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SFReader Forums > SF Fiction and Art > Right Now I'm Reading.... > Group Read: The Worm Ouroboros

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Nathan Jerpe
Neophyte

Date Joined Nov 2007
Total Posts : 192

Posted 12/3/2007 9:16 AM (GMT -4)

Hi folks!

Sounds as if we will be commencing a group-read of The Worm Ouroboros here shortly. If you feel passionately about some other book you'd like to dissect instead, speak up, otherwise we're going to get started with Eddison's 1922 masterpiece (or so they say, I haven't read it yet)!

If you want to take part with this one then there's nothing left to do; just jump in whenever you feel like it.

I've glimpsed at some of the chapters and don't see that any are significantly longer than the others, so I've proposed the following schedule below. Let us know if you feel it is too quick, too slow, too lopsided, etc.

12/3 - 12/30: Acquire the book/Overview/Title Page-The Induction

12/31 - 1/6: Chapter I-II

1/7 - 1/14: Chapter III-IV

1/14 - 1/21: Chapter V-VI

1/21 - 1/28: Chapter VII-VIII

1/28 - 2/4: Chapter IX-X

2/4 - 2/11: Chapter XI-XII

2/11 - 2/18: Chapter XIII-XIV

2/18 - 2/25: Chapter XV-XVI

2/25 - 3/4: Chapter XVII-XVIII

3/4 - 3/11: Chapter XIX-XX

3/11 - 3/18: Chapter XXI-XXII

3/18 - 3/25: Chapter XXIII-XXIV

3/25 - 4/1: Chapter XXV-XXVI

4/1 - 4/7: Chapter XXVII-XXVIII

4/8 - 4/14: Chapter XXIX-XXX

4/15 - 4/21: Chapter XXXI-XXXII

4/22 - 4/28: Chapter XXXIII

Some parting thoughts:

Can/should this be thread be stickied?

Since the copyright has expired, the book is available online for free at:

http://www.sacred-texts.com/ring/two/index.htm

We can assign a person to facilitate discussion each week, or not. I am willing to volunteer for Week 1. If you are interested just holler and we can annotate the schedule accordingly. I don't imagine we need any rules for facilitation; when it's your turn just manage it however you like.

Cheers!

http://roguelikefiction.com

Bill Ward
Biblioholic

Date Joined Jul 2006
Total Posts : 1572

Posted 12/3/2007 11:10 AM (GMT -4)

I had a post all typed suggesting a looser schedule and shorter time table, but now that I think about it reading a book in this way will be a new experience for me and perhaps a great way to appreciate a meaty book like Ouroborus. It looks fine, only one suggestion may be to move things back a bit, I was thinking of not starting until Jan 1 because people are so busy now with holidays we might attract a few more interested people if we waited until then.

billwardwriter.com

von Darkmoor
Dancer

Date Joined Dec 2005
Total Posts : 2864

Posted 12/3/2007 11:37 AM (GMT -4)

I also would suggest a 1 January reading start - allow people December to accomplish the first point of your suggested schedule, the procurement and the opening sections.

I like sticky-ing this thread for user ease.

Is a facilitator necessary? What's to facilitate? Readers of a particular section can post with or without one, so one probably isn't needed.

