New Book!

Okay, so I guess I'm up...sorry for the delay. High-Rise by J.G. Ballard. My choice is a bit of a cop-out, since I've read it, but I do think it's a super interesting book--plus, I'm writing about it for my dissertation as we speak, so 1. you'll get to beta read my chapter! 2. you'll be able to understand when I go on ad naseum about every detail! 3. Ballard is super innovative and important in contemporary British literature and the SF genre and 4. is about to go through a resurgence in popularity, so you're getting on the cool train early 5. really? you need more? this isn't selling it?

Since it's a short book, here's my proposal--a week for all parties to get the book and then two reading check points: one half way through and one at the end, so...

Ch's 1-8 (read through "The Predatory Birds") by May 13th
Finish book by May 22nd

Lemme know if that works for everyone!

Tunnels, Travels and Conceptual Boats? Raw Shark Part 3

I really enjoyed reading part three of this book, well, most of it. There are still parts I just don't get, but oh well, at least I'm following the story and liking it. I found the whole journey through un-space kind of cool. I wonder if it is supposed to represent something, but I don't really care to take the time to elaborate on that possibility. I did think it was neat how Scout and Eric's relationship developed along the journey. Oh and Ian...Scout clearly has something going with the cat. Is this a clue that she's connected to Clio?

It felt good to finally get some meat on the bones of the story. The journey, finding Fidorous, the first Eric's bedroom and things, even the fight between Scout and Eric gave the story something solid to hold onto and enjoy. I am finally eager to continue on for the sake of the story. Before this I felt much of the book was a vague story line held together by a lot of weird sci fi. I suppose though that this is how Eric felt as well. He even mentions somewhere in part three about finally feeling like he was building a life of his own. That's partially why Scout's betrayal hurt him I think.

The boat...This one was really weird. It took me way too long to read the diagram and descriptions, though I loved that "Ian the cat" was included. I can't wait to see what happens with this...especially since I'm not sure I really understand what happened at the end. I'll have to read on.

On to part four...it will make or break this story. I'm really nervous now that I'm into and enjoying the story. Will I be thrilled with the ending, just satisfied, disappointed, or throwing the book across the room?!

I Am Reading

But like Emily mentioned, I'm not quite sure how to respond to the book along the way, but here goes, some jumbled thoughts (no conceptual prey will be catching a strong trail here!).

How on earth do the automated letters get sent? Are there an infinite amount of sets waiting in case he blanks again? What happened to the 10 in between the first and now?

It wasn't until Katie mentioned her mistrust of the first Eric Sanderson that I had any doubts. I was believing his tale wholesale, especially since the first attack occurred before the protagonist read the letters, so it sort of corroborates the story. But now I'm not sure, especially with Nobody trying to capture and use Eric, the Un-Space Exploration Committee avoiding Eric, and Eric and Scout's history. In some ways, it seems like Eric could be the victim of some conspiracy of sorts--that he ticked off the wrong people, though there are still pockets of vigilantes ready to believe him.

With the repetition of people knowing him that he doesn't remember know...is he a part of some life conceptual loop (like with the tapes and the dictophone) protecting something or someone else?

I'm fascinated by the concept of "un-space," which seems to be what I'm calling "liminal space" in my dissertation.

I'm worried that the "it's a dream" ending Nate is fearing may be that he wakes up after the shark gets him again and it starts the cycle all over with this quest to find the doctor (very Momento-esque indeed).

Remember all--"Live every week like it's shark week."

Eric & Scout

This book just keeps getting weirder, but I'm still intrigued. I really didn't like Mr. Nobody and his gruesome description and I'm still confused about who he is. At one point it seemed to suggest he was Eric in a nother form...but it wasn't really resolved and left me confused. Scout interests me. I liked her from the moment she entered the story, but now I'm dying to know who she really is, what her role will be and what part her identity plays. The last line of the section made it for me..."Scout had a tattoo of a smiley face on her big toe." Who is she??!!

I don't have much else to say. I feel like I need to read this whole story and actually understand the point before I can really unpack the story.

