Agreed, they do not hold a candle to Wolfe's prose. Though, many genre readers seem completely oblivious to prose quality and read purely for story. In the case of Hyperion everything is b-movie quality.
> Though, many genre readers seem completely oblivious to prose quality and read purely for story.
I find that I would read different books differently - some books I would read for the writing style or prose, and others purely for the story. I will literally skip 'prose-y?' sections to not waste time and get back to the story.
Though I gotta say, I found both the writing style and story great in Hyperion. One of the few books I actually went back and re-read sections of, while going through the first time.
Article about a specific sci-fi author: Every HN user just mentioning their favorite sci-fi book or author does not add any value. Especially when they say nothing interesting about named book and have not read the author in question.
Helpful comment, possibly adding value: In a comment I mentioned another author and why he is interesting. I have a reference for comparison because I have read Wolfe.
I read books for the story (well, aren't books stories?) if it is written poorly - I don't enjoy it. And for me Gene Wolfe is written poorly the world is interesting but the story there was not entertaining at all for me and I read just the first book.
(BTW. I'm probably the only one but I just couldn't bear the constant mentions that some females face was shaped like heart).
Hyperion has interesting story and keeps you on your toes (just the first book).
There’s more than one way to tell the same story. Word choice can colour the reader’s perception subtly. Rhythm and pacing matter. Use of poetic devices and subtext make some tellings of stories much richer than others.
Some writing simply makes you go “Wow, what an amazing sentence” even if the plot is gibberish.
A good story can be "written poorly," that's where prose quality comes into play. When you say written poorly it seems you are referring to narrative and structure--as you deemed it not entertaining--not prose.
