slashing up my crooked little veins
Once upon a time in the not-too-distant future (in distant days longing to sense it all so clear):
First things first: A belated congratulations to my cousin Theresa in Anchorage on her graduation from high school. And not only that she graduated in the top 20% meaning she is better than most (if not all) of you).
You are a bright and very smart girl who will one day be President of something spectacular. We are very proud of you.
From Angry Asian Man: Just another example of how privileged kids have no grasp of what it means to be the target of prejudice and stereotypes: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_519659.html , http://www.timesleader.com/news/ap?articleID=28056 and more at http://www.falloutcentral.com/news/2007/06/28/facebook-a-wonderful-forum-for-connecting-anti-asian-racists/. More proof that there exists a public perception that it is okay to hate Asian Americans to the point that kids can make a mock hate page and get away with it (the Facebook page was up for a YEAR before it was even taken down). If they targeted another minority you know you would hear more from the mainstream press about it.
Busy like crazy the next several weeks so silence from me coming up (not that anyone cares or anything anyway).
Slashing up my crooked little veins…
Hey, I finished reading another book: Crooked Little Vein by Warren Ellis
Not bad actually, not bad at all (unfortunately I may be biased as I am known to enjoy the madness of Warren Ellis).
Crooked Little Vein has to be read with a couple of things in mind. One, Warren Ellis has mentioned that he started the novel with no expectations of it actually ever seeing print, as he was being barraged by his agent to just get something written so she could show something to her bosses that she was doing what she gets paid to do so. Because of that non-expectation, Warren Ellis holds back very little in his descriptions of the depravity and fetishes of America. So keep that in mind, if you are easily shocked this may not be the book for you (the books ventures very often to Too Much Information territory).
Otherwise, just sit back and enjoy the fun ride.
The book is short (about three hundred pages) and a very quick read- it took me about five days to finish but if I sat down and read it straight through I think I could have finished it in a day. Adding to that there are chapters that are only a paragraph long and one or two that only contained a sentence.
So what does that mean? Warren Ellis does not waste space in long drawn out descriptions of settings and character and goes straight to the nitty gritty. This does not mean that the book lacked atmosphere, Warren Ellis has a way with words in that he can say so much in what others would take forever to get across. Part of it is in the structure and choice of wording but more of is comes from the attitude he instills in the story and the characters that inhibit the story. Now, coming to think of it, the attitude of the way the story is told is so strong, it is almost a character unto itself.
The novel is equal parts Raymond Chandler (it is a detective story after all and the main character Michael McGill is nothing more than the bastard son of Philip Marlowe), a bit of William Gibson (mostly from the character of Trix), X-Files type conspiracies and It’s A Mad, Mad World type road trip (imagine the Amazing Race where the contestants had to go to a country’s red light districts instead of the tourist destinations). The story tells of the search for America’s secret second Constitution- the one written on alien parchment by the Founding Fathers and was supposed to keep us moral and sane until it got lost fifty years ago.
Along the way we visit various parts of America and see how the lost constitution has impacted us by many visits to the underbellies of different cities (New York, Columbus, San Antonio, Las Vegas and Los Angeles). From McGill we see the horror in its insanity and from Trix we see the beauty in its individuality, idiosyncrasy and creativity.
So yeah, it is also the tale of some who likes something and some who does not and the bickering of the two. But in the end, McGill realizes and accepts the insanity and just another aspect of his and our lives and we learn that there are lines that someone as open to new experiences as Trix is can have a line that even she will not rightfully cross. It is as how I look at life- there has to be a balance of things, you cannot have too much of one thing. It is not that McGill and Trix compromise their beliefs; it is just that they (especially McGill) come to accept that diversity keeps life interesting.
