Podcast Book Review: The Simulacra by Philip K. Dick

The Simulacra by Philip K. Dick

Paperback, 214 pages

Published May 14th 2002 by Random House Vintage Books (first published 1964)

Yeah, so we have A Russian telekinetic piano player, time travel, Robot presidents and actresses cast in the role of the ultra-powerful First lady, hyper packed apartment buildings with class-organized populations and a Jug-band with a Martian pet with the power of suggestion. Oh, don't for the dudes build and Martian shuttle Jalopies and a political revolution.

Our episode of Dickheads podcast about it...We were lucky enough to have author Cody Goodfellow stop by and give his thoughts on this wacky post-apocalyptic book with a whopping 56 named characters. This one is packed with highbrow humor along with all the regular Dickian elements. Plus: Dick's Divorcepedia. The Japanese Linda Ronstadt. And I finally hate some things (fortunately none of them is this novel.)

Book Review: Adjustment Day by Chuck Palahniuk

Adjustment Day by Chuck Palahniuk

Hardcover, 316 pages

Published May 2018 by W. W. Norton & Company

I kinda accidentally read this. I am a mild CP fan, having read all his novels early on, and having met him and having a really cool conversation with him at the 2005 Stoker awards I always root for the guy. That said it had been a few years I was waiting for hold book to come in at the library and just saw this sitting on the new release shelf. What the hell. I had heard nothing about it, knew nothing going and dove in.

CP is most well known for his classic of social satire from 1996 Fight Club, or at least the movie that came a mere three years later. If he was never to write another book these would be two perfect bookends. Fight Club deconstructs a period of Gen-X assimilation and shows men desperately trying to express their inner bottled rage. 2018 when this book is released is a very different world. The internet and social media platform gives assholes a shield to hide behind as they express resentment and hatred that has building up as the world kills off old regressive thinking. The Alt-right can create a screen name and use it as an avatar to express racist ideas that in the past were being smothered out in shadows. Far right extremism expressed in things ranging from birther-ism to outrage over female Ghostbusters is the world this novel is reacting to.

Adjustment Day is about a one day revolution when all the hopes and dreams of the Alt-Right come true. Short of the disappearance of people they disagree with the country is re-organized into smaller sections of areas designed around race, culture, sexual orientation and so on. The novel has some funny moments of world building inside the new nations of Blacktopia, Gaysia, and Caucasia. This is where the satire gets biting and intense. CP has never ever worried about offending people in fact I think it is a game to him. There is lots of humor that comes from the various stereotypes that come from this cultures that the novel plays with. Some of the things that made me uncomfortable was the jive-talk in Blacktopia and forced breeding program in Gaysia.

Much is made of the gender of these revolutionaries early in the novel, the idea is that these massive changes happen when society has a too many idle young men. Capitalism and the system are planning to start a war in the middle east to decrease this population but too late. These men seeking a new world have a list they put up on line the "Least Wanted" for they want to see killed. I think this part is an interesting reaction to the internet mobs that we often see start out of online debate.

You might have noticed something. I made it this far into the review and have yet to mention a single character. Here in lies the problem with this book. There are many ideas at work, good ones. There are many statements being made, good ones. There are plenty of interesting questions and situations at play here that do a good job of highlighting the bad ideas being many of the extreme right. All that is true. But is there a story? Not much of one to be honest.

Without a story to hook me, I didn't really find myself wanting to rush to this book. There is one interesting character, a woman named Shasta and an alt-right guy who obsessed with her, but after CP introduces her in the 50 pages she is forgotten. This novel is a soapbox without a strong enough narrative, and for that reason I was pretty bored by the end.

Book Review: Revelations by Barry N. Malzberg

Revelations by Barry N. Malzberg

Published 1972 by Warner Paperback Library

146 pages

Mass Market Paperback

This is an interesting Malzberg novel and it is the middle book in an unofficial trilogy that he wrote that was intensely critical of the modern (at the time) space program. This series of books started with his attempt to write a mainstream Science Fiction novel with Falling Astronauts and went gonzo in the end with Beyond Apollo.

