Hey, this is a continuation of the topic from this thread here.
I thought I’d continue this now that we’re a much bigger community.
I recently started a full collection (by Delphi Classics) of Edgar Allan Poe’s works. I’m still near the start (because it is a large collection of his entire repertoire).
And, on that note, I’m still going through Ambrose Bierce’s repertoire of novels, short stories, etc. (I think the collection I’m going through is also Delphi Classics).
I’ve also started Romance of the Three Kingdoms (of the recent English translation), specifically its first volume.
I kinda stalled on the two other novels a mentioned last time (Acceptance by Jeff VanderMeer and Book 2 of the Three-Body Problem series by Liu Cixin).
So, basically, I made more progress on the long-ass collection of Poe and Bierce’s entire list of works than I have for the two novels that I could probably get through in a day for both. 😅 But I don’t mind, tbh. I read a lot of good non-fiction books on the side and finished them (though we’re here to talk about specifically fiction in this thread). So it’s all good. Hell, I’m actually going to take a brief break from non-fiction to more “lighter” fictional works. I may start the next The High Republic novel next (the recent one in the spinoff series of novels that came out for the Star Wars EU under Disney about a year ago, I think). In addition, I’m still almost done with VanderMeer and Cixin’s work respectively so I’ll wrap them up and pick one more book (I… kinda have an itch to essentially read 6 fictional books at once, but mostly, I’m going to use the month to de-stress just in case I may need it; not because I recently got stress, but simply to be careful).
Not sure what else to say.
What are you reading in terms of fiction?
What will you read next?
Anything you like in particular?
Anything you didn’t really care for that much?
Discuss all that and more so long as it has to do with written fiction or anything related to it.
👍👍
Might as well try to hijack the topic to ask a question. So awhile ago, I’ve read an American sci-fi novel from around 1960’s. It depicted a future where advertisement companies basically run the entire world, with some seriously underhanded methods (i.e. putting an addictive chemical into a popular caffeinated drink to make it even more popular). In fact, they actively lament being forbidden from using infrasound in TV ads. The protagonist is a top manager in the largest Ad company, but by accident finds himself at the bottom of the social ladder (growing chlorella in South America) and gets to experience firsthand the virulent media he and his colleagues have created.
I think the book was called something like “Project Venus”, but searching that name only brings up some weird futurist projects. If anyone happens to know which book that is, I highly recommend it.
EDIT: it is Space Merchants by Cyril M. Kornbluth and Frederik Pohl. Thanks to @PropagandaBot@lemmygrad.ml
There are a lot of things predicted that we are living through right now. Product placement everywhere, dwindling living conditions of the working class (even as the capital owners cruise through life), privatization of law enforcement, etc. It’s not a communist book by any margin, but I still feel the fine folks here might find it enjoyable.
I’m pretty sure it is Space Merchants by Cyril M. Kornbluth and Frederik Pohl.
Well whaddaya know, that’s exactly the book! Thank you!
No problem, human comrade.
Sounds exactly like something you’d read from the 1960s since a lot of titles were experimental (and more standalone which meant that they were, well, again, doubly experimental in their content). I would imagine that this made things more focused.
But yeah, interesting title. Thanks for bringing it up.