It is a fight against the bland, the boring and the detritus that gets shoved down our throats by the mainstream and forces us to accept it as good. Yes, there are strange and even awful things that happen in a theatre where they show Godzilla films, in Texas (as an outsider living in that State, it is a welcome admission that I live in one of the weirdest places in the world) and even in a place as ordinary as Columbus, Ohio. But as Warren Ellis puts it with a smile in another of his books: It is a strange world. Let’s keep it that way.
The Good: If brevity is the soul of wit, this is the most soulful book you have ever read. A wonderful alternative to the brick like novels that go on forever, I could study this book just for the structure and the choice of words. Like Neil Gaiman, he can tell an entire story that will stick to your mind in a short sentence.
The book is also very laugh out funny. It has been a while since I have had so much fun reading a book.
McGill and Trix are also very compelling characters (although being very stock characters from Warren Ellis’ library). You feel sorry for McGill for being a shit magnet yet you find yourself cheering for him and Trix is the Suicide Girl of your dreams.
Could Have Been Better: I found myself needing a small break after all the depravity described in the book. It can be a bit much, but after a quick cleansing of the mind by viewing some muppet shorts, I got back into the saline shots, the ostriches and the horror/beauty of Los Angeles.
I could have also used some of the futurist commentary that Warren Ellis has in books like Transmetropolitan, but I hear that his next novel goes into Sci-Fi territory so I am sure there will be plenty of that.
(By the way, for fans of Warren Ellis, this novel is in the same crooked little vein as Desolation Jones and Fell)
Overall: A+, the best book that I have read so far all year.
Hey: I am still reading another Book: Harry Potter Se7en
I am almost 400 pages into the 700+ page book, just after the [SPOILER ALERT]* heroic death of Dobby. So far it is a good book, although [COMPLAINT TIME] not as good [yet?] as some of the earlier entries. There are sections of the book that still just drag without anything significant really happening. Usually this is where books expand on characterization, but the characters have already established, it just seems like they are wasting time on purpose. For about three chapters the main three just hop from one place to another and argue with one another and Harry just mopes about his inaction (unless the point is that this is the portion of the book that becomes a Wong Kar Wai film).
That said, when stuff does happen, it is pretty damn exciting. Characters die at a rate you would not believe- some pretty heavy characters do not even get a death scene!
And the chapter I just finished is the best one yet. Harry and Ron just got captured, taken to Malfoy Manor and are trying to break out as Hermione get tortured by Bellatrix. They have to get out-NOW! - and when all seems desperate but who shows up to save them but Dobby! The formerly annoying house elf basically becomes Neo here as he blasts our heroes out, crashes a chandelier onto the bad guys fighting those that enslaved him once and just save the day in such a fashion you just gotta cheer for the little guy.
Unfortunately he sustains a mortal wound, but he goes out with the satisfaction he did a great job.
All of a sudden, Harry Potter becomes a great episode of 24 and who would have thunk it that the house elf gets to be Jack Bauer? A very interesting change of pace for JK and here is hoping the rest of the book just picks up from here.
You know, despite my complaints, I did read 300+ pages in just two days so the book does tell a very compelling tale. And the take no prisoners approach is just awesome (and JK does take no prisoners and all of her characters are fair game which is an admiration I have for her).
The reading is going to slow down because of the work week but I should be done with this book by next week. By the way, there has got to be more about the Deathly Hollows than just being plot coupons.
*Saw the Meredith Vieira piece on the Potter phenomenon and wondering how many Scottish drugs she took during her all expenses trip to interview the author (ANSWER: All of Them).
UPDATE: The Battle of Hogwarts- just epic. Just awesome if any place in the series needed to be the site to a major engagement, it is that damned school. Dumbledore’s Army and the Order of the Phoenix plus some plucky students against the Sith, I mean Sauron and the Orcs, I mean Voldemort and the Death Eaters to the end- I just wish some of the Slytherin kids stayed to help out- I mean they cannot be all bad, can they?
ANOTHER UPDATE: I finished the book and I am glad to say that Snape truly is one magnificent if tragic bastard.
