This book turned out to be quite well done. With elements of horror, science fiction, media criticism, race relations (the book was written in 1969), with foul language, brutal violence, political cynicism, science apathy, and a really dim view of human nature where people do good not out of the desire to do good but either because it is the final option they haven't yet tried or out of guilt.
It came across to me as the well written novel of an angry young man (the author was 29 when he wrote it) who had beaten society to the grit and grime of the 70s.
In light of Obama, the book is a really fascinating read into the view that things would never change. This combined with reading things like Post-Soul Nation, it just seems amazing that we were able to get to where we are now. Of course there's still a long way yet to go.
I wish I could write more on this book as there are some rather keen stylistic bits that I'd like to show off and I'd love to be able to give specific examples of Why I Hate Her (the horribly written female lead who had the emotional development of protoplasmic goop). This is certainly worth reading, and would make a great art film, but if Hollywood ever got it, it would probably be horrible.
I would film it as though it were filmed in the 70s using color processes by DeLuxe that are specific to the time period, casting unknowns. It's a really talky picture with little action or need for expensive set pieces so I don't think it would even cost that much. I'm willing to bet the rather liberal usage of the word "nigger" would certainly put the kibosh on the whole thing.
Showing posts with label Norman Spinrad. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Norman Spinrad. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Bug Jack Barron Continues
I'm about half way through this book and the other shoe, with regards to the plot, has dropped.
This book is excellent with the interplay between Jack and his various nemeses but it's really falling apart whenever Sara (the love of Jack's life) is involved in any way. The relationship she has with other characters and her internal monologue rings just absolutely false. The setting up her as the great motivator for Jack's various actions is similarly hollow as well.
It is driving me up the wall because she's becoming more important to the story.
The internal monologues are still holding up even when we shift from character to character without much warning. It's a technique of which I feared I'd get tired, but it's only laborious when it's Sara (oh how i love jack. how i would hate for anything bad to happen to him. oh what's that man doing? what has he gotten himself into? and on and on and on. Less a realized character.)
It's also kind of funny to see how much of the book's worldview falls apart with regards to race relations in light of the election of Obama (there's a speech by Luke, Jack's former co-activist partner, where in he says that there will never be a president who isn't white and is angered by Jack's casual statement that Luke run for president).
This book is excellent with the interplay between Jack and his various nemeses but it's really falling apart whenever Sara (the love of Jack's life) is involved in any way. The relationship she has with other characters and her internal monologue rings just absolutely false. The setting up her as the great motivator for Jack's various actions is similarly hollow as well.
It is driving me up the wall because she's becoming more important to the story.
The internal monologues are still holding up even when we shift from character to character without much warning. It's a technique of which I feared I'd get tired, but it's only laborious when it's Sara (oh how i love jack. how i would hate for anything bad to happen to him. oh what's that man doing? what has he gotten himself into? and on and on and on. Less a realized character.)
It's also kind of funny to see how much of the book's worldview falls apart with regards to race relations in light of the election of Obama (there's a speech by Luke, Jack's former co-activist partner, where in he says that there will never be a president who isn't white and is angered by Jack's casual statement that Luke run for president).
Friday, January 9, 2009
Bug Jack Barron
I'm on page 80 of Bug Jack Barron.
This is some great stuff. Totally 60s, but also predicative of some 70s attitudes while also being timeless in mass media.
So far my only complaint isn't against the liberal use of the various racial slurs, nor against the repeated stream of consciousness, but rather the internal monologue of the lead female character seems less a real person than an idealized form of a 1940's female character. "oh you fool, you fool" and such like that.
The novel is about a fight over the right of chryostasis and is immortality a public right or a private enterprise. There's also some mass media stuff in here as well along with some racial attitude examination which seems a bit dated as well. For example the word "Shade" being thrown around as the white equivalence of "The N Word."
So far there's a bit to chew on, while there promises to be a lot more.
My only other book by Spinrad is The Iron Dream, Hugo award winner Adolph Hitler's Magnum Opus which is done as a leftist examination of the conservative and reactionary tropes found in much heroic fantasy/science fiction.
It looks like this went back into print about 5 years ago and is easily accessible through Amazon.
This is some great stuff. Totally 60s, but also predicative of some 70s attitudes while also being timeless in mass media.
So far my only complaint isn't against the liberal use of the various racial slurs, nor against the repeated stream of consciousness, but rather the internal monologue of the lead female character seems less a real person than an idealized form of a 1940's female character. "oh you fool, you fool" and such like that.
The novel is about a fight over the right of chryostasis and is immortality a public right or a private enterprise. There's also some mass media stuff in here as well along with some racial attitude examination which seems a bit dated as well. For example the word "Shade" being thrown around as the white equivalence of "The N Word."
So far there's a bit to chew on, while there promises to be a lot more.
My only other book by Spinrad is The Iron Dream, Hugo award winner Adolph Hitler's Magnum Opus which is done as a leftist examination of the conservative and reactionary tropes found in much heroic fantasy/science fiction.
It looks like this went back into print about 5 years ago and is easily accessible through Amazon.
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