Book reviews: THE THREE-BODY PROBLEM by Cixin Liu

THE THREE-BODY PROBLEM (2008) by Cixin Liu

What surprised me when I began reading this novel was its frank description of the horrors of China's political turmoil in the 1960s and 70s. (I had assumed such books would run into state censorship.)

It was tempting to interpret THE THREE-BODY PROBLEM as criticism of the Communist regime in the guise of SF... but as I read on, it became evident that the author has much bigger fish to fry. The novel carries a very serious message about the search for extraterrestrial life.

The plot has three interwoven threads: the tragic life of the scientist Ye Wenjie, the hunt to uncover a massive conspiracy against science itself, and the history of an extraterrestrial civilization pitted against Earth.

There is a lot I really like about this book. It is mostly well written, there is not an ounce of unnecessary text, it knows what it wants to say and makes a clear, reasoned argument. This is "highbrow" SF of the finest order.

It's refreshing to read SF that comes from a Chinese perspective! Cixin Liu breathes new life into a very old theme - "first contact."

It also contains original ideas and some amazing, memorable scenes.

The only weak part was the depiction of the extraterrestrials themselves - they struck me as behaving too much like Earthlings to be credibly "alien."

Does THE THREE-BODY PROBLEM's message hold up to scrutiny? If it does, it could influence the course of humanity's future. You should read the novel and make up your own mind.

Strongly recommended reading.


#cixinliu #liucixin #thetreebodyproblem #threebodyproblem #bookstagram #bookreview #bookreviews #bookcover #bookcovers #bookstagrammers #bookbloggers #reviews #books #literature #sciencefiction #scifi #hardsf #chinesesciencefiction #chinesescifi #aliens #aliens👽#alienlife #extraterrestrial #extraterrestrials #seti #china #bestsellers #hugoawards

Book review: THE HORRIFIC SUFFERINGS OF THE MIND-READING MONSTER HERCULES BAREFOOT... by Carl-Johan Vallgren

THE HORRIFIC SUFFERINGS OF THE MIND-READING MONSTER HERCULES BAREFOOT; HIS WONDERFUL LOVE AND HIS TERRIBLE HATRED (2002)
by Carl-Johan Vallgren

(Original Swedish title: DEN VIDUNDERLIGA KÄRLEKENS HISTORIA.)

The English title is too long and blunt, but it does summarize the plot of this remarkable novel. (The original title, in direct translation, reads "The Tale of the Marvellous Love.")

This novel depicts the life of the fictional character Hercules Barefoot, his trials and sorrows as a severely handicapped dwarf with hidden powers... and his love for a beautiful woman.

It is written in a baroque style, contrasting the beautiful and the grotesque, and yet I found it easy to read (I read the Swedish edition).

The story really tugs at the reader's heartstrings. It's impossible not to sympathize with the plight of the protagonist.

If you like David Lynch's movie THE ELEPHANT MAN, or other stories about suffering and disability - or you just enjoy a good story well told - then you should read this book.

Heartily recommended. (NOTE: Not for the faint of heart!)


#carljohanvallgren #herculesbarefoot #bookstagram #bokstagram #bookstagrammer #bookreview #bookreviews #bookcover #bookcovers #bookstagrammers #bookbloggers #reviews #books #literature #novels #novel #sciencefiction #fantasy #fantastik #disability #disabled #deafness #handicap
#mutants #romance #beautyandthebeast

Book review: DESCENT FROM XANADU by Harold Robbins

DESCENT FROM XANADU (1984) by Harold Robbins

Let's make it clear from the start: This book is a disaster. It has no redeeming qualities. I expected a trashy thriller - but I just got bored and disappointed.

It may be "educational" for aspiring writers, as an example of how not to tell a story...

The author Harold Robbins was once one of the top bestsellers in the world, with novels like THE CARPETBAGGERS - lurid tales about money, power and sex - daydreams of wordly success and excess.

