Marienbad My Love

[capncnut]

Author Mark Leach claims to have written the longest book in the world, which comes in at over 17 million words (roughly 32,000 pages). Marienbad My Love is a science fiction fantasy that is free to download from his website as an ebook. Here's the synopsis: Exiled on a deserted island, a Christ-haunted journalist-turned-filmmaker attempts to persuade a married woman from his past to help him produce a science fiction-themed pastiche to the 1960s French New Wave classic, Last Year At Marienbad. Through this act of artistic creation, he expects to carry out the will of God by prophesizing the death of time and the birth of a new religion. If only he can make the woman remember him. Click for website. I've read the first chapter and, while Leach does have an excellent command of the English language, it's just a little too intellectual for my liking and is bogged down with sprawling imagery/description. Also, I was put off by the fact that somewhere in the piece is the longest word (4.4 million letters) and the longest sentence (3 million words) ever written. Smacks of quantity over quality in my opinion. But it seems to be getting one or two favourable reviews and looks set to make the Guiness Book Of Records soon. 32,000 pages is just a tad too hefty for the likes of me, I'm afraid.

[EvilNed]

Favourable reviews? So there's actually people out there who've had time to read it? Interesting, but pass. Besides, the plot sounds hella dull!

[blind2d]

Indeed. Not my kinda scene. Heck, I can barely get through a Piers Anthony!

[capncnut]

Favourable reviews? So there's actually people out there who've had time to read it? Well, one reader quit during the 4 million letter word (which seems to be close to the end so they must've read most of it) but still commended Leach for his efforts regardless. I'm not sure if anyone has read the entire book though.

[EvilNed]

I actually have more respect for someone who can tell a good story with as few words as possible. This doesn't impress me at all. Except I can understand why he's not published.

[capncnut]

The sequel to Marienbad, The President Who Exploded, actually won some writing award last year but disappointed Leach's hardcore fans by 'only' being 2.5 million words long, LOL. The plot is a little more interesting though: The President Who Exploded is the story of a covert government assassin who pursues President Obama on an assassination mission through the space-time continuum to the 41st century, where humans have evolved into super-intelligent insects who live on Uranus and worship the president as their Messiah.

[Danny]

I actually have more respect for someone who can tell a good story with as few words as possible. This doesn't impress me at all. Except I can understand why he's not published. aye, ditto, if you need to use long sentences your probably not that good a writer, your writing a novel, the reader doesn't have a time limit so youd think there be more expression. From what ive read its nice but seems he took a gimmick and ran with it.

[JDFP]

The sequel to Marienbad, The President Who Exploded, actually won some writing award last year but disappointed Leach's hardcore fans by 'only' being 2.5 million words long, LOL. The plot is a little more interesting though: A plot about a planet of people, the "masses", worshipping President Obama as a Messiah? Hmm... is this a science-fiction novel or is it non-fiction? Sounds like it could go both ways... j.p.

[Skippy911sc]

I should be ready to read when my printer finishes printing it sometime next year...

[Yojimbo]

That sequel sounds like something Ellron Hubbard would have written. And now the bored followed by the puking emoticons :