Horror, Fantasy, and other non-sci-fi genres... [Archive] - Page 3

megladon8

08-29-2010, 09:59 PM

I'm nearing the end of "More Than Human" and it is utterly fascinating.

It may be the best thing I've read this year.

Even the way that the book is divided into three entirely separate chapters (or "novelettes") which coexist to create the one, larger story - this layout itself reflects the book's message of the "homo gestalt" and how humanity must evolve.

It's incredible.

Anyone who chooses not to read this because they thumb their nose at science fiction is really dense, and deserves to themselves be labeled the way Lone was - as an idiot.

D_Davis

08-29-2010, 10:06 PM

Yeah - it's really good.

megladon8

08-30-2010, 02:33 AM

Just finished it and, yeah, that was incredible.

D - I've only read this and "Some of Your Blood". Is Sturgeon's other work of this quality? Where would you recommend I go next?

D_Davis

08-30-2010, 03:12 PM

Just finished it and, yeah, that was incredible.

D - I've only read this and "Some of Your Blood". Is Sturgeon's other work of this quality? Where would you recommend I go next?

It's all quality, from what I've read. My favorite is To Marry Medusa, aka The Cosmic Rape. My least favorite novel is Venus Plus X. The short stories I've read range from good to masterful. I've probably read around 30 or so.

megladon8

08-30-2010, 06:17 PM

I've decided to read Ray Bradbury's "The Halloween Tree" next.

Anyone else read this one?

D_Davis

08-30-2010, 06:27 PM

I've decided to read Ray Bradbury's "The Halloween Tree" next.

Anyone else read this one?

Yes. I like it.

megladon8

08-30-2010, 06:27 PM

Yes. I like it.

It seems like a book I could rad in one sitting, which I may do this afternoon.

D_Davis

08-30-2010, 06:32 PM

I just started some Lovecraft this morning. Reading through The Lurking Fear collection. Some of these I've read before, some I haven't. Good stuff.

megladon8

08-30-2010, 06:47 PM

I just started some Lovecraft this morning. Reading through The Lurking Fear collection. Some of these I've read before, some I haven't. Good stuff.

Nice.

Lovecraft is always great.

megladon8

08-30-2010, 08:44 PM

Nearly finished "The Halloween Tree".

It's okay. Clearly a book meant for kids, and meant to be educational.

megladon8

08-31-2010, 02:24 AM

Wasn't particularly enthralled with "The Halloween Tree". Very heavy-handed in its moral message and "history lesson". Kind of feels like a book-version of an after school special.

It's well-written considering, and the illustrations are great. But I just felt I was, well, too old to really appreciate it.

MadMan

09-22-2010, 03:21 AM

D_Davis

09-28-2010, 03:27 PM

Reading Rosemary's Baby. Very good so far.

Kurosawa Fan

10-02-2010, 11:45 PM

Decided to read Day By Day Armageddon by J.L. Bourne. I needed a quick diversion while school is in a lull, and my brother-in-law said it's a hard book to put down. I don't feel that way right now, but it's not bad.

D_Davis

10-04-2010, 07:01 PM

Rosemary's Baby is really good. Although I think it is even better having already seen the film; knowing what is going to happen makes all the little clues and hints stand out more. It's like how anticipating a joke in a comedy can sometimes make it more enjoyable. However, it's also just really well written and entertaining.

D_Davis

10-05-2010, 03:47 AM

On to John Shirley's Crawlers for a little SF-horror-techno-thriller, with Shirley's amazing punk-rock prose.

D_Davis

10-05-2010, 03:47 PM

Crawlers is bad ass so far.

D_Davis

10-06-2010, 09:58 PM

Oh man, Crawlers is great so far. So many cool moments, and great images. Not only is it an entertaining genre-romp, but Shirley also injects the narrative with large doses of techno-phobia and the general unease of modern urban living in a post 9/11 setting. He totally captures the vibe of the early '00s. He's got the slang and lingo down (but of course he does, he helped to fashion it), the pop-culture, and he writes teenagers in a very believable way.

megladon8

10-06-2010, 10:40 PM

D_Davis

10-07-2010, 12:55 AM

That sounds really cool, D.

This is the author who did the book "City Come a' Walkin" which you also loved, right?

If I remember correctly you said that book was kind of a cyber-punk type novel which you actually much preferred to William Gibson's stuff.

Oh yeah. City Come A-Walkin' is my favorite cyberpunk book. It predates the movement by a few years, so it is not bogged down by the techno-jargon concepts of its predecessors. It is far more interested in the "punk" aspect of the genre, dealing with the oppression of modern living. Shirley was actually a punker, involved in the the music scene, so it stands to reason. It's more about the pathos of the characters than it is the technology, more akin to Gibson's later novels like Pattern Recognition. I do like Gibson's later stuff that I've read more than his earlier books.

Shirley might actually be more well known for his horror (he dabbled in the splatter-punk stuff), and Crawlers mixes the two very well. I'm really digging it.

lovejuice

10-07-2010, 04:47 PM

I'm reading The Dark Half now, and its merely solid. I like what King is trying to do, and I can understand the plot as I'm a writer myself (of movie reviews, though) but in the end I'm starting to realize that Romero's adaption of it was really spot on, not to mention as good as it was going to get.
That book is definitely among my top five King's. (though I remember it's not being well received here.) I am much impressed by how King weaves everything together, from the murder mystery, writer struggling, and the supernatural.

megladon8

10-18-2010, 02:22 AM

Is there anyone who'd be interested in reading this (http://www.amazon.com/Cthulhu-Cult-Novel-Lovecraftian-Obsession/dp/1442175133/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1287368466&sr=8-1) as a sort of "book of the month" type thing?

It's a self-published piece of Cthulhu fiction titled "The Cthulhu Cult" and is getting some major word-of-mouth.

D_Davis

10-21-2010, 05:47 PM

Crawlers ended up being pretty good, but not great. It suffers from a problem that really irritates me - it's far too long for the story being told. After the first 1/2, it just kind of drags, and gets bogged down in a series of too-samey set pieces. At a terse 200 pages, it could have been amazing, but it just can't justify it's 370-page length.

D_Davis

11-16-2010, 03:32 AM

http://www.bscreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/John-dies-at-the-end.jpg

Oh wow. The first 100 pages have blown my mind. So good...so very, very good.

megladon8

11-16-2010, 03:35 AM

Can you give an idea what the book is like, D? I'm not asking for plot spoilers or anything, just the style.

What type of horror is it?

D_Davis

11-16-2010, 03:45 AM

Can you give an idea what the book is like, D? I'm not asking for plot spoilers or anything, just the style.

What type of horror is it?

It's like a comedy Lovecraftian tale meets J.R. Lansdale's Hap and Leonard books. A couple of semi-loser dudes discover a drug that opens their eyes to the real world, revealing a horrible truth that drives them insane, and then they become paranormal investigators who fight demons and monsters. At least that's what happens in the first 100 pages. But I think it's the kind of book that can go any where, and probably will. It's written by the editor of Cracked.com and National Lampoon, and was first published on line. It's at times hilarious, and at others gross, and still at others kind of freaky.

D_Davis

11-16-2010, 03:47 AM

Oh, and Don Coscarelli's making a movie of it. I guess you could say it's "pop-horror."

D_Davis

11-16-2010, 03:59 AM

While unpacking a box, I found a GC to a book store that I thought I had lost. So I went and got the new Stephen King book, and picked up John Dies at the End as well. I got it simply because I liked the title and the cover.

megladon8

11-16-2010, 07:57 PM

It sounds really interesting, D.

I've requested it from the library.

D_Davis

11-16-2010, 09:15 PM

It sounds really interesting, D.

I've requested it from the library.

It's totally insane. I was afraid that it'd end up being one of those super pop-culture reference books, in which the author name drops all the cool bands and movies he know. However, it's not like that at all. In the first 200 pages, he's only name dropped like 2 movies and 2 bands. There is a ton of slang, but it all feel entirely genuine; the author really knows today's youth language.

It's also really funny - I've LOL'ed more than a few times, chucked and smirked a couple dozen times, and rolled my eyes with the book even more.

megladon8

11-16-2010, 09:41 PM

It's totally insane. I was afraid that it'd end up being one of those super pop-culture reference books, in which the author name drops all the cool bands and movies he know. However, it's not like that at all. In the first 200 pages, he's only name dropped like 2 movies and 2 bands. There is a ton of slang, but it all feel entirely genuine; the author really knows today's youth language.

It's also really funny - I've LOL'ed more than a few times, chucked and smirked a couple dozen times, and rolled my eyes with the book even more.

But the key word is rolled your eyes with the book, though, right? Not at?

I'm really interested to read this.

Are you finding it to be as genuinely horrifying as a lot of the reviews make it out to be? They say it's a near-perfect mix of comedy and outright terror.

D_Davis

11-16-2010, 09:48 PM

But the key word is rolled your eyes with the book, though, right? Not at?

I'm really interested to read this.

Are you finding it to be as genuinely horrifying as a lot of the reviews make it out to be? They say it's a near-perfect mix of comedy and outright terror.

Yeah, with the book. There is a part where one of the characters uses a chair to fight all these demons, and every time he hits one of them he yells out a stupid chair pun.

"Have a seat, bitch!"
"Here's some dessert, with a chair-y on top!"

And each time they get worse and worse as he runs out of puns.

The author knows when he's being corny, and tongue in cheek, and it plays really well.

It's just smartly written.

There are parts that are pretty freaky, and really gross. It reminds me a lot of Joe R. Lansdale. I'm having a blast reading it, and I can't wait until I can pick it up again. It's the first book this year that I've actively looked forward to reading since Under the Dome. I want to devour it.

D_Davis

11-16-2010, 09:56 PM

It's not trying to be hip or cool at all. It's all very genuine. It's more Evil Dead 2 and Braindead than Evil Aliens and Undead, to use a movie analogy. It's not trying to be something else, it's simply being its own thing.

D_Davis

11-17-2010, 03:54 PM

megladon8

11-19-2010, 12:51 AM

This book is continuing to kick my ass. One of the best books I've ever read. It just keeps getting better and better. I think it's destined to be one of those underground classics that people talk and talk about but not a lot of people read. It's so well written and inventive, I imagine that people not into horror could really get something out of it, although it might be a little too gross for them.

