Glad you enjoyed 'The Space Vampires', Matt- that is a true first edition by the way, have the same edition myself. You will REALLY enjoy 'The Philosopher's Stone', which is the climax of his SF career, really, so you might want to tackle 'The Mind Parasites' next. I'll also very strongly recommend his novella "The Return of the Lloigor" (from 'Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos' edited by August Derleth- there is a video about the story on my channel, shot at one of its locations- Monmouth, in Wales). I've read 70 of Wilson's 120 books- I had a big obsession with him in the late eighties/ early 1990s and although he divides people, he was a fascinating writer- his novels are generally underrated and 'Ritual in the Dark' and 'The World of Violence' are excellent. 'Lifeforce' was the much derided film of 'The Space Vampires' and people love it more for its cheesy charm, but it is horribly miscast when it comes to Carlssen - I enjoy watching it now and then, though, but it has little of Wilson's class in it. It's worth considering that Wilson was a massive fan of Van Vogt- think about how the opening of the book resembles the scenes early in 'Alien' when Kane descends into the egg chamber, then consider how Van Vogt settled out of court for $50,000 with Fox as it was ruled that 'Alien' had indeed plagiarised 'Voyage of the Space Beagle' (particular the third section, "Dischord in Scarlett"). As for M R James, you should simply read EVERYTHING - there isn't much and you can get collected works which contain every story- he is one of the most important figures in the history of Supernatural fiction and you, being a history buff, will love the old English feel of his work. Finally, Wilson always used real mysteries such as the Piri Reis map in his work to stunning effect. Enjoyed the review, my friend!
Hi Steve. I had no idea that the original Alien film was based on Discord in Scarlet by Van Vogt, & that Van Vogt sued the film makers for plagiarism ( reminds me of Harlan suing the film makers of Terminator for not acknowledging his short story ) .....I'll have to get Voyage of the Space Beagle off the shelf for a re-read. & I agree with you about M.R. James. I have his complete short stories omnibus ( which isn't complete, as I've found an uncollected story by him in a Hugh Lamb anthology - a similar occurrence cropped up when I found an uncollected H.G. Wells story in Jack Adrian's "Strange Stories from the Strand Magazine", which wasn't in Well's huge Collected Stories omnibus )...
These tales within tales sound perfect for Halloween. Read the Spider World trilogy back when they first came out and found it a fast and entertaining read.
I'm glad you published this, you'd mentioned you recorded it in a previous video but didn't think you were going to post it. I said in the comments I would watch it even though you thought it was too rambling. True to my word I watched it. I enjoyed your reviews. The M. R. James story is one I hadn't heard of before & the Space Vampires one I didn't know the film Lifeforce was based on this book. It's a film I've always had a soft spot for even though it has its flaws. It's directed by Tobe Hooper who directed the first poltergeist film, Salems Lot & Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It even has Patrick Stewart in an small early film role. I hope you do a lot more reviews as I enjoyed this one lot 👍,
Thank you so much for posting this in depth review. People often mention this book in passing, but never share a deeper experience of it. I especially appreciate you finding the MR James story. Did I miss you say it? Was it mentioned in the text of the book, or did you find it through research?
I already forget how i came across the M R James story. There was mention in Space Vampires of a story or book published in the 1700's i think, that had me curious as to whether or not it was real, and while looking that up i may have stumbled on the James story. Or it was referenced, i just cant remember 😅
I'm pretty sure this novel did get filmed, around 1982, as Lifeforce. I remember the film was weird, people are nude, the mood of the film was bizarre, and I recall enjoying the film at the start, and being a bit tired of it by the end. I actually tried to order the novel a few years ago, and it never showed up - that whole fun experience- and I have not tried to re-order it. But I will, someday. I have not read The Mind Parasites, but I am a fan of The Philosopher's Stone, so good luck with that one! I think Matt/Bookpilled was...unimpressed, but okay.
I haven’t seen the movie yet but do plan to check it out! I’ve certainly come at his work from a weird angle though, reading only his lesser known stuff so far.
I know we've had our differences, Seth, but I must say that anyone who loves 'The Philosopher's Stone' is a good guy in my book. I was disappointed that Matt didn't like it, but hey, that's life.
Yah! Let!s go! 👀 perfect for my coffee break. I love M R James. (The Mezzotint is creepy as hell). They have adaptations from the BBC “Ghost Story for Christmas” that I watch in December for the “winter chill”. Do recommend those!
