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I think the Magus is a magnificent piece of work. It needs to be read as a teenager I think to get the full sense of wonder that Fowles was attempting to create.

For anyone who wants a clearer idea of what Fowles was trying to achieve I recommend Le Grand Meaulnes (1913), by Alain-Fournier. The sense of magical realism is present in both novels and the earlier one was a strong influence on the Magus.

It shouldn’t be forgotten that the Magus was begun and largely written when Fowles was a young man himself (hence why I think youth is the best way to experience it). I actually like the way that the reader is manipulated in the same way as Mr Urfe, it merely served to pull me further into his world.

I think the tales that Conchis tells Nicolas are fantastic stories in their own right, I have been attempting to start a script based on the story of the man living in the forest for years.

I personally prefer the French Lieutenant’s Woman but the Magus is a worthy companion. Has anyone read Daniel Martin or A Maggot? I thnk at that point, unfortunately, Fowles lost touch with what made a great story and became too obsessed with his philosophical musings.
Whatever you do though, do not see the film of the Magus. As Woody Allen once said;
"If I had to live my life again, I'd do everything the same, except that I wouldn't see The Magus."
 
does anyone know of any good books by jim carrol i just read the one he did as a sequel to the basketball diaries a little wile ago and i was trying to decide what to read next.
 
I think those were the only books he wrote (?). But listen to Catholic Boy, it's a great album.

I just finished Ubik by Philip K. Dick and The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon. Both incredible mindfuck novels, right up my alley. Dick is cyberpunk-y sci-fi with undertones of drug induced psychosis, yum. I've read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and A Scanner Darkly a few times each. I don't feel guilty reading Dick because he creates a synthesis of plot driven 'genre fiction' (which is generally so-so in terms of quality) and great literary writing.
 
World needs more cyberpunk on the shelves, IMO.

There isn't enough to choose from, I may dilly dally and doodle some thoughts sooner than later.
 
Looking for books like Mr. Nice, Snowblind, Grafters.
Crime books from a criminals perspective that are fast moving and funny.
Cheers.
 
Just got home from work and am very tired so my memory fails me right now, regardless of how much I love similar books. I'll try and get back to you with more recommendations but in the meantime MR NASTY by Cameron White was good fun as was Leaving Dirty Jersey by James Salant.
 
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Are you a William Gibson fan? I dig him. I dig his short story 'Hinterlands' from the collection Burning Chrome so much, I don't even know how to express how much I dig it.
 
Yeh William Gibson is the goods =D

Have you read Neuropath by R.Scott Bakker. It is the epitome of awesomeness.
 
Nope, I will check it out though. And by check it out I mean steal it from a large-chain book store.

Cyperpunk is shweet but I also like to get in some economic space opera sometimes, if you know what I mean. Who here likes Frank Herbert (of Dune fame) and the Foundation series by Asimov? Beyond classic.
 
lol. rank Herbert fan yes, but funnily enough I haven't gotten around to any Asimov. Ever. One day.
 
PROTIP:
Skip the film version of Fantastic Voyage, unless you're a fan of Andromeda Strain (the movie) and other cult movies.
 
Re Herbert:
Finished Dune: Chapterhouse recently, completing the set originally written by Frank Herbert. I loved it, despite taking a two-year hiatus from the series after being completely disillusioned by Heretics of Dune; I still say the sequel is far superior.

Will probably reread the series again soon, maybe even before LOTR; I just love the way the Dune universe's complexity always keeps you on your toes.

Re Asimov:
Honestly, the only Asimov book I've read that wasn't nonfiction (and for the record, his nonfiction is outstanding; the man had a skill at breaking down topics for the layman unsurpassed even by my other idol Carl Sagan) was Asimov's Mysteries, a collection of some of his earliest short stories. It's out of print, but I can't recommend it enough (though I'm biased, since it strongly influenced my own writing).
 
i loved the early dune books, but i could never get through heretics. Maybe i should give it another shot so i can get to the next one
 
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Reading it for an English 434 class on the beats, good stuff so far, one book i look forward to keeping and re reading at the end of the semester. I was into the guys you often hear about, Ginsberg, Burroughs, Kerouac. But there are so many others out there with phenomonol works, Snyder, Ferlinghetti, and Corso to name a few.
 
Mysterie said:
Jack Kerouac & W.S. Burroughs And The Hippos Were Boiled in Their Tanks

Ive just finished reading that and it was a pretty enjoyable and easy read especially after being interested in those authors for ages
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great book. i just read this as well a couple months ago.

just started getting into david foster wallace, ive read brief interviews with hideous men and a supposedly fun thing ill never do again. im going to see about getting a copy of infinite jest shortly.

im sure theyve been discussed on here, but has anybody read 48 laws of power, the art of seduction, or 33 strategies of war? awesome reads, very much like the prince.

ive mostly been reading books on zen lately but threw in nietzsche beyond good and evil which i hadnt read in a while.
 
You gotta post shit about books in the forum about books yo. :) moved to words, it dont belong in DC.
 
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