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I hope it's okay to join in here, though I'm running rather late - still only half-way through the first part/book. I've made a little pledge to myself that Ill ty to participate in the book club in the coming year, and I had wanted to start with this book, but my last read took longer than I thought it would ... anyway, I'm here now.
Aside from being too long and dry, the preface didn't worry me. As religious exposition goes I've read much worse (and recently). Many people express their moral ground in religious terms, but take away the religion and the moral ground is still there - which you may either share, or not.
I am slowly growing to enjoy the book as these early chapters progress, learning that I need to stay alert for the changing context and watch out for the links between the worlds.
I find that I like the contemporary (to Carroll) setting most, here there seems to be something tangible to the characters. In Outland there is little to like so far, except perhaps the gardener. Bruno is annoying and Sylvie is bland to the point of invisibility, while the others are merely farcical props for his playful language. This lack of character in the characters is nothing new to Carroll, but this work - so far - lacks the charm of Alice in Wonderland and that makes the lack more obvious. The most interesting aspect to Outland, so far, is the way the narrator is both there and not there with the characters; I find myself watching for him, wondering if he's every going to fully materialise there in Outland.
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