We are still allowing anyone to join at anytime, as they can see what point we are at by checking the schedule and thus catching up at will, right?

~~~~~~~~~~
Jason M. Waltz
Fantasy Acquisitions Editor Staffs & Starships Magazine
Anthology Editor Flashing Swords
~~~~~~~~~~
Ever waltz with the Devil? Visit von Darkmoor's thoughts to find out (and read a review or two).
~~~~~~~~~~
Critical Eye of the Dragon Avatar courtesy of crystalwizard

bleacheddecay
Acolyte

Date Joined May 2007
Total Posts : 302

Posted 12/3/2007 8:35 PM (GMT -4)

I put it on hold. When it comes in, I'll give it a shot.

bleacheddecay

Nathan Jerpe
Neophyte

Date Joined Nov 2007
Total Posts : 192

Posted 12/3/2007 9:25 PM (GMT -4)

Sweet, I'll push back the dates a couple-three weeks and we should be good to go.

A facilitator definitely isn't necessary, but it might be interesting if you wanted a different helmsman to steer each week. One of us might prefer character studies, while a second might consider matters of form or style, or a search for all the outdated dirty words...

I'll allow a few more days and then we can firm up the schedule, how's that?

http://roguelikefiction.com

Bill Ward
Biblioholic

Date Joined Jul 2006
Total Posts : 1572

Posted 12/3/2007 10:46 PM (GMT -4)

Sounds good bedford.

Welcome to the group read bleacheddecay, hopefully we can get a few more participants.

Everybody put 'Worm' on your xmas list, yeah?

billwardwriter.com

bleacheddecay
Acolyte

Date Joined May 2007
Total Posts : 302

Posted 12/4/2007 1:53 AM (GMT -4)

We'll see how it goes. I put it on my library hold list. In the past I've not been real good at reading to a certain point and stopping. LOL.

bleacheddecay

von Darkmoor
Dancer

Date Joined Dec 2005
Total Posts : 2864

Posted 12/4/2007 2:01 AM (GMT -4)

yes, welcome to ye, bleached! 'nd who says ya gotta stop? Ya just can't get ahead in the posting or start talking about things us slower readers won't know yet !

bleacheddecay
Acolyte

Date Joined May 2007
Total Posts : 302

Posted 12/4/2007 2:45 AM (GMT -4)

*smiles*

Ahh! That's much better then!

bleacheddecay

Despiciblus
Neophyte

Date Joined Jul 2005
Total Posts : 65

Posted 12/6/2007 11:41 PM (GMT -4)

I'd like to join in on this group read. I picked up an old Ballantine mass market edition at work and now I'm chomping at the bit.

Allen

bleacheddecay
Acolyte

Date Joined May 2007
Total Posts : 302

Posted 12/7/2007 12:05 AM (GMT -4)

I'm picking up my copy tomorrow!

bleacheddecay

von Darkmoor
Dancer

Date Joined Dec 2005
Total Posts : 2864

Posted 12/7/2007 3:59 AM (GMT -4)

I have the 1977 Ballantine pb, green bordered cover, 520 pages, picked up, if I remember correctly, at my favorite annual library 10-cent sale last summer.

Oh - and welcome Allen

Despiciblus
Neophyte

Date Joined Jul 2005
Total Posts : 65

Posted 12/7/2007 4:07 AM (GMT -4)

von Darkmoor said...
I have the 1977 Ballantine pb, green bordered cover, 520 pages, picked up, if I remember correctly, at my favorite annual library 10-cent sale last summer.
Oh - and welcome Allen VIEW IMAGE

I have the 1974 edition, 520 pp, cover art very similar to the covers of the early pb Ballantine editions of Tolkien.

Nathan Jerpe
Neophyte

Date Joined Nov 2007
Total Posts : 192

Posted 12/7/2007 9:04 AM (GMT -4)

Oooh...I might have to track down that edition at my local used bookstore. You wouldn't happen to have a screenshot wouldja?

I've got the Ballentine editions of Gormenghast from the 70's (I believe) and they look fantastic.

http://roguelikefiction.com

tchernabyelo
Acolyte

Date Joined Oct 2006
Total Posts : 386

Posted 12/7/2007 10:23 AM (GMT -4)

My copy is on my version of the Sacred Texts CD, though I originally read it many many years ago - I believe our school library had an edition (our school library had some books dating back to the 16th century, though we weren't allowed to get at those for some reason).

I will participate as and when I have time. Be interesting to be back in the company of Brandoch Daha, Spitfire, Gro and the rest.

Brian Dolton

Yi Qin stories:

"The Box Of Beautiful Things" - IGMS#3

"The Man Who Was Never Afraid" - Abyss and Apex #20

"Where No Wind Blows" - Staffs & Starships #2 (forthcoming)

"What The Sea Refuses" - Black Gate (forthcoming)

"At Blue Crane Falls" - Abyss and Apex (forthcoming)

"What The Heart Bears" - Black Gate (forthcoming)

Other Land Of Wind And Ghosts stories:

"The Dragon Path" - Fictitious Force (forthcoming)

"Three Out Of Four" - Sorcerous Signals (forthcoming)

Stories in other settings:

"The Unicorn Hunter" - OG's Speculative Fiction #8

"When Winter Came" - ASIM#32 (forthcoming)

"Cold Fire" - Flashing Swords (forthcoming)

"Call Centre" - Necrotic Tissue (forthcoming)

