Marginalia

[coalescent]

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell and The Da Vinci Code are apparently hallmarks of the new escapism. Or something.

SFSite has a good interview with Ian R Macleod, and a slightly less interesting review of Breathmoss and Other Exhalations. Meanwhile, at Salon, David Brin tries to defend the panopticon.

The epic fantasy adventures of Theguardian, barbarian warrior. "For no clear reason, an elf woman starts beating Theguardian with a sword. Tapping away at the keyboard, I try to explain that I am not, as I appear to be, a novice knight with the build of an American footballer in silver plate armour, dragging a sword the size of a broom handle, but a reporter in London. The elf woman stops attacking me and, without a word, teleports away into nothingness. This keeps happening."

Bush's speechwriters are just not up the level of Sam and Toby; check out the fourth paragraph from the bottom. "Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."

'Lad lit' not as big a success as they hoped. 'No male reader wants to be identified with the guy who can't get the girl,' apparently.

Reading note: jumping from six hundred pages of densely imagined future-India in River of Gods to fifty pages of current-India in Transmission is a slightly weird experience.

Comments

Comments

[applez.livejournal.com]

1. New Escapism ... hmm, maybe - US being cynical and secular really isn't news. I would direct you to my Da Vinci Code review before you pick up one of the overabundant copies lying about. I haven't read Pullman, but I would certainly not put Dan Brown on equal footing.

2. Panopticon ... ha ha, I don't think so. Privacy will be broken, and we are not going to be able to watch 'the watchers.' The thoroughly-spun US media pre-Iraq war and Guantanamo prison are overwhelming evidence to this. Where control is in place, there is little chance of a truth getting out.

3. Bush gaffe ... yes, that has been receiving a fair bit of air time. Sadly, his supporters will nod their heads anyway, listening to what they think they heard instead of what was said. Quite ironically, I think Bush meant every word he said. ;-)

4. 'lad lit' ... that's all a bit silly, I mean, lad lit is already in the bag with the likes of Tom Clancy.

Re: Comments

[communicator.livejournal.com]

Can you point me in the direction of your 'Da Vinci Code' review? I hated that book more than any other, but I can't review it on my blog (sob) because it was given to me by someone who is an lj friend, and I don't want to hurt her feelings.

But - come to think of it - she is off on holiday tomorrow - with no access to the internet - I can write what I like - bwah hah hah.

Re: Comments

[applez.livejournal.com]

Since someone couldn't be arsed to click on my LJ name and see Today's only entry, ahem...go here:

http://www.livejournal.com/users/applez/366816.html

Re: Comments

[communicator.livejournal.com]

Sorry, I didn't want to pry around - that was pretty stupid of me though

Re: Comments

[coalescent.livejournal.com]

immortalradical has promised a discussion of the book soonish, although I don't know how scathing he's going to be. No doubt a link from instant_fanzine will follow shortly afterwards. :)

Re: Comments

[coalescent.livejournal.com]

I mean, lad lit is already in the bag with the likes of Tom Clancy.

Yeah, that was pretty much my thought. It seems like an attempt to create a niche that doesn't really exist, to be honest.

[alexmc.livejournal.com]

> Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell

Well I may not have a copy but it looks like I am getting to the book launch. Know any cute book fans I could take?

[-jjjzmey.livejournal.com]

The project "Dan Brown" - is the unswer by "The Last Gambit (http://mera.com.ru/2005/05/14/20050514-the_last_gambit/)".
And all sensation statements from Vatican and others Christian church easy open (http://mera.com.ru/2006/06/02/about_the_da_vinchi_code_eng/)