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Zilty Book Club 2019 edition
 

offline Tony Danza from Sesame Street on 2019-01-29 15:51 [#02568042]
Points: 3455 Status: Regular



Just finished re-reading Neuromancer by William Gibson,
loved it, had forgotten about most of it, in particular I'd
forgotten how complicated the plot is, like a film noir, you
have to pay attention to every detail and every name.

I'd also forgotten all the delightful anachronistic
technical details, like rows of pay phones, brainhackers
buying software packaged on cardboard-backed blister packs,
and the retro game grid visual concept of cyberspace. A
flawed book in some ways but a terrific read. So many great
Burroughsian names and neologisms like flatlining, the
Panther Moderns, Steppin' Razor, Wintermute, the Villa
Straylight, the Sprawl...

howboutchu what u reading


 

offline Indeksical from Phobiazero Damage Control (United Kingdom) on 2019-01-29 16:24 [#02568045]
Points: 10671 Status: Regular | Show recordbag



I've got neuromancer in my pile. Never read it but I'll move
it up to the top. Have owned it for years but always back
out.

I'm on and off reading the beastie boys autobiography. It's
just loads of short anecdotes, recipes, things like that so
I just pick it up and read a few pages now and then. It's
good.

Also reading Step by Step: adventures in sequencing with
max/MSP which is half text book half discussion on
sequencers. It's a bit dry and rather short.

I am also reading the satanic Bible on and off. Pretty good.


 

offline dariusgriffin from cool on 2019-01-29 17:16 [#02568049]
Points: 12163 Status: Regular



i read neuromancer for the first time last year or so and i
thought it was pretty good!! really gross porn scenes for no
reason tho, with gibson using words like "labia". it's
weird

copied from another thread::
has anyone read jeff vandermeer? i read the
annihilation/authority/acceptance trilogy this year and i
loved it, it's very good at evoking wrongness


 

offline Tony Danza from Sesame Street on 2019-01-29 17:33 [#02568050]
Points: 3455 Status: Regular | Followup to Indeksical: #02568045



That max book sounds good. The Satanic Bible is more like a
Satanic Pamphlet IMO, there's not much to it.


 

offline RussellDust on 2019-01-29 17:35 [#02568051]
Points: 15924 Status: Regular



Room to dream by David Lynch was a great read for fanboy
here.

On the subject of sci-fi novels, anyone read ‘The Left
Hand of Darkness’ by Ursula Le Guin, or ‘The Shadow of
the Torturer’ by Gene Wolfe? They’re on my list as
they’ve been recommended a few times.


 

offline Tony Danza from Sesame Street on 2019-01-29 17:39 [#02568052]
Points: 3455 Status: Regular | Followup to dariusgriffin: #02568049



LOL yeah the sex scene was horrible, it's like Gibson's a
prude but he felt like he needed to shoehorn that in to
justify the relationship between Case and Molly. He also
says "scrotum", it's so clinical and not in a good kinky
way. :-(

I loved Annihilation then got hung up reading Authority. I
ought to push through it when I have a moment. The
Annihilation movie was OK but so disappointing compared to
the book.


 

online belb from mmmmmmhhhhzzzz!!! on 2019-01-29 17:46 [#02568054]
Points: 6256 Status: Lurker



i was only half-ish paying attention to neuromancer's
intricacies when i read it a few years back, i think i need
to concentrate more to get the most out of it... back onto
the Big List it goes, jeff vandermeer too (never read him)

i'm currently reading the extra man by jonathan ames, it's
great, funny semi-autobiographical confessional stuff,
agredably nervy and pervy. also reading belching out the
devil by lefty comedian mark thomas and under the dome by
stephen king (long, too long but i'm invested now)


 

online belb from mmmmmmhhhhzzzz!!! on 2019-01-29 17:48 [#02568055]
Points: 6256 Status: Lurker



the left hand of darkness is fantastic


 

online belb from mmmmmmhhhhzzzz!!! on 2019-01-29 17:53 [#02568056]
Points: 6256 Status: Lurker



*agreeably and readably sort of mashed into one word there


 

offline RussellDust on 2019-01-29 18:31 [#02568057]
Points: 15924 Status: Regular



Shame that Cunningham movie never happened.