Is the writing itself any good, thought?

Not to generalize an entire "movement" of fiction, but I've read a large handful of "internet sensation becomes published novel" books, and most all of them have featured interesting ideas by someone who really cannot write worth a damn.

D_Davis

11-19-2010, 01:05 AM

I think the writing is great. The dude's the head editor for Cracked.com and a regular contributor to National Lampoon, so he has some experience behind the keyboard, especially when comedy is concerned.

I guess the original small press version was littered with typos, but this version seems to have been re-edited and cleaned up.

It's better written than many other horror novels by established authors like Bently Little, Robert McCammon, Dean Koontz, and that recent del Toro travesty.

It definitely has that internet snark and sarcasm, but it totally works with the characters.

I'd compare it very favorably to Joe R. Lansdale's Drive In in terms of prose and atmosphere.

Dead & Messed Up

11-19-2010, 03:42 AM

Someone else was telling me about John Dies At the End. I'm intrigued, and now, D, you've upped the ante. Given how right you were about Under the Dome (which gets better the more I think about it), I should hit this one soon.

I just finished Red Dragon, and I wrote a blog post about it, mostly so that I could post some art by William Blake. Still, I thought it was a good novel, efficiently-told, if sometimes uninspired, and Francis Dolarhyde was an impressive creation. Pitiful and frightening in about equal measure.

D_Davis

11-19-2010, 03:50 AM

D_Davis

11-19-2010, 03:53 AM

Under the Dome has settled really well with me, too. I think about it quite a bit, almost as much as I do The Stand and the Dark Tower series. Really looking forward to his latest - Full dark, No Stars. I hear it's really bleak and well written.

Mr. Pink

11-19-2010, 09:03 AM

I think you'll dig it.

And (kind of) speaking of Lansdale, looks like all of the Hap and Leonard books are back in print! It was so amazing to see a shelf at a normal book store stocked with Lansdale stuff. Hopefully some people will discover these books. Why these haven't been made into movies yet boggles my mind.

Yeah, the Hap and Leonard books are amazing. I think the last one (Vanilla Ride) is the only one I didn't finish in a day or two.

Between those and F. Paul Wilson's Repairman Jack novels, I can't think of anyone else more deserving of a big-screen treatment (although I believe a Repairman Jack movie is in the works).

lovejuice

11-20-2010, 03:31 PM

Roverandom turns out to be a pretty nice read. An enchanting book that foreshadows the whole Legenderium of Tolkien. I especially like the semi-symmetrical structure of the book.

D_Davis

11-25-2010, 06:19 AM

So all-in-all, John Dies at the End is an excellent read. It's page count led me to believe that it would be a more epic story, but it reads more like a collection of connected novellas. It stays funny, creepy, and gross throughout, and it really is totally insane. Really looking forward to reading what the author does next.

Started King's Full Dark, No Stars. The first novella 1922 is, so far, really great. Like King's work in Different Seasons, the stories here deal less with the supernatural. Instead they focus on the murky depths of humanity. It's really well written and pretty dark. It's almost Lansdale-esque in where it goes.

Dead & Messed Up

11-25-2010, 08:03 PM

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/King-a-Verse.jpg

This took way too much of my free time.

D_Davis

11-25-2010, 09:01 PM

Nice. Very cool.

D_Davis

12-06-2010, 05:33 AM

megladon8

12-06-2010, 06:27 AM

The Cthulhu mythos, and the industry surrounding it, is a great example of the benefits of a creative-commons-like approach to the arts. HPL gave birth to a few ideas (ideas that he actually borrows from Dunsany), and then encouraged dozens of other authors to expand upon. And now, even today, we have authors, filmmakers, artists and musicians using the mythos for their own creations.

Totally. While I absolutely adore HPL and many of his stories I consider to be masterful, subsequent authors have done some of the best Cthulhu fiction available.

Hell, while not actually Cthulhu-based, I find Thomas Ligotti to be an example of an author who writes Lovecraft-style horror cosmic horror, and his work is brilliant.

"The Shadow at the Bottom of the World" is one of my favorite short story collections.

lovejuice

12-06-2010, 01:16 PM

The Cthulhu mythos, and the industry surrounding it, is a great example of the benefits of a creative-commons-like approach to the arts.
Not that I disagree with you, but on the other hand, this is how you de-elevate some books into a cultist status that's invigorating for fans but leaves outsiders cold.

D_Davis

12-06-2010, 03:28 PM

Not that I disagree with you, but on the other hand, this is how you de-elevate some books into a cultist status that's invigorating for fans but leaves outsiders cold.

This can be true. But when something is as niche as the mythos I'm not so sure the creators and fans are too worried about the outsiders. And also with the mythos, the fans often became the creators. Yes, the entire thing is very insular, but it does help to create a sense of community which is exactly what HPL wanted which was made clear through his many correspondences with his colleagues.

megladon8

12-07-2010, 09:51 PM

Sometimes I wish I lived back in the '20s/'30s/'40s and could go down to the store and buy those beautiful pulp magazines and novels.

Man, those were the days...

D_Davis

12-07-2010, 10:21 PM

Sometimes I wish I lived back in the '20s/'30s/'40s and could go down to the store and buy those beautiful pulp magazines and novels.

Man, those were the days...

Can you imagine actually being one of the few to discover Lovecraft, or Clark Ashton Smith, in one of these pulps? Must've been pretty cool to just pick up a copy of Weird Tales and read these authors without any preconceived notions or baggage.

megladon8

12-07-2010, 10:23 PM

Can you imagine actually being one of the few to discover Lovecraft, or Clark Ashton Smith, in one of these pulps? Must've been pretty cool to just pick up a copy of Weird Tales and read these authors without any preconceived notions or baggage.

Yeah, I think it would be quite something to pick up a little magazine that has some story called "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" inside it, and have absolutely no expectations whatsoever.

D_Davis

12-15-2010, 02:18 AM

The past week I've been re-reading a bunch of my favorite parts of The Dark Tower series, and spending a lot of time reading all the DT wiki entries. Man, this is the greatest of all fantasies. So epic, powerful, exciting, and meaningful. I just need to read it again.

megladon8

12-17-2010, 09:18 PM

I read the prologue chapter of "John Dies at the End" and it was really good.

I may have to put "When a Heart Turns Rock Solid" on hold to read this.

monolith94

12-20-2010, 01:12 AM

Everyone in this thread knows that I grew up in Newburyport, which is a setting in Shadow Over Innsmouth, right?

megladon8

12-20-2010, 10:39 PM

I'm totally hooked on and loving "John Dies at the End".

Between last night and this afternoon I've nearly reached the halfway point.

D_Davis

12-20-2010, 10:46 PM

I'm totally hooked on and loving "John Dies at the End".

Between last night and this afternoon I've nearly reached the halfway point.

It's one of the most purely entertaining books I've ever read. You can tell that the author had no idea of where he was going next, and he uses this to create a totally insane and wacky trip. It reminds of a book Tsui Hark might have written.

megladon8

12-21-2010, 02:23 AM

It's one of the most purely entertaining books I've ever read. You can tell that the author had no idea of where he was going next, and he uses this to create a totally insane and wacky trip. It reminds of a book Tsui Hark might have written.

Pitch-perfect blend of horror and humor, too.

I just passed the part in the ballroom with all the "wig creatures", and John beating them away with chairs. His chair-based one liners were hilarious.

D_Davis

12-21-2010, 02:46 AM

Pitch-perfect blend of horror and humor, too.

I just passed the part in the ballroom with all the "wig creatures", and John beating them away with chairs. His chair-based one liners were hilarious.

Oh hell yeah - that part was epic. I was totally cracking up. Such an outrageous book.

Really glad you're digging it.

lovejuice

12-23-2010, 12:33 PM

*Sigh*

Hate it that the title of this tread, "Horror, Fantasy, and other non-sci-fi genres..." doesn't quite include "detective."

Anyway, The Oxford Murders turns out surprisingly to be a very good book. And I just realize there is also a movie starred Elijah Wood and John Hurt.

And its tomatometer is at 10%. :|

megladon8

12-23-2010, 10:22 PM

I'm about 2/3 through "John Dies at the End" and I'm still loving it.

It's consistently funny, but more importantly, consistently intriguing. The story is interesting. Not that it has any particular depth to it, but there's always something happening that makes me want to know what happens next.

It's like a really good summer movie.

I also like that it makes some obvious references to Ghostbusters, since there have been several moments when I've been reading and thought to myself "screw a new Ghostbusters movie...this should be this generation's horror-comedy."

It's really got that vibe down pat. Lovecraftian horror, mixed with gut-busting sarcastic humor.

It's like a more vulgar Christopher Moore.

monolith94

12-24-2010, 02:55 PM

D_Davis

12-24-2010, 04:22 PM

I also like that it makes some obvious references to Ghostbusters, since there have been several moments when I've been reading and thought to myself "screw a new Ghostbusters movie...this should be this generation's horror-comedy."
.

Should be coming sometime next year. Looking forward to it.

lovejuice

12-25-2010, 03:42 AM

I tried to get into it, but couldn't. It just felt so... unambitious and generic to me.
Are you referring to the book or the movie? I haven't watched the movie, but indeed the book starts off very generic, but it evolves into something quite amazing. Martinez successfully elaborates on Dostoevskian concept of abstract murder.

megladon8

12-28-2010, 02:12 AM

Loved "John Dies at the End". I'll echo D_Davi's sentiments and say it's one of the most entertaining reads I've ever experienced. From the first page to the last it's laugh-out-loud hilarious, and the final 75 pages provide some really interesting philosophical ideas.

I was also surprised by how good of a writer Wong was. While it's very Christopher Moore-ish in the way it blends horror with sarcastic wit, he proved to have a much more natural sounding voice.

I would almost describe this as the "Hichhiker's Guide" of horror. It lovingly pokes fun at many horror tropes, while simultaneously bringing new life to the genre with some thought-provoking ideas and an "absolutely anything can happen" philosophy.