On the surface, it seems that the focus of this novel is not the space program but a TV show that gives the book the title. Revelations is a Jerry Springer like show years before that circus was a thing. The host in this show Marvin Martin interviews people one on one and the show is about exposing their twisted and perverse secrets for ratings. This is an interesting set-up for a near-future sci-fi novel the problem is the author's passion at the time for questioning the space program. Malzberg told during our Dickheads podcast interview that he didn't like the unrealistic boy scout imagine that NASA and government portrayed of the astronauts. One could argue that played a role in the downfall of the space program that was one the world couldn't relate to as it changed in the late '60s.

The Rediscovery edition with BM's afterword was published in a curious window that afforded the author to take a victory lap when the novel appeared to predict the demise of the NASA space program during that window between Apollo and the space shuttle. Of course, NASA would rebound with the shuttle and the far more important work of the Voyager probes. The story-line of Walter Monaghan a former moon traveler was a distraction from the most interesting aspects of the story. To me, I wanted to know more about Hurwitz the producer of the show and the host Martin.

The way mass media turned misery into profit was something Malzberg nailed more than a decade before the gotcha TV shows were a big deal. It is all done with the aspects you expect from the gonzo new wave sci-fi authors. Paranoid unreliable narrators, sadistic psychosexual manipulation, horrible political realities and much much more. This is a quick read, and while I know the author considers it one of his best I don't personally think it holds up as well as Beyond Apollo. That one had psychic snakes on Venus but I still think that one holds up better. Still, it is worth a read for fans of genre fiction of the era.

Check the interview I did with Barry this year for Dickheads. He talks about this novel several times.

Book Review: Transmetropolitan, Vol. 1: Back on the Street by Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson (Illustrator)

Transmetropolitan, Vol. 1: Back on the Street

by Warren Ellis

and Darick Robertson (Illustrator)

Darick Robertston (Illustrator)

Rodney Ramos (Illustrator)

Nathan Eyring (Illustrator)

I am not a big reading of Graphic novels these days but I am a long time fan of the Hellblazer series. and it occurred to me the other day that I needed to read more original works by the writers who wrote many of my favorite storylines. Now this book is right up my sleeve. I am a fan of Ellis and have read/reviewed some of his prose before. This comic series is trashy sci-fi, like a gritty dystopic cyberpunk that is heavy on the punk.

The story of Spider Jerusalem a Caustic journalist who makes John Constantine look respectable. Shaved head, tattoos and a body that looks like it is barely surviving meth addiction. He lives with a two-headed cat who smokes Russian cigarettes. He lives in a shit-hole writing columns about the government and the violent repression in the drug invested city that makes Dredd's Megacity look like Beverley Hills.

There are moments it is hard to believe that this was written in 1998. The art looks like old school comics which gives this an even more displaced feeling. Spider uses a typewriter that looks like a laptop, the way news and TV work in this series are very forward-thinking. As a serious Philip K Dick head I approved of many elements that were Dickish. I liked the challenging nature of it.

I know I am late to the party but I am excited to read as much of this series as I can find.

Book Review: Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein

Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein

Paperback, 528 pages

Published October 1991 by Ace (first published July 1961)

Hugo Award for Best Novel (1962)

Prometheus Hall of Fame Award (1987)

My reading theme for this year is retro-science fiction. I mean I am already reading A Philip K Dick book a month for the podcast, but now for better or worse, I am reading all of the winners of the Hugo for best novel in the '60s. In 1962 the book considered Robert Heinlein's all-time masterpiece won the Hugo for best novel. He already won for Starship Troopers two years and would go on to win for Moon is a Harsh Mistress in the sixties alone. You can already listen to Starship Troopers of Dickheads podcast sound cloud page.

