Finished two books today: polished off the last of Chris Moore's "Island Of The Sequined Love Nun" and I tore through the entirety of Moore's new book A Dirty Job tonight. I was planning on killing some time tonight playing God Of War, but the game is unpredictably buggy (some of the save points don't work, and it occasionally freezes when loading cut scenes). Its...
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kleio:
I've loved Al Bester's writing ever since I first read Fondly Farenheit (still my favorite short story). I was struck, the first time reading The Demolished Man, when I realized that while it was full of science-fiction cliches... they were all written before those things actually became cliche. I just loved that Bester was doing things that were so awesome, people started copying. I'm slowly trying to accumulate all of his works - at least as much as possible.
emperor_norton:
Fondly Fahrenheit? Hmm... I have yet to read any of his short stories. The only two books by Bester I've read are Demolished and The Stars My Destination.
What I always found so intriguing about Bester is that his protagonists are complete bastards. The main characters in each of the aforementioned books are terrible, terrible people, and yet he makes them compelling and makes you want to root for them. The whole idea in Demolished Man of a man willing to shatter a utopian society just because he's annoyed at not being able to do whatever the hell he wants (i.e. kill a man) is a great one. If anything, Bester fucks around with cliches. Stars is a revenge story, Monte Cristo-style, where the avenger is A) pretty crazy, and B) not exactly in the right. Ditto for Stars, where the utopian world, instead of being some gray Huxley/Orwellian nightmare, isn't a bad place to live. That's what appeals to me about Bester's writing: he takes staid and conventional and predictable stories and he puts an unconventional spin on things.
In regards to his short stories: is there a good collection you recommend?
What I always found so intriguing about Bester is that his protagonists are complete bastards. The main characters in each of the aforementioned books are terrible, terrible people, and yet he makes them compelling and makes you want to root for them. The whole idea in Demolished Man of a man willing to shatter a utopian society just because he's annoyed at not being able to do whatever the hell he wants (i.e. kill a man) is a great one. If anything, Bester fucks around with cliches. Stars is a revenge story, Monte Cristo-style, where the avenger is A) pretty crazy, and B) not exactly in the right. Ditto for Stars, where the utopian world, instead of being some gray Huxley/Orwellian nightmare, isn't a bad place to live. That's what appeals to me about Bester's writing: he takes staid and conventional and predictable stories and he puts an unconventional spin on things.
In regards to his short stories: is there a good collection you recommend?
VIEW 4 of 4 COMMENTS
pmonkeyesquire:
Also Chandler. Long Goodbye is amazing!
emperor_norton:
Noirkiss: I didn't know there was a classics group. Seeing as how you just removed the cataracts from my eyes (Thank you Jesus! I Can See!)*, I'll head over and add myself to the group. Trouble In Paradise, eh? I'll have to look into it. When it comes to movies, I kind of liking jumping around by region. For awhile, I was on a French kick. Then an Italian kick. Now I'm on an old Hollywood kick. I've got some Douglas Sirk movies to watch next, and I'm thinking of getting some Preston Sturges films (I heard that Sullivan's Travels was supposed to be pretty good). And yeah: I LOVE the French noir. The French can do many things that no one else can do better: bread, wine, chocolate, and noir cinema.
pmonkeyEsquire: *bows* I''m just a humble representer of good taste. I consider it nothing short of a crime when I meet people who HAVEN'T read any Ellroy and PKD. I cringe whenever I walk by my store's mystery book section, due mostly to our glaring absence of any Ellroy. He's still alive, isn't he? I hope so; I can't wait to read whatever he's got brewing in that juicy brain. And The Long Goodbye is quite amazing. The only other Chandler book that I like as much is probably Farewell My Lovely (just for the seedier-than-seedy atmosphere that covers the book from front to back; plus, its hard to hate a book when it has a character named Moose Malloy).
Thanks for the comments, all. Seeing actual people read my ramblings means that I'll have to update this a bit more often.
*Every time I think of those "I Can See!" miracles, I always wonder what would happen if the person who just miracliously got their sight restored was immediately exposed to something absolutely horrid.
Case in point:
MAN regains his eyesight.
MAN: I can see! I can see! Praise Da Lord, I CAN SEE!
Across from the man is a television playing Battlefield Earth. Next to the tv is ANOTHER tv playing The Passion Of The Christ.
MAN: Oh, goddamn it. (promptly gouges eyes out with a butter knife).
pmonkeyEsquire: *bows* I''m just a humble representer of good taste. I consider it nothing short of a crime when I meet people who HAVEN'T read any Ellroy and PKD. I cringe whenever I walk by my store's mystery book section, due mostly to our glaring absence of any Ellroy. He's still alive, isn't he? I hope so; I can't wait to read whatever he's got brewing in that juicy brain. And The Long Goodbye is quite amazing. The only other Chandler book that I like as much is probably Farewell My Lovely (just for the seedier-than-seedy atmosphere that covers the book from front to back; plus, its hard to hate a book when it has a character named Moose Malloy).