D_Davis

12-28-2010, 02:45 AM

I would almost describe this as the "Hichhiker's Guide" of horror. It lovingly pokes fun at many horror tropes, while simultaneously bringing new life to the genre with some thought-provoking ideas and an "absolutely anything can happen" philosophy.

Yep. I was thinking the same thing. And not that it simply copies Hitchhiker, because it doesn't. It actually possesses a similar quality that has made that book so endearing and timeless. I think we'll see the same thing happen for John. I'm almost positive that it'll enjoy the same kind of success. It will be kind of underground and niche for many years, but slowly and surely it will gain in popularity until it becomes one of those genre/geek/nerd rights of passage books, like Hitchhikers and The Illuminatus Trilogy.

D_Davis

12-28-2010, 04:05 PM

Hell yeah! J.M McDermott has a new book coming out next year. His last book - Last Dragon - is far and away the best single fantasy novel I've ever read. A true bellwether of the genre - and it sold about 1,000 copies. McDermott's prose is remarkable, and the way he weaves the tale of the Last Dragon is entirely fresh and exciting. One day his name will be praised along side Tolkien and Wolfe, of this I am sure.

http://www.amazon.com/Never-Knew-Another-J-McDermott/dp/1597802158/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_2

D_Davis

01-01-2011, 04:15 PM

Started a re-read of The Dark Tower last week. Man...The Gunslinger is so awesome.

megladon8

01-01-2011, 07:22 PM

Started a re-read of The Dark Tower last week. Man...The Gunslinger is so awesome.

Yeah, it's one of the greatest series' I have ever read. Consistently brilliant.

megladon8

01-06-2011, 07:08 PM

Have begun reading Brom's "The Plucker" since my copy of "The Lost City of Z" has yet to arrive.

It's kind of like if Tim Burton re-wrote Toy Story. Not too hot on Brom's prose so far, but he's undoubtedly a talented artist.

megladon8

01-08-2011, 03:15 AM

Approaching the halfway point in "The Plucker" and it's...okay.

I really don't like Brom's prose. The story feels best when he's writing it as a classically styled fairy tale. But then, out of nowhere, a character will say something like "What the hell is going on?" or "That's bullshit", and it completely kills any mood he had going.

So far it's most impressive as a picture book. The paintings are incredible, and he's created some very creepy creature designs.

D_Davis

01-08-2011, 03:42 AM

Never heard of Brom.

megladon8

01-08-2011, 04:16 AM

Never heard of Brom.

He's an artist first, writer second.

He has three novels out now - the first was "The Plucker", then one called "The Devil's Rose" (which looks to pretty much be his version of "Ghost Rider"), and now "The Child Thief", his retelling of "Peter Pan".

His style (in both painting and writing) is that of someone who probably masturbates to The Nightmare Before Christmas.

D_Davis

01-08-2011, 07:10 PM

His style (in both painting and writing) is that of someone who probably masturbates to The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Hmmm. Can't say this encourages me to seek him out.

megladon8

01-08-2011, 07:13 PM

Hmmm. Can't say this encourages me to seek him out.

I think you'll probably have just as good a Brom experience if you do a Google Image Search for his paintings.

His writing is quite awful.

D_Davis

01-11-2011, 05:38 AM

So stoked! It shipped today.

http://img1.fantasticfiction.co.uk/images/n74/n371355.jpg

megladon8

01-11-2011, 08:04 PM

I love that cover.

D_Davis

01-12-2011, 12:13 AM

I love that cover.

Yeah. He gets great covers:

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_d5oY65EF1Ts/R6jdl9C0yqI/AAAAAAAAAUM/skAEmkYxPIo/s320/Last+Dragon.jpg

That's how you do a fantasy cover. None of that sexist, juvenile bull shit. McDermott is raising the bar on the genre on every level.

I cannot wait to read his newest one. I just hope it's even half as good as Last Dragon. I'm just glad he got to have another book published after LD tanked. Best single fantasy novel I've ever read.

megladon8

01-12-2011, 12:18 AM

You mean you don't like leather-bikini-clad women with disproportionately huge breasts battling eunuch lizard men?

megladon8

01-14-2011, 07:38 PM

"The Plucker" was not very good.

D_Davis

01-19-2011, 03:39 PM

Just have a few more chapters to read in Never Knew Another; it's been a fantastic read thus far. McDermott weaves a tale of romance and melancholy around a weird and gruesome premise. The world feels ancient and lived in, and yet McDermott doesn't spend needless pages on world building; everything I know about the world I know because of context and the characters' lives.

megladon8

01-19-2011, 09:14 PM

Great to hear it wasn't disappointing, D.

Is it as impressive to you as "The Last Dragon"?

D_Davis

01-19-2011, 09:22 PM

Never Knew Another, J.M McDermott

I don't think it is as good as Last Dragon, but that could be because I'm used to McDermott's voice now; that is, it's not as surprisingly fresh and unique. It is simply great.

However, let's not compare.

In Never Knew Another, McDermott creates a haunting world - Dogsland - full of melancholy and romance; I thought I might run across the Divinity Student sleuthing around. What is most remarkable is that he creates a lived-in, breathing world without resorting to pages-long stretches of world building, the bane of fantasy lit. We learn about the world, it's history, caste system, magic, and religion through the characters and their actions.

We don't need the history of the world because what is important is the present context.

This is not a plot-heavy narrative. It is not a grand and sweeping epic. Never Knew Another is a very small story about love and memory. This does leave me with some concern about its status as a trilogy; I feel as though everything could've been finished quite beautifully in a single volume. However, McDermott has proven himself worthy of my time, and so I will trust his decision.

With that said, I hope I don't have to wait too long for the second installment. I'm looking forward to spending more time in Dogsland.

megladon8

01-19-2011, 09:34 PM

Great write-up, D.

I really want to check it out after I read my copy of "The Last Dragon".

D_Davis

01-19-2011, 09:43 PM

Great write-up, D.

I really want to check it out after I read my copy of "The Last Dragon".

Thanks.

I'm really interested in your thoughts on The Last Dragon. I've convinced five other people to read it: one of them didn't finish, two thought it was OK, and the other two loved it as much as I did.

kuehnepips

01-26-2011, 02:04 PM

Well, you convinced me to visit Dogsland.

D_Davis

01-26-2011, 04:27 PM

Well, you convinced me to visit Dogsland.

Nice.

D_Davis

01-27-2011, 07:16 PM

Huck Finn versus Cthulhu via Lansdale....

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs277.snc6/180519_158340550883264_1000012 19601760_331827_4439730_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs014.snc6/166461_158340654216587_1000012 19601760_331833_4798677_n.jpg

megladon8

01-27-2011, 11:37 PM

That looks freaking amazing.

D_Davis

01-28-2011, 02:33 AM

Got this in the mail today:

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs256.snc6/180479_158424480874871_1000012 19601760_332184_2474682_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs897.ash1/180582_158424554208197_1000012 19601760_332185_4272450_n.jpg

megladon8

01-28-2011, 04:19 AM

That's so cool, D.

How did he know you'd read it? Have you had some ongoing communication?

D_Davis

01-28-2011, 01:53 PM

That's so cool, D.

How did he know you'd read it? Have you had some ongoing communication?

Yeah - I contacted him after I read Last Dragon, and we occasionally exchange messages. Nothing extensive or anything. I asked him if he was ever going to come to Seattle, and he said not in the near future, so he offered to send me some one sheets.

megladon8

01-28-2011, 08:23 PM

Yeah - I contacted him after I read Last Dragon, and we occasionally exchange messages. Nothing extensive or anything. I asked him if he was ever going to come to Seattle, and he said not in the near future, so he offered to send me some one sheets.

That's really cool.

So awesome to have dialogue with someone like that. I still keep in touch with Von Allan (a comic book artist based in Ottawa).

Makes your appreciation of their work feel all the more personal.

D_Davis

01-29-2011, 07:45 PM

I just picked up a book called Zoo, by a Japanese author named Otsuichi. I bought it because of the synopsis of the title story:

A man receives a photo of his girlfriend every day in the mail...so that he can keep track of her body's decomposition.

That sounds pretty gruesome.

lovejuice

01-31-2011, 01:46 AM

Now reading Moorcock's Elric. It's actually a collection of short stories, correct?

Just finished The Dreaming City, and it's pretty good. I was taken back by the prose and the very standard storyline, but this is the first time I've ever seen a fantasy hero this severely beaten. Speaking of the biggest loser! A nice contrast since you sense also how much power he wields.

D_Davis

01-31-2011, 02:15 AM

Yes - Elric is a series of short stories and novellas, with a novel here and there. It's kind of confusing.

Love these stories, so much. Elric is such a fascinating character.

lovejuice

01-31-2011, 04:50 AM

Yes - Elric is a series of short stories and novellas, with a novel here and there. It's kind of confusing.

Love these stories, so much. Elric is such a fascinating character.
Indeed the stories are all enjoyable in a Howardian kinda way, which is strange considered Elric is devised as a sort of anti-Conan. A sickly prince, a magic user who simply hates but is helpless without his sword. I also find it darkly humorous how after every adventure Elric, unlike Howard's heroes, seems to get the short end of the stick.

I still don't think Moorcock's prose match Howard's though in its epicness. Moorcock's style has a tongue-in-cheek quality, while Howard wrote like a sick man who truly yearns for the time and age that have never existed.

D_Davis

01-31-2011, 05:42 AM

I prefer Elric and his world to Conan's. The Elric stories feel more mythical to me, more mysterious and fanciful.

kuehnepips

02-02-2011, 02:29 PM

Never Knew Another, J.M McDermott

- Dogsland -

I was there, had absinth in a bar where Duerer's Melancholia danced with Abercrombie's Ninefingers.

... I'm looking forward to spending more time in Dogsland.

Ditto.

D_Davis

02-02-2011, 05:58 PM

So you liked it?

kuehnepips

02-03-2011, 02:18 PM

Yes. :)

This weekend I'll spend with book 12 of the Wheel-of-Time-Series, not finished by Jordan.

D_Davis

02-03-2011, 03:13 PM

This weekend I'll spend with book 12 of the Wheel-of-Time-Series, not finished by Jordan.

