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From: brust@hyper.UUCP (Steven Brust)
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers
Subject: Re: ORSINIAN TALES, by Ursula LeGuin
Message-ID: <261@hyper.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 14-Oct-85 11:15:09 EDT
Article-I.D.: hyper.261
Posted: Mon Oct 14 11:15:09 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 17-Oct-85 01:28:25 EDT
References: <1180@druri.UUCP>
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> 
> 		ORSINIAN TALES by Ursula K. LeGuin
> 
>                   book review by Davis Tucker
> 
>     Despite its cover, and despite the publisher's blurb, this is
> *not* a science-fiction *or* fantasy collection. The tales are
> of Hungary, and Hungarians, and it seems that the only reason
> why "Orsinia" is mentioned at all is to fool the unsuspecting
> science-fiction fan who refuses to read anything else (What can I
> say? 

Hungarian???  Shit!  Shit!  Shit!  Shit!  (Please pardon me,
but . . .)

*Sigh*

Good review, Davis.  You really make me want to read it,
and I will.  But Goddammittohell.  I am very upset.  I have
just finished a novel called BROKEDOWN PALACE (due at the end
of the year) which is largely based on Hungarian folklore.  If
I'd known *Leguin*, for God's sake, was going to do it, I wouldn't
have dared.  Now, even if no one thinks I just set out to
imitate her, my work will inevitably be compared to hers.  And
who wants to be compared to Leguin????  I thought I was being
really clever, too.  "Gosh," says I.  "No one has taken a
good look at this whole branch of folklore.  There is wonderful
stuff here."  Crap.

Waste of an Allan Lee cover, too.

You know what really burns me?  Leguin and I have the
same f**king agent.  Why didn't she TELL me?

Is Leguin Hungarian?  What right does she have...er, sorry.  No
point in that.  She's damn good.  I want to read it, but I'm
scared as Hell.  What a thoroughly wretched piece of business.

Excuse me.  I have to get my blood pressure out of control.  I
feel like a mainstream author who's just gotten the wonderful
idea of writing a long fantasy about elves, dwarves, and small
people with hairy toes, and then finds out...

Oh, just one note: Do NOT refer to the Hungarians as Slavs.  They
aren't.  (In fact, if Leguin made them appear Slavic, I have
some hope...)

Sorry to flame.  This is the most upsetting thing that has
happened to me in LONG time.