grendel: recommendations for book reviews

[willko]

hey gren,

if you've never read some of the following, treat yourself to a read-through and see watch you've possibly been missing:

1) ender's game by orson scott card
2) good omen's by neil gaiman and terry pratchett
3) microserfs by douglas coupland
4) a man in full by tom wolfe
5) cryptonomicon by neil stephenson

the first three are quick reads, and the last two clock in as hefty time investments (worthy of the effort, however). all are available in paperback via amazon.com. i'm guessing you've already hit the first two, but you never know.

let it be known that i enjoy your book review column. keep up the perusin' and postin'.

/willko.

[willko]

and sweet jesus if you want the literary equivalent of a seven course meal -- check out david foster wallace's "infinite jest". it's a tough egg to crack, but once you get into it and decode the intricate goings on contained in the weird narrative, it's as rewarding a book as you'll ever crack open. or you'll hate it so much, you'll wish you had tried to read ulysses and finnegan's wake in one sitting instead.

i love this book, but find it hard to encapsulate it for review beyond some vague attempts at plot summaries and explanations of the literary tricks and turns wallace uses. but it ain't everybody's cup o' tea. he's got an unusually postmodern mixed bag of tricks: shakespearean references, unreliable narrators, episodes shown out of chronological order, commercialism seeping into everyday life, incisive commentary about entertainment becoming a driving (and lethal) force in society, jokes about kooky separatist canadiens, tennis, dope fiends, alcoholics, criminals, auteurs, athletes, mathematics, the bond between fathers and sons, suicide, drugs, death, grave robbin'... and fuckin' tons of footnotes! it's wicked.

you've been warned,
/willko.

[Xymog]

Gren:

Hey, if you want to stretch your mind with a quite-possibly-unfilmable book, try Umberto Eco's "Foucault's Pendulum." Here's a synopsis I dredged up from the evil Amazon:

"Three Milan editors, who have spent much time rewriting crackpot manuscripts on the occult, decide to have a little fun. Their plan encompasses the secrets of the solar system, Satanic initiation rites, and Brazilian voodoo. A terrific joke--until people begin to disappear."

This is one of those books I read, loved, and want to read again in the near future. Lots of eerie stuff, conspiracy theories that aren't as theoretical as one might think (or are they?), mysticism, suspense narrative, "the dog that didn't bark in the night," and all kinds of other fun things. If you liked Eco's "The Name Of The Rose," you'll definitely like this.

Warning, though: It's not everyone's cup of tea. I think this book plays well with people who are well-read; if the reader isn't, he or she will miss a lot of the references and subtext that Eco weaves through the novel. As it was, I know I missed a bunch of history stuff due to a near-fatal encounter with a boring history prof and the Anecdotes of Death.

--Xymog

[syberknyt]

Ack, I'd recommend either "Snowcrash" or "Diamond Age" before Cryptonimicon. Diving straight into Stephenson's work with that is just... evil. Though you do learn the wonderful complexities of encryption http://www.chud.com/board/ubbhtml/smile.gif

[Nick Nunziata]

I gave him a mainstream page turner to do. Nothing deep, just a fun little book that'd make a good film. I think that's this week's meal. Remind Gren he's doing good work.

[grendel]

I have not read 'microserfs' by Coupland, or 'Infinite Jest' by Wallace (although now I plan to...bizarre and hinky. Sounds like one I was talking with Xymog about in the 'Readers Ideas' forum called 'Sewer, Gas, and Electric: The Public Works Trilogy, only weirder, which I didn't think possible).

Everything else above this post I have read.

Thank you, that is all.

[grendel]

And another thing: Umberto Eco makes me cry for my thesaurus...thesoaris...theseer--DAMMIT!, but yeah, he's a wordy bitch, ain't he?

The Island of the Day Before and Focault's Pendulum hurt my eyes.

'Flaubert's Parrot' is another weirdass book, but not by Eco. Just reminded of it because of 'Focault's' title.

[Xymog]

Thesaurus: Dinosaur with a big vocabulary.

Island of the Day Before . . . read it. I didn't "get it," whatever there was to get.

Name of the Rose got a little woo-woo at the end. I haven't seen the film yet but plan to (Sean Connery was in it, I think).

And I'm still working my way through Sewer, Gas & Electric. Call off the hounds!

[girlcreeture]

Hey Gren, I too enjoy your review column http://www.chud.com/board/ubbhtml/smile.gif

I was wondering, have you got House of Leaves? I remember a lil while back there were a couple threads on it.
I've bought it, picked it up, started reading it, and promptly put it down to re-start when I have more time to concentrate on it, I'm thinking along the lines of "Oh damn! I have the flu! Gonna be outta work for 2 weeks" kind of time. I was wondering if you'd considered reading it. I really wanted to finish it and perhaps write up a little piece on it for CHUD, but it's very....wacky. And I don't have the time to devote to it right now.

