I've had a copy of Against The Day lying around for over a year now and I have yet to take a crack at it(considering it's like 1,000 pages, and I don't know if i'll enjoy it yet)

I was wondering if anyone here has read something by him before, or Against The Day itself, and what you think of his writing


I was going to start it after I finish Hot Zone(about Ebola Virus), but i'm slightly intimidated by a piece of literature 1,000 pages long.

I don't want to get stuck in another Grapes of Wrath(no offense to fans of Steinbeck, i just don't dig his style at all)

I've read Gravity's Rainbow (which is considered his best book, by the way; you might want to start there). I really liked it. He is nothing like Steinbeck, who I happen to like, too--no offense taken, though. Pynchon is sort of like a cross between Joseph Heller and Kurt Vonnegut. He's funny in a black humor sort of way, and very weird. As an example, one of the subplots in Gravity's Rainbow--which is ostensibly about WWII--is about a light bulb that won't ever burn out. There are also quite a few weird sexual relationships, so, if that sort of thing offends you, you may want to think twice. All in all, Pynchon is one of the better modern writers. He's not my absolute favorite, but he's certainly worth reading.

I started the book last night, and REALLY enjoy it

his humor is right up my alley

uhh.. the academy hails pynchon as the writer of our century; foremost post modernist. enjoy