My copy of The Pale King is set to arrive in just a couple of days. Several have mentioned doing a group read, but I’m feeling selfish about this book. I kind of want to read it on my own first, to gulp it down at least once before I begin to pick at it like the scab I half fear it will begin to feel like. I don’t intend to participate in a group read right away. Maybe I’d do one in a couple of weeks or a couple of months, or maybe it’ll be a couple of years before I’m up for it. It’s hard to say. Still, this site was founded in response to Infinite Summer, so a response to Wallace’s last seems appropriate.
If there are past participants who would like to use the site as a venue for discussion of The Pale King in the coming weeks, I’ll be happy to set up user accounts and try really hard to look the other way so as to avoid the discussion (which, I’ll admit, will be hard to do). Speak up if you’re game (especially if you want to write for the blog; I’ll decide more or less arbitrarily when to stop adding new bloggers, probably somewhere around the half-dozen-participants-in-all mark). If there seems to be interest, I’ll set things up and let those who wish to drive the read run with it.
Infinite Zombies 
I’d love to discuss The Pale King with others as I dive into it (I just got my copy today and I’m happy that it’s so early).
Mine also arrived today. (Thanks for the quick delivery, Amazon. No thanks for the dirt on the dust jacket.)
My experience with _Infinite Jest_ tells me that a _Pale King_ book club would be a huge benefit. My first, solo read of IJ was mostly a slog. Infinite Summer made the second time a wonderful experience. I’m not up to being a blog contributor, but would love to participate as a reader and commenter.
By the way, I got here via The Howling Fantods!
I just returned from Chapters with my copy of The Pale King. The store showed 129 available copies but not one was on display. I had a sales associate go and dig one out of the back for me. there was much discussion about reasons why the books weren’t out yet, but I just snatched my copy and scampered off before they tried to take it away from me :). I was a super lurker on the Infinite Summer site not sure how much I have to contribute but I loved the book club! i would muchly appreciate if one was started for this book!
I’d be in for discussing the book.
My copy has been preordered and I would love to participate in an online discussion.
I also like the idea that all would be reading the book for the first time, without influence of published subtexts.
I’ll once again be blogging through over at ‘kül (where I’m currently going through all of his short stories, even though I now have Pale King and it’s killing me to wait until 4/15), but I’d love to be reading what other people in the community think as I do so, so I hope you will put your musings up here.
I’d be interested in discussion of the book, but I don’t have the Literary Creds to be a blogger.
I’m reading it along with a group over on Goodreads that a Twitter friend of mine set up. It’s an open group, so feel free to join: http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/44497.The_Pale_King
How did it go, Daryl? I finished yesterday, but I haven’t collected my thoughts enough to write much about it yet.
I liked it and wasn’t as sad about it as I had anticipated being. Was also disappointed that there wasn’t more, that there’s no way really of knowing how close to complete Wallace figured the thing was.
I still haven’t moved beyond Chapter 6. Hoarding it, morsel by morsel, for just the right time. Silly, really.
But there’s so much to do, and I don’t want to rush this one thing.