Vet ni vad det är för dag idag...?

Vet ni vad det är för dag idag...? :-)

Just det - svenska fantastikens dag!
Gå in på https://facebook.com/svenskafantastikensdag/ för att veta mer.

Eller fira dagen med att läsa lite svensk fantasy-, science fiction- och skräcklitteratur.
Den hittar du på biblioteket och i nätbokhandlarna...

#fantastik #litteratur #fantasy #sciencefiction #skräck #kultur #boktips #lästips #böcker

Coronakrisen, Bokmässan och författarnas framtid...

Det är (mer eller mindre) officiellt: Bokmässan 2020 i Göteborg ställs in.

I vilket fall blir det ICKE en fysisk tillställning där "den läsande allmänheten" kan möta författare direkt. (Bli nu inte vrång på Bokmässans arrangörer - de är lika ställda mot väggen av coronakrisen som alla andra.)

Det här är förstås en utmaning för alla författare och små förlag som behöver just sådana evenemang för att nå ut till läsarna.

Olika "digitala alternativ" kommer helt säkert att utarbetas... men det blir inte som förr, eller hur? Och vi vet ännu inte hur de alternativen kommer att fungera.

Så nu vänder jag mig direkt till alla som läser fantasy, science fiction och skräcklitteratur, och frågar:

Om det inte blir en fysisk Bokmässa i höst (eller nästa år heller), hur önskar DU att förlag och författare som producerar böcker ska nå ut till dig på annat sätt?

Till exempel:

- Om författarna ordnar digitala "events" på webben/YouTube/sociala media/chat, är det intressant för dig?

- Är du lika intresserad av att köpa fysiska böcker via webben, om författare/förlag presenterar dem online istället för på ett "fysiskt" evenemang?

- Vad är det du saknar mest med en "gammaldags" bokmässa - och hur kan förlag/författare kompensera för detta?

- Ser du nya möjligheter med digitala evenemang som borde utnyttjas? Eller problem?

Kom gärna med förslag och tankar om det här. Jag och många andra som skriver står inför en tid av snabba förändringar... och det gäller att vara flexibel. Så tyck till - jag lyssnar.

Book review: MIDAS WORLD by Frederik Pohl

MIDAS WORLD (1983) by Frederik Pohl

Frederik Pohl is one of my major literary influences. I started reading his satirical SF stories when I was a kid.

He wrote many satirical stories and novels, but also ”straight” sci-fi speculation about space exploration, aliens and other classic themes. This is one of his satires.

MIDAS WORLD is a collection of Pohl’s stories set in a future when the energy problem has been solved and intelligent robots can take care of all our needs.

That is, all our needs except how to be happy...

My favorite story in the book is ”The Midas Plague,” in which accelerated material wealth has turned the idea of ”poverty” and ”riches” upside down. The poor are forced to consume obscene amounts of food and goods, living in palaces, while the rich can afford a simple life without servants.

(Is that really so far-fetched? Obesity is a growing problem today. Only the rich can afford to stay thin...)

What’s so great about MIDAS WORLD is that it works both as a satire of our consumer society, with its obsession about ”growth” at any cost... and as a credible speculation about the future.

Heartily recommended!

Also recommended, by the same author: THE SPACE MERCHANTS – and the short story ”The Tunnel Under the World” (available on librivox.org and gutenberg.org).

#bookstagram #bookstagrammers #bookreviews #bookreview #books #literature #sciencefiction #future #frederikpohl #midasworld #scifi #satire
 

Book review: THE HARRIED LEISURE CLASS by Staffan Burenstam Linder

THE HARRIED LEISURE CLASS (1970) by Staffan B. Linder
(Original Swedish title: DEN RASTLÖSA VÄLFÄRDSMÄNNISKAN)

Economics is often ridiculed as ”the dismal science,” but we need to understand the functioning of the global economy – especially in these troubled times – hard as it is. So give economists a chance.

In the late 60s, there was still an optimism about ever-increasing affluence... and then the Swedish economist Staffan Burenstam Linder asked: Will the amount of time we have to enjoy our affluence also increase? If not, what then?

His book THE HARRIED LEISURE CLASS is very accessible to layman readers. It lays out all the problems that arise when we get more and more stuff and services... but still have the same fixed amount of time available.

Which means more choices and decisions to make... but relatively less and less time for those decisions, for relaxing, for actually doing things, for maintenance and upkeep.

Some of the consequences he predicted can be observed now. He also predicts that technological advances may not ”solve” these issues as easily as we might think...

Here’s an everyday example: I spend almost as much time flipping through the growing content table on Netflix, trying to decide what to watch, as I do actually watching the content.

In the future I will almost certainly spend MORE time trying to CHOOSE what to watch, than I’ll spend WATCHING anything. (Or I could pay someone for making the choices for me... but then I’ll have to choose between a growing selection of people to make those choices and so on...)

Recommended ”food for thought” reading.
Also, this book might cause you to rethink how much consumer goods you really have time for...

#bookstagram #bookstagrammers #bookreviews #bookreview #books #literature #nonfiction #economics #leisure #time #staffanburenstamlinder #staffanblinder #theharriedleisureclass #denrastlösavälfärdsmänniskan

Book review: THE DARK FOREST by Cixin Liu

THE DARK FOREST (2008) by Cixin Liu

I have read and reviewed Cixin Liu's novel THE THREE-BODY PROBLEM, which ended in a huge cliffhanger: Can humanity survive an impending alien invasion?

I must read the third book in the series to find out how this story ends, because the sequel THE DARK FOREST leaves many questions unanswered.

THE DARK FOREST is mainly about preparing humanity for a terrible future - and how hope can survive.

The novel also develops the argument made in THE THREE-BODY PROBLEM - about the inherent danger of alien civilizations... I am not sure where I stand on that subject, but I think that far too much science fiction isn't taking it seriously.

THE DARK FOREST suffers from being the middle book in a trilogy. It is very clear about what it wants to say, but it is unevenly written (or translated??).

The "flatness" of the characters, a typical feature of "Hard" Science Fiction, gets worse here - because the author struggles to give the characters depth, but he doesn't completely succeed.

There are several plot twists - some are good - and a major one that is quite weak (humanity wandering stupidly into an obvious trap, with disastrous consequences).

Despite these criticisms, I just had to read the book to see what would happen next. I recommend it with a caveat: if you're not engaged in the main plot or the trilogy's "big ideas," THE DARK FOREST may bore you.

Me, I'm engaged and then some...


#bookreviews #bookreview #cixinliu #liucixin #thetreebodyproblem #threebodyproblem #thedarkforest #bookstagram #bookcover #bookphotography #books #literature #scifi #sciencefiction #dystopia #reviews #novel #literature #future #aliens #aliens #chinesesciencefiction #chinesescifi #alienlife #extraterrestrial #extraterrestrials

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