Robbins tried to live as excessively as his fictional characters - and he used a lot of drugs. Incidentally, the rich protagonist in DESCENT FROM XANADU has two obsessions: finding immortality and cocaine...

Sounds like a thriller, right? Only it isn't.

Turns out the tycoon protagonist's drug habit is actually more important than becoming immortal. The plot literally stops in its tracks many times because he has to score cocaine.

The only friend (sort of) he has is his dealer. Seriously.

After a seemingly endless number of cocaine stops, the novel dimly recalls that the plot was supposed to be about a guy who tries to become immortal. It makes a mad rush for the ending, stumbles and falls flat on its face on the final page.

See, kids, this is what can happen when a writer's personal hangups are allowed to completely take over the narrative, without being questioned or challenged - creative failure.

Readers: Avoid DESCENT FROM XANADU.
Writers: Read and learn. (And stay away from cocaine! )

(If you do want a good trashy 80s read, try Jackie Collins instead.)

#haroldrobbins #descentfromxanadu #bookstagram #bookreview #bookreviews #bookcover #bookcovers #bookstagrammers #bookbloggers #reviews #books #literature #novels #thriller #1980s #jackiecollins #writing #writerslife #writinglife #authorlife #book #thecarpetbaggers #trash #badbooks #cocaine #bestsellers #bokrecension #bokrecensioner #drugs #addiction

Book review: GOOGOLPLEX by KG Johansson

GOOGOLPLEX (2010) by KG Johansson

This science fiction novel originally appeared in Swedish, but is now also available in an English translation.

GOOGOLPLEX is a tale about obsession, set in the far future. Through the use of advanced science, the protagonist tries to relive his own past... and to recreate a long-lost love.

As he struggles ever more desperately to fufill his deepest desire, he approaches the big question: What does it really mean to get what you want?

Written in plain-spoken prose, KG Johansson's novel is a meditation on human nature. I liked it!

Recommended for science fiction lovers, and for anyone who dwells too much on what could have been...

#bookstagram #bookreview #bookreviews #bookcover #bookcovers #bookstagrammers #bookbloggers #reviews #books #literature #sciencefiction #scifi #alternatehistory #paralleluniverse #kgjohansson #googolplex #multiverse #booksuggestion #booksuggestions #boktips

Boktips: SAMAEL av Jorun Modén

Jorun Modens fantasyroman SAMAEL imponerade på mig första gången den kom ut. Den var välskriven, originell och mångbottnad.

Så det är en god nyhet att den nu finns i nyutgåva på Wela Förlag.
Om du gillar Neil Gaimans böcker, är SAMAEL en roman för dig!



Fråga efter denna bok på ditt bibliotek.
(Tipstack till @jorun.moden )

#jorunmoden #jorunmodén #samael #boktips #lästips #fantastik #böcker #litteratur #boktipset #fantasyböcker #författare #svenskfantasy #neilgaiman #fantasybok #fantasyboktips #welaförlag

Bokrecension: FÖR HERR BACHMANNS BROSCHYR av Carl-Johan Vallgren

FÖR HERR BACHMANNS BROSCHYR (1998) av Carl-Johan Vallgren

Det går bra för Carl-Johan Vallgren nu (tror jag). Men i slutet av 1990-talet var han en Arg Ung Man som tyckte att kulturetablissemanget var emot honom...

...och han skrev av sig frustrationen i denna lilla bok, som nästan sprängs av ilska.

Tänk dig ett två timmar långt, oavbrutet vredesutbrott mot svensk småaktighet och Jantelag... som ändå faktiskt får dig att skratta.

(Det närmaste jag kommer på som liknar den här boken skulle vara Lars Ekborgs episka utskällning av Beppe Wolgers, men den var förhållandevis kort.)

Detta är litterär standup comedy. Överdriven? Javisst. Hysteriskt rolig? Absolut.
Rekommenderas.

(Se även, av samme författare: DEN VIDUNDERLIGA KÄRLEKENS HISTORIA.)

