netchild

How Does One Critique Perfection?, Aug 3 2003

I believe it is in the introduction of Labyrinths where it is said that the reasons Borges never wrote a novel were because his short stories were so clear, so concise, that they needed no further elaboration and also that he possessed a sort of "lofty laziness." Every story he wrote is a masterpiece of precision and concision. There are no words used in vain, no superfluous ramblings (as I perhaps am indulging in) no word lest it has a purpose. And paradoxically, like a Borges story, within this laconic style, exists an infinite amount of richness and beauty. Take, for example, "The Library of Babel," with its honeycombs of rooms filled with books. A few pages… Read more

A Creative Reworking of the Faust Legend, July 7 2003

While Swanwick may not ever achieve the status of a Thomas Mann, he has penned a quite creative reworking of the traditional Faustian myth. Casting his vision on the template of science fiction, Swanwick adds interesting dimensions to the already complex Faustian characters. Mephistopheles appears as an alien force; as arrogant and manipulative an extraterrestrial as he ever was a demon. Margarete still appears as the innocent caught in the crossfire of evil and eviler. Wagner, the fanatic sycophant, who never realizes that not only is he a pawn, but he's a pawn that neither side cares enough to either advance or gambit. And Faust, the perpetual megalomaniac. His desire to master… Read more

Love?, Dec 28 2002

Ghost promises to kill Shella's father. He tells her this. It is so romantic you weep when you read it. Vachss writes crisp. So sharp it cuts your mind. He creates characters with such depth they are bottomless. They are bottomless because the depths of human depravity is bottomless. You like Ghost by the end of the book. Hell, you like him at the beginning. To label him an antihero belittles his character, just as labeling him a murderer belittles his actions. It would be accurate but not accurate. He does kill. A lot. But there is no emotion in it. He is like a weapon. Neither truly good nor truly evil. Simply there. Waiting to have its sights locked and its trigger… Read more