Wolfe Rehab Program - HMTP Changes

The HMTP is about to see a major revision. We became aware of a painful omission when a friend of ours, Dave Kaufman, was reading Gene Wolfe's THE BOOK OF THE LONG SUN, and provoked in us an unexpected longing to experience sublime excruciations at the hands of Wolfe, the master torturer. So we decided to weave the NEW SUN, LONG SUN, and SHORT SUN books back into the list. This could not be done, of course, without first reading some other books that have long lain in the backwaters of the HMTP. We are calling this new focus the Wolfe Rehab Program. We have nearly completed our program of comparing John Varley with the best of the rest. Now it will soon be Wolfe's turn. Due to the complexities and unified nature of Wolfe's multi-volume novels, each will be read in consecutive months, rather than being strung out over a period of several years. In preparation we will also be reading two book-length works of literary criticism about the NEW SUN. One is a doctoral dissertation.

Jack Boyd will be pleased to see that we have finally committed to reading RINGWORLD THRONE, and all the related books too. We will also be reading DECLARE, DALGREN, BUG JACK BARRON, and a slew of non-fiction books along the way, including one of my favorites, THE EUDAEMONIC PIE. The Creation Track is now more fully populated and brought in closer. Note too that Richard K. Morgan is fully represented with the inclusion of TH1RTE3N. Another significant change is the scheduling of ISRAELOLOGY, now slated for Sept. - Oct. 2007. The changes were thought out over a period of months, and at the last meeting we reached consensus to put them in place. We think this is a solid reading program.

Remember when viewing the HMTP that it can, and often does, change at the whim of the CCCP. And the further you look into the future, the more unsure things become. As the administrator, and chief perpetrator of these changes, it is an interesting study in decision-making to watch the changes take place.

The current book is MEMOIRS OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR by Winston S. Churchill. It is on a 20 page per day pace. Don't let this one slip. It might break your foot. The discussion will be June 16th.

The Wolfe Rehab Program will begin in June of 2009. Make plans accordingly.