Since all I seem to post here in OT are death notices....

I just heard about this via a post on boardgamegeek.com.  The only news blurb  I could find with a quick search was here:

http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid57207.asp

This is very saddening.  Disch, along with Samuel Delany, was one of those writers whose style and approach to sf influenced me to the core.  Not only did he influence my own writing, but he also (again, much like Delany) opened my eyes to new ways of seeing what was around me.

More details in Locus Online.

Sorry, never heard of him. Seems to have moved away from writing science fiction before I really got into it, but also seems worth checking out, New Wave and all that. Is he, erm, easier to start reading than Samuel Delany?

Any recommended works to start with? Camp Concentration has a Prisoner nod of sorts, but 334 also sounds worth a look.

He was definitely an obscure writer, which is probably why the story isn't on AP or the other newswires.  Disch is about as easy to get into as early period Delany (pre-Dhalgren, definitely pre-Neveryon).

Camp Concentration is a fantastic entry point.  The ending is a bit pat, but the bulk of the book is extremely well-written and examines the story of Faust from a variety of angles.

334 is a bit more problematic as an entry point.  Some of the stories are plotless (relying on formal devices for unity) and they're not interconnected in ways that you might expect from reading a summary of the book.  Fantastic imagery throughout, however, very much a precursor to '80s urban dystopia sf.  His other short story collections are worth exporing on their own.  The writing is always top-notch.

I'd also suggest reading his critical essays.  He was quite a cranky man, but possessed of a lively wit and insight.  Not quite as rewarding as Delany in this area for me, but worth reading, nonetheless.  As for his non-sf writing and poetry, I'm not familiar with it at all.

Is the Genocides the book about the survivors of a vegetation holocaust, where earth is being used as a giant field to harvest plant food for some alien race?  That's a great post-apocalyptic novel.  Really cool and dark.  Check it out if you can find it.

Quote from: walkerp;222539Is the Genocides the book about the survivors of a vegetation holocaust, where earth is being used as a giant field to harvest plant food for some alien race?  That's a great post-apocalyptic novel.  Really cool and dark.  Check it out if you can find it.

I think that one is The Trees.