von Darkmoor
Dancer

Date Joined Dec 2005
Total Posts : 2864

Posted 12/7/2007 11:04 AM (GMT -4)

This is the one I have, the 10th printing in '77: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/034527122X/ref=nosim/speculativefic05

And a warm welcome to you as well, Brian.

Nathan Jerpe
Neophyte

Date Joined Nov 2007
Total Posts : 192

Posted 12/26/2007 11:14 PM (GMT -4)

I guess we should be starting on this shortly! My copy is still en route, so I'll be reading from the online copy available from the Sacred Texts archive until it arrives. I've never read the book, so I'm a bit mystified why it should show up in a site full of sacred texts?

In any case I suppose the coming weeks will have us spending some time back in the pre-Tolkien days of '22. I wonder what Eddison used for source material? It would be over half a century before the first Dungeon Master's Guide saw the light of day, and Gene Wolfe was still in high school...

http://roguelikefiction.com

von Darkmoor
Dancer

Date Joined Dec 2005
Total Posts : 2864

Posted 12/27/2007 12:42 AM (GMT -4)

hmmm, interesting; I know not. Perhaps the general consensus that life is a circle, whether via reincarnation, rejeneration, recreation, self-consumption or whatnot . . . perhaps belief in the eternal circle itself sanctifies the novel?

Either that, or there's a whole Eddisonian religion out there I wasn't aware of.

Nathan Jerpe
Neophyte

Date Joined Nov 2007
Total Posts : 192

Posted 1/2/2008 10:15 AM (GMT -4)

How to handle spoilers in this discussion? I can see us using some kind of hidden text, with folks decoding it in front of their computers, red acetate strips against the screen...

Should we assume spoilers are fair game as long as they allude to a section that we've already passed in the schedule?

In the meantime, I've noticed that the introductory poem Thomas the Rhymer was not in fact written by Eddison, but is an anonymously penned 17th century work. It remains to be seen why he chose that one, I guess; could it be some oblique reference to Spenser's 'The Faerie Queene'?

http://roguelikefiction.com

H.P. Lovesauce
Necronomicondiment

Date Joined Jul 2007
Total Posts : 558

Posted 1/2/2008 12:21 PM (GMT -4)

Spoilers said...

For spoilers, just select the text, then select White in the COLOR drop-down menu. I'd much appreciate that, since I'm the slow kid and will take a bit to catch up in reading.

No red acetate strips needed, fortunately (or unfortunately). Just select the text in the text box and the highlighting will make it visible.

Bill Ward
Biblioholic

Date Joined Jul 2006
Total Posts : 1572

Posted 1/2/2008 2:39 PM (GMT -4)

We shouldn't worry about spoilers, each weekly post is supposed to cover however many chapters for that week: it should be understood that showing up for the discussion without having read will likely result in spoilage. I'm not highlighting text every time I want to read something.

Now, here's a question. Is it understood that he have our reading done before the first day of discussion and discuss that week, or by the end?

And Nathan, Wolfe wasn't even born in '22 ;)

billwardwriter.com

Nicholas
Adept

Date Joined Jun 2006
Total Posts : 905

Posted 1/2/2008 8:40 PM (GMT -4)

I'll dig up my copy and try to join in. I started it once a few years back, but got sidetracked away from it. This is the perfect incentive to keep nose to the grindstone and eyes to the page.

http://ozment.livejournal.com

http://manning.coldfusionvideo.com

www.myspace.com/ozmentshouseoftwilight

Gustavo
Sage

Date Joined Aug 2007
Total Posts : 1045

Posted 1/2/2008 9:57 PM (GMT -4)

I just got it off the net, which seems to mean that you can count me in.

Visit my livejournal! http://bondo-ba.livejournal.com/

Nathan Jerpe
Neophyte

Date Joined Nov 2007
Total Posts : 192

Posted 1/3/2008 1:19 AM (GMT -4)

Bill Ward said...
Now, here's a question. Is it understood that he have our reading done before the first day of discussion and discuss that week, or by the end?

I'm thinking we could have the reading done by the end, as if it were that week's reading assignment?

That would leave us with this week to discuss Thomas the Rhymer, the induction, etc.

Also I like your idea of starting a new thread each week?

We could always use Lovesauce's highlighting trick if someone wants to refer to a spoiler in a chapter ahead of the current one.

http://roguelikefiction.com

Bill Ward
Biblioholic

Date Joined Jul 2006
Total Posts : 1572

Posted 1/3/2008 2:02 AM (GMT -4)

OK, why not chat a bit about the induction etc. on this thread, then Monday someone can pop up a thread for Chaps 1 and 2. Someone could start a new thread every Monday.

billwardwriter.com

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