________________________________________________________________________
First things first: A belated congratulations to my cousin Theresa in Anchorage on her graduation from high school. And not only that she graduated in the top 20% meaning she is better than most (if not all) of you).
You are a bright and very smart girl who will one day be President of something spectacular. We are very proud of you.
From Angry Asian Man: Just another example of how privileged kids have no grasp of what it means to be the target of prejudice and stereotypes: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_519659.html , http://www.timesleader.com/news/ap?articleID=28056 and more at http://www.falloutcentral.com/news/2007/06/28/facebook-a-wonderful-forum-for-connecting-anti-asian-racists/. More proof that there exists a public perception that it is okay to hate Asian Americans to the point that kids can make a mock hate page and get away with it (the Facebook page was up for a YEAR before it was even taken down). If they targeted another minority you know you would hear more from the mainstream press about it.
Busy like crazy the next several weeks so silence from me coming up (not that anyone cares or anything anyway).
Slashing up my crooked little veins…
Hey, I finished reading another book: Crooked Little Vein by Warren Ellis
Not bad actually, not bad at all (unfortunately I may be biased as I am known to enjoy the madness of Warren Ellis).
Crooked Little Vein has to be read with a couple of things in mind. One, Warren Ellis has mentioned that he started the novel with no expectations of it actually ever seeing print, as he was being barraged by his agent to just get something written so she could show something to her bosses that she was doing what she gets paid to do so. Because of that non-expectation, Warren Ellis holds back very little in his descriptions of the depravity and fetishes of America. So keep that in mind, if you are easily shocked this may not be the book for you (the books ventures very often to Too Much Information territory).
Otherwise, just sit back and enjoy the fun ride.
The book is short (about three hundred pages) and a very quick read- it took me about five days to finish but if I sat down and read it straight through I think I could have finished it in a day. Adding to that there are chapters that are only a paragraph long and one or two that only contained a sentence.
So what does that mean? Warren Ellis does not waste space in long drawn out descriptions of settings and character and goes straight to the nitty gritty. This does not mean that the book lacked atmosphere, Warren Ellis has a way with words in that he can say so much in what others would take forever to get across. Part of it is in the structure and choice of wording but more of is comes from the attitude he instills in the story and the characters that inhibit the story. Now, coming to think of it, the attitude of the way the story is told is so strong, it is almost a character unto itself.
The novel is equal parts Raymond Chandler (it is a detective story after all and the main character Michael McGill is nothing more than the bastard son of Philip Marlowe), a bit of William Gibson (mostly from the character of Trix), X-Files type conspiracies and It’s A Mad, Mad World type road trip (imagine the Amazing Race where the contestants had to go to a country’s red light districts instead of the tourist destinations). The story tells of the search for America’s secret second Constitution- the one written on alien parchment by the Founding Fathers and was supposed to keep us moral and sane until it got lost fifty years ago.
Along the way we visit various parts of America and see how the lost constitution has impacted us by many visits to the underbellies of different cities (New York, Columbus, San Antonio, Las Vegas and Los Angeles). From McGill we see the horror in its insanity and from Trix we see the beauty in its individuality, idiosyncrasy and creativity.
So yeah, it is also the tale of some who likes something and some who does not and the bickering of the two. But in the end, McGill realizes and accepts the insanity and just another aspect of his and our lives and we learn that there are lines that someone as open to new experiences as Trix is can have a line that even she will not rightfully cross. It is as how I look at life- there has to be a balance of things, you cannot have too much of one thing. It is not that McGill and Trix compromise their beliefs; it is just that they (especially McGill) come to accept that diversity keeps life interesting.
It is a fight against the bland, the boring and the detritus that gets shoved down our throats by the mainstream and forces us to accept it as good. Yes, there are strange and even awful things that happen in a theatre where they show Godzilla films, in Texas (as an outsider living in that State, it is a welcome admission that I live in one of the weirdest places in the world) and even in a place as ordinary as Columbus, Ohio. But as Warren Ellis puts it with a smile in another of his books: It is a strange world. Let’s keep it that way.