Raw Shark Texts Part 1, tastes like cabbage...

Hi all… Sarah’s brother, Nathan, here. Good pick Katie, I like it so far!
First off, I like the amnesia story as a convention; Bourne Identity, Memento, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, etc., it always makes for a fun mystery-ish drama. Second, this is a cool new take on the old sci-fi standard artificial intelligence trope. The way it (Ludovician, aka- the big bad idea shark-see attached photo) arose out of collective consciousness instead of just being an A.I. that the internet birthed is kinda unique… I like it. Third big plus, I love it when authors try to push the “text only” convention a bit. House of Leaves by Danielewski does a lot of the strange formatting and adding drawings and stuff, probably too much, but RST is starting to show some promise… I just hope an ASCII Ludo shows up and starts eating the narrative by the end.
The story does, however, have that possibility of ending up with an “it was all a dream” kinda psychological twist. I hate those endings, they always feel like an allegorical cop out. Either be blatantly in the world of fable and allegory or be spec fic, don’t try to switch it out at the end so people get your point better. I do think that RST probably won’t go there.

n8

Question: If RST is Moby Dick, is the new Eric Sanderson Ahab?

Raw Shark Texts Part 1

I also am feeling too tired to come up with a more interesting title. I am really interested in the first part of this book. I love the unique format of it, the parts where there are words forming pictures or little excerpts from who knows what. I really like all the water imagery and the feeling like he is drowning and having to stay afloat in his own mind. Also the shark or Ludovician is really interesting to me. I'm confused as to whether it is a good or a bad thing at this point. I mean, is the shark what he thinks it is, this figurative fish coming to eat up whatever memory he is able to restore, or is it the memories of his past life trying to come back to him, or is it some sort of mental disorder?

Because of the differences between the first Eric and the Eric we see narrating the story, I am unsure how much of a trustworthy narrator the first Eric is. I mean, he never managed to recover his memory and obviously is getting worse instead of better since this is the 9th time Eric has lost all of his memories and had to go see Dr. Randle, and this time is the worst of them all because he can't remember anything at all. Does this mean the Ludovician is succeeding in getting more and more of Eric's memories, or is all this light bulb coding and everything else he does to protect "live" texts actually hurting his recovery? Maybe I'm being influenced by Memento, too, but I wonder how much we can trust the letters and communications he is receiving because he can't remember anything that happened to know whether or not to refute the first Eric.

I am really curious to see where this book goes. Like Emily, I love the whole psychological process of it, how it is like a living thing but it is actually all going on in his mind. My questions right now are: Is Clio really dead? If so, how did she die? How much should he trust and follow out the first Eric's instructions? Is it in fact the Ludovician that is stealing all of his memories or is it something else? I guess this is kind of repeating what I said earlier but in a more concise format.

Oh, and I really like Ian. I like the part when Eric is in the rain and thinking about just letting the river take him but doesn't because he has the responsibility of taking care of something, even if it is a cat.

The Raw Shark Texts part 1

I apologize for the boring post title. I'm also not sure if I'm supposed to be posting yet...dates got a little mixed up. Anyhow, Wow! I don't really know what else to say. This book definitely grabbed me from the beginning...the mystery and intrigue sucked me in as did the bizarre premise of the book and the possible psychological angle. (I'm a psych major remember.) To be honest I'm not really sure what I think yet. I think there are three possibilities...1) This book will be brilliant and I'll love it, 2) The book will be too philosophical and I'll be just plain lost, 3) It will be one of those stories like Monty Python and the Holy Grail where I love it until the end and then I hate it. I suppose number 4 would be any combination of any of thee above.

Very bizarre, the idea of words, ideas, communications being a living stream. I don't think I completely agree with this, but I do find it intriguing. It feels weird having the old and new characters of Eric. They are supposed to be the same person and yet they feel like they are two different characters. I guess that's the point. Finally, the first Eric's attempt to get Clio back...his search that led him to Dr. Fidorous, it's the search for eternal life, the attempt to hold back death, that search that is a theme from the beginning of time until now. I'm very curious to see where this all goes.