I've not yet read a full length Wilson novel. I've read a novella (?) length Lovecraftian short story in the mold of the Mountains of Madness, and listened to a number of his speaking engagements/ lectures from my library. I get the feeling at the root of it all were his beliefs about developing human abilities to a super-human level through concentration and personal experimentation. Your in depth treatment of this book really cements that. This seems to be where he's going with all of his stuff in varying flavors & degrees. With no disrespect to the author, I feel a bit like he was a failed cult leader. I'm sure he would've hated that. In more ways than one. According to Mr. Wilson, he was self educated and fought a great deal of classist assumption to earn his way into the public eye as a "Public Intellectual." He was charismatic, had quite a following & wanted to teach people his self discovered techniques (or "Truths") but would not want to be followed blindly. He would've had no respect for people who would look at him as a religious leader, or guru, but he seemed to need a following to survive. Interesting that. I feel like so many of his fictions were like "narrow ended wedges" into his self actualization philosophy - easilly marketed if he pulled an "L Ron Hubbard." Yet he never did. I am not sure if that makes him a hero or a failure. I know his "Self Made Superman" concept makes him popular with conservatives, often re-interpreted as "Eastern Thought w/o the Diversity." Interestingly, when you hear him talk, most of what he said against "the Left" and "Liberals" was completely misguided/ misinformed. I'm not getting political - I'm referring to his perspective in the 60s/70s. Let's not talk politics! Thanks for your awesome review!
From the three or four books of his I've read and what i know of his other stuff id definitely agree he had beliefs about developing human abilities perhaps to the point of obsession. Which honestly was huge in SF in previous decades with all the psionics and psychics/telepathy. His treatment of it is just far more disciplined. Looking forward to more of his work but if its always dealing with these themes I may get bored quick 👍
I'm a fan of Lifeforce (my cousin played the doomed doctor!) so I started reading the book. Boy, it was quite sexist. I haven't finished it yet though. You are a good storyteller. Thanks for this.
It was hilarious that you said The Space Vampires would make a good 80’s horror movie and a bit later you say ”life force”! The movie Lifeforce is in my opinion far better than the novel it’s based on. They only share like maybe three or four plot similarities and as ridiculously out of control the movie gets its still an awesome time.
@@fiversrevenge I totally missed that I said that lol. Although I filmed this weeks ago, maybe I hadn’t yet realized it had been adapted 😂 I will definitely be checking it out!
@@sciencefictionreads It’s on Tubi as of this comment and I believe it’s still on Prime as well. As much as I enjoy your book hauls please do more book reviews at your convenience of course.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Glad you enjoyed 'The Space Vampires', Matt- that is a true first edition by the way, have the same edition myself. You will REALLY enjoy 'The Philosopher's Stone', which is the climax of his SF career, really, so you might want to tackle 'The Mind Parasites' next. I'll also very strongly recommend his novella "The Return of the Lloigor" (from 'Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos' edited by August Derleth- there is a video about the story on my channel, shot at one of its locations- Monmouth, in Wales).
I've read 70 of Wilson's 120 books- I had a big obsession with him in the late eighties/ early 1990s and although he divides people, he was a fascinating writer- his novels are generally underrated and 'Ritual in the Dark' and 'The World of Violence' are excellent.
'Lifeforce' was the much derided film of 'The Space Vampires' and people love it more for its cheesy charm, but it is horribly miscast when it comes to Carlssen - I enjoy watching it now and then, though, but it has little of Wilson's class in it.
It's worth considering that Wilson was a massive fan of Van Vogt- think about how the opening of the book resembles the scenes early in 'Alien' when Kane descends into the egg chamber, then consider how Van Vogt settled out of court for $50,000 with Fox as it was ruled that 'Alien' had indeed plagiarised 'Voyage of the Space Beagle' (particular the third section, "Dischord in Scarlett").
As for M R James, you should simply read EVERYTHING - there isn't much and you can get collected works which contain every story- he is one of the most important figures in the history of Supernatural fiction and you, being a history buff, will love the old English feel of his work.
Finally, Wilson always used real mysteries such as the Piri Reis map in his work to stunning effect.
Enjoyed the review, my friend!
Hi Steve. I had no idea that the original Alien film was based on Discord in Scarlet by Van Vogt, & that Van Vogt sued the film makers for plagiarism ( reminds me of Harlan suing the film makers of Terminator for not acknowledging his short story ) .....I'll have to get Voyage of the Space Beagle off the shelf for a re-read.
& I agree with you about M.R. James. I have his complete short stories omnibus ( which isn't complete, as I've found an uncollected story by him in a Hugh Lamb anthology - a similar occurrence cropped up when I found an uncollected H.G. Wells story in Jack Adrian's "Strange Stories from the Strand Magazine", which wasn't in Well's huge Collected Stories omnibus )...
These tales within tales sound perfect for Halloween. Read the Spider World trilogy back when they first came out and found it a fast and entertaining read.
