I had a stroke a few weeks ago so Ive been home for about 3 weeks. During the time I read Blood Music, Blind Sight, the Mote In God's Eye and I've just started Children Of Time. I'm loving it.i really liked Blood Music.
@@Bookpilled Thanks It could have been alot worse. I'm almost back to normal. I should be completely back to normal in about 2 weeks. Be careful!! I love the idea of running around the world. I love the videos in different places
Your videos are so odd. Please take that as a compliment, and please keep making them. I really enjoy discovering new (i.e. older) sci-fi, and your insights are very interesting to hear.
You are reviewing books in front of a beautiful setting. If that doesn't scream literary critic, I don't know what does. Got to wear that label with pride! 👍
Welcome back. Although I disagree with your distain for Jeff Vandemeer, I always appreciate your opinions which I find to be well formed and thoughtful.
definitely look for the large format re/search book from the 1980s of ballard’s the atrocity exhibition. absolutely stunning with all the visuals of white sands afb, etc.. its just amazing total dystopia - i treasure it.
JG Ballard, another writer whose work is like a drug I can't get enough of. Surviving an internment camp as a child, going through med school (without finishing), studying biology, thinking about being a psychiatrist, getting a pilot's license, it all makes for mind-blowing explorations into the limits of the human psyche in the most extreme situations. And his characters don't run away from disaster. They always have their own reason, mania, fixation, obsession, whatever, for plunging into the heart of it.
Somehow High Rise didn't appeal to me. I checked it out from the library twice and both times found myself skipping sections. Nothing in it surprised me? Maybe near future dystopia isn't my thing? Though Atwood's Handmaid's Tale was. So was Bear's Blood Music. You convinced me. I'll try another Ballard. Nice backdrop
I like how you mention that Ballard is one of those writers where, eventually, you will have read everything he wrote. Because about a year ago, I finally read Crash. Afterward, due to it's subject matter, I wasn't sure how I felt about it. But I adored the prose. Then I kept thinking about it, about the special ways in which he could perfectly capture things -- I couldn't keep it from coming back into my mind. I found that I already had a copy of The Drowned World, so I read that and soon decided that Crash is a great novel and that I'm going to read everything Ballard ever wrote. I've read many of his novels and one collection of short stories (War Fever) since then, and have mostly not been disappointed. He definitely has a way with words and characters. I liked High-Rise a bit less than The Drowned World and Concrete Island, for whatever reason. Still think Crash is his best, though. A few stories in War Fever are very Ballardian and amazing. Cheers!
I can say that in a long lifetime as a SF reader I have never read anything by Ballard that I have not found satisfying, and usually deeply fascinating and resonant.
Hey man, really like your channel and taking a lot of your suggestions. Have you thought about making some "how to read faster/better" videos? As someone who only developed as a faster reader late in life, it would be cool to see someone with a strong following talk about their reading style. How to eliminate subvocalization, reading paragraphs via chunking or other techniques you might use. Just a thought! Great vids!
I've only ever read Crash by Ballard and it was one of those books where I really didn't enjoy it while reading it but at the end was still glad I read it. I want to give his SF stuff a look.
You're only a critic in the best sense. You give a fair and honest appraisal and opinion, and you don't pretend to be the ultimate authority. And you do a very good job of explaining the books and what you think of them without being judgmental or preachy.
Dear @Bookpilled, @outlawbookseller, @MediaDeathCult, much as I appreciate your book reviews and lists, I am rather surprised that, sofar, I have not found any mention in any of your videos of James Tiptree Jr (Alice Bradley Sheldon), winner of 2 Hugo Awards, 2 Nebula Awards, etc., etc., and source of inspiration for the Otherwise Award. Have I simply missed a relevant review in one of your videos?
I suspect it's because - at least on this channel - the emphasis has until recently been more on novels (and series of novels) and Sheldon is all about the short story.
Ive never read a JG Ballard before but i have "The Drowned World" on my shelf so ill give it a try. I just finished "Inherit the Stars" by James Hogan which lacks a typical plot. Just scientists trying to solve a mystery by deliberating over evidence. No drama but I thought it was pretty interesting. Im tempted to read the sequel.
That's one of the very few sci-fi books I've read multiple times. It doesn't have powerful or unique ideas, and the action/plot isn't all that compelling, but it has a vibe or ambience that is unique.
