What Are You Currently Reading?

[MacBlayne]

The Man Who was Thursday
by
G. K. Chesterton

Found this in a charity shop a few days ago. I was previously made aware of it as it is frequently referenced in the video game, Deus Ex.

Gabriel Syme, a Scotland Yard detective, is given a top secret assignment. He is to adopt the persona of Thursday and infiltrate a terrorist organisation. Once he is installed, he is to collect evidence as to the identity of the terrorists' leader, known only as Sunday. Syme's mission has him travelling across Europe to try and stop Sunday's assassination plot. However, Syme learns all is not what it seems and soon he is questioning his mission, as well as the reality around him.

This is a really strange book. It starts like a spy novel and then it morphs into a comedic Boy's Own adventure. What really sets it apart is the philosophical questions that are raised (duty and loyalty to one's orders) and the dream like tone throughout. Characters cross the English channel in a matter of five minutes and it switches from bright daylight to pitch black darkness in the blink of an eye.

The novel ends abruptly just as it raises more major questions but this is intended. The novel is subtitled "A Nightmare" and is perhaps the religious musings of its author. Chesterton was a deeply devout individual and wrote TMWwT during a crisis of faith. Indeed, the book can be seen as Chesterton tying to work out why God works in mysterious ways.

The writing style may scare off some readers (Chesterton relies too much on adverbs) but others will find an intriguing read here. If you enjoyed Deus Ex, you should check it out.

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

After reading David Wong's Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits, a book which I thought was hilarious, utterly gripping, and difficult to stop reading, so highly recommended, I picked up something I had bought ages ago but have had a chance to read: War Room: The Legacy of Bill Belichick and the Art of Building the Perfect Team. This will probably only appealed to NFL fans and those who wonder at the success of the New England Patriots. Michael Holley has had unprecedented access to the main players in building the Patriots dynasty: Bill Belichick, Scott Pioli, and Thomas Dimitroff, and the system Belichick and Mike Lombardi first developed when Belichick was head coach of the Cleveland Browns, and then perfected as head coach and de facto general manager of the Patriots.

The updated edition goes from Belichick's time in Cleveland to of the 2011 season (in an epilogue and afterward), but is more concerned with how the three of them developed and perfected a system which allowed Belichick to win three super Bowls in four years between 2000-2004. If you are a casual fan of the NFL or, particularly, Patriots, Falcons, or Chiefs, you are likely to find this highly illuminating and key to what happened to 'your' team in this period.

I'm not sure what I'm going to read tomorrow, but it is likely to be Living Dead in Dallas, the second of the Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris.

[MacBlayne]

The Acid House
by
Irvine Welsh

A collection of short stories by the author of Trainspotting. Like that famous book, The Acid House follows the misadventures of a wasted generation who lose their lives to their addiction of choice. Alcohol; drugs; sex; violence – anything to escape reality.

The stories tones vary wildly. The Last Resort On The Adriatic is a tragic story of lost love. Where the Debris Meets the Sea is a surreal affair in which celebrities like Madonna and Kim Basinger idolise plumbers and tilers. A Blockage In The System is a near impenetrable dialogue between three Scottish plumbers trying to unclog a toilet. While The Two Philosophers is probably the origins of Fight Club in which two academics decide to engage in a pub fight. What connects them all is Welsh’s use of authentic dialogue and acerbic humour.

The best story of the bunch is The Acid House, in which a drug addled teenager trades souls with a new-born baby. It is a deranged piece of writing and is never short of hysterical imagery – such as a heavily Scottish-accented drunk baby debating self-control with his feminist “mother”.

Overall, this is a quality collection. Fans of Trainspotting should give it a look.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Loving these book reviews, Mac.

A great varied selection of authors and works.

[iank]

Wolves, Jackals and Foxes. Quite interesting factual book about assassinations in the last 50 years or so.

[MacBlayne]

Originally Posted by iank

Wolves, Jackals and Foxes. Quite interesting factual book about assassinations in the last 50 years or so.

I do play Hitman a lot. Think this book may help?

[iank]

It certainly reads like a "how to" guide sometimes.

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by MacBlayne

The Acid House
by
Irvine Welsh

I love The Acid House... must have read it at least half a dozen times.

[MacBlayne]

Burning Chrome
by
William Gibson

As the creator of Cyberpunk, William Gibson is one of the most important writers within the sci-fi genre. His marriage of hard-boiled noir and speculative fiction gave a genre drowning in Dune and Star Wars rip-offs the kick up the arse it desperately needed.

Burning Chrome collects ten of his early short stories and what’s fascinating about them is how Gibson has already developed the style that would define his Sprawl trilogy. The dirty futurescapes; corporate governments; the homages to Japanese comic-book culture – they are all present in these stories.

As with any collection, some stories are obviously better (New Rose Hotel; Johnny Mnemonic; Fragments of a Holographic Rose) than others (Dogfight) but all are worth reading. Despite their brevity, Gibson’s prose and use of dialogue is able to transport you into a fully realised world. It may scare you and it may haunt you but you’ll never want to leave. Soon, you’ll be one of The Belonging Kind.

Highly recommended!

[MacBlayne]

Starship Troopers
by
Robert A. Heinlein

Or basically Huh?, the novel. For that is what you will constantly reading throughout Johnny Rico’s chronicle throughout his military career. Not one conversation can pass without it turning into a political debate.

I say debate, but really, it is just a manual in ideology. This is probably where a lot of the accusations of fascism stem from. Because, whenever a point of potential conflict is brought up, it is usually just Rico asking his superior’s views on the matter, and never questioning it.

Which is a crying shame, because honestly, Starship Troopers does raise some interesting points. In this world, only those that have served in the military can vote because they have proven they have the experience and responsibility to make such a decision. It’s an intriguing concept (even if it’s one I vehemently disagree with) – how can one knowledgeably guide their country if one has never served their country in any way? Sadly, Heinlein does not raise any contrarian opinions on the matter.

Obviously, there are no “correct” paths in politics, but Heinlein could have strengthened his arguments by including different outlooks. It would have shown a deeper rationale as to why he came to his political outlook. It’s telling that the strongest segment of the book is Rico bearing witness to the execution of a child murderer. Heinlein doesn’t go into hysterical right-wing polemics on the subject. Instead, Heinlein allows Rico to measure up the pros and cons of capital punishment before making his begrudging approval. I don’t agree with Rico’s position, but at least I can understand it.

Sadly, though, Starship Troopers is a bit of a slog to read. Heinlein is a pretty decent writer but the one sided arguments and the constant prose of military exercises starts to grate around the half-way mark (once you’ve read one patrol march, you’ve read them all). Plus, the fascist world depicted was enough to make me want to kill myself.

Not only that, Rico is a bit of a blank character. At first, that is understandable as he is just a rich teenager that joined up because his friends were and as such, he has no bearing on the decision he is making. The idea here is that, over time, Rico will develop as fully fleshed out character. But, he doesn’t for Rico’s views are not his own but simply copied from supporting characters. Maybe if Rico was able to see these points played out in the battlefield, or if he were to question his superiors in class instead of saying “Huh?”, he may have been able to accept these views rather than just repeat them.

Starship Troopers has its place in literature history because of the controversial issues it raises. But, it is one I cannot recommend. It is humourless affair that is more interested in telling you the answers instead of asking you the questions. Stick with the much better film instead.