 

offline mermaidman on 2019-01-29 18:39 [#02568059]
Points: 8028 Status: Regular | Followup to RussellDust: #02568057



was that a neuromancer movie


 

offline RussellDust on 2019-01-29 18:42 [#02568061]
Points: 15924 Status: Regular | Followup to belb: #02568055



great!


 

offline mermaidman on 2019-01-29 18:53 [#02568065]
Points: 8028 Status: Regular | Followup to RussellDust: #02568061



is it the neuromancer movie


 

offline Tony Danza from Sesame Street on 2019-01-29 22:47 [#02568080]
Points: 3455 Status: Regular



it's the neuromancer movie

Belb - that Jonathan Ames novel sounds interesting. I'm
still wondering exactly what happened to Case's old
girlfriend in Neuromancer. Everyone is lying to Case about
that, imo

Shadow of the Torturer intimidates me. I've heard nothing
but good things but it's the first book in a looong series.


 

offline RussellDust on 2019-01-29 22:53 [#02568081]
Points: 15924 Status: Regular | Followup to Tony Danza: #02568080



Peeps do you know any of the two I mentioned. I’d have
thought it’d be right up your alley.


 

offline RussellDust on 2019-01-29 22:54 [#02568082]
Points: 15924 Status: Regular



Sorry, for some reason I read your last paragraph late night
weird.


 

offline RussellDust on 2019-01-29 22:55 [#02568083]
Points: 15924 Status: Regular



Ah shit, long series? When I saw Neil Gaiman praise it to
bits I didn’t think it was the first book of a series.


 

offline Tony Danza from Sesame Street on 2019-01-29 22:56 [#02568084]
Points: 3455 Status: Regular | Followup to RussellDust: #02568082



lol

So Le Guin, probably anything she wrote is good and Left
Hand of Darkness is highly regarded. I've only read The
Lathe of Heaven and The Dispossessed though.


 

offline Tony Danza from Sesame Street on 2019-01-29 23:00 [#02568085]
Points: 3455 Status: Regular | Followup to RussellDust: #02568083



Well there's three or four books in the first installment,
then two other multi-volume installments, it's all set in
the same world. Maybe give it a shot, then bail on the rest
of the series if it doesn't set you on fire. I have a 75%
bail rate on books and movies, life's too short and I'd
rather move on to the 25%


 

offline RussellDust on 2019-01-29 23:01 [#02568086]
Points: 15924 Status: Regular



Hopefully we can read it together then, possibly spooning.
I’ll go to my local bookshop and order it. (I like that
old school feel, so when I can I go down that route)


 

offline RussellDust on 2019-01-29 23:05 [#02568087]
Points: 15924 Status: Regular | Followup to RussellDust: #02568086



Hand of Darkness that is. With the current (r)evolution
regarding gender I’m curious to read this, mostly because
of when it was written.


 

offline Tony Danza from Sesame Street on 2019-01-29 23:41 [#02568088]
Points: 3455 Status: Regular



Right now I'm reading Germinal - finally got the Collier
translation and it's much clearer visually, the other
translations I tried were like reading through a blindfold.
My shitty French isn't good enough to tackle the original.
Maybe I'll try it in French after reading the translation.

Also reading Fascism and the Masses by Ishay Landa


 

offline RussellDust on 2019-01-30 00:17 [#02568089]
Points: 15924 Status: Regular



Obviously I had to read it for school. He he, you just
triggered fond memories.


 

offline marlowe from Antarctica on 2019-01-30 00:17 [#02568090]
Points: 24571 Status: Regular



I am currently reading the newly translated edition of
Legends of the Condor Heroes, Vol. 2: A Bond Undone,
by Jin Yong aka Louis Cha. It's a classic wuxia
series.


