All These Worlds: Reviews and Essays

[...]there are critical pieces, such as the 'Notes on the Clarke Awards Shortlists', that were written in the mode of a 'state-ofplay' essay even at the time, and in some cases involve Harrison returning to a novel he has already reviewed before, but now with greater distance. [....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Foundation 2024, Vol.53 (147), p.85-88
Main Author: Bhatia, Gautam
Format: Review
Language:English
Subjects:
Anthologies
Criticism
Debates
Essays
Novels
Science fiction & fantasy
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Summary:[...]there are critical pieces, such as the 'Notes on the Clarke Awards Shortlists', that were written in the mode of a 'state-ofplay' essay even at the time, and in some cases involve Harrison returning to a novel he has already reviewed before, but now with greater distance. [...]these reviews work hard at positioning their subject matter within broader genre history. While examining Lauren Groff's Arcadia (2012) in the context of Daniel Rodgers's non-fiction book, Age of Fracture (2011), Harrison notes Rodgers's point that the concept of power has become 'less cohesive', with the focus moving away from 'specific individuals and institutions into the web of relationships created by culture and language [...] in both cases the path leading to largescale change became hazier'. [...]while Harrison's style is accessible, and the book an excellent entry point into the genre for a reader interested in the history and the debates, Harrison remains, at heart, a critic's critic.
ISSN:0306-4964