The James short story especially would make a great Halloween season read👻
I'm glad you published this, you'd mentioned you recorded it in a previous video but didn't think you were going to post it. I said in the comments I would watch it even though you thought it was too rambling. True to my word I watched it. I enjoyed your reviews. The M. R. James story is one I hadn't heard of before & the Space Vampires one I didn't know the film Lifeforce was based on this book. It's a film I've always had a soft spot for even though it has its flaws. It's directed by Tobe Hooper who directed the first poltergeist film, Salems Lot & Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It even has Patrick Stewart in an small early film role. I hope you do a lot more reviews as I enjoyed this one lot 👍,
Thanks for watching and for the kind words! When the mood strikes I'd like to do more of these 👍
Thank you so much for posting this in depth review. People often mention this book in passing, but never share a deeper experience of it. I especially appreciate you finding the MR James story. Did I miss you say it? Was it mentioned in the text of the book, or did you find it through research?
I already forget how i came across the M R James story. There was mention in Space Vampires of a story or book published in the 1700's i think, that had me curious as to whether or not it was real, and while looking that up i may have stumbled on the James story. Or it was referenced, i just cant remember 😅
I'm pretty sure this novel did get filmed, around 1982, as Lifeforce. I remember the film was weird, people are nude, the mood of the film was bizarre, and I recall enjoying the film at the start, and being a bit tired of it by the end. I actually tried to order the novel a few years ago, and it never showed up - that whole fun experience- and I have not tried to re-order it. But I will, someday. I have not read The Mind Parasites, but I am a fan of The Philosopher's Stone, so good luck with that one! I think Matt/Bookpilled was...unimpressed, but okay.
I haven’t seen the movie yet but do plan to check it out! I’ve certainly come at his work from a weird angle though, reading only his lesser known stuff so far.
I know we've had our differences, Seth, but I must say that anyone who loves 'The Philosopher's Stone' is a good guy in my book. I was disappointed that Matt didn't like it, but hey, that's life.
Yah! Let!s go! 👀 perfect for my coffee break. I love M R James. (The Mezzotint is creepy as hell). They have adaptations from the BBC “Ghost Story for Christmas” that I watch in December for the “winter chill”. Do recommend those!
I will check those out, thanks! Count Magnus was my first of his and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I've not yet read a full length Wilson novel. I've read a novella (?) length Lovecraftian short story in the mold of the Mountains of Madness, and listened to a number of his speaking engagements/ lectures from my library. I get the feeling at the root of it all were his beliefs about developing human abilities to a super-human level through concentration and personal experimentation. Your in depth treatment of this book really cements that. This seems to be where he's going with all of his stuff in varying flavors & degrees. With no disrespect to the author, I feel a bit like he was a failed cult leader.
I'm sure he would've hated that.
In more ways than one.
According to Mr. Wilson, he was self educated and fought a great deal of classist assumption to earn his way into the public eye as a "Public Intellectual." He was charismatic, had quite a following & wanted to teach people his self discovered techniques (or "Truths") but would not want to be followed blindly. He would've had no respect for people who would look at him as a religious leader, or guru, but he seemed to need a following to survive. Interesting that. I feel like so many of his fictions were like "narrow ended wedges" into his self actualization philosophy - easilly marketed if he pulled an "L Ron Hubbard." Yet he never did. I am not sure if that makes him a hero or a failure.
I know his "Self Made Superman" concept makes him popular with conservatives, often re-interpreted as "Eastern Thought w/o the Diversity."
Interestingly, when you hear him talk, most of what he said against "the Left" and "Liberals" was completely misguided/ misinformed. I'm not getting political - I'm referring to his perspective in the 60s/70s.
Let's not talk politics!
Thanks for your awesome review!
From the three or four books of his I've read and what i know of his other stuff id definitely agree he had beliefs about developing human abilities perhaps to the point of obsession. Which honestly was huge in SF in previous decades with all the psionics and psychics/telepathy. His treatment of it is just far more disciplined. Looking forward to more of his work but if its always dealing with these themes I may get bored quick 👍
I'm a fan of Lifeforce (my cousin played the doomed doctor!) so I started reading the book. Boy, it was quite sexist. I haven't finished it yet though.
You are a good storyteller. Thanks for this.
Thanks! And thanks for watching!
It was hilarious that you said The Space Vampires would make a good 80’s horror movie and a bit later you say ”life force”!
The movie Lifeforce is in my opinion far better than the novel it’s based on.
They only share like maybe three or four plot similarities and as ridiculously out of control the movie gets its still an awesome time.
@@fiversrevenge I totally missed that I said that lol. Although I filmed this weeks ago, maybe I hadn’t yet realized it had been adapted 😂 I will definitely be checking it out!
@@sciencefictionreads
It’s on Tubi as of this comment and I believe it’s still on Prime as well.
As much as I enjoy your book hauls please do more book reviews at your convenience of course.