The Sword and Laser discussion

The Hugo-Award-nominated novel Palimpsest by Catherynne M. Valente is finally available in audio book format at audible.com.

I will admit, reading this book has not been an easy ride for me. One minute I feel totally mesmerized by the prose and the happenings but then I will loose focus and my mind starts to get dizzy. It's weird. I have been at 60% for a while and will finish the book now listening to the audio while reading along with a glass of red wine on the side.

Anybody in this group having a similar experience reading Palimpsest?

I had a really hard time reading Palimpsest. It did get much more clear in the last 1/3. I suspect that it would be even more difficult to follow in audio just because it is so weird and convoluted. I had to go back a lot to pick up stuff I missed.

I had the opposite experience - I found myself holding my breath, I was so immersed in the book. I've heard Valente read before (on YouTube), so I bet it would be interesting in audio.

At this point I've read almost everything she's written and other than her poetry, Palimpsest has to be her best work.

Wow Jorg, you described my experience with the book exactly. I am also at about 60% and I am not exactly sure where the plot is going, but there are plenty of fantastic descriptive passages that are just plain great. I almost wish I held out for the audible version because I think it would have made a real difference as to how I absorbed the work.

This is the last of the Hugo nominees that I have read and I will say it is definitely up there as far as originality.

I have finished the book now and the audio book version made all the difference in the world (meaning, it worked for me).
I think the presentation is spot on. Aasne Vigesaa, the narrator, does a superb job of bringing the characters and the city to life (using for example Russian, Italian and Japanese accents). Reading along with the audio everything became clearer, kind of 3D-like. I am glad I did not give up on this book.

I am looking forward to read more by Catherynne M. Valente. Check out her latest short fiction in the August issues of Clarkesworld and Lightspeed (free to read and listen to on the magazines' web sites).

Thanks for all your comments.