Going from one end of the fantasy spectrum to the other!

megladon8

02-03-2011, 07:54 PM

I accidentally forgot to bring Jen's copy of "The Sun Also Rises" home with me, so I am thinking I will start reading "The Last Dragon" today.

D_Davis

02-03-2011, 11:33 PM

I accidentally forgot to bring Jen's copy of "The Sun Also Rises" home with me, so I am thinking I will start reading "The Last Dragon" today.

That was your subconscious telling you to read something better.

;)

megladon8

02-03-2011, 11:36 PM

Ernest Hemingway's high-flying wuxia classic "Bride With Dragon Fists".

Dead & Messed Up

02-05-2011, 09:28 PM

Dark Delicacies didn't have John Dies at the End, but they're gonna put a copy on hold for me when it ships to them, and, in the meantime, they had a collection of Clark Ashton Smith for $10. Looking forward to that, although I should finish The King in Yellow first.

megladon8

02-06-2011, 09:22 PM

Really enjoying "Last Dragon".

Beautiful prose.

kuehnepips

02-07-2011, 01:34 PM

Going from one end of the fantasy spectrum to the other!

And having a problem with it: After some 80 pages into it, I realized I'll have to re-read book eleven to remember who-is-who and what's going on. Yes, it's been years and I'm old.

Read some Ligotti instead: My Work is Not Yet Done and the first three stories of Teatro Grottesco.

D_Davis

02-07-2011, 02:11 PM

Read some Ligotti instead: My Work is Not Yet Done and the first three stories of Teatro Grottesco.

These are so good.

megladon8

02-09-2011, 01:11 AM

I find that I am enjoying "Last Dragon" much more as an exercise in style than I am a narrative.

Because frankly I'm finding it quite hard to follow each time line.

It jumps back and forth so frequently and with no actual declaration of what point in time each piece is following.

Just when I felt I was starting to understand approximately when the sections featuring Seth were taking place, now he's in another one of the time lines too.

Same thing happened with the character of Fest.

I'm almost feeling like - just 75 pages in - I'm going to have to go right back to the beginning and re-read everything, this time writing down notes on each time period so I can go back and remember just where (or rather, when) I am.

But I really can't say enough about McDermott's style. He has an incredible command of the language. His descriptions are succinct yet vivid, and I feel like I can see and feel and smell the world of the book yet he has not at any time described it at length.

D_Davis

02-09-2011, 01:19 AM

Yeah - don't try to understand it. Just go with it. Remember, the story is being told by a woman who is dying. It's more about the style and how the style is used to convey the fickle nature of her memory. It's not a "story" as much as it is an exercise in atmosphere and mood. To try to put everything in order to "get it" would really do the book a great disservice.

Like I said in my review, reading this book is like watching a movie while falling in and out of sleep - your mind picks up on certain things that might make sense, but for the most part the entire experience is like a fever dream during which you become enveloped in a different world.

Let it go!

megladon8

02-09-2011, 01:21 AM

Yeah - don't try to understand it. Just go with it. Remember, the story is being told by a woman who is dying. It's more about the style and how the style is used to convey the fickle nature of her memory. It's not a "story" as much as it is an exercise in atmosphere and mood. To try to put everything in order to "get it" would really do the book a great disservice.

Yes I definitely get that. Hell, the opening sentence of the book practically tells you "these are my memories, and they're scattered and unreliable at best".

I will take your advice, though, and just forget about trying to make any narrative sense out of it all.

D_Davis

02-09-2011, 01:25 AM

There's a lot of stuff that I don't understand about the narrative. I think it's a lot like Mind Game, or 2001, or Inland Empire in that future readings will reveal more things, but that doesn't necessarily mean it will become better; that first experience of being totally overwhelmed by a new voice is really something special.

Winston*

02-15-2011, 01:09 AM

Has anyone read Perdido Street Station by China Miéville? Should I read it?

D_Davis

02-15-2011, 01:41 AM

Has anyone read Perdido Street Station by China Miéville? Should I read it?

I started it a few years ago, but couldn't get into it. I know people who swear by it.

Winston*

02-16-2011, 01:08 AM

I started it a few years ago, but couldn't get into it. I know people who swear by it.
It sounds kind of awesome. I think I'll give it a go.

Our Aurora

02-18-2011, 02:54 AM

It sounds kind of awesome. I think I'll give it a go.

I've only read The Scar and my 17 year old self loved it... Always wanted to read others by him but other things happened.

megladon8

02-21-2011, 07:07 PM

I'm slowly but surely making my way through "Last Dragon".

I'm finding his style significantly more interesting than much of the story or characters.

Maybe that's kind of the point.

It really does seem like more of an exercise in style than anything else.

kuehnepips

02-22-2011, 02:14 PM

The Light Ages - Ian R. MacLeod

Not recommended.

Has anyone read Perdido Street Station by China Miéville? Should I read it?

I read Kraken recently and liked it a lot. Might read this too, if I find it in my library.

kuehnepips

03-02-2011, 09:54 AM

The Heroes - Joe Abercrombie

I fucking love this guy.

D_Davis

03-02-2011, 03:43 PM

Up next is either:

http://theundeadrat.com/images2/Norman%20Partridge/johnny_halloween_full_by_norma n_partridge.jpg

or

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_UEY_Bhs-Bp4/TEAE2hR8DII/AAAAAAAACw4/HrdG1-kMB4w/s640/Joe+Lansdale+Dread+Island.jpg

megladon8

03-02-2011, 08:22 PM

New Norman Patridge book?

Yes please.

D_Davis

03-02-2011, 09:43 PM

New Norman Patridge book?

Yes please.

It's a very short collection of Halloween themed stories, and an essay about growing up while the Zodiac killer was doin' his thing. One of the stories is related to Dark Harvest. I think there are copies still available. The one I got is of 1500 signed copies.

megladon8

03-02-2011, 09:44 PM

Yeah, it's available on Amazon.ca, but it's $30.

Too much for me at the moment.

D_Davis

03-03-2011, 03:05 PM

So I've chosen Johnny Halloween to read.

The first story, the title story, is OK. It's a small and simple tale with a neat character twist.

The second story, "Satan's Army," however, is awesome. No. Make that, incredibly awesome. So freakin' sinister! Oh man, does it ever end with a wicked punch. Loved it.

megladon8

03-03-2011, 06:45 PM

Those sound really cool, D. I'll have to check them out at some point.

I could see "Dark Harvest" being an annual read around Halloween time. I've read it two years in a row and I think I'll continue to do so.

D_Davis

03-03-2011, 09:24 PM

I could see "Dark Harvest" being an annual read around Halloween time. I've read it two years in a row and I think I'll continue to do so.

Me, too.

"The Man Who Killed Halloween," Partridge's essay on growing up in Vallejo during the summer of '69, is awesome. Partridge has a great affinity with with Halloween, and just it makes a hell of a lot of sense that he, of all authors, would have such a close connection to this culturally-defining moment in modern American history.

D_Davis

03-04-2011, 03:14 PM

Johnny Halloween, by Norman Partridge

Pretty good collection of Halloween-themed short stories and and essay. The best of which is the essay; Partridge does a great job of revealing what it was like for him growing up in Vallejo California during the summer of '69, while the Zodiac Killer was doing his thing.

It is a very short read - I finished it in a day, and only read it on the bus, at lunch, and after work. You could probable finish the whole thing in a few hours, and so I wonder if it was really worth the $30. ...more (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8878844-johnny-halloween#)Pretty good collection of Halloween-themed short stories and an essay. The best of which is the essay; Partridge does a great job of revealing what it was like for him growing up in Vallejo California during the summer of '69, while the Zodiac Killer was doing his thing.

It is a very short read - I finished it in a day, and only read it on the bus, at lunch, and after work. You could probable finish the whole thing in a few hours, and so I wonder if it was really worth the $30. But alas, that's the sacrifice one makes for supporting the small press.

Winston*

03-07-2011, 08:36 AM

Halfway through Perdido Street Station. So far I think this novel has made up at least 99% of my lifetime total of reading the words "chitin" and "chitinous".

D_Davis

03-09-2011, 04:41 PM

Halfway through Perdido Street Station. So far I think this novel has made up at least 99% of my lifetime total of reading the words "chitin" and "chitinous".

I always discover new words when I read weird-lit.

Sometimes I think weird authors discover a word, and then write a story around it.

D_Davis

03-15-2011, 02:32 AM

Finally got a copy...

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/517uq6THpkL.jpg

Winston*

03-15-2011, 07:45 AM

Finished Perdido Street Station the other day. It was not Tolkien-esque.

D_Davis

03-15-2011, 03:26 PM

Finished Perdido Street Station the other day. It was not Tolkien-esque.

Heh, not at all. Was that the first of the new-weird stuff you've read?

Winston*

03-15-2011, 07:44 PM

Heh, not at all. Was that the first of the new-weird stuff you've read?

Yup. What else would you recommend?

D_Davis

03-15-2011, 08:17 PM

Yup. What else would you recommend?

Michael Cisco - The Divinity Student, The Tyrant
Thomas Ligotti - Teatro Grottesco, My Work is Not Yet Done

For sure.

I should pick Perdido up again. I might be more into it now.

Winston*

03-15-2011, 08:25 PM

Sweet. Might a couple check them out. The Ligottis are available from my library but the Ciscos aren't.

Have you read Titus Groan / Gormenghast Davis? That's probably my favourite fantasy book

D_Davis

03-15-2011, 09:26 PM

Have you read Titus Groan / Gormenghast Davis? That's probably my favourite fantasy book

I read the first part of Gormenghast, but I couldn't get into it. However, I do plan on trying it again. I think it is definitely a mood-piece, and I just wasn't in the right mood at the time.

D_Davis

03-15-2011, 09:27 PM

Sweet. Might a couple check them out. The Ligottis are available from my library but the Ciscos aren't.

Yeah - some of Ligotti's stuff has recently been picked up by a larger publisher. However, Cisco's stuff is still released only through the very small press. He does have a new one coming out next month called The Great Lover.

Winston*

03-15-2011, 10:41 PM

I read the first part of Gormenghast, but I couldn't get into it. However, I do plan on trying it again. I think it is definitely a mood-piece, and I just wasn't in the right mood at the time.

