Passarola Rising -- thread discussion for those into novels

[JayKeeley]

Just wanted to bring this to your attention (for anyone that cares, heh):

So the interesting part of this isn't necessarily the novel itself, because I haven't read it yet, but the author is my cousin. He's also one of my best friends (we were best men at each other's weddings etc) and it's just pretty cool to see that he got his novel published by Viking Penguin. I'm feeling kinda proud for him today, heh.

I thought people like Sirloin, NAD, lizard etc might be interested. Here's an article about it in the Melbourne newspaper (he lives down under): http://www.theage.com.au/news/books/a-writers-duty-to-spread-his-wings/2006/02/09/1139465789696.html

Kinda cool that Salman Rushdie's invited him to the NY press conference thingy. He's coming over to NY so we get to hang out.

I'm off to lunch now and go buy the book.

 

[lizard]

cool...I'll have to check this out...I'm not always a fan of mentally taxing reading tho

 

[JayKeeley]

You know what it is -- this dude got his degree from Imperial in Electronic Engineering, then he went off to Oz to get his MBA and now he's an investment banker living the rat race. On the side, he kept up with his writing and finally got published. It just gives some of us hope that you can get out of the rat race and "follow your dreams" -- it does happen!

 

[Dick Sirloin]

Whoa, this sounds like my sort of deal.

Now give it 50 years, let it be hailed as a "dense postmodern masterpiece", and I might give it a chance. :Spin:

Seriously, looks pretty cool. I'll pick it up if I ever see it in Borders. Your cousin is truly living the dream.

 

[Conspicuously Absent]

I prefer light fun reading myself.

 

[MFJ]

man I need to read more.

 

[Conspicuously Absent]

I read fantasy novels and humourous books.

 

[lizard]

right now I'm reading the new Beatles biography. Just got to the part where the Maharishi puts his suave and deboner moves on mia farrow, and she flees India.

 

[JayKeeley]

Just picked this up at lunch at the local Barnes & Noble. It's pretty surreal walking in and seeing this on the "New Releases" table at the front entrance.

The endorsement on the back of the book is by Thomas Kenealy (author of Schindler's List) and Ignacio Padilla (author of Antipodes and Shadow without a Name -- who?). But anyway, wtf?! I know someone who's semi-famous.

Oh well, back to the 9-5 rat race. Blah.

 

[NAD]

Wow, really cool man. Yeah I'll pick this up pretty soon. Hey did you ever read The Satanic Verses?

I'm on my lunch break because I'm not a successful writer. D'OH!

 

[JayKeeley]

Wow, really cool man. Yeah I'll pick this up pretty soon.

Heh, honestly I'm not endorsing it or anything. More that I'm just enamored at the thought of someone I know breaking out of the rut and actually turning their true passion into something real.

Hey did you ever read The Satanic Verses?

No, but I will. I suppose I feel obligated to read this first. Did you click on the link above for the newspaper article? How weird is it that someone like Salman Rushdie has taken notice already.

I'm on my lunch break because I'm not a successful writer. D'OH!

I took a 2 hour lunch break today, out of pure spite.

 

[NAD]

Hey I read the first 85 pages. Good stuff! Hoping something real controversial happens, the way it feels it could go either way, but yeah.

 

[JayKeeley]

Hey I read the first 85 pages. Good stuff! Hoping something real controversial happens, the way it feels it could go either way, but yeah.

Oh you got this? Cool. I'm at the exact same spot as you -- chapter 13. I like it! It reads nicely, with that old antiquated feel and it's interesting how he's made the fantastical elements appear to seem real even in that old historic time. (old Saracens using large glass spheres to dive into the sea to view the coral reefs etc etc).

The only part I didn't much care for was chapter 7 & 8 -- I'm not a fan of that love story with Maria on the side. It just seemed to come out of nowhere and break the momentum a little.

He keeps sending me e-mails, eager to see if I've finished it yet.

 

[Nate The Great]

I just read this thread.

It seems I might like to buy this book. I'll see how much it is on amazon or buy.com.

 

[NAD]

So far Maria is a cunt, but at least she knows it.

I got really sad when he left his dog behind.

 

[Nate The Great]

I got really sad when he left his dog behind.

Oh shit! I don't know if I can read this now.

 

[JayKeeley]

Oh shit! I don't know if I can read this now.

I haven't finished the book yet (right now the Passarola has been shot down over the ocean, rescued by the French navy, and now being hunted by the Russian fleet!! -- the drama!!! ).....but I suspect there might be a happy ending with the dog. Or at least I hope so.

And I also hope you weren't watching HBO last night -- there was a documentary about the kennels 'down south' which hold dogs before they're sent off to labs for experiements. All the hidden camera footage was sickening and this is BEFORE they even get to the labs.

Poor dogs -- the sad thing is, most of them were loved pets that these bastards (called "bunchers") had stolen and sold off to the kennels at $20 a pop.

 

[Nate The Great]

I haven't finished the book yet (right now the Passarola has been shot down over the ocean, rescued by the French navy, and now being hunted by the Russian fleet!! -- the drama!!! ).....but I suspect there might be a happy ending with the dog. Or at least I hope so.

And I also hope you weren't watching HBO last night -- there was a documentary about the kennels 'down south' which hold dogs before they're sent off to labs for experiements. All the hidden camera footage was sickening and this is BEFORE they even get to the labs.

Poor dogs -- the sad thing is, most of them were loved pets that these bastards (called "bunchers") had stolen and sold off to the kennels at $20 a pop.

I get chocked up whenever I see that footage of Sadam's cronies putting a dog in a gas chamber of some sort to do experiments. The dog starts to wobble, then it just falls over because it's so dizzy.

 

[NAD]

Oh shit! I don't know if I can read this now.

It's just that one part, but still. We're dog people, we know the score.

I haven't finished the book yet (right now the Passarola has been shot down over the ocean, rescued by the French navy, and now being hunted by the Russian fleet!! -- the drama!!! ).....but I suspect there might be a happy ending with the dog. Or at least I hope so.

And I also hope you weren't watching HBO last night -- there was a documentary about the kennels 'down south' which hold dogs before they're sent off to labs for experiements. All the hidden camera footage was sickening and this is BEFORE they even get to the labs.

Poor dogs -- the sad thing is, most of them were loved pets that these bastards (called "bunchers") had stolen and sold off to the kennels at $20 a pop.

Honestly, I couldn't watch something like that, and I don't just mean because I don't have cable. There is nothing NOTHING worse than seeing an animal in fear of pain, and since dogs are my favorite creature in the world, it's very difficult. I was there to watch my ex-broad's giant German Shephard get put down and it was the most difficult experience in my entire life so far. But at least he went peacefully.

Anyhow, finished this last night. I quite liked it, and will certainly read another of his in the future. It was like Rushdie-light in a lot of ways, but I hope he gets weirder in future works (although toward the end it's a bit out there). Anyhow, tell yer cuz to keep up the good work!

 

[JayKeeley]

Cool man! When I finish it we can discuss. I'll pass on your words.

Not sure if you read that Age article but he wrote a short story about the mechanics behind the flying carpet from "Arabian Nights". Apparently he wrote it in such a way that some people thought it was a viable explanation -- you know, in the same way he describes the vacuum copper spheres lifting the ship. Anyway, apparently after reading the story, there were groups of people in Iran actually questioning whether flying carpets really existed.

Then he was accused of being a hoax.