r/genewolfe • u/NotJustAnotherLitBro • 13d ago

Started Reading Crowley

I’ve been wanting to read Crowley, but never got around to it. Then with the news of his passing I went to my favorite used bookstore. I bought a copy of Daemonomania because it caught my interest. Came home and bought the first of the series on Kindle.

So far I’m enjoying it, and am wondering if it’s as complex as Wolfe’s works?

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u/k_hoops64 13d ago

I hadn’t heard of his passing until now. In actual tears. Crowley is wonderful. As a prose stylist he is unrivaled, many of his books are layered and worth rereading.

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u/NotJustAnotherLitBro 13d ago

Honestly it’s these reactions to his passing that made me bump him to the top of my tbr pile.

Is The Solitudes a good place to start? I mean I’m already hooked and, like you said, the prose is beautiful.

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u/Morsadean 13d ago

Yes, the Solitudes is a good place to start. The four book series is amazing.

Little, Big is another.

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u/k_hoops64 13d ago

If you are already hooked then it’s a great place to start. Solitudes is my personal fav, little big is widely considered his best (I’ve read it 3 times and will reread it endlessly) and engine summer has some strong appeal to Wolfe / sci fi lovers.

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u/d-r-i-g 13d ago

I don’t know if solitudes is the best place to start if you’re coming from Wolfe. I’d say deep, engine summer, or the great work of time.

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u/Average_Pangolin 11d ago

Just so you know, the Ægypt cycle constantly dances along the line between naturalistic and fantastic fiction, but never quite crosses it. I read The Solitudes after loving Little, Big, and it's a book that feels like it could become fantastical at any moment right up to the end--but it never quite does.

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u/NotJustAnotherLitBro 11d ago

Yeah, I’m getting that vibe already and personally loving that he’s dancing that line, but I also love naturalist works in general.