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From: William Ansley <wansley@warwick.net> Subject: Re: (urth) Gene Wolfe's favorite Nero Wolfe novels Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2001 00:28:47 At 3:47 PM -0700 8/15/01, Michael Andre-Driussi wrote: >Here's another bit of trivia that I've stumbled upon in correspondence with >Gene Wolfe. Maybe someone can use it as an inspiration to write about Gene >Wolfe and genre mysteries? > >Gene Wolfe ranks the following as the best (not in any order): >TOO MANY WOMEN >BEFORE MIDNIGHT >THE LEAGUE OF FRIGHTENED MEN >CHAMPAGNE FOR ONE >THE FINAL DEDUCTION >IF DEATH EVER SLEPT >PLOT IT YOURSELF >THE DOORBELL RANG > >He ranks the worst as: >THE BLACK MOUNTAIN >FER-DE-LANCE I pretty much agree with the above, except that I would include _Counterfeit for Murder_ in the best category. >Some while ago I had the madcap notion of reading, for the first time, some >Nero Wolfe novels (all by Rex Stout, I hasten to add: Nero is the hero), >and (here's the madcap part) I was going to read them in order of >publication. I wouldn't say the notion of reading a series of books in order of publication madcap; it is the way I prefer to read multiple books by any author, if I have the opportunity. > >Well! First one is FER-DE-LANCE, and no sir, I didn't think it was very >good. After a month or two, I read the next one, THE LEAGUE OF FRIGHTENED >MEN, and it was much better! I mentioned this to Gene Wolfe and he gave me >his list. _Fer-De-Lance_ is the first of the Nero Wolfe novels and the worst, I agree. I have read all of the Nero Wolfe books (there are over 30 of them) more than once. I guess you'd have to call me a fan of the series. I think most of them are good and some are very good indeed. For anyone who has read any of these books in the past and enjoyed them or anyone who thinks they sound interesting, I highly recommend the new TV series based on the books which is on the A & E cable network. The good news: these shows are very well done. The bad news: the first season is over and I have no idea when the programs will be repeated. The actor who plays Nero Wolfe, Maury Chaykin, was once suggested (tongue in cheek and not by name) as Baldanders in a long ago attempt to cast a movie based on _The Book of the New Sun_. -- William Ansley *More Wolfe info & archive of this list at http://www.urth.net/urth/