#carljohanvallgren #förherrbachmannsbroschyr #bokstagram #bokomslag #böcker #bokrecension #bokrecensioner #bokbloggare #bokbloggar #bokblogg #författare #recension #recensioner #boktips #lästips #humor #satir #jantelagen #litteratur #sverige #svensklitteratur

Book review: THE MACHINE STOPS by E.M. Forster

THE MACHINE STOPS (1909) by E.M. Forster

E.M. Forster (better known for novels like A PASSAGE TO INDIA) wrote THE MACHINE STOPS as a reaction/response to H.G. Wells' novel THE TIME MACHINE.

This story/novella, set in the far future, is stunningly prescient. Forster depicted a version of the Internet and social media (in 1909!), and robots that take care of all human needs.

THE MACHINE STOPS is a dystopian vision of humans becoming subservient to technology - the "Machine" of the title - and it feels relevant today. It is also well written.

Strongly recommended reading. (A Public Domain audiobook version is available on Librivox.org.)

There are several TV/movie versions of this story - for example in the classic BBC series OUT OF THE UNKNOWN, and a recent adaptation.

#emforster #themachinestops #apassagetoindia #bookstagram #bookreviews #bookreview #review #reviews #sciencefiction #scifi #classics #fiction #literature #internet #socialmedia #twitter #future #dystopia #dystopianfiction #technology

HOTET UNDER HAVET - mer bilder

Ett smakprov på mina illustrationer från KG Johanssons mellanåldersbok
HOTET UNDER HAVET : STADEN UNDER JORDEN DEL 3.

Bokserien STADEN UNDER JORDEN finns på biblioteket och säljes på Bokus.com.


#aryngve #boktips #lästips #böcker #bokstagram #bokomslag #barnböcker #ungdomsböcker #boktipset #stadenunderjorden #mellanåldersbok #boktipsbarn #illustration #illustrationer #grafiskdesign #grafiskdesigner #illustratör

PRECINCT 20: DEAD STRANGE extended trailer

Extended "music video" trailer for my book PRECINCT 20: DEAD STRANGE (available on Amazon):  

 

 

 

#precinct20deadstrange #trailer #booktrailer #book #books #horror #horrorfans #paranormal #twilightzone #xfiles #thexfiles #crimefic #noir #mystery #shortfiction

Book review: THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU by H. G. Wells

THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU (1896) by H. G. Wells

In THE TIME MACHINE, H.G. Wells speculated about human evolution reaching into the distant future.

But in THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU, he took Darwin's discovery directly into the present (the story takes place in the 1880s) - and the result is a tale somewhere in the borderland between science fiction and horror.

Darwin's theory of evolution made a profound impact on Western society, and was met with a furious opposition from the religious establishment. The opposition lost, and the ancient notion that humans were fundamentally apart from other animals - that only humans had a "soul" - shattered forever.

In THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU, the protagonist literally and existentially struggles with the consequences of this (to him) new reality, where the "boundary" between human and animal is blurred.

There are some truly profound scenes in this novel that are simultaneously science fiction, horror, satire and allegory. In that respect it may be the best novel Wells ever wrote. Read it and you'll see what I mean.

Recommended as an unforgettable classic of science fiction, horror and psychological literature.

FOOTNOTE:
I have a cynical anticipation that some people are going to wilfully misinterpret this novel as a work about simplistic "racism." (That is, to assume that the "beast people" of the story are nothing more than symbols for non-Western or non-"white" peoples.)

But that would be to profoundly miss the point. Evolution is for everybody. Or, to quote the novel: "None escape!"

#hgwells #theislandofdrmoreau #theislandofdoctormoreau #thetimemachine #classics #literature #reviews #review #novel #novels #bookstagram #bookreview #bookreviews #bookcover #bookcovers #bookstagrammers #bookbloggers #beautifulbooks #scifi #sciencefiction #horror #satire #evolution #darwin #charlesdarwin #madscientist

Book review: THE FALL OF HYPERION by Dan Simmons

THE FALL OF HYPERION (1990) by Dan Simmons

I have read and very much enjoyed the author's previous novel HYPERION (see my review). But it ended abruptly - so I had to read this sequel and see what would happen next...

