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From: William Hyde <wthyde1953@gmail.com>
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
Subject: Re: (Worst) He Walked Among Us by Norman Spinrad
Date: Wed, 22 May 2024 17:07:24 -0400
Organization: A noiseless patient Spider
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James Nicoll wrote:
> In article <v2kpno$1651a$2@dont-email.me>,
> Michael F. Stemper <michael.stemper@gmail.com> wrote:
>> On 21/05/2024 08.08, James Nicoll wrote:
>>> He Walked Among Us by Norman Spinrad
>>>
>>> Can the comedian from tomorrow avert dystopia and save a disgruntled
>>> SF author's ailing career in the process?
>>>
>>> https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/pass
>>
>> I always have concerns about stories featuring authors whose careers
>> are on the skids; especially when they're written by authors whose
>> careers were on the skids.
> 
> It's kind of depressing to consider authors like Silverberg, Brunner,
> Spinrad, and Disch--and no doubt others--who were willing to put in
> the effort to produce ambitious works, only to be rewarded with
> disppointing or flat-out awful sales. In Brunner's case, in two
> separate episodes. In the case of Disch, to have one's big success
> be a kid's book.
> 
> Gene Wolfe seems to have escaped that trap. I wonder how?


Books like "Castleview" and "Free live free" did not, I think, sell 
well.  His career changed with "The Shadow of the Torturer". My copy was 
in strong demand from impecunious friends who had never before heard of 
Wolfe.   I can only assume that a number of pecunious friends also 
wanted to read the book.

> 
> Silverberg briefly retired, then returned with skillful pablum.


But also with "The Alien Years", which focuses largely on a 
Heinlein-style family in confrontation with inconceivably advanced 
aliens.  It would be interesting to know what RAH would think of it, but 
in his absence, perhaps we can ask Lynn.

Published about the same time as Dickson's "Way of the pilgrim" in which 
our alien occupiers are also inconceivably advanced but not quite as 
difficult to understand.  Again dealt with in a manner not likely to 
meet with the approval of John W. Campbell.


> Brunner... well, I won't get to that part of his career until August.

He just seemed to vanish.  I was puzzled at the time.

William Hyde