ecstaticNow, I've never read Threshold, and I've never particularly wanted to -- no judgment intended or implied, the concept just doesn't grab me and I have too much to read already -- but my housemate was looking for a new copy. So I asked him if he wanted me to snag it for him the next time I was in the store. He answered in the affirmative, and I stopped in on my way to Kate's.
Dave was at the desk. Dave tends to have an encyclopedic knowledge of what's in the store at any given time. Dave is scary like that. So I stopped, on a whim, to ask whether he thought there was a chance in hell of them having a copy of Emergence in the store. Emergence was David Palmer's first book. It's been out of print since it was first published in 1984, and used copies start on Amazon at almost fifty dollars (before shipping). Why?
Because it's damn good, that's why. I went to look at the book's Amazon page just now, and almost all the reviews are five stars. Not unusual, except that all the reviewers have so clearly read and loved the book. I think that the reviewer who says the science doesn't stand up is right...but this book was never about the science for me. This book was about being made of awesome. And it does a very, very good job of that.
Dave laughed at the foolishness of my question, but -- in a rare gesture of quantum helpfulness -- called down to the basement to see if they might have a copy.
They had a copy. Just one copy. Just one copy of that original 1984 printing.
I'd never even seen a copy of the original 1984 printing before.
I paid twenty-five dollars for a twenty-year-old paperback today, and I feel neither regret nor remorse at this action. Because now I have a copy of one of the most overlooked and under appreciated gems of speculative fiction, a book that makes me happy in every possible way, and I am consumed with joy. If you have the chance to read Emergence, you totally should.
What book fills this role in your personal ecosystem of the fabulous?
August 29 2008, 15:45:26 UTC 8 years ago
Now I will have to look for the Mermaid's Song. I find that your recommendations are very helpful for finding new books.
On another note, thank you so much for the writing tips. Not only are they helpful in the manner intended, but for some reason reading them prompted me to let someone read something I had written. Which is something that I will have to do if I ever want to be able to you know, actually write something entertaining.
September 3 2008, 19:17:08 UTC 8 years ago
I am so very glad the writing tips have been helping you. They're fun to write, so I keep on, and it's wonderful that you're starting to share your work!