Against the Day

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Against the Day

by Thomas Pynchon
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Spanning the period between the Chicago World's Fair of 1893 and the years just after World War I, this novel moves from the labor troubles in Colorado to turn-of-the-century New York, to London and Gottingen, Venice and Vienna, the Balkans, Central Asia, Siberia at the time of the mysterious Tunguska Event, Mexico during the Revolution, postwar Paris, silent-era Hollywood, and one or two places not strictly speaking on the map at all.
With a worldwide disaster looming just a few years ahead, it is a time of unrestrained corporate greed, false religiosity, moronic fecklessness, and evil intent in high places. No reference to the present day is intended or should be inferred.
The sizable cast of characters includes anarchists, balloonists, gamblers, corporate tycoons, drug enthusiasts, innocents and decadents, mathematicians, mad scientists, shamans, psychics, and stage magicians, spies, detectives, adventuresses, and hired guns. There are cameo appearances by Nikola... see complete book description

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  • annamstamp

    annamstamp says

    I am reading and enjoying this book very much. I am a sucker for a "quest" book and/or anything with airships and this has both.

    Here is a delicious quote:

    "At length, upon the imminent arrival of a posse comitatus who had learned of his attempted scheme to sell the state of Mississippi to a mysterious Chinese consortium based in Tijuana, Mexico..."

    posted Tuesday, May 20 2008

  •  Zero

    zero says

    Conventional wisdom would recommend Pynchon's 'The Crying of Lot 49' as the ideal place to enter his œuvre. 'Against the Day' is a little too much of more than enough. I found it's meandering narratives and jocular spirit amiable enough but, as with most works of epic length, it became an endurance test between the reader and author. Not sure who wins that one.

    posted Sunday, April 6 2008

    (This is a response to a previous comment)

  • marshall h

    marshall h says

    yes Pynchon is a difficult read. I finally got through Gravity's Rainbow after my 5th or 6th attempt. I can't say it was really worth that much trouble.
    I bought this one right after it came out and I am only on page 450. There is, however a very nice blog discussion for those who are a little lost. It is called "The Chumps of Choice" and basically gives summations for the story divided into groups of pages
    http://chumpsofchoice.blogspot.com/
    good luck

    posted Saturday, April 5 2008

  • Jenny M

    jenny m says

    I couldn't get through this book. Perhaps someone out there can renew my interest. I had high hopes because I love post modernism and magic realism. Maybe someone can recommend some Pynchon that is more accessible.

    posted Sunday, March 30 2008

    (read jenny m’s review)

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