Great reviews, Matt, I enjoyed your explanation and breakdown on the influence of plot upon the reader. Or the absence of it. Obviously, the absence of it takes great skill to craft if it’s going to be a book that also gets great reviews and widely read. But much like you, I do find books with a plot far more compelling. Between you and Stephen Andrews, I feel like I really need to start reading some more Ballard, I’ve only read a few of his short stories, and thus far I do enjoy his work.
Great video, and it reminded me to order a copy of The Genocides (which I’ve now done). I know he wasn’t an SF writer, but Martin Amis just died, and he was the one who got me into JG Ballard. He’s certainly not everyone’s flavor, but if you’ve never read him, I’d recommend picking something up for the sheer dexterity and virtuosity of his prose. At his best, he was also quite funny and clever with plotting and narrative tricks.
I included a book recommend in a comment earlier today. It's gone! Just wanted to reassure you that you are a lit crit, helping me decide on numerous books that I do not have time to wade through the detritus to find. Thanks again.
I'd be interested to see what say about the Drowned World by Ballard because, Broseph, I don't know if I should have started his discography with that one. It sounded interesting and a bunch of synopsisi regarding other books of his also sound interesting but man it was a slog.
Just found you on your reseller site since I'm a full-time ebayer. Enjoy your commentary on books. Are you considering writing a book yourself? You seem to be in the perfect place for it. You could be a modern-day Hemingway. Cheers friend.
Disch is another one I'll have to keep an eye out for. Hope you come across some you enjoy more for the next batch! You might also be interested to know - finally found a copy of Star of the Unborn for an affordable price! Hardback as well, pretty pleased. Arrived today, looking forward to getting started on it when I can dedicate some time to it
I hate stories that do not tell a story. Especially when they are assigned by a creative writing teacher who is supposed to be teaching young people how to write (yes, I experienced this). No need to apologize for disliking a story that does not tell a story.
So the Doloriad is like Seinfeld, a book about nothing? Oversimplification I know. Martin is ok in Wild Cards outside of "Thrones", I'll check Nightflyers based on this. Thank you for your straight to the point style, I really enjoy it.
i like some parts of Wild Cards - Martin's own stories are some of the weakest in the collections though. I think he shines as a commissioning / collaborating editor. And better in short form than long forms. Would be interesting to hear a comparison between the Nightflyers novelisation and the novella, if the latter is available
It IS interesting that you are discussing dystopian/apocalyptic literature in an apparent (it's ONLY apparent because it is Mexico) paradise. Everyone will nod at this because Mexico is associated with cartels, violent drug death, disappearances, and some wonderful people. An old guy like me driving his car down to Mexico sounds like a fully-prepared chicken dinner slowly traveling through a gathering of hungry Christians at a large parish hall. I guess it's okay, but one wonders how things will turn out? It's also possible, one would think, to imagine a world-event like that described in The Stand or covid, that does not involve a violent apocalypse or "the end of the world" but is even more thoroughly lethal. OUR species singly or with some related ones might be completely subtracted by some biologic agent (microbial) that destroys our ability to digest food, for example. Looked at as a geologist would look at things, the earth and its natural systems would quickly wipe out ALL or nearly all traces of our civilization in a few thousand years, and there that blue marble would sit and continue to spin beneath the stars, still packed with life and fluctuating ice caps, but just with no one writing about Trump or Joe, or what the Pope considers heresy. No baseball or football either, and no religion, too. Just imagine......................
Good stuff, I watched to the end, I need to get back to fiction. Unrelated, I heard a barn swallow briefly in the background. I made me think, If I was was that far south I would be racking up a bunch of life birds. Do you plan on checking how the local avifauna?
Most of martin's science fiction stuff from that time can be described as you put nightflyers: meh characters, kinda entertaining plot with some interesting concepts + bits of horror, and yeah, annoyingly horny. If you want to read some of his better not-asoiaf stuff most ppl recommend the dunk and egg stories (which are part of the asoiaf universe but far more digestible in size), a song for lya (interesting scifi concept) and sandkings (entertaining scifi horror)
I always found Ballard to be dry, stodgy, and dilatory. The Disaster Area is a collection of short stories, published in 1967. Compton and Disch are better (although the latter runs to dryness, too). RR Martin's Nightwings is what happens when he is edited, like any normal writer. The dross is stripped away, revealing the bride stripped bare by her bachelors, ie, a potentially significant work that defies explanation.
I read Nightflyers recently and was similarly underwhelmed. I think it's his weakest work. If you've not read Fevre Dream by Martin (vampires on the Mississippi), I'd recommend it, if you want to read a (good) stand-alone novel by him.
interesting to see you in the bright sunlight. (Wear your sunscreen.) I know I read Nightfliers, back when it was originally published in Analog. And I don't remember it being that compelling a story that it would appear again and again in different forms over the years.
