“Through fiction we saw the birth Of futures yet to come Yet in fiction lay the bones, ugly in their nakedness Yet under this mortal sun, we cannot hide ourselves” — Isis, “In Fiction” There’s an episode of The Twilight Zone I watched as a kid that stuck with me. I don’t remember all of… Continue reading Recurring Themes, Part Five: The End of Humanity
We’re late again with the summer list, but here it is. Thanks to all who participated, including newcomers Dave Allen, Howard Bloom, Alex Burns, and Calvin Johnson, as well as veteran contributors Mark Pesce, Patrick Barber, Steven Shaviro, and Gary Baddeley. As this list proves year after year, there’s a lot of good stuff out… Continue reading Summer Reading List, 2007
I am a slow summertime reader. I also subscribe to the New Yorker (which requires a huge weekly reading investment) and prefer to spend my summer nights riding my bike along the banks of the Delaware River rather than sitting at home reading. I do also travel a fair bit though, and quite often, my… Continue reading Guest Post: Brian Tunney on Lincoln’s Melancholy by Joshua Wolf Shenk
William Gibson is justifiably renowned as one of the key founders of the now vast realm of cyberpunk. His 1984 novel Neuromancer was a foundation stone for a new style of futuristic fiction; high tech but gritty. The opening line of the novel said it all: “The sky above the port was the colour of… Continue reading Guest Post: Ashley Crawford on Spook Country by William Gibson
“I burned my only copy of Naked Lunch to start a fire.” — William S. Burroughs Jr. The Beats have always been of tangential interest to me. I have certainly enjoyed what I’ve read, as pedestrian as it has been (e.g., On The Road, “Howl,” some Burroughs, etc.), but the only writer associated with their… Continue reading Looking for the Perfect Beat (Poet)