THE FALL OF HYPERION is very long and has many parallel plot threads with different characters. The author uses repeated "reminders" to keep the reader on track, which is helpful in this case.

Even so, this novel is probably longer than it had to be.

The story makes more sense if you bear in mind that HYPERION was inspired by a medieval book (Chaucer's CANTERBURY TALES), and that the medieval worldview was profoundly religious and Christian.

In both Chaucer's medieval universe and in Simmons' future galactic civilization, gods are real - and they are engaged in a kind of cosmic football game where the human (and non-human) characters are merely players (or possibly more?).

Frequently, the text wanders into religious mysticism and metaphysics - but that's inevitable, given the theme of the books.
.
HYPERION and THE FALL OF HYPERION are, I think, really about the future of Christianity, in a space opera setting. To what degree this "works" for you depends on how much you can mentally keep apart the fictional religions of the story and real-life religion.
(I struggled a bit with that.)

The characters are well written and you care for them. There are some good plot twists (and one that I saw coming). The novel ends with enough plot threads wrapped up to make a satisfying whole.

All in all, THE FALL OF HYPERION is quite enjoyable and well crafted - though "your mileage may vary," as the phrase goes.

Recommended for lovers of epic stories, space opera and metaphysical speculation.


#dansimmons #thefallofhyperion #hyperion #hyperioncantos #bookstagram #bookreview #bookreviews #bookcover #bookcovers #bookstagrammers #bookbloggers #reviews #books #literature #sciencefiction #scifi #spaceopera #adventure #bookphotography #book #johnkeats #metaphysics #religion #christianity #artificialintelligence #ai #poetry #novel #novels #bookseries

Book review: THE MAN WHO WAS THURSDAY by G.K. Chesterton

THE MAN WHO WAS THURSDAY: A Nightmare (1908) by G. K. Chesterton

Chesterton is most famous for his "Father Brown" detective stories - which I have enjoyed. This novel, however, is structured more like a thriller.

The surface plot is about secret police infiltrating an Anarchist cabal that's plotting terrorist attacks. But it turns out the Anarchist menace is not what it seems...

I recall reading THE MAN WHO WAS THURSDAY when I was younger - and it made a better impression on me then, even though it mystified me... or rather I was impressed because I didn't quite understand it.

Now, when I read it as a more mature man, I understand it perfectly. It is a tract on behalf of the Catholic Church (which Chesterton converted to), pretending to be a thriller.

(The title ought to be simply "Join Us: A Tract".)

Chesterton not only tries to make this tract "entertaining" by cloaking the message in genre fiction, he also dumbs it down until it becomes patronizing. It is embarrassing to see an obviously intelligent writer dumb himself down for the sake of propaganda.

For example: in one passage, the characters are in need of a torchlight for their car. Someone brings a lantern that emits a cross-shaped light...

But that's not allegorical enough for Chesterton! He describes in sentimental terms how the lantern was delivered by a good man, and spells out in the text that the sight of the characters using that lantern seems like an allegory. (You know, in case the readers were too stupid to "get it.")

Not heavy-handed enough? How about the protagonist actually SAYING "the infallibility of the Pope" without irony? Or how about when Chesterton writes that a suspicious character looks "Jewish"? Groan. (There isn't room here for the issue of Chesterton's anti-Semitic tendencies, but they are duly noted.)

If you're a Christian - or if you dislike being condescended to - please avoid this book.
(Or read the "Father Brown" stories instead.)

#bookstagram #bokstagram #bookstagrammer #bookreview #bookreviews #bookcover #bookcovers #bookbloggers #reviews #books #literature #classics #review #gkchesterton #chesterton #themanwhowasthursday #religion #christianity

Allt vad jag har skrivit genom åren...

 

Jag har skrivit historier sedan jag gick i skolan. Jag började med noveller, och det tog lång tid innan jag var redo att skriva en hel roman.

