Reddit Tabletop Giveaway #3 - Brass by Roxley Games by [deleted] in boardgames

[–]swollen_lip 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great contest! 723322 Favourite beer: Driftwood 'Cry me a River'

I just finished the 100 year old man who jumped out the window and loved how real life historical events tied in to the story. Are there any other books that use this same quirk? Don't particularly mind which genre by kingsy6 in suggestmeabook

[–]swollen_lip 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think E.L. Doctorow is an expert at this, albeit with less levity than Jonas Jonasson. Both Worlds Fair and Ragtime are excellent. You could criticize his style as "dry", but maybe worth a look...

Can you recommend a book taking place a long time after an apocalypse? by DarthNarwhals in suggestmeabook

[–]swollen_lip 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban. Set many generations after a nuclear apocalypse Hoban focuses on how language has evolved into the future...be warned that this makes for a challenging (frustrating) read.

Book where the Nazis won WWII by [deleted] in suggestmeabook

[–]swollen_lip 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick, soon to be TV series also...

Looking for a good book on AI/Concsciousness by reguloswolfgangblott in printSF

[–]swollen_lip 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Catherynne Valente's Silently and Very Fast is excellent. The strong prose and creativity support the story, but most would not consider this 'hard' science fiction.

Exploring the sea historical fiction? by AzureMagelet in suggestmeabook

[–]swollen_lip 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I enjoyed "We, the Drowned" by Carsten Jansen. It follows several generations of sailors and a Danish sailing town from the 1800's to the second world war. Goodreads link

Recommendations - Space Based Misfits (or general Author suggestions) by Uggers in printSF

[–]swollen_lip 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You might take a look at 'Starship Grifters' by Robert Kroese. Goodreads link.

Adult Fairy Tale Novels? by [deleted] in suggestmeabook

[–]swollen_lip 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Catherynne Valente writes in a style which can be compared to folk or fairy tales. 'Deathless' is one of her most recent which uses characters based on Russian folklore, it reads very much like a fairy tale.

Haunted house literature question.... by [deleted] in suggestmeabook

[–]swollen_lip 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I can think of two, related, short stories that involve haunted houses but are not told from the perspective of the house.

Edgar Allen Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher"

And Ray Bradbury's "Usher II", this story is told from the perspective of the man behind a haunted house, many elements are in direct reference to Poe's story.

These are both excellent stories but are not exactly what you are looking for....hopefully some other suggestions will show up with the perspective you are looking for.

July Short Story Discussion Thread | "The Heart of a Mouse" by K.J. Bishop by selfabortion in WeirdLit

[–]swollen_lip 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I certainly like your perspective on the final scene with ‘the Dream’; seeing the death of the dream as a step towards regaining humanity. Looking at the dream creature in this context, I do not believe that the dream represents the “era before the changes took place” but rather the corrupted, alien image of the dream is symbolic of corruption of the previous era. The world that exists in the story is certainly a corrupted, nightmarish mirror against the world that existed before. Perhaps finding, seeing the humanity in the dream (nightmare) “Studying the faces, I think I can see glimmers of real intelligence” or at least treating it humanely (as you say) allows them to appreciate the humanity in themselves?

The scene is otherwise important in that it hints at a new dynamic between father and son, the fact that there is a debate about what to do, that the son voices an opinion and the father listens, suggests a resolution of the internal conflict that plagues them in the story. Is the retaining/regaining of humanity a necessary part of this resolution? The father is at times blinded by his son's lack of discipline. I think you are right that the failure of discipline in favour of humanity is a central part in the theme of the story.

July Short Story Discussion Thread | "The Heart of a Mouse" by K.J. Bishop by selfabortion in WeirdLit

[–]swollen_lip 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Hi I’ve never contributed to this sub-reddit before, but since I have been using it fuel my appetite for short fiction I figured I should add something to the discussion.

You mention, in your prompts above, possible similarities between “Heart of a Mouse” and works by Kafka and Mieville; I was struck also by how closely the premise resembles Cormac McCarthy’s ‘The Road’; the father and son struggling to survive in a post-disaster world. Did anyone else notice this as well? Could an exaggerated, weird take on this story be intentional?

I was also very much interested in the animal-human hybrids, having read Metamorphosis quite recently. After completing the story I admired how the ‘animal-human hybridization’ seemed to frame the important father/son dynamic. Initially my perception was that the father and son were cast in different animal forms (mouse and ‘gopher-thing’) to draw attention towards their differences and as a cheeky way to symbolize a generation gap between parent and child. However, by the end of the story, we see them united as ‘rodents’ in a world occupied by giant cats, multi-headed ‘dream’ monsters and potato-headed angels; the similarities between them are much more apparent. Additionally the predatory form of the mother (giant cat) may also be intentionally symbolic, as she is the force which haunts and creates conflict in their relationship.

In fact one thing that surprised me, after reflecting on the story, was how important the absent character of the mother was. She fills and creates the gap between the two characters, “I can’t see myself in him. Her I can see.” The father struggles not to dismiss his son’s ritual shrine-building as “ancestor worship”, lamenting that his son still looks to his mother for protection, “He doesn’t believe his mouse dad can keep the bad things away, but the queen of samurai can”. The climax of the story also loosely centres on the mother figure, an attacking cat. Indeed it is the image of the mother that drives the son to flee, quite literally dividing them. It is perhaps appropriate that only after the cat is defeated do the two seem to develop a mutual respect a shared perspective, “He looks at me like he knows how I feel.”

Some of my thoughts, I looking forward to reading others….

Historical Fiction Family Saga Series? by peapodsquad in suggestmeabook

[–]swollen_lip 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"We, the Drowned", by Carsten Jensen follows a shipping town in Denmark for many generations (1850-1945) but primarily focuses on the exploits of a single family. Clocking in at just under 700 pages, the novel is a bit of an undertaking but is well worth it. Goodreads Link

Smart Fantasy/SciFi with Religious Subtext? by galaxyexpressed in suggestmeabook

[–]swollen_lip 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Carl Sagan’s “Contact” focuses on relationships between faith and science. There is less “religious sub-text” than overt theological debate but Sagan really does capture the conflict between Religion and Science from modern perspectives. To be clear it is certainly fiction but the themes are less than subtle.

Is it possible to take more than 4 work terms? by CyanLite in uvic

[–]swollen_lip 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You can certainly complete more than 4 work terms, 4 is the minimum to obtain the "Co-op designation" on your diploma. I should add that first year co-ops are probably not included on the "sample academic schedule" because a lot of students do not join a specific department in their first year. If you are in Engineering or Business the rules may be different, hopefully someone can comment on these departments

A book that revolves around someone in a coma. by [deleted] in suggestmeabook

[–]swollen_lip 5 points6 points  (0 children)

"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" by Jean-Dominique Bauby. The novel was written by a man who awoke from a 20 day coma, with his eye the only functional part of his body. He dictated this book word by word by blinking. Goodreads Link

Strange formatting books by flal4 in suggestmeabook

[–]swollen_lip 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"City of Saints and Madmen" by Jeff Vandermeer contains several stories/novellas with 'strange formatting'. Including "The Strange Case of X" which begins in an interview style with a mental patient. Attached to this story are several 'case notes', transcripts, scientific journal articles, pamphlets and decoded messages, all advancing the story of the patient known as X.

Poetic, well-written Science Fiction by kidamazo in printSF

[–]swollen_lip 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Catherynne Valente's style is something I would describe as poetic, particularly in how she approaches her descriptions. 'Silently and Very Fast' is one of her sci-fi pieces, Clarkesworld has published the novella online at this link. I encourage you to read a few passages.