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defrog
Because there just aren’t enough book reports on the Innernetz, are there?JUST FINISHED
Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas by Hunter S Thompson
I don’t re-read books all that often, but something compelled me to buy a new copy of this and read it again, and I swear it gets better with every reading – possibly because the first time I read it, I was too young too really appreciate the whole point of the book – that is to say, the death of the American Dream and how the 60s counterculture ultimately failed to live up to its potential. Still, I knew even back in 1987 that Thompson was one of the best writers on the planet, and to this day he’s one of my biggest inspirations in my own writing.
JUST STARTED
The Final Solution by Michael Chabon
Picked it up in the discount bin at Dymocks, having already been totally blown away by The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier And Klay. Not that I’m expecting the same experience, but, well, anyway, we’ll see.
RECENT TITLES
The Jennifer Morgue by Charles Stross
Follow-up to the excellent The Atrocity Archives, and it’s more superspies vs Cthulu Horrors stuff, with an added James Bond geas for satirical purposes. Great stuff, but one thing about the Orbit edition: that is the WORST copy editing I’ve ever seen. I hope they fix future printings, because that’s just insanely sloppy for a professional publication.
The Armageddon Trilogy by Robert Rankin
Comprising Armageddon: The Musical, They Came And Ate Us (Armageddon II: The B-Movie) and The Suburban Book Of The Dead (Armageddon III: The Remake), which I’ll just lump under one entry to save space. Basically, it starts with the premise that Earth is one big reality TV show, and intergalactic execs trying to avoid Armageddon try to alter history by convincing Elvis not to join the Army (thus saving the world). It ends with Elvis going back in time and accidentally rewriting the New Testament and replacing Jesus as the main character. Typical Rankin, then – irreverent, far-out, and loaded with running gags.
Right Where You Are Sitting Now by Robert Anton Wilson
From the man who helped turn the Illuminati into a household name (or close enough as makes no odds), a collection of essays, cut-up experiments, and whatnot from the early 1980s. Results are mixed, but Wilson usually has a few interesting ideas worth pursuing. Highlights include snippets of future predictions, the bias of “proper” science against parapsychology, and how sex has evolved from unhygenic procreation to hygenic recreation separate from the reproductive process, and where it could conceivably go from there (bearing in mind this was written before AIDS became a pandemic).
The Wall Of The Sky, The Wall Of The Eye by Jonathan Letham
I was a bit hard on Letham’s essay collection, The Disappointment Artist, but this short story collection highlights what I like about him – twisted surreal stories wrapped in humanity and laced with subtle satire. Some are better than others, but it’s fun to see where he’s going with them.
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
The famous muckraker novel that exposed the deplorable conditions and political corruption of the Chicago meatpacking industry. It’s a dense, miserable read, but also an indispensable piece of American history. Its main weakness (apart from throwing every single misfortune ever onto one family) is the ending, which lapses into a Socialism tract. Even if you discount the fact that the book was written well before Lenin happened, Sinclair is a little too blatant – as if he only told you all about Jurgis Rudkus' hard life just to sell you a Socialist lecture.
The Jennifer Morgue by Charles Stross
Follow-up to the excellent The Atrocity Archives, and it’s more superspies vs Cthulu Horrors stuff, with an added James Bond geas for satirical purposes. Great stuff, but one thing about the Orbit edition: that is the WORST copy editing I’ve ever seen. I hope they fix future printings, because that’s just insanely sloppy for a professional publication.
The Armageddon Trilogy by Robert Rankin
Comprising Armageddon: The Musical, They Came And Ate Us (Armageddon II: The B-Movie) and The Suburban Book Of The Dead (Armageddon III: The Remake), which I’ll just lump under one entry to save space. Basically, it starts with the premise that Earth is one big reality TV show, and intergalactic execs trying to avoid Armageddon try to alter history by convincing Elvis not to join the Army (thus saving the world). It ends with Elvis going back in time and accidentally rewriting the New Testament and replacing Jesus as the main character. Typical Rankin, then – irreverent, far-out, and loaded with running gags.
Right Where You Are Sitting Now by Robert Anton Wilson
From the man who helped turn the Illuminati into a household name (or close enough as makes no odds), a collection of essays, cut-up experiments, and whatnot from the early 1980s. Results are mixed, but Wilson usually has a few interesting ideas worth pursuing. Highlights include snippets of future predictions, the bias of “proper” science against parapsychology, and how sex has evolved from unhygenic procreation to hygenic recreation separate from the reproductive process, and where it could conceivably go from there (bearing in mind this was written before AIDS became a pandemic).
The Wall Of The Sky, The Wall Of The Eye by Jonathan Letham
I was a bit hard on Letham’s essay collection, The Disappointment Artist, but this short story collection highlights what I like about him – twisted surreal stories wrapped in humanity and laced with subtle satire. Some are better than others, but it’s fun to see where he’s going with them.
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
The famous muckraker novel that exposed the deplorable conditions and political corruption of the Chicago meatpacking industry. It’s a dense, miserable read, but also an indispensable piece of American history. Its main weakness (apart from throwing every single misfortune ever onto one family) is the ending, which lapses into a Socialism tract. Even if you discount the fact that the book was written well before Lenin happened, Sinclair is a little too blatant – as if he only told you all about Jurgis Rudkus' hard life just to sell you a Socialist lecture.
Damn commies,
This is dF