Sedan 2004 har olika förlag gett ut mina romaner och antologier/tidskrifter där mina noveller ingår.

Om vi inte inkluderar böcker/noveller som jag har gett ut på egen hand (eller enbart lagt ut på min webbsajt), så är dessa titlar som följer:

Romaner (finns på biblioteket eller på Bokus.com):

Terra Hexa (Wela Förlag, 2004) 

Terra Hexa II (Wela Förlag, 2006)

Terra Hexa 3 (Wela Förlag, 2007)

Supermobilen (Wela Förlag, 2011)

Sagopyjamasen (Wela Förlag, 2012)

Vaernen den fördömde (Wela Förlag, 2012)

Hundra tusen pirater (Wela Förlag, 2013)

Darc Ages - De mörka tidevarven - Första boken: Uppvaknandet (Wela Förlag, 2016)

Darc Ages - De mörka tidevarven - Andra boken: Ödemarkens barn (Wela Förlag, 2016)

Darc Ages - De mörka tidevarven - Tredje boken: Slaget om framtiden (Wela Förlag, 2016)

Monster i massor (Wela Förlag, 2016)

Darc Ages - De mörka tidevarven - Fjärde boken: Maskernas stad (Wela Förlag, 2017)

Rex Omega (TiraTiger Förlag, 2019)

Novellsamlingar:

Fruktans fysik (Wela Förlag, 2014)
Fotnot: Denna novellsamling drogs senare in för att frigöra ljudboksrättigheterna till materialet.

Publicerade noveller/långnoveller (OBS: Denna lista är inkomplett):

1. "Grisham's World" (Denna satiriska novell om ett samhälle styrt av advokater publicerades i tidskriften The #12 Gauge Review)
2. 
   
3. "Custom Job"
4. "I Feel Super, Thanks For Asking"
5. "By the Nose"
6. "The War"("Kriget")
7. "Sins of Our Fathers"
8. "Physical Terror"("Fruktans fysik")
9. "The Face In the Door"
10. "K.C. And the Sunshine World"
11. "See"(i en kinesisk SF-tidskrift)
12. "Lonely Planets"
13. "A Funny Thing Happened On the Way To Valhalla"
14. "Telephone Conversations" ("Telefonsamtal")
15. "Landscape With Sententers" ("Landskap med sententrer")
16. "Nightmare Number Six"
17. "Mannen som föll ut"
18. "Quadrillennium" ("Quadrillennium")
19. "Super-Size Security"(I det brittiska skräckmagasinet Murky Depths)
20. "Stupid!" (i en kinesisk SF-tidskrift)
21. "6 superkorta"
22. "Insider" ("Insider")
23. "Serverad"
24. "Avagana"
25. "Historien om P"
26. "A Man Called Mister Brown" (in Spacewesterns.com)

Min egenutgivning finns på Amazon.

Boksläpp: HOTET UNDER HAVET - Staden under jorden del 3

Nu har den äntligen kommit ut i nätbokhandlarna:
HOTET UNDER HAVET - Staden under jorden del 3

En spännande lättläst bok för mellanåldern, med högaktuellt tema.
KG Johansson har skrivit texten, och jag har illustrerat boken med över 40 bilder.

Presentation av boken på Bokus.com:

I en dröm får Fia en vision av en jordbävning. Det är i själva verket vännen Jim från staden Salvo långt under jordytan som kontaktar henne med hjälp av robothunden Robban. Datorerna som styr Salvo har fastnat i ett inbördes gräl, när ett beslut omedelbart måste fattas för att rädda livet på elva tusen människor.

Staden under jorden är en lättläst bokserie för barn på ett mycket gammalt tema: en hemlig värld under jorden. I seriens nya tredje del, Hotet från havet, tas samma tema upp men nu får också klimatkrisen en plats tillsammans med robotar och avancerad teknik. Boken är skriven och tecknad med glimten i ögat - och vem tycker inte om hemliga världar, dinosaurier, talande apor och datorer med mycket mänskliga personligheter?

