dfan says

Can I call them the Spewers? I seem to have a knack for coming up with derogatory names for groups I like.

Anyway, going to sleep last night I remembered a name that fits in that group perfectly – William Vollmann. He passes every criterion, as far as I can tell.

Unfortunately I’m not actually a big fan, although I feel like I should be. I adored his first book, You Bright and Risen Angels, a giant mess that I still consider the best marriage of literary and fantastical fiction to date, but apparently after that he decided that that sort of book was too easy. (The book is literally overflowing – the actual novel only covers the first 40% of the table of contents.)

I enjoyed The Ice-Shirt, but only got around two-thirds through Fathers and Crows (I always feel pretty lame only getting two-thirds through a thousand-page book). I do want to give Europe Central a shot.