Thomas Pynchon isn't exactly the most prolific author on the planet, but his output is still pretty daunting in its sheer weight and complexity. So Vulture has done the world a service, by ranking every Pynchon book from worst (Against The Day) to best (The Crying of Lot 49).
Every few years, there's another essay insisting that irony is ruining culture. Hipsters and postmodernism have created an insincere world where nothing means anything. But you never hear anybody insisting that irony has ruined science fiction. That's because irony is part of the creative life-force of the genre.
Thomas Pynchon is one of the most celebrated literary science fiction authors of the past half-century, largely because of his masterwork Gravity's Rainbow. And now Pynchon's been given the greatest honor of all — astronomer Ernesto Guido has named an asteroid after him.
Not long ago, it seemed like every literary author was doing a book about the apocalypse, possibly involving zombies or werewolves. But now, there's a new wave of beloved authors tackling our bewilderment with the internet-dominated world we live in.
This year's finalists for the National Book Awards were announced, and over at Salon, Laura Miller makes a strong case that the list should have included some of the year's best genre books. Her picks include the fantasy novel Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson (read our review here).
Who opted out of the Google Books settlement thus far? Approximately 6,500 authors and other literary entities including such writers as Michael Chabon, Thomas Pynchon, Kurt Busiek, and, of course, Ursula Le Guin.
When describing Thomas Pynchon, words that usually come to mind are 'difficult', 'long', and probably 'difficult' again. And that's a shame, because he's a phenomenal writer, one with a surprisingly savvy take on the world and how it's run.
We're used to having snap judgments about books — especially if you're reviewing them, but even if you're just putting them aside and talking about them. But the best books often stick with you long after you've read them, and keep mutating in your consciousness months later, writes Graham Sleight in Locus Roundtable:
If you're looking for a job, here's a list of successful, influential corporations you might want to work for. That is, as long as you don't ask too many questions.
Rejoice! Penguin Books has confirmed that a new Thomas Pynchon novel is coming out in August 2009. But Penguin wouldn't comment on rumors that it's a 400-page noir story, set in the world of 1960s psychedelia. [Los Angeles Times]