Fråga efter de här böckerna på biblioteket!

Här är några exempel på illustrationer från de tidigare böckerna i serien:

Book review: THE FIRST MEN IN THE MOON by H. G. Wells

THE FIRST MEN IN THE MOON (1901) by H. G. Wells

A novel that's over 100 years old...about a visit to the Moon... depicting lunar life on a Moon with an atmosphere. Is it really still worth reading?

The answer is yes. In fact this novel is imaginative, humorous, lighthearted and even satirical.

It also contains interesting surprises:

- The characters make a direct reference to Jules Verne's novel FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOON -- a "meta-commentary."

- The narrative, written as a firsthand account of "true events," mixes fantastic events with mundane details of life in the 1890s.

- The narrator is a greedy opportunist - he tags along on the expedition to the Moon only to strike it rich. In one scene, he gets intoxicated and babbles about the duty to seize control of the Moon as "the White Man's Burden." This is obviously Wells making fun of British imperialism.

- The depiction of life on the Moon, even though it is outdated, is still impressive and imaginative. It has been an influence on later stories about aliens.

- There are several ironic twists in the story to keep the excitement up.

(For example: the two men who travel to the Moon bring lots of provisions and prepare for various difficulties they might face... but once they land on the Moon, it becomes obvious that they forgot to bring a map.)

- Wells even considered the psychological effects of space travel - in a wonderful scene he depicts a kind of "space madness"!

I enjoyed THE FIRST MEN IN THE MOON, a surprisingly entertaining adventure. Recommended as a classic.

NOTE: The book has been filmed several times. The 2010 BBC adaptation received mostly good reviews.

You can listen to the free Librivox audiobook version HERE.

#bookstagram #bookreview #bookreviews #bookcover #bookcovers #bookstagrammers #bookbloggers #reviews #books #literature #sciencefiction #classics #hgwells #thefirstmeninthemoon #themoon #spacetravel

Kommer snart: HOTET UNDER HAVET (mellanåldersbok)

STADEN UNDER JORDEN och fortsättningen UNDER UNDERJORDEN är skrivna av KG Johansson och illustrade av mig.

De här lättlästa, spännande mellanåldersböckerna finns på biblioteket och på Bokus.com .

Den tredje boken i serien, HOTET UNDER HAVET, kommer snart ut!
För mer information, se förlagets webbsida:
www.welaforlag.se

Book review: HYPERION by Dan Simmons

HYPERION (1989) by Dan Simmons

This one took some time to finish - because it's really not one story but several interconnected tales, set in the same world.

The setting is a future interstellar empire called The Hegemony of Man. It is beset by war, corruption, power struggles - and a mysterious, murderous being called the Shrike.

A group of diverse characters travel to the planet Hyperion to find the Shrike, in the desperate hope that it might somehow resolve the crises that threaten the Hegemony. (A very slim hope, partly based on a future religion.)

On their journey, each of the travelers tell their tale of how and why they joined this "pilgrimage" to Hyperion. These tales make up the main body of the book.

As I came to the end of HYPERION, I realized that it wasn't a complete novel but actually the very long Prologue to a novel. But now the author has got me hooked, so I guess I'll have to plow through the whole series to see how it ends. (Damn you, Simmons!)

Despite a few flaws (you'll notice them), and the fact that it's not a complete novel, HYPERION is an excellent first part of an epic space opera series. It builds and builds to a tense climax - and then abruptly ends just before the anticipated climax can occur.

If this had been a badly written book, the author couldn't have gotten away with that.

It also contains some very graphic scenes of sex and gruesome violence. I recommend HYPERION for adult, patient readers who enjoy big books with great amounts of plot, characters, worldbuilding - and sequels.

Fans of DUNE should find a lot to like here.

(Disclaimer: I haven't read the sequels yet, so I cannot say anything about them or what they add to/subtract from this first book.)

