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Great Science-Fiction
& Fantasy Works
a critical list with discussions
Science-Fiction and Fantasy Books by
Thomas M. Disch
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Standard Disclaimer:
This is a brief discussion of Thomas M. Disch and, of course, of some speculative-fiction books by Thomas M. Disch This discussion and list does not necessarily include every book by Disch: it includes only those books that I both know and like. Just as with the author list itself, omission of a particular item may mean I didn't think highly enough of the omitted item, or it may simply mean that I have not yet sufficient familiarity with it. (In a very few cases, I have listed some books merely on the strength of my opinion of the author: all such books are clearly marked below, as throughout these lists, with a hash mark (#) before the title so you know what's what.) I don't pretend that this discussion is a deep analysis. My intent is no more than to give you a rough idea of what kinds of tales Disch tells, how those tales are usually told, and what makes them and Disch worthy; in sum, to help you rank Disch (and the works by Disch listed here) on your personal literary "to do" list. |
A Few Words About Thomas M. Disch
(Disch lived two literary lives: as speculative-fiction writer Thomas M. Disch, and as poet Tom Disch; readers of one division of his output are often not even aware of the other, but he was regarded as eminent in both forms. This page will deal only with his speculative-fiction self --Speakeasy has a favored few short Disch poems up.)
Regrettably, I have not yet had an opportunity to write an essay on this author, but the "Other Resources" section below will lead you to some information about the "Notable Books" listed farther down this page.
Other Thomas M. Disch Resources
There is a plethora of Disch material on the web. It is fascinating, in a morbid way, that the great bulk of it is obituaries and eulogies, suggesting that "nothing became him so much in life as the leaving of it". It's cliche but true that authors are often ignored--or at least not fully appreciated--till they die. I find quite disturbing the grotesque imbalance between the quantity of material appearing after his death (a somewhat sensational and tragic one, suicide under terribly depressing circumstances) and the paucity of material predating that death, which material is chiefly a few interviews and some book reviews, not numerous; I, at least, found only a couple of comprehensive essays or critical analyses published during his life. Alas.
At any rate: Disch had a blog, Endzone, and it remains available. There is a decent biographical sketch available, "The Dish on Thomas Disch". The only meaningful pre-mortem overviews of Disch I could find--but they are quite useful--include "Four Reasons for Reading Thomas M. Disch" by John Sladek at the Ansible site; and Charles Platt's 1980 essay, regarded as a classic appreciation of Disch, now republished at feuilleton.
Of those seemingly countless heartfelt posthumous appreciations, links to many (perhaps most) have been collected at a sort of Disch appreciations portal page at Matt Stagg's blog, Enter the Octopus. Referenced there, but worth noting on its own, is Edward Champion's Reluctant Habits blog entry that also links numerous tributes to Disch beyond those on Stagg's portal page. And there are also posthumous appreciations (I think not included on those portals, but I may be duplicating some) at Salon; Omnivoracious; and the Lasting Tribute site. And I'm sure that is still not all of them. All in all, an amazing outpouring.
(This note makes a sad coda.)
For reviews of his books, a good source is The New York Times, which reviewed many. There are, of course, many others besides, but those--by various reviewers--will give you a good start.
The reader wondering if there are any counterpoint opinions whatever on Disch can examine this slashing critique of Disch at the Armed and Dangerous blog (and include the 65 following comment posts).
There is quite a bit more, including a few interviews. If, after reviewing all the numerous sources cited--directly and indirectly--above, you still want more, all I can say is, as always, Google Is Your Friend.
Notable Science-Fiction and Fantasy Books by Thomas M. Disch *
(For more possible titles by this author, see the "Unrated Books by Rated Authors" page.)You loaded this page on Saturday, 11 October 2008, at 03:16 GMT
it was last modified on Saturday, 6 September 2008, at 23:17 GMT