I will be recording this one soon, but our release schedule is all over the place, so in the meantime here is my review.

Look I grok that this is a classic of Science Fiction, the word masterpiece is thrown around and I can see why in 1962 it seemed like a bold achievement. It is my belief that you have to consider when a book was written when judging the characteristics that make it a classic. I am Legend is classic and it holds up really well today.

I actually quite enjoy out of date science fiction in many ways it is a more interesting window into the time than contemporary books of the past. A book written in 1961 about 1961 is of course a more direct window but how did RHH envision a future during that time. That is interesting to me. Even if you end up with a book that is sexist, homophobic and perhaps if I am being generous unintentionally racist.

It is too late to strip this book of the classic status it is has generated but goddamn is it a dinosaur of the time it was released. I understand that some of the progressive ideas of free-love and self-determinism were pretty revolutionary in America at the time. I am not sure how it was read overseas but also the questioning of religion was also pretty hardcore for the time.

None the less this is Heinlein we're talking about who can write super libertarian in one novel and then go crypto-fascist in another novel like Starship Troopers. So I suppose it shouldn't be too surprised when he has off-handed remarks blaming rape victims or glorification of only hetero-normative sex. It is bad enough any time that happens but it is glaring in a book that positions itself as about free love.

The story has some cool elements, I like the idea of the human born on Mars, the child of two astronauts who died on the surface of the Red Planet. Left alone to be raised Tarzan style by a Martian civilization we never really get a glimpse of. That is personally one of the best aspects of the novel. I loved that the Old Ones and the old civilization of Mars stayed off stage.

After 20 years and World War III, humans return to Mars and bring back Michael Valentine Smith the first human born on another world. The first half of the novel is a fish out of water story. This goofy alien learning to be human provides some fun moments but I also found myself thinking that the mid-80's John Carpenter movie Starman did all that stuff better.

The middle of the book was a bit of a slog, we spend along time figuring out how the government intends to exploit Smith. In the third act is when the book really tries to do interesting things. Smith wants to teach the Martian language and by doing so it fundamentally changes how people view the universe. I like the idea of language being conduit for this new religion, but is that not how all religions get transmitted?

Don't get me wrong I am glad I re-read this. I got more out of it than when I read twenty-five years ago but I was also able to see it with a critical eye.

Book Review: The Psychotic Dr. Schreber by D. Harlan Wilson

The Psychotic Dr. Schreber by D. Harlan Wilson

Paperback, 164 pages

Expected publication: September 2019 by Stalking Horse Press

In 2007 I was living in Port Angeles Washington. I was super excited to see The new Darren Aronofsky movie at the time called The Fountain. The nearest theater it was playing at was in Victoria B.C. It is the only time I went to another country just to see a movie. When the movie ended I felt a stunned silence fall over the theater. The guy behind me said, "I have no idea what I just saw but I like it."

I have read Wilson before, in 2007 I reviewed his Science Fiction send-up Dr. Identity and said "The level of creativity and invention that appears on every single page is what makes Dr. Identity a must-read. D. Harlan Wilson is a real talent that has me imaging Phillip K Dick writing for the Monty Python." Then I reviewed His next novel in 2008 Blankety Blank: A Memoir of Vulgaria. I said at the time "Blankety Blank is not exactly horror it is a darker take on Wilson’s absurdist style that is every bit as zany...Wilson also detours into hilarious mini-chapters on the subject ranging from the film careers of Patrick Swayze to the history of Ferris wheels. "

I don't know how ten years passed since I read Wilson it was not intentional. but I thank James Reich over at Stalking Horse for sending me an advanced copy of his new work. And goddamn it if The Psychotic Dr. Schreber is not the weirdest novel I have read in a lifetime of reading weird shit. Even for Wilson, the level of crazy-ness per page is off the rails.