You read the first part of the second book?

I think I'll read it again this year. Haven't read it since high school.

D_Davis

03-15-2011, 10:43 PM

You read the first part of the second book?

I think I'll read it again this year. Haven't read it since high school.

Nope. I have it all collected in one big volume just called Gormenghast; so I've read the first part of that. Not sure the name of the first separate volume.

megladon8

03-15-2011, 11:30 PM

Ligotti's stuff has been picked up by a larger publisher?

What a sell out.

I'm burning his books, and making sure to say that I never liked him from now on. Too commercial.

Winston*

03-15-2011, 11:34 PM

Nope. I have it all collected in one big volume just called Gormenghast; so I've read the first part of that. Not sure the name of the first separate volume.

Probably a good recommendation if you read it is to just finish after the first two volumes. The third is a weird other thing.

D_Davis

03-16-2011, 12:49 AM

Ligotti's stuff has been picked up by a larger publisher?

What a sell out.

I'm burning his books, and making sure to say that I never liked him from now on. Too commercial.

Well, Teatro Gottesco and My Work is Not Yet Done were picked up by Virgin Publishing.

:)

But you make a good point.

megladon8

03-16-2011, 02:30 AM

Well, Teatro Gottesco and My Work is Not Yet Done were picked up by Virgin Publishing.

:)

But you make a good point.

Yeah when I noticed the Virgin logo on "Teatro Grotesco" I immediately changed all of my ratings from it and "The Shadow at the Bottom of the World" to 1's and 2's.

I also slightly re-worded my reviews to sound ironic, rather than sincere in their praise.

D_Davis

03-16-2011, 02:33 AM

Ligotti's sooooo original. Oh, look at me, I'm sooooo weird. I'm Thomas Ligotti, and I hate humanity.

D_Davis

03-16-2011, 02:34 AM

Started Lansdale's Dread Island tonight. Thus far, Tom Sawyer and his friend Joe have gone out to explore Dread Island, and Becky Thatcher recruits Huck Fin and Jim to go after them.

D_Davis

03-16-2011, 03:21 PM

Dread Island is a hoot! Unlce Remus is mentioned, and Brer Fox finds the Necronomicon and uses it to summon Cut Through You to torment Brer Rabbit, all while Huck and Jim are searching for Tom Sawyer. A total riot.

Oh yeah, and Huck and Jim talk shit on Mark Twain about how he didn't pay them for their story. Hilarious.

It's short and sweet, and a ton of fun.

kuehnepips

03-17-2011, 03:19 PM

Daniel is drunk.

:pritch:

Keep up the good work! :lol:

The Lathe of Heaven was good until the aliens showed up. My first and last le Quin.

D_Davis

03-17-2011, 03:57 PM

The Lathe of Heaven was good until the aliens showed up. My first and last le Quin.

No way! Lathe of Heaven is an absolute masterpiece from start to finish.

Mr. Pink

03-18-2011, 04:52 AM

Started and finished Lansdale's Savage Season in about 2 1/2 hrs last night. Even if it tried, a Hap and Leonard novel couldn't disappoint. An easy read at 177 pages, with a plot that is more straight-forward than any of the others in the series. Recommended.

D_Davis

03-18-2011, 06:06 AM

D_Davis

03-22-2011, 03:25 PM

Zoo by Otsuichi

Damn, what a twisted book! The writing is nothing special, and some it is downright bad (not sure whether to blame the original Japanese author, or the translator), but the stories are awesome. One I've read so far really got to me. It's about this dude who is abused as a kid. He moves into a forest where he builds a house out of the bodies of people he murders. It's really messed up. Another story is about a guy who gets stabbed. However, he can't feel any pain. And so he's bleeding to death while his POS family stands around arguing about how long it'll take him to die, or who will get his inheritance, the last night's dessert, and other such nonsense.

I really want to see the anime anthology based on this; I bet it's pretty good.

D_Davis

03-24-2011, 03:42 AM

http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266539580l/6149338.jpg

Zoo it a collection of short stories by a young Japanese author. The Japanese author is called Otsuichi. This short review will be written in a style similar to the one used in the book. That is to say, this review will be somewhat mocking in tone. I'm not sure who to blame for this. Should I blame the original author? Or should I blame the translator? Everything is written in such a simple manner. That is to say, there are no complex sentences or thoughts. What's more, the dialog is truly terrible. Characters say things like, "It's not that I believe them completely. If I were to express my curiosity as a pie chart, I would probably give it about 120 degrees," and "I think whoever it is has no intention of letting us out of here."

However, it's not all bad. And this makes things frustrating. A few of the stories are quite good. That is to say, the author has some good ideas. The better stories are also haunting. One in particular, "In a Park at Twilight, a Long Time Ago," is very good. It's very short. It is only four pages long. It is about a girl who digs her arms into a sandbox and discovers something gross. Another is a story called "The White House in the Cold Forest." This one is my favorite. It is about a boy who is abused. The boy runs away into the forest. He then murders many people and makes a house our of their bodies.

Everything in the book is stated in a very matter-of-fact tone. I don't know if this is done on purpose. Is this a style often employed by Japanese authors? I don't think so. Ultimately, the book is not that good. But, it might be worth it to borrow a copy just for the few good stories it contains. In addition to the ones mentioned above, "Song of the Sunny Spot" is also good.

D_Davis

03-24-2011, 04:07 AM

Next up...

http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1235200356l/472724.jpg

D_Davis

03-24-2011, 03:18 PM

"Jody and Annie on TV"
Well, now I've read the story on which QT based Natural Born Killers. Jody and Annie go on violent crime spree simply because they love watching themselves on television after the fact. Shirley captures the essence of the Hollywood media-frenzy experience with great skill.

"I Want to Get Married, Says the World Smallest Man"
And so he does. To a crack whore. Then they both realize they've been duped. Remember, in Hollywood, no one ever tells you what they do, they tell you what they want to do. "I'm an actor," someone might say. But what they mean, unless you've heard of them, is that they're working some shit job, or they're flat broke living in some rundown hotel in the valley. Shirley knows southern California culture. It's like reading some crime short story from Bukowski filtered through Joe R. Lansdale. Violent and twisted, and incredibly funny.

D_Davis

03-24-2011, 09:41 PM

"Equilibrium"
here is a secret society called The Composers, tasked with restoring equilibrium to an imbalanced world fraught with chaos. Or maybe there isn't. Our narrator is unreliable, and completely bonkers. Shirley crafts a story on par with Ligotti here in its exploration of human depravity and weirdness. So good.

D_Davis

03-25-2011, 01:58 AM

New Noir - John Shirley

Story for story, word for word, this short volume just barely over 100 pages is one of the strongest collection of short stories I've ever read. Shirley is an author with an edge - that is a fact. The stories here are punk rock - apocalyptic-punk, crime-punk, drug-punk. Shirley knows the culture and writes with an authoritative voice. He's not a tourist, or merely an observer. One get's the feeling that he was in the trenches. I'd easily mention this right along side Ballard and Bukowski, or Burroughs and Ligotti. It's counter-culture through and through.

There's not a bad story in the bunch. There is a common theme of urban-horror pocked with ultra-violence and depravity. His characters are long past the ends of their ropes, miles deeper than desperation. Heroine fiends, crack-whores, midgets with star-complex, and amateur criminals addicted to modern media populate his dark creations.

It's a good thing this collection is short, because I don't think I could take much more. You can only be punched in the gut and kicked in the teeth so many times before you just can't take any more. Next up, something lighter, something more positive. However, I never got the sense that Shirley was being misanthropic here; I was not reminded of Ellison, in other words. Shirley is clearly writing about a particular subset of humanity, and not casting a wide net with which to trap us all in the gaze of his authoritative judgment.

D_Davis

03-25-2011, 03:25 PM

Oh yeah, and the last page of New Noir says:

THE MOTHERFUCKING END

D_Davis

03-26-2011, 04:20 AM

megladon8

03-26-2011, 08:02 PM

Went to a bar tonight, got a little drunk, and read about 100 pages of Vanilla Ride. Goddamn Hap and Leonard never fail to crack my shit up. Why haven't these been made into movies yet? They'd be freaking HUGE!

I cannot read drunk or high.

I mean...I can...but I might as well have my eyes closed because I am not going to remember ANYTHING.

D_Davis

03-26-2011, 09:12 PM

The pub was actually at a bookstore. Really cool. Upstairs is the bookstore with a cafe, and then downstairs is a really nice little pub. It's underground, so it's dark with striking lighting, and big tables. Good beer selection, and they serve Greek food.

kuehnepips

03-28-2011, 08:53 AM

Sounds good.

Yesterday I had German beer in an Italian ristorante and read Rankin's Knots and Crosses in English.

D_Davis

03-29-2011, 01:13 AM

Vanilla Ride, by Joe R. Lansdale

Lansdale killed it. He took aim, and hit the target straight up. Again I ask - WHY AREN'T THESE MOVIES YET? Someone give me a few million dollars and I WILL return the investment on a film series. The Hap and Leonard books are practically already written to be films, and they'd be the single best series of crime films ever made.

A full review should be coming. But let me just say a few things:

1. This book is so good that today at lunch I thought I was having an old memory of somewhere I had been. However, I wasn't remembering anything that actually happened to me, I was remembering something in Vanilla Ride. Lansdale is that good of a writer. Word for word, he's probably the best writer working in the genre today. Although I probably shouldn't make that claim. However, if someone thinks I'm wrong, please point me to a better writer so I can be enlightened.

2. Hap and Leonard are two of the best realized and funniest characters in all of the world of genre fiction. No doubt. These guys are hilarious, And ruthless. Wise crackin' killers with hearts of gold and dirty mouths.

3. Vanilla Ride has some of the best action set pieces I've ever read. I usually skim action in books because it's just not all that interesting. However, Lansdale writes it with the skill of a visual master. The four major set pieces in this book are exciting, tense, and full-on entertaining.

So yeah - if you like crime fiction and you aren't reading the Hap and Leonard books, or Lansdale in general, do yourself a favor and rectify that problem pronto.

Marley

03-29-2011, 06:34 PM

Vanilla Ride sounds awesome. Would it matter if I jumped straight into this one or should I read the others in the series first?

