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Loading... Silverlock (1949)by John Myers Myers, Fred Lerner (Editor)
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. Outrageous fantasy in which the protagonist nearly gets killed about a hundred times in about a hundred different scrapes, assisted or antagonized by every hero or every villain of every fantastic yarn that ever blew your mind or knocked you out of your chair or set your house on fire or killed your dog and ate your cat. Pack a sword or a bazooka with you whenever you have to get up to eat or use the john. You never know who or what is going to jump you when you leave the safety of your favorite chair. Duck! you sucker! You're going to like this book. You might even read it twice or maybe seven times! Everybody else does. NOBODY doesn't read Silverlock! One for my Year of Nostalgic Rereads, I've not read this since 1981 when I first came across it, and it is so much better to read in the age of the internet. I didn't get most of the references the first time (and still didn't get some even with the aid of other peoples' work), but I've got a few more years behind me and a broader reading experience. I enjoyed the first 300 pages well enough and then hit a wall, which stalled me for almost two months. I finally powered through this past weekend and finished tonight. It's still a great read but I can't give it five stars when I wasn't enthralled the who way through. Myers wove a wonderful tale, and must have been very well read to do so. For me this book is like the literary version of the song "American Pie" by Don Maclean. It is a fantastic book, I read this the first time in high school and it has stuck with me ever since. I just bought the re-release of the book and look forward to re-reading it. My recollection was that it was a modern version of something Mark Twain would have writte. no reviews | add a review
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Join an unlikely hero as he watches Moby-Dick sink the Pequod, dodges cannibals on Robinson Crusoe's island, raises a glass with Beowulf, and literally goes to Hell and back. This rollicking adventure begins with a shipwreck on an island where notable characters of literature, history, and folklore coexist -- Hamlet and Oedipus, Don Quixote and Doctor Faustus, Becky Sharp and Daniel Boone. From carousing with Robin Hood to crossing swords with the Green Knight and stealing a ride on Huck Finn's raft, our traveler, A. Clarence Shandon, undertakes a whirlwind tour of the classics. And just as the truths of great stories ennoble those who take them to heart, a selfish and cynical drifter is transformed into the gallant knight known as Silverlock. "Here in your hand is the stuff of wonder," declared science-fiction author Poul Anderson, adding, "There are few such glorious romps in all the world's literature, and surely none that surpass this one." Unjustly overlooked for decades, this book lover's book has developed a devoted cult following and richly deserves a wider audience. Whether or not you recognize its scores of literary allusions, you'll savor its wealth of battles, quests, romances, songs, and laughter. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.52Literature American literature in English American fiction in English 1900-1999 1900-1945LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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Meh. Interesting idea, but not carried out very well. The main character is in no way likable, nor are many of the others. And I think the interpretation of the literary and mythological nods could have been more clever/inventive, too. ( )