Re: RARA-AVIS: L. Block, pornographer

Mario Taboada (matrxtech@sprintmail.com)
Wed, 17 Dec 1997 11:26:39 +0000 Block has written that his work as a hack writing soft-porn novels was
voluminous. I understand why he wouldn't want those reprinted or even
mentioned too often. They are probably unredeemable trash (ah, but the
Block completist, if such a creature exists, must have *everything*...).

However, he *did* authorize the reissue of the Chip Harrison novels
(quite recently). "No Score" is billed on the cover as a "mystery",
which comes close to deceit - it's a picaresque novel with no elements
of mystery. I suppose one could call if "soft-porn", although this is
too heavy a description of Chip Harrison's rather innocent efforts to
get laid ( I guess the "mystery" is whether he will achieve it or not,
and I won't spoil ir for prospective readers). I started to write a
nostalgia review of this novel but got tired after the first paragraph;
it's not really very good, although it shows glimpses of what Block
would do later.

Regards,

Mario Taboada
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