[willko]

gren, that sewers, gas and electric (whatever the title actually is) book was written by this guy who went to my school (cornell), named matt ruff. i read his first novel, fool on the hill, which isn't too bad.

the name of the rose is cool because it's a sherlock holmes story set in a 14th century monastery (with some deep twists in the end). i like it. i'm currently reading focalt's pendulum and the island of the day before.

what are you reading now, folks?

/willko.

[Blofeld]

I'm reading a portion of an unpublished novel in progress that's pretty damned good ... more than that I can't tell you, or I'd have to kill you.

I'm also reading: Salvatore's Vector Prime (book one of the New Jedi Order); Cussler's Treasure; Hamilton's The Reality Dysfunction (book one); and Wilson's The Tomb (first Repairman Jack novel).

[chenzzo]

I'm alternating between Andrew Vachss' "Burke" books and Steven Brust's "Vlad Taltos" books.

Throw in an occasional Ellison short story and there you have it.

I'm happy tonight because I finally replaced my copy of "Taltos" after my frickin dogs ate it when I was about 3/4 of the way through.


GRENDEL!!!! Review "Legend". I'm still dying to know what you thought of it

[grendel]

I am reading CHUD. Heh.

No, seriously...I am RE-reading 'Among Madmen' (UNBEATABLE!), just finished 'The Tomb' (which is a bit odd, as Blo is reading it also...hmmm...coincidence?), and am working my way through 'The Number of the Beast' by the inimitable Heinlein.

Also I am working on an as-yet unfinished novel that is pretty damn good...I'd tell you more but I'd have to kill you.

[grendel]

Oh, and I just convinced HotPants to read 'Fool on the Hill', Matt Ruff's first novel...I was wondering whether you would know of the guy, what with going to Cornell and all, willko.

I would imagine that he would be somewhat of a local legend, what with 'Fool on the Hill' taking place there and all...if you haven't read Sewer, Gas, and Electric then by all means do so, and do so now. It is love.

[Neil Bung]

I'm reading "Children of Dune" (and starting to get disappointed with it - I think I'm stopping here in the series), with Vachss' "Strega" and "Hard Candy," Palahniuk's "Invisible Monsters," and possibly some of the suggestions on this board on the immediate agenda.

[grendel]

Why are you not reading Blue Belle before Hard Candy? Hard Candy's entire story arc is based upon events in Blue Belle.

Please read Blue Belle first.

Thank you, that is all.

(P.S. Dune takes a shitter after the first one. Sad but true)

[Neil Bung]

Already read Blue Belle. I think you recommended I hit Strega prior to Hard Candy.

[grendel]

Huh. If I weren't a tool I would have recommended Strega BEFORE Blue Belle OR Hard Candy.

But I AM a tool, so there you have it. How did you like Belle (no spoilers...chenzzo ain't into it yet...he's still thumbing his way through Strega)?

[Neil Bung]

I thought Blue Belle was very strong in the characterizations, not as strong as I had hoped for on plot. Belle eventually did tend to get on my nerves, but I think her neediness was integral to her character. Basically, I dug Burke and his supporting cast enough to check out a few more books.

I know you've said a few times that Blue Belle leads right into Hard Candy. Not so spoil anything for chenzzo, but I don't see TOO many loose threads hanging.

[grendel]

I mean thematically. There AREN'T a whole lot of threads left hanging with Blue Belle, just some minor unresolved character stuff, but I think the reason I am always such an insistent bastard about reading them IMMEDIATELY, as a pair, is because as far as Burke's characterization goes it is as if there is no breaks between the books. In Flood, you get one Burke voice, in Strega he tries out another (which sucked), in Blue Belle and Hard Candy I felt that (even though I loved Flood and LIKED Strega) he had finally caught his stride with the character.

After Hard Candy we get another shift in character and mood with Blossom, and while I still feel Vachss had a handle on Burke, that hard killer edge was gone and didn't REALLY return until Footsteps of the Hawk.

Of the later books (post Blossom/Sacrifice), my favorites are (in order):

Footsteps of the Hawk
Down in the Zero
Safe House

I may be the only one here to have read that far, and if so, I understand that I am now talking to myself. However, if anyone out there can help me out with this, please do:

WHAT IN THE HELL WAS 'CHOICE OF EVIL' ABOUT?!??!

Don't get me wrong. I am not an idiot. I am also not a novice to Vachss, or psycho-horror-suspense novels, or novels with a confusing narrative.

Taking all that into account, though: WHAT IN THE HELL WAS THIS BOOK?! I mean, it had an intriguing story, odd plot, sense of tension...and then it ended.

WTF?

[chenzzo]

Man, I already told you I finished Strega, and like you I didn't like it as much as Flood. I just bought Blue Belle online, and hopefully I'llget it right about the time I finish Brust's Athyra.