D_Davis

03-29-2011, 07:34 PM

Vanilla Ride sounds awesome. Would it matter if I jumped straight into this one or should I read the others in the series first?

There isn't an on-going narrative, but there are on-going character arcs. I've read reviews from a couple people who started with this one, and they seemed to like it, although I'm sure you would get more out of some of the humor and characterizations if you had read them in order.

Although I'm sure there is a series synopsis out there that would clue you in enough.

Basically, Hap Collins is a straight, liberal white dude. His best friend, and partner in trying to fight crime, is Leonard Pine, a gay, more right-leaning black dude. They live in Eastern Texas, and the motto of the entire series is "no good dead goes unpunished." They're always trying to help people solve problems, and they wind up getting involved in all kinds of crazy messes.

Marley

03-30-2011, 12:57 AM

The reason I ask is because my school library only carries "Vanilla Ride" but then I checked my public library and surprisingly, they actually happen to carry a whole bunch of other Lansdale works: Bad Chili, Savage Season, etc. From your enthusiastic praise of Lansdale, I am eager to dive into his extensive body of work, starting with Vanilla Ride. It just sounds so freakin' cool.

In addition, I'm a huge fan of your insightful and well-written reviews which have provided me a plethora of recommendations, so please keep em' coming! I haven't explored much genre literature and after stalking your posts in all of these literature threads (sorry if it is creepy), I've recently discovered a new passion for science fiction, horror and fantasy. So yeah, I'd just like to thank you again for inspiring me to seek out works that I never would have done so myself. I assure you, the time and effort that you put into your reviews are not in vain! :pritch:

I recently breezed through "I am Legend" which was a compelling and fresh take on the vampire mythology. I particularly liked Matheson's simple and direct style of writing. With only 200 pages he manages to paint a terrifying and thought-provoking post-apocalyptic world with a strong central character. I'm not sure if the novel is to be interpreted as allegory even though there are strong hints of it but the way it ironically subverts the traditional mythology of the vampire is brilliant. That ending was just...wow. My only complaint is that I wish the novel was longer or there was a sequel (especially concerning what happens at the end since there is opportunity to explore so much more in this new world).

Now to figure out what to read next until "Vanilla Ride" is available...

D_Davis

03-30-2011, 05:34 AM

Lansdale is amazing. I've been saying it for years - he's the hardboiled, Texas Mark Twain. He is a brilliant author - genre or not. And he writes everything from horror (The Drive-In) to mystery/crime (Cold in July, Freezer Burn), and from comedy (Bubba Ho-Tep, Godzilla's Twelve Step Program)to shit you just can't believe (Drive-In Date) and pure Americana (The Bottoms, A Fine Dark Line, The Boar), in and out of genre fiction. He starts where every other author stops in terms of the places he goes when he goes dark.

But he also has a heart, and he's written a couple of YA novels.

And he's just a cool dude. He invented his own style of martial arts which he teaches at his dojo, and he's in the martial arts hall of fame.

He is the modern day Hemingway or Twain (although I like his stories a lot more, and his writing is just as good) - a man's man who is also a brilliant author with an insightful mind, and one who is not afraid to just tell a rippin' story. Basically, if anyone loves to read fiction of any kind, and they're not reading Lansdale, they're missing out on a living national treasure.

D_Davis

03-30-2011, 06:12 AM

Are you on Goodreads, Marley?

kuehnepips

03-30-2011, 02:05 PM

Basically, if anyone loves to read fiction of any kind, and they're not reading Lansdale, they're missing out on a living national treasure.

I don't like the word "national" here.

Marley

03-30-2011, 02:31 PM

Are you on Goodreads, Marley?

Yes, I do have an account on that site but have not updated my reading profile or browsed its database for quite a while. Perhaps I shall do that now.

Mr. Pink

03-31-2011, 05:49 AM

Although I probably shouldn't make that claim. However, if someone thinks I'm wrong, please point me to a better writer so I can be enlightened.

I really like F. Paul Wilson's Repairman Jack series, but Hap and Leonard are still better. Still, while I'm waiting for new Hap and Leonard stuff, I usually read Repairman Jack in the meantime.

You liked Vanilla Ride considerably more than I did, it looks like. I remember saying it was mediocre to a buddy of mine who also loves Lansdale, but even mediocre Lansdale is better than most.

And when I say mediocre, I only mean it didn't make me want to stop doing other things until I finished the book, which is usually the case with others in the series.

Mr. Pink

03-31-2011, 05:51 AM

Marley

04-01-2011, 03:48 PM

I'd say just start at the beginning. It's not essential, but if you have the option, I'd start from Savage Season onward.

Done. In the mean time, I've been reading some Lovecraft stories in between study sessions. Good stuff.

Winston*

04-01-2011, 10:54 PM

Reading the abridged version of Journey to the West - Monkey. He is such a rascal!

D_Davis

04-01-2011, 11:50 PM

Reading the abridged version of Journey to the West - Monkey. He is such a rascal!

Yes he is. Monkey is awesome.

Winston*

04-02-2011, 12:06 AM

Yes he is. Monkey is awesome.

When he gets the Dragon King to give him that staff and then is like "Give me some awesome armour or I'll hit you with this staff you gave me" - too good.

D_Davis

04-04-2011, 07:12 PM

Heck yeah, it finally arrived.

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/208590_174424575941528_1000012 19601760_424979_1052999_n.jpg

megladon8

04-04-2011, 08:00 PM

Why do Lansdale's books so often have the best covers?

D_Davis

04-04-2011, 10:29 PM

He does get great covers. I'd love to have a framed poster of Hyenas, that'd be sweet.

D_Davis

04-06-2011, 03:18 PM

Hyenas, by Joe R. Lansdale

No good deed goes unpunished.

Joe R. Lansdale has used this little idiom as the basis for some of the best-written crime fiction around. And the real reason the Hap and Leonard series is so good? The characters. Lansdale doesn't construct complex plots full of double-triple-crosses, or mysteries so deep you'd need a nuclear powered submarine to chart their depths. No. This is literary crime fiction. It's all character based, and Hap, Leonard, Brett and Marvin are some of the best realized characters in all of genre-fiction.

Hyenas is a short little tale. A Hap and Leonard side-quest if you will. While it is lighter on the comedy, there are still some good laughs to be had, especially during the first half. The opening sequence is classic, and there are two great hand-to-hand fights between Hap and Smoke House, a giant brute of a thug. Hyenas is a wham-bam, short and sweet little yarn that hits hard and fast.

However, the real star of the show here is "The Boy Who Became Invisible," a short story about Hap's childhood. It does a great job of revealing part of the reason why Hap is such a hard-nosed bad ass, but one with a heart. It's a brutal little story that touches on themes of child abuse, bullies, and school violence. It's one of Lansdale's best short stories.

Hyenas is a perfect example of Lansdale's capacity to spin a rip-roaring yarn, and his ability to tell a story with heart and emotion. It's also an example of quality over quantity, because at $25 it is a bit pricey for a book not even 100 pages. But after it's all said and done, I'll never remember the money I spent; I'll only remember the stories that were told.

D_Davis

04-06-2011, 06:58 PM

New Lansdale coming in September

http://ec5.images-amazon.com/images/I/51YSjj%2Bs1VL._SL500_AA300_.jp g

Marley

04-07-2011, 02:44 AM

D_Davis

04-07-2011, 03:41 AM

I got about 50 pages into "Savage Season" by Lansdale but was distracted by other things and ended up putting it on the back burner. Pretty good so far but I really hope things pick up a bit more. Have you read this one, Davis?

Yeah - quite a few years ago. I didn't love it, but I had already been really into Lansdale's other stuff at time. I always thought of Hap and Leonard as the more mainstream, or Lansdale-light. Before I had read any of the H&L books I had read Bubba Ho-Tep, The Bottoms, A Fine Dark Line, Bumper Crop, High Cotton and Dead in the West.

My favorite H&L books are Mucho Mojo and Vanilla Ride.

Marley

04-07-2011, 05:04 AM

Yeah - quite a few years ago. I didn't love it, but I had already been really into Lansdale's other stuff at time. I always thought of Hap and Leonard as the more mainstream, or Lansdale-light. Before I had read any of the H&L books I had read Bubba Ho-Tep, The Bottoms, A Fine Dark Line, Bumper Crop, High Cotton and Dead in the West.

My favorite H&L books are Mucho Mojo and Vanilla Ride.

I was beginning to think that "Savage Season" might not have been the best place to start with Lansdale but it seems to be setting up the characters rather nicely for the subsequent novels in the series. Nevertheless, I'm still inclined to finish it. "The Bottoms" and "A Fine Dark Line" both sound pretty cool from their brief synopsis.

D_Davis

04-07-2011, 09:55 PM

Actually, I did not read Savage Season. I took a look at my list today. I've read:

Mucho Mojo (favorite)
Rumble Tumble
Two-Bear Mambo
Vanilla Ride
Bad Chili (least favorite)
Hyenas

I need to read:

Savage Season
Captains Outrageous
Devil Red
Veil's Visit (short story) (http://www.vachss.com/av_books/short_stories/veils_visit2.html)

Marley

04-08-2011, 08:52 PM

I am going to put 'Savages Seasons' on hold for the time being methinks because it's just not holding my attention right now. I do plan on finishing it in the near future.

I ventured out to a neat little used book store in my area today and picked up: Sanderson's Mistborn: The Final Empire and David Wong's "John Dies at the End" for $10 bucks which was a pretty sweet deal. Has anyone read any of these?

D_Davis

04-08-2011, 09:24 PM

I ventured out to a neat little used book store in my area today and picked up: Sanderson's Mistborn: The Final Empire and David Wong's "John Dies at the End" for $10 bucks which was a pretty sweet deal. Has anyone read any of these?

John Dies at the End is AWESOME. Best book I read last year. It's super funny, kind of gross, a little scary, and totally wild.

Not familiar with Mistborn.

D_Davis

04-08-2011, 09:29 PM

About to start my first Chinese noir novel:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51822CR4H0L._SL500_AA300_.jpg

Marley

04-08-2011, 10:27 PM

I'm getting a Wong Kar-Wai sorta vibe from that cover. :lol:

It was the snazzy cover-art for "John Dies at the End" that initially grabbed my attention. I'm now glad that I made the blind-buy considering your favorable review of book.

