These four fantasy novellas include Ryman's most notable work, "The Unconquered Country" - a fable based on the havoc wreaked in Pol Pot's Cambodia.

Posted to Minerva101 of Calgary

This book arrived today - fast trip from Australia! Wow!
Anyways, thank you, davemurray, very much for sending this to me. I have some time off over Christmas and look forward to reading both of the Geoff Ryman's you have sent me. I will definitely share them with my Bookcrossing friends here when I am done.
:)

I finally, finally, finally got around to reading this one. It is an anthology of 4 of Geoff Ryman's novellas. Very interesting word smithing and concepts. The beginning of the Unconquered Countries novella is disturbing and haunting and has clung in my mind the most. I am glad to have read this and will be sending it away as a RABCK to a fellow bookcrosser.

Wishlist RABCK for Erishkigal - put the package in the mail today - should only take about a week to get to her

Enjoy, my bookcrossing friend!
:)

What an amazing surprise, Minera!! This book looks REALLY good. I love all the goodies in the bo, too: the beautiful fairy cards, bookmarks (especially with horses), the fun pen, and the mini flip-flop sticky notes :D That last I may stick in my granddaughter's easter basket, she's such a f-f fanatic~~ Thank you, for everything!

Ok, took me a year to get a round tuit...sorry ...but it was one of the first books read in my new apt. In the process of moving, I sorted, found bc books I'd forgotten I had, as well as those I knew were waiting, and packed them all together....now trying to focus on reading and passing along all BC books.

Thank you, dave murray for starting this book travelling, and you, Minerva for sending it on to me! I am so glad I have read this book, and shall look for more by Ryman.

Of the four novellas, The Unconquered Country was my favorite. O Happy Day brought to mind Suzy McKee Charnas' Walk to the End of the World and Motherlines, also dystopian novels of the same time period, but gender opposite.

from the back cover:
Geoff Ryman is more than simply a good writer. He is an important write: his books matter.
They acknowledge the horrifying pain that humans inflict on one another in large and small scale all over the world, and yet they encourage the reader to think that, even in a concentration camp, in a ward for the chronically insane, in Pol Pot's Cambodia, life is worth living, that death is untimely; and that the act of dying is the individual's transcendence of life, rather than life's desertion of the individual.... His books ... make peace with a universe that seems senseless.
Eileen Gunn New York review of Science Fiction

passed on to a man I frequently talk with when I walk my dog at Wasatch Hollow. He likes SF, so I hope he enjoys this one!

Since reading, I loaned this to a friend, who like most of my non-bc friends didn't journal. His favorite was Fall of Angels and he was extremely discomfited by O Happy Day! A gender thing, no doubt ;)

Adding this book to emmjo's Otherwordly Bookbox, for the next reader to enjoy :D

THIS BOOK WAS CHOSEN BY A TYPING HORSE.
TO EAT OR READ. :-D

Ten books for ten books for Round II of The Otherworldly Bookbook. http://www.bookcrossing.com/forum/20/519828