Don’t wear sunscreen! Unless it’s mineral based. The chemical junk can be detected in your bloodstream 30 seconds post application and the contents are carcinogenic.
On Ballard in longform: Empire of the Sun rules. Not SF at all, but also nothing like the Spielberg adaptation. Sharp-as-hell prose and a remarkably unsentimental look at how WW2 really was - a war where every side's goal seemed to be to try and kill as many civilians as possible.
@bookpilled please take a look, its really really interesting and refreshing. I would love to see your take on it. Its a short book you can kill it in a day or two :)
I read Nightflyers in its original novella form, which won the Locus Award. I have no interest at all in reading a bloated out version of it since it already felt like there was already too much window dressing for what was basically the plot of Psycho set on a space ship. I also recommend everyone avoid the SyFy TV adaptation. It was bloated even more still and just terrible.
Shame to hear about Nightflyers. I’ve never read any of Martin’s pre-Game of Thrones stuff, and never made it all the way through that series. I hope you find some gems in your next couple of reads!
@@Bookpilled It might not be as high a level as you think! I just finished The Giver after a couple of months. Of course it's middle grade but it's a start. Highly recommend the Spanish for Reading textbook if you don't already have something you're working through.
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Funny fact : every building you see in the horizon is actually made of books already bought by the channel.
Funnier fact: Matt is actually 12 books in a trench coat
Facts
@@thelordz33 Haha!
I had a stroke a few weeks ago so Ive been home for about 3 weeks. During the time I read Blood Music, Blind Sight, the Mote In God's Eye and I've just started Children Of Time. I'm loving it.i really liked Blood Music.
Sorry to hear about your health.
@@Bookpilled Thanks It could have been alot worse. I'm almost back to normal. I should be completely back to normal in about 2 weeks. Be careful!! I love the idea of running around the world. I love the videos in different places
@@katherinegarcia3256 Good luck, be well, keep reading.
Thats a very strong list - a short list of the best of the best IMHO
The drowned world is my favourite Ballard, perfect reading when you are somewhere hot and exotic 🙂
Your videos are so odd. Please take that as a compliment, and please keep making them. I really enjoy discovering new (i.e. older) sci-fi, and your insights are very interesting to hear.
You are reviewing books in front of a beautiful setting. If that doesn't scream literary critic, I don't know what does. Got to wear that label with pride! 👍
Welcome back. Although I disagree with your distain for Jeff Vandemeer, I always appreciate your opinions which I find to be well formed and thoughtful.
definitely look for the large format re/search book from the 1980s of ballard’s the atrocity exhibition. absolutely stunning with all the visuals of white sands afb, etc.. its just amazing total dystopia - i treasure it.
I have that edition (in storage now)
Those were great, used to have all of those, Burroughs, Ballard, T. G., etc. Also miss Semiotext(e) and Amok press
JG Ballard, another writer whose work is like a drug I can't get enough of. Surviving an internment camp as a child, going through med school (without finishing), studying biology, thinking about being a psychiatrist, getting a pilot's license, it all makes for mind-blowing explorations into the limits of the human psyche in the most extreme situations. And his characters don't run away from disaster. They always have their own reason, mania, fixation, obsession, whatever, for plunging into the heart of it.
Somehow High Rise didn't appeal to me. I checked it out from the library twice and both times found myself skipping sections. Nothing in it surprised me? Maybe near future dystopia isn't my thing? Though Atwood's Handmaid's Tale was. So was Bear's Blood Music. You convinced me. I'll try another Ballard. Nice backdrop
I've got both Annihilation and The Doloriad to read this summer. Am actually excited to get to the Doloriad after your review! 😂 Siân
I like how you mention that Ballard is one of those writers where, eventually, you will have read everything he wrote. Because about a year ago, I finally read Crash. Afterward, due to it's subject matter, I wasn't sure how I felt about it. But I adored the prose. Then I kept thinking about it, about the special ways in which he could perfectly capture things -- I couldn't keep it from coming back into my mind. I found that I already had a copy of The Drowned World, so I read that and soon decided that Crash is a great novel and that I'm going to read everything Ballard ever wrote. I've read many of his novels and one collection of short stories (War Fever) since then, and have mostly not been disappointed. He definitely has a way with words and characters. I liked High-Rise a bit less than The Drowned World and Concrete Island, for whatever reason. Still think Crash is his best, though. A few stories in War Fever are very Ballardian and amazing. Cheers!