 

offline RussellDust on 2019-01-30 00:21 [#02568091]
Points: 15924 Status: Regular



Will look that up, but had to mention that it made me think
of the movie Condorman. Nostalgia trip!


 

offline Hyperflake from Wirral (United Kingdom) on 2019-01-30 00:56 [#02568092]
Points: 30731 Status: Regular



yeah I read Neuromancer, I geuss cos of all the tropes that
have come years later, it didn't seem as remarkable as it
would have if I had read it first,

I read the difference engine by William Gibson, and bruce
sterling? I like that more


 

offline marlowe from Antarctica on 2019-01-30 19:56 [#02568121]
Points: 24571 Status: Regular



I recently read two very good books, My Abandonment,
the basis for the film "Leave No Trace", and Rogue
Male
.


 

online big from lsg on 2019-01-31 02:06 [#02568124]
Points: 23213 Status: Regular | Show recordbag



i read Crake and Oryx, by Margaret Atwood, i thought it was
really, really great

so I'm now reading Handmaiden's Tale. i guess it's pretty
much as great, but i'm already a bit tired by her style,
which is, i guess you could say, some pretty literal
dystopy: it hammers the point down by drawing up such a
literal dystopy

i'm still reading Chomsky's Who Rules the World. i'm so
stuck and lazy, though. some other learning books too, stuck


 

offline wavephace from off the chain on 2019-01-31 02:31 [#02568125]
Points: 3098 Status: Lurker | Followup to big: #02568124



I couldn't stand the male protagonist in Oryx and Crake. The
portrayal of women in that book was fucking disgusting and
sooooo disappointing for Margaret Atwood. It doesn't even
pass the Bechdel test for fucks sake. Honestly people should
just skip Oryx and Crake and move straight to the (far
superior) sequel The Year of the Flood, which is chock full
of strong, believable female characters.


 

offline Tony Danza from Sesame Street on 2019-01-31 14:30 [#02568131]
Points: 3455 Status: Regular | Followup to Hyperflake: #02568092



Yeah the ideas he had have been used a lot since then. But
it's interesting seeing how they were first used, it's a
funky retro vibe. Check the first hardcover art, 1986 This is not how I
ever pictured it! [zizek voice] my god!

RussellDust: Obviously? Is it the euro equivalent of Catcher
in the Rye?

Marlowe: Rogue Male sounds intriguing!

Big: I couldn't get into Oryx and Crake. Atwood is really
dry to me except for her first novel Surfacing which is the
scariest thing I've ever read.


 

offline Tony Danza from Sesame Street on 2019-01-31 14:31 [#02568132]
Points: 3455 Status: Regular



hm I made that sound like a title - "Marlowe: Rogue Male"


 

offline Monoid from one source all things depend on 2019-01-31 17:17 [#02568133]
Points: 10979 Status: Regular



I only read non fiction. Fiction seems like a waste of time
to me


 

offline Hyperflake from Wirral (United Kingdom) on 2019-01-31 17:20 [#02568134]
Points: 30731 Status: Regular | Followup to Monoid: #02568133



thats a very stereotypically German thing to say!


 

offline RussellDust on 2019-01-31 17:37 [#02568135]
Points: 15924 Status: Regular | Followup to Monoid: #02568133



How sad.


 

offline RussellDust on 2019-01-31 17:38 [#02568136]
Points: 15924 Status: Regular



And hyperflake, your stereotyping! Thank goodness for some
German authors and filmmakers!


 

offline Hyperflake from Wirral (United Kingdom) on 2019-01-31 17:42 [#02568137]
Points: 30731 Status: Regular | Followup to RussellDust: #02568136



yes its tongue in cheek, I was just thinking of that Harry
Enfield character, Jürgen the German

LAZY_TITLE


 

offline marlowe from Antarctica on 2019-01-31 19:23 [#02568138]
Points: 24571 Status: Regular | Followup to Tony Danza: #02568131



It's an excellent (and short) book, Peter O'Toole starred in
one of the film versions, and I think it's be re-filmed
again - definitely worth reading.


