Oh, this is massive fun! The Tournament of Books:
Wobbling onto the court on thin, shaky legs, Steer Toward Rock feels the crowd watching her and wilts beneath its scrutiny. It’s never easy for a small, quiet book—one that the crowd had never even heard of before now—to compete in so ferocious a contest as the Tournament of Books.
It doesn’t help that her opponent, 2666, is a 10-foot-tall, 900-pound giant that explodes onto the court with a bold, unwavering stride and buries her completely in his shadow as he basks in the raucous applause. The odds-on critical favorite, he’s confident he had this thing sewn up the instant he laced his shoes. The crowd knows it, too. Even poor little Rock knows it.
As the combatants meet on the floor, a hush descends over the stadium. The crowd leans forward in unison, holding its collective breath, dying to see if this tremulous David can possibly kick Goliath’s towering, five-book-thick ass...
Some of you can probably guess where this ends. But it's a thought-provoking (as well as amusing) read. And there are lots of other bouts to watch, too.
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Oh, sweet! I followed this match in the Tournament of Books with excitement. I wonder how they decide which books to pit against which.
ReplyDeleteI'll have to read Steer Toward Rock now. When I picked up 2666, I did so with scepticism. I'm usually suspicious of any work acclaimed by literary critics, but most of the time I force myself to give the books at least a 60-page chance to win me over.
I hope I don't get the urge to dive into all 16 novels featured. My to-read list is way too long already.
Oh, that's just brilliant on so many levels.
ReplyDeleteI am biased by wanting 2666 to make massive ammounts of money.
ReplyDeletekarina, I liked your post. Sadly, critics really are that vulnerable to targeting. I hope I never have to behave that cynically as an author.
ReplyDeletessas, yep, it's good to just admire whimsy every now and again.
mordicai, why do you want 2666 to make money?