Thanks for the comments, all. Seeing actual people read my ramblings means that I'll have to update this a bit more often.
*Every time I think of those "I Can See!" miracles, I always wonder what would happen if the person who just miracliously got their sight restored was immediately exposed to something absolutely horrid.
Case in point:
MAN regains his eyesight.
MAN: I can see! I can see! Praise Da Lord, I CAN SEE!
Across from the man is a television playing Battlefield Earth. Next to the tv is ANOTHER tv playing The Passion Of The Christ.
MAN: Oh, goddamn it. (promptly gouges eyes out with a butter knife).
It's been a while, but as the old cliche goes, better late than etc etc.
I have a confession to make: I'm a Criterion whore. I've got it bad. As addictions go, books and DVDs are costly. Not just in financial terms, mind you, but in terms of physical cost. See, I moved into a new place back in May. Fantastic apartment complex near PV...
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I have a confession to make: I'm a Criterion whore. I've got it bad. As addictions go, books and DVDs are costly. Not just in financial terms, mind you, but in terms of physical cost. See, I moved into a new place back in May. Fantastic apartment complex near PV...
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People in this state cannot drive.
Before I begin, I must state that I am not exempt from this decree. Every person whose opinion I value in this world who has been a passenger in my vehicle has nothing but terrible things to say about my driving (an act I have not performed with any regularity over the last 2 years, since I crashed my...
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Before I begin, I must state that I am not exempt from this decree. Every person whose opinion I value in this world who has been a passenger in my vehicle has nothing but terrible things to say about my driving (an act I have not performed with any regularity over the last 2 years, since I crashed my...
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VIEW 3 of 3 COMMENTS
emperor_norton:
I was fortunate enough to be unconscious while my family was driving through Germany. I can't even imagine how nightmarish it must be to drive on the autobahns (even if Kraftwerk makes it sound so soothing...).
I know what you mean about high expectations. I read WAY too much about movies, so my expectations are almost always crushed. When I was a kid, I used to read the back cover of paperback novels and I'd get so jazzed reading the synopsis I would buy the novel and take it home and then get promptly disappointed that it wasn't as cool as the fantasy version my brain cobbled together from that one back paragraph.
I know what you mean about high expectations. I read WAY too much about movies, so my expectations are almost always crushed. When I was a kid, I used to read the back cover of paperback novels and I'd get so jazzed reading the synopsis I would buy the novel and take it home and then get promptly disappointed that it wasn't as cool as the fantasy version my brain cobbled together from that one back paragraph.
not_a_sicko:
Actually, I don't think the Autobahn is that bad. Just stay away from the left lane if you don't have an oversized BMW or Volvo.
Well, I'm back in Anthem and near the Net, so here is my long-awaited third entry, true believers (don't look at me like that. Stan Lee doesn't have that shit copyrighted).
Good things of note:
I finally got around to seeing two films I know I should have seen years ago: Repo Man and Taxi Driver. Both were awesome, although I must say that I...
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Good things of note:
I finally got around to seeing two films I know I should have seen years ago: Repo Man and Taxi Driver. Both were awesome, although I must say that I...
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To start off, I work at a book store. A used book store. Half Price Books, which is a very good place to shop and a good place to work. Working full time at a bookstore appeals to me greatly, with one exception: while most customers are damn near angelic in their conduct, you always have a random freak and/or methhead who pisses in the...
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not_a_sicko:
That's an excellent second journal entry - a bit of storytelling is appreciated here.
And hey, we all have good and bad days at work right? Although I don't remember having days that bad at most of the jobs I've had.
Anyway, welcome to the site.
Was your choise of name inspired by the Sandman story?
And hey, we all have good and bad days at work right? Although I don't remember having days that bad at most of the jobs I've had.
Anyway, welcome to the site.
Was your choise of name inspired by the Sandman story?
emperor_norton:
Yeah. After reading the Sandman story, I did a little research on Norton and thought he was a pretty fascinating character. Plus, it seemed like an obscure enough handle that I wouldn't have to worry about adding numbers and crap after it (i.e Norton27... I HATE that shit).
And thanks for the welcome. Nice to see that someone appreciates my own little brand of storytelling. And that was actually one of my tamer moments.
P.S. Sorry about not responding sooner. I have sporadic (i.e. once a week) access to the internet, so it takes me a while to respond to things.
And thanks for the welcome. Nice to see that someone appreciates my own little brand of storytelling. And that was actually one of my tamer moments.
P.S. Sorry about not responding sooner. I have sporadic (i.e. once a week) access to the internet, so it takes me a while to respond to things.