I've been on the look-out for some quality fantasy novels that aren't horribly cliche and Mistborn seems like it has potential. This genre has disappointed me lately.

D_Davis

04-08-2011, 10:33 PM

I'm getting a Wong Kar-Wai sorta vibe from that cover. :lol:

Yeah, ya think? ;)

It was the snazzy cover-art for "John Dies at the End" that initially grabbed my attention. I'm now glad that I made the blind-buy considering your favorable review of book.

I walked into a book store, saw that cover, grabbed it, and bought it.

I've been on the look-out for some quality fantasy novels that aren't horribly cliche and Mistborn seems like it has potential. This genre has disappointed me lately.Let me know how Mistborn is. I like fantasy, but it is so rare that I find one worth reading these days.

Another book I judged by the cover, that I loved (and the author has turned out to be a new favorite):

http://www.apexbookcompany.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/lastdragonWoTC.jpg

One of the most lyrical and poetic books I've ever read. I thin it elevates fantasy to a whole new artistic level.

And his newest one - Never Knew Another - is awesome. And he has another one coming out called Maze.

I also did a really long interview with him that should be appearing on my website soon.

Marley

04-08-2011, 11:02 PM

Man, it's like one great recommendation after another. If only I could stay home and read all day! That is some high-praise for "Last Dragon" and you got to interview the author so you certainly have me intrigued. The fantasy genre has become stale where length has overshadowed quality. There have been so many occasions where I pick up a series which seems like it will be worth reading but it ends up just being tedious and frustratingly cliche, chock full of world-building where all of the other story-elements are neglected. Boring...

D_Davis

04-09-2011, 01:53 AM

I can't stand world building unless it's done in narrative context.

D_Davis

04-11-2011, 04:29 AM

ABout 1/2 way through Playing For Thrills. Pretty good so far. I'm glad I have an extensive background in Asian cinema, because it's really given a good mental image of the setting in the book; without this, I could imagine a lot of things being very strange, especially since the whole thing is already so surreal. It reads like a Wong Kar Wai directed noir, with a splash of Hong Kong new wave.

megladon8

04-11-2011, 04:37 AM

D_Davis sees Asian guy on book cover.

Buys book.

D_Davis

04-11-2011, 04:40 AM

D_Davis sees Asian guy on book cover.

Buys book.

It's crazy. I think I've read ~8 novels written by Asian authors, and 3 of those have been this year, with ~5 more coming soon. It's cool to see that more Asian genre lit is getting translated into English.

Marley

04-11-2011, 06:00 PM

D_Davis

04-11-2011, 06:07 PM

Started John Dies at the End. I'm usually wearisome of books that are 400+ pages but so far it has my attention and is quite hilarious. The encounter with the "meat monster" during the prologue had me in stitches.

Yeah - I, too, usually question the need for 400+ pages. I almost always prefer short works. The length here is only a tad problematic. It reads more like a collection of connected novellas.

However, it's just a ton of fun.

Marley

04-11-2011, 07:16 PM

Yeah - I, too, usually question the need for 400+ pages. I almost always prefer short works. The length here is only a tad problematic. It reads more like a collection of connected novellas.

However, it's just a ton of fun.

Ditto. I'll take quality over quantity any time, thank you very much. I'm flying through these pages but I just hope it doesn't lose steam near the middle or something because that would be disappointing.

megladon8

04-11-2011, 07:31 PM

D_Davis

04-11-2011, 07:40 PM

But it's OK to prefer one of the other. All thing being equal, I tend to gravitate towards shorter works, but that doesn't mean I don't like longer books as well.

D_Davis

04-11-2011, 07:41 PM

Ditto. I'll take quality over quantity any time, thank you very much. I'm flying through these pages but I just hope it doesn't lose steam near the middle or something because that would be disappointing.

It doesn't lose steam, but it never becomes EPIC. I think you'll see what I mean.

Marley

04-11-2011, 07:45 PM

We've had this discussion plenty before, but I'll say again - I don't care how long a book is as long as it warrants its length.

"The Dark Tower" is a series of very long novels, but I don't think they'd work as a series of novellas (or, say, just one book).

Similarly, much of H.P. Lovecraft's work would have lost a lot of its effect if it had been stretched from short stories into novels.

I'm not discriminatory with regards to length. The length of a book does not indicate its quality.

I agree with this statement wholeheartedly. It's more of a personal preference for me to read something that is concise and shorter in length as opposed to a sprawling epic, which mainly stems from my own laziness and having a short-attention span.

I've read "The Gunslinger" years ago and remember feeling slightly underwhelmed even though it was only an introduction to what is apparently an epic series. Not sure I'd be up to the challenge of tackling the Dark Tower series since I'd hate to invest so much time and energy into them and then eventually lose interest.

megladon8

04-11-2011, 07:47 PM

But it's OK to prefer one of the other. All thing being equal, I tend to gravitate towards shorter works, but that doesn't mean I don't like longer books as well.

Oh yes I understand that completely.

I'm just saying, I'm not going write a book off simply for its length. If it's a 900 page tome but is told wonderfully from page 1 to page 900 with no "filler" of any kind, I'm not going to automatically deduct points simply due to the fact that it's 900 pages.

I'm not sure if that's what you were saying, but I kind of got that feeling a bit.

In all honesty I'd also rather read a few 200-300 page books, than one 1000 page book. But I have read my share of, say, 750+ page books that I loved and would rank among my favorites.

Marley

04-11-2011, 07:53 PM

It doesn't lose steam, but it never becomes EPIC. I think you'll see what I mean.

Good to know, thanks.

On a somewhat related note, have you read or heard anything positive about Jeffrey Thomas? I saw one of his books at the library which had this really funky cover and was tempted to pick up but I already have 10 books checked out and would not have been able to get around to reading it.

D_Davis

04-11-2011, 08:12 PM

Playing for Thrills, Wang Shuo

Wong Kar Wai meets Raymond Chandler? Maybe.

I was never able to fully embrace any of the characters or the plot. There are interesting things happening to interesting characters, but everything is so detached and aloof, and the narrator is so unreliable that I was never sure if I should trust anything he was conveying.

As a style, it works, and Wang Shuo utilizes the style to convey modern China in a surreal, dream-like fashion. But everything was always at a distance just beyond my grasp, and thus I was rarely completely engaged.

D_Davis

04-11-2011, 08:12 PM

On a somewhat related note, have you read or heard anything positive about Jeffrey Thomas? I saw one of his books at the library which had this really funky cover and was tempted to pick up but I already have 10 books checked out and would not have been able to get around to reading it.

I don't think I have.

D_Davis

04-11-2011, 08:13 PM

And now...

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/217050_176055715778414_1000012 19601760_436704_5002149_n.jpg

Marley

04-11-2011, 08:34 PM

I don't think I have.

Apparently he belongs to the new-weird type of horror writers like Cisco or Ligotti.

D_Davis

04-11-2011, 09:12 PM

The Great Lover is going to be a dense read...

It switches POV (from first to third) mid-sentence.

Marley

04-11-2011, 09:33 PM

That cover-art is da shiznit.

megladon8

04-11-2011, 10:21 PM

That cover-art is da shiznit.

Agreed.

D_Davis

04-12-2011, 02:20 AM

Man, that Jeffrey Thomas guy has a lot of books. You gonna take the plunge, Marley? Be the trail blazer on this guy?

Marley

04-12-2011, 05:37 AM

Man, that Jeffrey Thomas guy has a lot of books. You gonna take the plunge, Marley? Be the trail blazer on this guy?

Sure, why not! It's the least I can do to return the favor for all your recommendations. "Punktown" sounds promising so I'll get back to you in the next little while on whether or not he is an author worth reading.

D_Davis

04-12-2011, 03:19 PM

On page 37 of The Great Lover - the POV continues to be juggled like it's going out of style, and a small army of maggots have grouped together to spell the phrases THE GREAT LOVER and PLOT SYNOPSIS. The book has addressed me numerous times, a map interjected telling me that it would become important later on, and the main character - whoever that is - has sat by me while I was reading. Oh yeah, and at one point a doctor got on a train and the narrator stopped what he was telling me until the doctor got off, remarking to me that we could now continue the story because the doctor had left the scene.

Marley

04-12-2011, 03:26 PM

D_Davis

04-12-2011, 03:32 PM

Creepy but also very cool. I've never read anything with shifting narrative techniques and perspectives like that before.

So far it's the most experimental novel I've ever read, even out doing Ballard's The Atrocity Exhibition.

D_Davis

04-12-2011, 03:37 PM

It's also very absurd, and funny. The main character - who I guess is The Great Lover (although I'm not sure if TGL is just a projection of the guy who dies at the beginning) - dies in the first few pages after falling into a manhole. He comes back to life and starts collecting bodies in the sewers. He wears all kinds of crazy clothes. At one point he has on a long fur coat, dozens of pairs of glasses around his neck, and a monocle on each eye. Then he goes around the subway stations trying to chase girls. He's somehow able to enter dreams of women, through some kind of alchemy.

From the Amazon plot synopsis:

The latest phantasmagorical offering from Cisco (The Narrator) is a fusion of dark fantasy, literary fiction, and existential horror that revolves around the eponymous character of the sewerman, an undead tramp in search of capital-L Love who can enter into women's dreams. As he pines for a blind woman named Vera, he also helps a disgraced academic turned prophet to establish a "ptochocratic" cult that wants to create its own reality underground and battle a soul-sucking plague of white noise. The surreal narrative is something like a 400-page T.S. Eliot poem: otherworldly, lyrical, deeply philosophical, and supersaturated with extraordinary imagery and ideas (like the Prosthetic Libido, a golem-like device constructed to house a scientist's unwanted desire). Fans of stylish and thematically sophisticated weird fiction should seek out this mad testament to Cisco's visionary genius.

Marley

04-12-2011, 03:41 PM

Wow, I just found out my library actually has 1 copy available of 'San Veneficio Canon" by Cisco available which does not require me to read it only at the reference library. :pritch:

Marley

04-12-2011, 03:44 PM

Man, that book sounds undeniably whacked...but in a good way. He's like a new evolutionary breed of female stalker.