 

online big from lsg on 2019-01-31 21:02 [#02568139]
Points: 23213 Status: Regular | Followup to wavephace: #02568125 | Show recordbag



the male protagonists are terrible. the female is a terrible
Mary Sue. i'm sure there's points to it, though. the guy
that gave it to me I'd given M Banks' Player of Games. the
TV (internet) stuff reminded me of it

the book's seems pretty insulting to people with
aspergers/neurodivergents, to me


 

online big from lsg on 2019-01-31 21:03 [#02568140]
Points: 23213 Status: Regular | Show recordbag



I'll read those others. I wanna read Arthur C Clark too


 

online belb from mmmmmmhhhhzzzz!!! on 2019-01-31 22:18 [#02568148]
Points: 6256 Status: Lurker | Followup to big: #02568140



you could try childhood's end if you want a great arthur c
clarke to begin with biggie, it's one of my favourites


 

offline Hyperflake from Wirral (United Kingdom) on 2019-01-31 22:22 [#02568149]
Points: 30731 Status: Regular | Followup to belb: #02568148



yes that's a brilliant brilliant book, love rendezvous with
rama as well


 

online belb from mmmmmmhhhhzzzz!!! on 2019-01-31 22:35 [#02568151]
Points: 6256 Status: Lurker | Followup to Hyperflake: #02568149



oh cool i just got that on kindle. so much good stuff to
read atm!


 

offline RussellDust on 2019-01-31 22:38 [#02568152]
Points: 15924 Status: Regular | Followup to Hyperflake: #02568137



Aw man, I do miss the Fast Show. Was really brilliant and
somewhat new. I wouldn’t mind looking at them again, great
cosy and nostalgic viewing. Some of it was rather touching,
like the “love story” between Ted and Ralph. I wonder if
that blockage in the lower field ever got sorted!


 

offline marlowe from Antarctica on 2019-01-31 23:18 [#02568154]
Points: 24571 Status: Regular | Followup to Hyperflake: #02568149



Rendezvous with Rama is probably my favourite Arthur
C. Clarke book.


 

offline wavephace from off the chain on 2019-02-01 01:10 [#02568156]
Points: 3098 Status: Lurker



SF is fine but honestly the most exciting literature for the
past decade plus has been YA fiction. Nothing else seems to
have the courage to tackle the really important issues head
on.


 

offline Hyperflake from Wirral (United Kingdom) on 2019-02-01 16:19 [#02568211]
Points: 30731 Status: Regular



@belb, yes I wish life wasn't finite I could spend a few
thousand years just reading

@Russell my fave was the guy who said, I was very very drunk
at the time "poisonous monkey"

@marlowe, yes when that oumuamua flew through our solar
system I wanted to read the book again,


 

online big from lsg on 2019-02-01 16:24 [#02568212]
Points: 23213 Status: Regular | Followup to belb: #02568148 | Show recordbag



did read that one


 

offline Monoid from one source all things depend on 2019-02-01 18:33 [#02568231]
Points: 10979 Status: Regular



Well, to be honest i also have some Sci-Fi books lying
around here. Cheap paperback sci-fi readers from the 70-80s,
Isaac Asimovs 'foundation' trilogy, Dish, Spinrad, etc.
etc.

Still i prefer non-fiction.
Right now tho, i am reading a book about
countertransference love. I hope to exploit this
psychological mechanism to have sex with lots of women -
like that pervert Freud and other naughty psychoanalysts
(haha, anal)


 

offline Indeksical from Phobiazero Damage Control (United Kingdom) on 2019-02-02 18:19 [#02568285]
Points: 10671 Status: Regular | Show recordbag



I am reading Reservoir 13 by Jon McGregor. So far it is a
simple story but it is written really, really well. Am
thoroughly enjoying it.


 


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