The Good: If brevity is the soul of wit, this is the most soulful book you have ever read. A wonderful alternative to the brick like novels that go on forever, I could study this book just for the structure and the choice of words. Like Neil Gaiman, he can tell an entire story that will stick to your mind in a short sentence.
The book is also very laugh out funny. It has been a while since I have had so much fun reading a book.
McGill and Trix are also very compelling characters (although being very stock characters from Warren Ellis’ library). You feel sorry for McGill for being a shit magnet yet you find yourself cheering for him and Trix is the Suicide Girl of your dreams.
Could Have Been Better: I found myself needing a small break after all the depravity described in the book. It can be a bit much, but after a quick cleansing of the mind by viewing some muppet shorts, I got back into the saline shots, the ostriches and the horror/beauty of Los Angeles.
I could have also used some of the futurist commentary that Warren Ellis has in books like Transmetropolitan, but I hear that his next novel goes into Sci-Fi territory so I am sure there will be plenty of that.
(By the way, for fans of Warren Ellis, this novel is in the same crooked little vein as Desolation Jones and Fell)
Overall: A+, the best book that I have read so far all year.
Hey: I am still reading another Book: Harry Potter Se7en
I am almost 400 pages into the 700+ page book, just after the [SPOILER ALERT]* heroic death of Dobby. So far it is a good book, although [COMPLAINT TIME] not as good [yet?] as some of the earlier entries. There are sections of the book that still just drag without anything significant really happening. Usually this is where books expand on characterization, but the characters have already established, it just seems like they are wasting time on purpose. For about three chapters the main three just hop from one place to another and argue with one another and Harry just mopes about his inaction (unless the point is that this is the portion of the book that becomes a Wong Kar Wai film).
That said, when stuff does happen, it is pretty damn exciting. Characters die at a rate you would not believe- some pretty heavy characters do not even get a death scene!
And the chapter I just finished is the best one yet. Harry and Ron just got captured, taken to Malfoy Manor and are trying to break out as Hermione get tortured by Bellatrix. They have to get out-NOW! - and when all seems desperate but who shows up to save them but Dobby! The formerly annoying house elf basically becomes Neo here as he blasts our heroes out, crashes a chandelier onto the bad guys fighting those that enslaved him once and just save the day in such a fashion you just gotta cheer for the little guy.
Unfortunately he sustains a mortal wound, but he goes out with the satisfaction he did a great job.
All of a sudden, Harry Potter becomes a great episode of 24 and who would have thunk it that the house elf gets to be Jack Bauer? A very interesting change of pace for JK and here is hoping the rest of the book just picks up from here.
You know, despite my complaints, I did read 300+ pages in just two days so the book does tell a very compelling tale. And the take no prisoners approach is just awesome (and JK does take no prisoners and all of her characters are fair game which is an admiration I have for her).
The reading is going to slow down because of the work week but I should be done with this book by next week. By the way, there has got to be more about the Deathly Hollows than just being plot coupons.
*Saw the Meredith Vieira piece on the Potter phenomenon and wondering how many Scottish drugs she took during her all expenses trip to interview the author (ANSWER: All of Them).
UPDATE: The Battle of Hogwarts- just epic. Just awesome if any place in the series needed to be the site to a major engagement, it is that damned school. Dumbledore’s Army and the Order of the Phoenix plus some plucky students against the Sith, I mean Sauron and the Orcs, I mean Voldemort and the Death Eaters to the end- I just wish some of the Slytherin kids stayed to help out- I mean they cannot be all bad, can they?
ANOTHER UPDATE: I finished the book and I am glad to say that Snape truly is one magnificent if tragic bastard.
________________________________________________________________________
posted by Catterpillarboy at 3:09 AM
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