondly, you will be amazed how much of the story your children grasp, no matter their age. Thirdly, you will be astounded at how much more you get out of the story through their reactions. Daniel has commented numerous times about this phenomenon on <a href="http://antsofgodarequeerfish.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">The Ants of God Are Queer Fish</a> (though I can't find the particular posts at the moment).Kevin Cheekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17615258563790520320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9092255328391459954.post-62268789787288479272014-05-23T20:22:29.260-04:002014-05-23T20:22:29.260-04:00Absolutely right, Kevin. For all of the strangenes...Absolutely right, Kevin. For all of the strangeness, the best part of Past Master is the shock of recognition, not estrangement!<br /><br />And thank you for all of your encouragement. The best part of reading Lafferty, besides the reading of Lafferty, is the joy of sharing the reading with others.trawlermanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05540909996117280033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9092255328391459954.post-36754594042066554422014-05-23T10:51:32.789-04:002014-05-23T10:51:32.789-04:00The first time I finished Past Master I came away ...The first time I finished <i>Past Master</i> I came away from it blinking and gasping as if coming up from deep under water or perhaps from a deep, vaguely remembered dream. Doesn't it leave you with the feeling that your eyes have been cleared with a magic cleaner, that you have been given entree to something you can almost, but not quite grasp? Thank you for sharing this unique and bewildering joy!Kevinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04415345283350861149noreply@blogger.com