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Little, Big
John Crowley
World Fantasy 1982

Dream-like meandering through a vast world of both time and space. While many fantasies include a mix of science fiction elements, this one gets close to the level of pure fantasy. I would expect all fantasy buffs to love this book and those partial to science fiction to feel equally negative.

The soft, blurry edges create a floating, ungrounded mood but mystery within mystery sustain interest without relying on action and excitement. The book lives on a mythic, symbolic level - very internal and introspective. A description of "The Art of Memory" and creating a "Memory Palace" exemplify this and also demonstrates the practical application of a vivid inner life.

While good science fiction stretches our external imagination (technology, social forms, new worlds, aliens), good fantasy stretches our internal imagination. Few, if any, books do this as well as Little, Big. For example, this quote: "The difference between the Ancent concept of the nature of the world and the new concept is, in the Ancient concept the world has a framework of Time, and in the New concept, a framework of Space."

If you love fantasy, you've probably already read this. If you love science fiction, you may have a hard time getting through Little, Big; If you make it though, I think you will have a rewarding experience.

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