Tad Williams' Message Board

Hello, babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. At the outside, babies, you've got about a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies -- 'God damn it, you've got to be kind.'
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Welcome to the message board for tadwilliams.com. All comments are welcome, whether kudos or brickbats. However, please bear in mind that Tad would like this to be a friendly, civil message board, at least in the relations between users. We reserve the right to remove postings, or even ban postings, from anyone who crosses the boundary of reasonable taste. Basically, you can argue vigorously with someone, but watch your language, okay? We have a lot of young readers as well as grown-ups, so please show them some respect.

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#1 2005-03-28 07:32:00

bumadax
Pilgrim
Registered: 2001-06-11
Posts: 9734
Website

Caliban's Hour

Sorry if there's already another thread on this, didn't see it.

Purchased this one for one dolla at a used bookstore in Alabama. I loved it. Very poetic. Seemed almost experimental, but was successful in that way. As I understand it, this is one of Tad's lesser known works. Who else has read it?

[ March 28, 2005: Message edited by: Max in California ]


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#2 2005-03-28 08:13:00

cyan
Mantis
From: Oakland
Registered: 2005-02-16
Posts: 22772

Re: Caliban's Hour

I've read it, but it's been so long I don't think I can discuss it coherently.  Maybe it's time for a re-read (yeah, like I have time to do that).


"Reality is for those people who can't handle fantasy!" - Genisis X

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#3 2005-03-28 08:14:00

Wolfshade
Pilgrim
From: Princeton, NJ
Registered: 2001-06-04
Posts: 3444
Website

Re: Caliban's Hour

I have.  Loved it.  Used a bit of it as a monologue for an audition for a play in college.

.
.
.
aside: Just finished reading "Pattern Recognition" by William Gibson.  Will probably be writing in incomplete sentences for the next
week.  Drinks coffee.


"The rhythm is broken by continuous illumination, continuous darkness, or by decapitation." M.Morita and J.B.Best. The Journal of Experimental Zoology. 231: 273-282 (1984)

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#4 2005-03-28 09:32:00

Olaf
Mantis
From:
Registered: 2001-07-16
Posts: 1580
Website

Re: Caliban's Hour

I also have several editions of the book. I think it is one of Tad's best works and it should be more widely read.

By the way, Orbit seems to have found a stack of old British hc copies of the book. It is available again from amazon.co.uk. and amazon.de. A new hc copy. I ordered via amazon.de and got a very nice ed. altough you can clearly some signs of age. Anyhow. Gret book.

I also have the audio version unabridged read by Ron Perlman of Hellboy fame!

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#5 2005-03-28 09:34:00

Firsfron of Ronchester
Mantis
From: Ronchester
Registered: 2001-06-04
Posts: 9186
Website

Re: Caliban's Hour

CH was quite good. I would certainly call it a little-known work, since it is never listed in the Tad Williams has also written page of each of his books.

I haven't read it in a couple of years, but I thought it was quite intriguing when I first purchased it (circa 1994). Tad takes a turn walking in Shakespeare's shoes!

 

#6 2005-03-28 14:19:00

Olaf
Mantis
From:
Registered: 2001-07-16
Posts: 1580
Website

Re: Caliban's Hour

that is because in the usa it was never published by daw books!

i think it was published by harpercollins

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#7 2005-03-28 15:56:00

Firsfron of Ronchester
Mantis
From: Ronchester
Registered: 2001-06-04
Posts: 9186
Website

Re: Caliban's Hour

Yes. And Child of an Ancient City was published by Tor, as I recall. So I guess DAW doesn't like to promote other publishers. ;)

 

#8 2005-03-28 17:24:00

Tad
Hierarch
From: California
Registered: 2001-05-30
Posts: 6981
Website

Re: Caliban's Hour

Yeah, and NOBODY talks about my completely lost fantasy epic, "I MARRIED A MOUNTAIN TROLL".  That's because it was published only in a very small edition of 2 or 3 or so (handwritten with grass sap and printed on bark, in fact) while I was spending time in a facility for Tired and Emotional Writers.

Or maybe I hallucinated the whole thing.  I remember it being real good.


"God bless your crooked little heart."

- Tom Waits

 

#9 2005-03-28 17:47:00

Firsfron of Ronchester
Mantis
From: Ronchester
Registered: 2001-06-04
Posts: 9186
Website

Re: Caliban's Hour

What's the ISBN, Tad?