D_Davis

04-12-2011, 03:44 PM

Wow, I just found out my library actually has 1 copy available of 'San Veneficio Canon" by Cisco available which does not require me to read it only at the reference library. :pritch:

Nice. That's the version of The Divinity Student that is still in print. Man, your library system rules. Where do you live?

Marley

04-12-2011, 03:51 PM

Nice. That's the version of The Divinity Student that is still in print. Man, your library system rules. Where do you live?

It's the only work by Cisco that is available right now to take out but I remember before that it was only available by special request and you could only read it at the facility. They also have 'tyrant', "secret hours" and "mortal coils" but again, you can only read them there under surveillance. It's almost as if these books have been flagged by the authorities :lol:

I live in Vancouver, Canada.

D_Davis

04-12-2011, 03:56 PM

Reading Cisco probably puts you on some kind of watch-list.

:)

I'm going to be up in Vancouver sometime this summer, we should hang.

Marley

04-12-2011, 04:06 PM

Reading Cisco probably puts you on some kind of watch-list.

:)

I'm going to be up in Vancouver sometime this summer, we should hang.

Seriously, what kind of diabolic evil is contained in these books that they are not made widely available to the public? haha :eek:

Oh, cool! Vancouver is a beautiful place (well, depending where you are of course) but I'm actually moving back to Toronto in two months with my girlfriend who got a new job while I go back to school. When did you plan on visiting here?

D_Davis

04-13-2011, 05:43 AM

The third chapter of The Great Lover is told from the POV of The Sewerman and The Great Lover (who are two facets of the same being), a scientist, a blind woman (who declares that she is not a character in the book), and Michael Cisco (as the author, who tells us things that he can see in the scene that the characters cannot), all from an alternating first, second, and third-person narrative form.

It's one of the coolest things I've ever read.

D_Davis

04-13-2011, 03:08 PM

So...

Vera, a girl in The Great Lover, has once again declared that she is not a character. She asked me if I knew what she was, but said she would be surprised if I had figured it out already.

What I know:

-She's blind
-Her father is a failed scientist, and is now the leader of the subway cult
-She was expelled from school after an incident involving a boy which has caused her to periodically vomit up stones inscribed with strange ruins
-She is the object of The Great Lover's affection
-Her and her cult-leader father live in the subway system below the city
-She can see in her dreams

Marley

04-13-2011, 08:29 PM

Ok, I'm 3/4's through "John Dies at the End" and can't bring myself to finish it. It's like Supernatural meets Evil Dead, scattered with penis jokes and a plethora of pop-culture references. It's far too uneven in its humor (some parts are incessantly lame but maybe that was the intention?) and repetitive with sub-par writing. Some elements of the excess violence and humor works surprisingly well but more often than not I am struggling to gel with the it's lunacy. Maybe I'll come back to it, we'll see.

D_Davis

04-13-2011, 09:10 PM

Too bad you don't like it! Oh well....move on.

Marley

04-13-2011, 09:32 PM

Too bad you don't like it! Oh well....move on.

I mean, it started off great and I burned through 150 pages in one sitting alone but then all of a sudden...BAM! Frustration and ultimately indifference quickly set it.

Yeah, I'm reading some Graham Greene in the mean time but afterwards I'd like to check out some horror/new-weird novels to mix it up a bit. Unfortunately, I won't be able to get Cisco's "Sans veneficio canon" but what is really strange is that I contacted the library and they said that it was an error in their computer system that made this 1 copy show as available to place a hold. I'm telling you, it's a conspiracy to keep people away from reading his work!!!

megladon8

04-13-2011, 09:41 PM

I loved "John Dies at the End".

So great.

Marley

04-13-2011, 10:38 PM

Guess I'm in the minority. :lol:

How you liking "Last Dragon" Meg?

megladon8

04-13-2011, 10:39 PM

Guess I'm in the minority. :lol:

You reading anything right now, Meg?

Not really.

I got so busy with work, and then distracted with the death of my Godfather, that I pretty much stopped cold with "Last Dragon".

I hope to get reading something soon.

Marley

04-13-2011, 10:40 PM

Damn, sorry to hear that bro. My condolences to you and your family.

megladon8

04-13-2011, 10:41 PM

Damn, sorry to hear that bro. My condolences to you and your family.

Thanks :) It's OK though, happened several weeks ago now.

At this point I'm mostly just busy with the new job.

Marley

04-14-2011, 01:15 AM

At least you are keeping busy and making some nice cash. I really need to find a better job that doesn't pay pennies. Quarters would be nice.

Now to figure out what to read next...

kuehnepips

04-14-2011, 08:46 AM

I loved "John Dies at the End".

There is a 270-Euros-version @ amazon.de:

http://www.amazon.de/John-Dies-End-David-Wong/dp/0978970764/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books-intl-de&qid=1302770507&sr=8-4

D_Davis

04-14-2011, 03:36 PM

There is a 270-Euros-version @ amazon.de:

http://www.amazon.de/John-Dies-End-David-Wong/dp/0978970764/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books-intl-de&qid=1302770507&sr=8-4

That's a bargain! :)

megladon8

04-14-2011, 06:24 PM

"John Dies at the End" was one of the most entertaining reads I've ever experienced.

Wong grabbed hold of the interest receptors in my brain and didn't let go 'til the last page.

Wong's a funny guy. He's pretty much H.P. Lovecraft writing for Cracked.

D_Davis

04-14-2011, 10:47 PM

Holy shit...I have this....

http://www.amazon.com/Collected-Fiction-William-Hope-Hodgson/dp/1892389428/ref=pd_sim_b_6

D_Davis

04-15-2011, 03:27 PM

Only about 100 pages left of The Great Lover; it is astronomically amazing. Cisco has surpassed The Divinity Student. That so few people will ever read this is a great tragedy. It is overflowing with an abundance of creativity, dripping with the most beautiful, lyrical, and poetic prose I've ever encountered, and contains within its pages the pieces to a puzzle that, once solved, will probably be the most profound and life-changing work of fiction I've ever read.

And it will most likely take me a half-dozen or more re-reads to parse through the text and decipher everything that Cisco is conveying. It is exciting, harrowing, haunting, moving, romantic, sexual, perverse, hilarious, and totally absurd. As is stated in the introduction, it is, indeed, a perfect work of art; it is something completely modern that can and will stand up as an example of what humanity is capable of creating right along side any great work of art that has ever been created regardless of medium.

Marley

04-15-2011, 05:03 PM

"it is something completely modern that can and will stand up as an example of what humanity is capable of creating right along side any great work of art that has ever been created regardless of medium." Damn, that is some really high praise for this work. :eek:

I might just have to purchase it online.

D_Davis

04-15-2011, 05:23 PM

Damn, that is some really high praise for this work. :eek:

I might just have to purchase it online.

It's mind blowing, and moving.

So completely and totally unlike anything else I've ever read.

Marley

04-15-2011, 05:36 PM

I'd like to read "The Divinity Student" first before tackling this beast. $22.50 ain't that bad.

D_Davis

04-15-2011, 05:52 PM

Robert M. Price said of The Divinity Student, "the book is not about a thing, it is that thing."

I think that can be said of all of Cisco's work, especially The Great Lover. The book isn't about anything, but is a beautiful thing in and of itself. It's about itself.

Marley

04-15-2011, 07:15 PM

D_Davis

04-18-2011, 01:11 PM

The Great Lover is a masterpiece.

Marley

04-18-2011, 02:43 PM

The Great Lover is a masterpiece.

I had a feeling this would be your response to the novel. :)

D_Davis

04-18-2011, 02:58 PM

I had a feeling this would be your response to the novel. :)

It's like nothing I've ever read. It's basically Cisco's treatise on modernism. It's not post-modern, although he uses post-modern techniques, but instead it's more anti-modern. The book examines the fact that so many things in our lives are artificial, and as metaphors he creates the idea of a Prosthetic Libido and a Prosthetic Death, in which people can discard their unwanted desires and life, but then these simulacra continue to live while so many of the people in the world live their lives completely oblivious to the things going on around them.

Cisco also examines the relationship between the author and the reader, the reader and the book. The very physical aspect of holding a book whilst reading, and the feeling one gets when nearing the end of a story are called out; Cisco implores us - the readers - the cherrish that feeling, to relish in it, to allow ourselves to be absorbed into the book. The idea here is that the fantastic world of the book has been created to make the reader view his or her own reality in a more meaningful way. We are not supposed to escape into a world of fiction, but conversely the world of fiction should be used to more intensely focus our attention on our own lives.

I haven't checked yet, but I wouldn't be surprised to find that Cisco's books - at least the ones he's already written - will never be available as e-books. And without giving anything away (although saying even this may be too much), I wouldn't read The Great Lover without first reading The Divinity Student, The Traitor, The Tyrant, and The Narrator.

It is about itself. The book. The characters. The "plot." Everything is about The Great Lover - the book I was holding while reading. It's not telling a story, it is a story. It exists in my world, as do I.

D_Davis

04-18-2011, 03:00 PM

Man, what do you read after something like that?

Marley

04-18-2011, 07:45 PM

Man, what do you read after something like that?

I feel the same way after having just finished Bester's "The Stars My Destination." :lol:

"We are not supposed to escape into a world of fiction, but conversely the world of fiction should be used to more intensely focus our attention on our own lives." I couldn't agree more about this statement. I don't mind reading books purely for entertainment but I get more out of literature that provides insight into humanity and allows the opportunity for deep personal reflection and ultimately, catharsis.

D_Davis

04-18-2011, 07:48 PM

I feel the same way after having just finished Bester's "The Stars My Destination." :lol:

"We are not supposed to escape into a world of fiction, but conversely the world of fiction should be used to more intensely focus our attention on our own lives." I couldn't agree more about this statement. I don't mind reading books purely for entertainment but I get more out of literature that provides insight into humanity and allows the opportunity for deep personal reflection and ultimately, catharsis.

The last time I read that Bester book, last year, I immediately read it again. I actually own multiple copies of the book so that I can loan it out and still have one at home to read.