The Books/Reading Thread

[Einherjar86]

That Zimmerman book sounds fascinating, looked at some reviews. The antihumanism element caught my eye, as it reminded me of Thomas Pynchon's representation of the Hereros in Gravity's Rainbow, in which they comprise one of the novel's plots. Pynchon fictionalizes a group of Hereros adopted into the German military to fight in World War II, but they assume a kind of counter-counter-revolutionary status and an effort to break from German bondage by so radically assuming the genocidal mantle that they deny the Germans their identity (as I understand it, it's a weird fucking book). In other words, they actively become the inhuman/subhuman others that the Germans made them out to be, and derive a revolutionary sense of agency from this inhuman state:

They call themselves Otukungurua. Yes, old African hands, it ought to be "Omakungurua," but they are always careful--perhaps it's less healthy than care--to point out that oma- applies only to the living and human. Otu- is for the inanimate and the rising, and this is how they imagine themselves. Revolutionaries of the Zero, they mean to carry on what began among the old Hereros after the 1904 rebellion failed. They want a negative birth rate. The program is racial suicide. They would finish the extermination the Germans began in 1904.

It goes on and gets more interesting, but Pynchon was fascinated by the implications of colonialism in South Africa in the latter half of the nineteenth century, and its effects in the twentieth century.

 

[viewerfromnihil]

Sound's intriguing. I'll definitely have to put it on my reading list. The German experience in colonialism is an odd one, filled with rhetoric, backed by half-measures and incompetence (not unusual by Wilhelm II's standards), and the genocide of the Herero is reflective of this.

Interesting little note on late 19th century German anthropology I got from Zimmerman: freak shows and theatrical exhibitions of brown people in Berlin was the "field work" that built the empirical basis of German anthropology before venturing out to the colonies became common practice in the 20th century.

 

[The Ozzman]

when did this militarization happen for you ozz man

I've always had an interest in military things generally. My interest has just intensified lately. I would still join the military if I weren't so fat haha. I should have joined after I graduated high school tbh.

 

[Einherjar86]

Interesting little note on late 19th century German anthropology I got from Zimmerman: freak shows and theatrical exhibitions of brown people in Berlin was the "field work" that built the empirical basis of German anthropology before venturing out to the colonies became common practice in the 20th century.

Yeah I read about this in the reviews! That's so interesting, and speaks directly to the observer paradox that anthropology would go on to grapple with in the next couple decades. It also reflects something of the German sociopolitical mentality that they were able to so easily (and unproblematically?) approach Naturvölker in this way.

You may enjoy Gravity's Rainbow in terms of its content and themes, if you can tolerate the deliberately goofy prose and dream-sequence passages. Pynchon has done a lot of research on German history and it shows. A lot of literary scholars have documented the multitude of references to German politics and history throughout the novel. In short, Gravity's Rainbow is a fever dream about the strangeness and sheer gargantuan-ness of World War II.

 

[Blurry_Dreams]

Just found out that a line from my review appeared in the paperback edition of William Christie's A Single Spy as part of the praise for the book section.

wow
awesome

 

[TageRyche]

wow
awesome

Thanks, I was pretty psyched to see that myself.

 

[dwellerINTHEdark]

Wonder if the series is any good.

 

[Einherjar86]

I watched the first couple episodes, which I thought were good. Then I fell too far behind and lost access to the third and fourth episodes.

The book is excellent though, in my opinion. I'm not a huge Simmons fan, but I think The Terror offers a great combination of suspenseful horror and fantasy.

He's also the author of the Hyperion Cantos, which is an epic sci-fi series.

 

[The Ozzman]

I finished Kris Paronto's book. Up next:

 

[TageRyche]

I reviewed the D.B. John thriller Star of the North for Mystery Scene magazine. You can check it out HERE!

 

[Einherjar86]

Nice haul at the Harvard Bookstore's warehouse clearance sale:

 

[Dak]

Nice haul at the Harvard Bookstore's warehouse clearance sale:

After reading a synopsis and reviews I want to read this, although I'm pretty sure I'm going to be shaking my head the whole time. Also did not realize Jameson was at Duke.

Currently mostly finished with Dune for the first time. I know it's place early in modern SciFi, but I have to say it's left me rolling my eyes from the moment Paul "awakens" or whatever. Maybe I've been permanently scarred on this stuff by The Sword of Truth series.

 

[Sirjack]

Nice haul at the Harvard Bookstore's warehouse clearance sale:

I just finished Arkady and Boris' Monday Begins on Saturday. Fantastic. Bonkers as hell but a really good read. The Doomed City is supposedly just as sublime.

 

[The Ozzman]

Currently mostly finished with Dune for the first time. I know it's place early in modern SciFi, but I have to say it's left me rolling my eyes from the moment Paul "awakens" or whatever. Maybe I've been permanently scarred on this stuff by The Sword of Truth series.

There was a great quote within the first 10 pages of the book so I hope it keeps delivering gems like that. It is going to be super long and require 100% of my attention while reading it. I have a feeling it will go on my 'I started reading this and then decided to restart at another time when I'm more in the mood' pile though. I have half a dozen books in that category right now.

 

[Master_Yoda77]

I just started re-reading the Lord of the Rings since it's been about a decade and that's a series that deserves to be read at least every decade. I'm already picking up new things in the first couple of chapters that I either missed the other couple of times through as a kid or I simply forgot.

 

[Einherjar86]

I just finished Arkady and Boris' Monday Begins on Saturday. Fantastic. Bonkers as hell but a really good read. The Doomed City is supposedly just as sublime.

This is good to hear. I've only read Roadside Picnic, which was also bonkers. Looking forward to getting into this one.

 

[Dak]

Next on the list:

 

[The Ozzman]

Next on the list:

Dude this is on my list too. Heard the author on a podcast and got super intrigued. Let me know how it is.

 

[Dak]

Dude this is on my list too. Heard the author on a podcast and got super intrigued. Let me know how it is.

It's been repeatedly repped for milpsychs so had to get it.

 

[dwellerINTHEdark]