 

#10 2005-03-29 01:02:00

Olaf
Mantis
From:
Registered: 2001-07-16
Posts: 1580
Website

Re: Caliban's Hour

By the way, there'll be a new CALIBAN pb published in Germany in August.

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#11 2005-03-31 10:31:00

Sahi
Mantis
From: Assendelft (the Netherlands)
Registered: 2001-06-04
Posts: 37876
Website

Re: Caliban's Hour

Of course I have it (and read it). How could I not as a Tad groupy. (groupee, groupie?) I've got all his books I could lay my hands on. I've just heard that my copy of the German radio play of Otherland 2 is at the post office waiting for me. Amazon.de is fast!

yalahii.


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#12 2005-04-17 10:19:00

ylvs
Mantis
From: On the sunny side of life
Registered: 2001-06-19
Posts: 5024

Re: Caliban's Hour

I bought Caliban's Hour along with Child of an Ancient City used via amazon.com when I was in CA and it arrived the day before I left - lucky me. A first edition hardcover for $1.99 lucky me again!
So I started rereading The Tempest, finished that yesterday and now long for my family to be asleep ...


In an alternate universe, author Bobby Williams is known for his epic fantasy called, "Recollection, Sadness, and Spike". -- Cyan

 

#13 2005-04-17 10:25:00

Hiragana
Pilgrim
Registered: 2003-02-07
Posts: 9121

Re: Caliban's Hour

Speaking of which, whatever happened to the Reading Group plan made some time back (a couple of years maybe?) about doing a group read of Caliban's Hour and The Tempest? I lost track after the forums went bye-bye for awhile there.

 

#14 2005-04-17 12:51:00

bumadax
Pilgrim
Registered: 2001-06-11
Posts: 9734
Website

Re: Caliban's Hour

Firsfron of Ronchester wrote:

What's the ISBN, Tad?

I think he was joking. I think you know this, but I think maybe you don't, so here's my post.


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#15 2005-04-17 21:55:00

Firsfron of Ronchester
Mantis
From: Ronchester
Registered: 2001-06-04
Posts: 9186
Website

Re: Caliban's Hour

Mazxul wrote:



I think he was joking. I think you know this, but I think maybe you don't, so here's my post.

Bwaaa! Yes, I figured he was joking. And you probably figured I was joking. So here's my post. :)

 

#16 2005-04-19 15:58:00

SilverMarble
Pilgrim
Registered: 2005-01-16
Posts: 27

Re: Caliban's Hour

Although I did enjoy Caliban's Hour, it was probably my least favorite of all of his books. it was a good book, just not my taste.


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#17 2005-04-19 21:13:00

KKopersk
Pilgrim
From: Illinois
Registered: 2001-05-31
Posts: 201
Website

Re: Caliban's Hour

why wouldn't Caliban's Hour be one of Tad's lesser known works?  have you seen it?  no, you haven't, and I'll tell you why.  Because it's so freaking SMALL!!!

i have two hardcover copies, but you can't find them.  they're tucked between hc copies of MST and Otherland.  they're lost in there somewhere, hidden in the shadows of larger volumes.

how can a puny Tad book be any good?  c'mon! 

(actually, from what I remember, I really enjoyed it.  and sometimes, I do in fact forget that I own it, because you really can't see it on that W bookshelf.  it's really low to the ground, and W isn't my favorite letter these days.  :)   )

 

#18 2010-11-04 12:24:56

Neemo
Pilgrim
From: Hamilton, ON, CA
Registered: 2005-03-28
Posts: 733
Website

Re: Caliban's Hour

just got myself a hardcover copy for $5 :)

 

#19 2010-11-18 16:46:25

Neemo
Pilgrim
From: Hamilton, ON, CA
Registered: 2005-03-28
Posts: 733
Website

Re: Caliban's Hour

just finished it

...weird, I read The Tempest first cuz its not a Shakespeare play that i'm familiar with, then i read Tads story, he put a neat spin on it, the end was a shock

 

#20 2011-07-18 01:30:46

KingofGlass
Pilgrim
Registered: 2011-07-18
Posts: 2

Re: Caliban's Hour

I read this one when I was studying The Tempest in High School. My poor copy was battered and bruised once it went around my English class though! Perhaps its time to dust it off again.........

 

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