Explaining what this book is no easy task. I believe Paul Schreber was a real person under the care of Sigmund Freud and I could have googled this but I decided knowing or not knowing didn't really matter. There are a ton of footnotes at the end so I suspect that Wilson did some really cool research into this book. I know there are probably levels of satire and humor that are going miles over my head. (I intend to have Wilson on our Dickheads podcast closer to the release we will ask him)

That said this book functions as 146 pages of insanity that may not be a coherent narrative, some of it are sessions notes, first-person diatribes and all other manner of words combined on the page. Wilson plays with words in such humorous ways it is entertaining throughout. I felt like reading this was like putting a puzzle together without the picture as a guide, some parts were pretty, some were funny and also delightfully co-founding.

This part that made me laugh:

"At some point all messiahs must confront the issue of their genitals."

and this line summed up the book for me:

"Conversely, there is more than one way to skin a consciousness and stitch together a monster"

Book Review: Kthulu Reich by Ken Asamatsu, Jim Rion (Translator)

Kthulu Reich by Ken Asamatsu, Jim Rion (Translator)

Paperback, 252 pages

Published 2019 by Kurodahan Press

I am not sure how many times I have read a Kurodahan Press release but this is my second time reading the Japanese Lovecraftian master Ken Asmatsu. I could be wrong but from all the biographical material I have read, it seems he is the foremost Lovecraft nerd on the island of Japan. I get this picture in my head of him leading Cthulu prayer breakfasts in Japan. The guy is clearly an expert on all things Lovecraft. What I really enjoyed about his novel Queen of K'n-Yan is it took the mythos and filtered it through a very Japanese cultural filter.

Queen of K'n-Yan really is a must read, I mention that book because I never really stopped thinking about that Mummy meets mythos novel since I read it in 2011. that book also was clearly influenced by Clive Barker as well as the Resident Evil games. These Ken Asmatsu books are a textbook example of why we need a healthy and thriving small press. Kurodahan press has translated and provided a book that no major publisher in New York would bother to give but it is an important and fun book none the less.

So that brings me to Kthulu Reich. It was important for me to lead with my respect for the press and the author since I got to be honest and admit I was not super into this book. I liked it, I mean three stars is a positive review but I didn't LOVE it like I did the last one.

Let us start with the cover. Kurodahan Press books have always come with beautiful covers. I found the art on this cover to be simple and cheezy. It looked like a Lovecraftian monster was cut and pasted on to a tank. Now you can't judge a book by the cover and certainly, I wouldn't discount a book for bad art. That said pretty cover doesn't hurt and that is what I had come to expect.

Kthulu Reich as book confused me a little the back cover describes it as a "fantastic novel of the War, the Cthulhu Mythos, and humanity trapped in the middle." when you look in the cover the table of contents has seven titles with original copyrights between 1994 and 1999. How I review collections and novels are very different, how I read them are little different. This might not affect other readers as much as it did me. As novel has to flow and a collection can have ups and downs.

Certainly this can we read as one connecting story but certain stories worked better for me than others. In the middle of the book was a chapter/ or a story called in the Wasteland of Madness. This tale was connected almost a WW II men on a mission sequel to the Classic At the Mountains of Madness. I really enjoyed the Feast for the Children of the Night which was a traditional vampire tale. As a whole, the book ties Nazi occultism to the mythos not only of Lovecraft but traditional horror monsters.

That is a neat concept and has some really cool moments of execution. I would suggest Queen of K'n-Yan which I feel to be a much deeper experience which showcases the power of Japanese genre fiction. Kthulu Reich is fun, a cool read but I have read lots of native English language novels and seen plenty of movies with the Nazi occult angle. When I opened this book I was hoping for a more unique Japanese experience.

Kthulu Reich is a short and fun read. I can't stress FUN enough. I think it is important that Ken is translated into English. In that sense every book Kurodahan Press releases is important. Not every American horror book is a masterpiece but they all deserve to read. I am glad I read it, and I hope others will buy books from and support the mission of Kurodahan Press.