I really appreciate your work reviewing all these books. Keep it up! It’s so refreshing to watch people with intellect.
I can say that in a long lifetime as a SF reader I have never read anything by Ballard that I have not found satisfying, and usually deeply fascinating and resonant.
Same
Hey man, really like your channel and taking a lot of your suggestions. Have you thought about making some "how to read faster/better" videos? As someone who only developed as a faster reader late in life, it would be cool to see someone with a strong following talk about their reading style. How to eliminate subvocalization, reading paragraphs via chunking or other techniques you might use. Just a thought! Great vids!
You should do a Mexico bookstore adventure looking for books.
I've only ever read Crash by Ballard and it was one of those books where I really didn't enjoy it while reading it but at the end was still glad I read it. I want to give his SF stuff a look.
In the Ballard book The Unlimited Dream Company, there is also a strange symbology of birds.
I haven't read anything from J.G. Ballard but he is an author I'd like to try. High-Rise sounds pretty interesting so I might start there.
You're only a critic in the best sense. You give a fair and honest appraisal and opinion, and you don't pretend to be the ultimate authority. And you do a very good job of explaining the books and what you think of them without being judgmental or preachy.
Interzone looks nice this time of year!
We want stories... From your trips and from your books
Dear @Bookpilled, @outlawbookseller, @MediaDeathCult, much as I appreciate your book reviews and lists, I am rather surprised that, sofar, I have not found any mention in any of your videos of James Tiptree Jr (Alice Bradley Sheldon), winner of 2 Hugo Awards, 2 Nebula Awards, etc., etc., and source of inspiration for the Otherwise Award. Have I simply missed a relevant review in one of your videos?
I suspect it's because - at least on this channel - the emphasis has until recently been more on novels (and series of novels) and Sheldon is all about the short story.
“ gazelle with my teeth “ now there is a comparison, there is a vision!
Ive never read a JG Ballard before but i have "The Drowned World" on my shelf so ill give it a try. I just finished "Inherit the Stars" by James Hogan which lacks a typical plot. Just scientists trying to solve a mystery by deliberating over evidence. No drama but I thought it was pretty interesting. Im tempted to read the sequel.
Where are you now? You look a lot happier and more relaxed. I too have been considering moving to an area with a lower cost of living.
Thanks. Puerto Vallarta.
An early Martin science fiction novel I liked a lot is The Dying of the Light.
That's one of the very few sci-fi books I've read multiple times. It doesn't have powerful or unique ideas, and the action/plot isn't all that compelling, but it has a vibe or ambience that is unique.
Great reviews, Matt, I enjoyed your explanation and breakdown on the influence of plot upon the reader. Or the absence of it. Obviously, the absence of it takes great skill to craft if it’s going to be a book that also gets great reviews and widely read. But much like you, I do find books with a plot far more compelling. Between you and Stephen Andrews, I feel like I really need to start reading some more Ballard, I’ve only read a few of his short stories, and thus far I do enjoy his work.
Thanks Jack. I think you'll dig Ballard. Hope you're well man.
Read The Drowned World earlier this year and thought it was absolutely fantastic
Oh good because I have that on my shelf.
Nice one bro, I’ll read Ballard myself soon too.
Great video, and it reminded me to order a copy of The Genocides (which I’ve now done). I know he wasn’t an SF writer, but Martin Amis just died, and he was the one who got me into JG Ballard. He’s certainly not everyone’s flavor, but if you’ve never read him, I’d recommend picking something up for the sheer dexterity and virtuosity of his prose. At his best, he was also quite funny and clever with plotting and narrative tricks.
Amis and Ballard are 2 of my all-time favorite authors
Hope you’re having great adventures!
Thanks Mr. Kelso, certainly am. Hope you're well.
Megalopolis, that is correct, Sir.
right, as in the kang will lop your head off. 😂
I am under the impression that Ballard had a bird phobia. Anyway, I loved Ballard since my very youth.
I included a book recommend in a comment earlier today. It's gone! Just wanted to reassure you that you are a lit crit, helping me decide on numerous books that I do not have time to wade through the detritus to find. Thanks again.
The Doloriad seems like it's astroturfed. Just read the recommendation blurbs.
I'd be interested to see what say about the Drowned World by Ballard because, Broseph, I don't know if I should have started his discography with that one. It sounded interesting and a bunch of synopsisi regarding other books of his also sound interesting but man it was a slog.