#bookstagram #bookreview #bookreviews #review #bookcover #bookcovers #bookstagrammers #bookbloggers #reviews #books #literature #sciencefiction #scifi #spaceopera #hyperion #dansimmons #hyperioncantos

Recensioner av "Maskernas stad" och bokserien "DARC AGES - De mörka tidevarven"

Bokbloggen Mest Lenas Godsaker gillade min roman MASKERNAS STAD.
Läs hennes recension HÄR.

Citat:
"Jag har ju läst de tidigare tre delarna i denna framtidsserie och jag har tyckt att de varit riktigt spännande."

Lenas recensioner av de tidigare böckerna i serien "DARC AGES - De mörka tidevarven":
- Uppvaknandet
- Ödemarkens barn
- Slaget om framtiden

OBS: Hela bokserien finns också på engelska på Amazon.com, med titeln DARC AGES.

Fantasy Book Covers: The "Rules"

Who wrote the “rule book” for fantasy book covers, anyway? Who decided which fonts are “Fantasy Fonts”… or how “Fantasy Characters” are supposed to look?

The basic rules might look something like this:

1. Book titles must be visually overdone. The more embellishments, the more “authentically Fantasy-ish” they look.

2. A book title must always be shown as part of a series, or nobody will buy it.

3. Human characters, when shown, must conform to the basic RPG classes: Warrior — Elf — Magician — Dwarf.

4. Characters must be armed with medieval weaponry and/or magical objects. (Torches may be acceptable.)

5. Under no circumstances should any human character look older than 40. (Female characters must never look older than 30.)

6. The landscape must never show any signs of cultivation. Readers detest all depictions of farming, gardening and such.

7. Medieval towns, when shown, must be clean and disease-free. Chimneys should not pour smoke, no one has boils, there is never an outbreak of plague or bad teeth.

8. Fantasy characters have always been to the hairdresser five minutes ago.

9. Ugly people must not be shown, unless they belong to "inferior" races.

10. Neither male nor female characters should be flat-chested.

Introducing the GRANDSTANDING AWARD literary prize

 

Introducing the GRANDSTANDING AWARD for "excellence in performative moral superiority."


The Rules:

1. First it is awarded to someone who has publicly denounced a writer as morally reprehensible, in the loudest, most uncompromising manner.
(Demanding that the works of the accused should be burned in public certainly qualifies. Calling the accused a "fascist" is taken as read, but you may have to try harder than that -- the competition can get fierce.)

2. Said winner is then denounced for some moral failing (small or large doesn't matter)...

3. The award is taken away and passed on to the most chest-thumpingly self-righteous denouncer of the previous winner...

4. ...then that winner is "found out" and denounced (for something or other)... the award is passed on to the best of the latest denouncers... and so on.

In the end, everyone gets the award because nobody's pure enough to keep it.  (Hence the words "Certified Righteous (for now).")



(Even I might get the award eventually...)

#satire

Book review: THE ATROCITY ARCHIVES

THE ATROCITY ARCHIVES (2004) by Charles Stross

This edition also includes the novella THE CONCRETE JUNGLE.

I'm involved in a reading circle. Last month we discussed THE ATROCITY ARCHIVES. We had an interesting chat, some issues came up, but in the end the book didn't make a deep or lasting impression on me.

Basically, it's a mash-up of Len Deighton's Cold War spy thrillers and H.P.Lovecraft's nightmarish fantasies.

A hacker/sysadmin is hired by super-secret British agency "The Laundry" to fight Monsters From Beyond... while he also fights the bureaucracy and middle-management in his own workplace. Instead of preventing World War III, The Laundry tries to prevent a supernatural Judgment Day.

I see why this book might be a hit with IT industry people. It could easily be the wish-fulfilment fantasy of a downtrodden office worker, longing to escape the boredom and exploitation. And if that's what you want, the book delivers.

I also appreciate the refreshing deadpan humor of the protagonist living in unglamorous squalor, wrestling with petty bureaucracy, while desperately trying to save the world. (You won't find any such laughs -- or any laughs at all -- in a typical H.P. Lovecraft story.)

