(Tragically I do wish to know which sentence it was.)
My turn (I think) to apologize for ambiguity: that was not me complaining but rather me directly quoting the book, Nicky objecting to Jem saying "You were who you were because he was who he was." I liked Nicky's riposte because it felt like this sudden, vivid glimpse into the life of Professor Rook, who has no doubt suffered through some truly terrible undergraduate sentences.
(Also, it felt like a line that might have wandered over from Pamela Dean's Tam Lin.)
One of the protagonists deals with these consequences professionally, the other just puts his foot into the uncanny and the next thing he knows his life is suddenly filled with escalating weirdness and the potential for romance, both of which differently frighten him.
Hmmm, I can't imagine why that one landed in the zone of your interests. Nope, it's an insoluble mystery . . .
Thanks for the detailed rec! I will give that one a try, because I really liked Death in the Spires and want to enjoy more of Charles' work, if I can find the bits that will appeal to me similarly.
It was another experience that helped to convince me that people will like my art only if they don't get close enough to have to interact with me.
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yati
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Date: 2025-07-02 09:31 pm (UTC)My turn (I think) to apologize for ambiguity: that was not me complaining but rather me directly quoting the book, Nicky objecting to Jem saying "You were who you were because he was who he was." I liked Nicky's riposte because it felt like this sudden, vivid glimpse into the life of Professor Rook, who has no doubt suffered through some truly terrible undergraduate sentences.
(Also, it felt like a line that might have wandered over from Pamela Dean's Tam Lin.)
One of the protagonists deals with these consequences professionally, the other just puts his foot into the uncanny and the next thing he knows his life is suddenly filled with escalating weirdness and the potential for romance, both of which differently frighten him.
Hmmm, I can't imagine why that one landed in the zone of your interests. Nope, it's an insoluble mystery . . .
Thanks for the detailed rec! I will give that one a try, because I really liked Death in the Spires and want to enjoy more of Charles' work, if I can find the bits that will appeal to me similarly.
It was another experience that helped to convince me that people will like my art only if they don't get close enough to have to interact with me.
A POX UPON THEIR HOUSES, I SAY.