Shadow Ticket
penguinrandomhouse.comI've read four Thomas Pynchon novels, probably the shortest and most accessible four:
The Crying of Lot 49, Bleeding Edge, Inherent Vice, and Vineland.
I have Gravity's Rainbow and Against The Day sitting in my bookcase, intimidating me with their voluminousity. I dare not start them for fear of how long they will take to finish.
Despite this, I look forward to any new Pynchon publications. This new one will take its place on my bookshelf, no doubt.
P.S. Inherent Vice is a great movie. Somewhat of a spiritual sequel to The Big Lebowsky.
Against the Day is by far my favorite. It has the same sweep-of-history as Gravity's Rainbow and some others of his epics but I think it's the one where I actually feel for the characters more than them being mostly a vehicle for the historical braiding.
Probably the best to lead into Shadow Ticket too since that is pre-WWI.
Interesting, I'll check one of those other books out. The library I go to only ever seems to have his doorstoppers on the shelf.
Entirely subjectively:
Bleeding Edge is a big book, but very easy to read for Pynchon. Crying is tiny, but dense. Vineland isn't huge but I found it hard going (but entertaining and worthwhile). Inherent Vice is a similar size to Vineland but an easier read.
Huh. Mere beginner. 12 years since his last work and Vikram Seth is watching on, from 1999 with the next one "just around the corner"