But is THE ATROCITY ARCHIVES more than just a playful genre mix? Does it have something to say? Well... I couldn't find it.

There are references to Nazi atrocities as part of an occult plot to awaken those Monsters From Beyond... and that's where the whole premise fails to really grab me.

See, once you get the reader thinking about Hitler and the Holocaust, while you try to paint such real-life horrors as plot points to support an imaginary (and flimsy) Lovecraftian bogeyman, there's a clash between real and fictional monsters.
 
Since real Nazis are much worse than non-existent Shoggoths or Cthulhus, reality beats fiction hands down.

The book's frequent references to the Cold War create the same jarring clash between real fears and fictional ones. No tentacled monster can scare me like the threat of World War III actually did -- not because the author isn't trying hard enough! -- but because it's a whole different weight class.

Perhaps the story would work for me if I didn't read history books, or hadn't grown up during the Cold War?

Recommended as light (nerdy) entertainment for fans of mash-ups.
-----

FOOTNOTE: Many of Charles Stross's short stories have been made available for free online reading by the author. They are listed HERE:
http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/online-fiction-by-charles-stro.html
(Recommended!)

#bookstagram #bookreview #bookreviews #bookcover #bookcovers #bookstagrammers #bookbloggers #reviews #books #literature #sciencefiction #scifi #satire #horror #weirdfiction #paranormal #thrillers #spythrillers #charlesstross #theatrocityarchives #lendeighton #hplovecraft #coldwar

φkon - mysig SF-kongress i höstmörkret!

Jag vill varmt rekommendera Club Cosmos' höstkongress φkon (FiKon) den 16:e november.
Club Cosmos' minikongresser är inte storskaliga - men de är mysiga och gemytliga till tusen. Perfekt för en höstmörk helg!

FiKon äger rum i klubbhuset GFF-Gården på Majvallen i Göteborg, HÄR.

Läs mer och anmäl dig till kongressen här:

http://fikon.clubcosmos.net/register.php

Läs mina rapporter från Club Cosmos' tidigare minikongresser...

ConGräs (2016):
https://aryngve.blogspot.com/…/11/mitt-besok-pa-congras.html
ConGast (2017):
https://aryngve.blogspot.com/…/club-cosmos-congast-kortkort…
FiasCon (2018):
https://aryngve.blogspot.com/…/10/fiascon-kongressrapport.h…

Svenska Litteraturklassiker (#1)

A.R.Yngve presenterar...
Svenska Litteraturklassiker #1

#aryngve #satir #humor #parodi #litteratur #böcker #deckare #deckarförfattare #camillaläckberg #camillalackberg #svenskadeckare

Book review: EASILY LED: A HISTORY OF PROPAGANDA

EASILY LED: A HISTORY OF PROPAGANDA (1999) by Oliver Thomson

 
Quote from this book:
"In 1998 the Internet showed its propaganda value as a vehicle for the trickle release of damaging information about US President Bill Clinton, but as a medium it lacks the emotive power of most of its competitors."

Oh, really?

EASILY LED was written by a professional advertising executive. Yet it utterly failed to foresee the vast influence and reach of the Internet as a propaganda medium.

In the author's defense, this book came out before the mobile phone, the computer and the Internet were integrated into the smartphone - and years before Facebook and Twitter.

EASILY LED nevertheless contains much interesting history, and an overview of basic propaganda tactics.
Recommended for students of the subject - but only if you add more recent studies of electronic media and "big data" used in present-day propaganda.

For the layman reader, the value of this book lies in that it might (hopefully) serve as an antidote to the manipulation that we are being subjected to in daily life.

It's not that all propaganda serves a bad cause - but it often leads us away from the calm and reason we need to survive as a species. (For example: You may have noticed that the basic propaganda technique on Twitter is to make people very very angry.)

#easilyled #oliverthomson #bookstagram #bookreview #bookreviews #bookcover #nonfiction #education #media #propaganda #history #tyranny #review