His writing gets better and better as his career progressed
Cool! That one about the city median sounds very interesting
Just found you on your reseller site since I'm a full-time ebayer. Enjoy your commentary on books. Are you considering writing a book yourself? You seem to be in the perfect place for it. You could be a modern-day Hemingway. Cheers friend.
Disch is another one I'll have to keep an eye out for. Hope you come across some you enjoy more for the next batch! You might also be interested to know - finally found a copy of Star of the Unborn for an affordable price! Hardback as well, pretty pleased. Arrived today, looking forward to getting started on it when I can dedicate some time to it
Thanks. Great find.
I hate stories that do not tell a story. Especially when they are assigned by a creative writing teacher who is supposed to be teaching young people how to write (yes, I experienced this). No need to apologize for disliking a story that does not tell a story.
So the Doloriad is like Seinfeld, a book about nothing? Oversimplification I know. Martin is ok in Wild Cards outside of "Thrones", I'll check Nightflyers based on this. Thank you for your straight to the point style, I really enjoy it.
i like some parts of Wild Cards - Martin's own stories are some of the weakest in the collections though. I think he shines as a commissioning / collaborating editor. And better in short form than long forms. Would be interesting to hear a comparison between the Nightflyers novelisation and the novella, if the latter is available
Good stuff. Thank you.
It IS interesting that you are discussing dystopian/apocalyptic literature in an apparent (it's ONLY apparent because it is Mexico) paradise. Everyone will nod at this because Mexico is associated with cartels, violent drug death, disappearances, and some wonderful people. An old guy like me driving his car down to Mexico sounds like a fully-prepared chicken dinner slowly traveling through a gathering of hungry Christians at a large parish hall. I guess it's okay, but one wonders how things will turn out?
It's also possible, one would think, to imagine a world-event like that described in The Stand or covid, that does not involve a violent apocalypse or "the end of the world" but is even more thoroughly lethal. OUR species singly or with some related ones might be completely subtracted by some biologic agent (microbial) that destroys our ability to digest food, for example.
Looked at as a geologist would look at things, the earth and its natural systems would quickly wipe out ALL or nearly all traces of our civilization in a few thousand years, and there that blue marble would sit and continue to spin beneath the stars, still packed with life and fluctuating ice caps, but just with no one writing about Trump or Joe, or what the Pope considers heresy. No baseball or football either, and no religion, too. Just imagine......................
Re: Returning to Th Genocides as a reference. Disch is just that good.
Good stuff, I watched to the end, I need to get back to fiction.
Unrelated, I heard a barn swallow briefly in the background. I made me think, If I was was that far south I would be racking up a bunch of life birds. Do you plan on checking how the local avifauna?
Tons of swallows here. Pretty sure I saw a russet-crowned motmot last week.
May I suggest you read a few OTTESSA MOSHFEH novels?😱☠️💥
Most of martin's science fiction stuff from that time can be described as you put nightflyers: meh characters, kinda entertaining plot with some interesting concepts + bits of horror, and yeah, annoyingly horny.
If you want to read some of his better not-asoiaf stuff most ppl recommend the dunk and egg stories (which are part of the asoiaf universe but far more digestible in size), a song for lya (interesting scifi concept) and sandkings (entertaining scifi horror)
I always found Ballard to be dry, stodgy, and dilatory. The Disaster Area is a collection of short stories, published in 1967. Compton and Disch are better (although the latter runs to dryness, too). RR Martin's Nightwings is what happens when he is edited, like any normal writer. The dross is stripped away, revealing the bride stripped bare by her bachelors, ie, a potentially significant work that defies explanation.
I read Nightflyers recently and was similarly underwhelmed. I think it's his weakest work. If you've not read Fevre Dream by Martin (vampires on the Mississippi), I'd recommend it, if you want to read a (good) stand-alone novel by him.
interesting to see you in the bright sunlight. (Wear your sunscreen.)
I know I read Nightfliers, back when it was originally published in Analog. And I don't remember it being that compelling a story that it would appear again and again in different forms over the years.
Don’t wear sunscreen! Unless it’s mineral based. The chemical junk can be detected in your bloodstream 30 seconds post application and the contents are carcinogenic.
I want to live in the world of the doloriad.
And some are born to crave genetic defects....
On Ballard in longform: Empire of the Sun rules. Not SF at all, but also nothing like the Spielberg adaptation. Sharp-as-hell prose and a remarkably unsentimental look at how WW2 really was - a war where every side's goal seemed to be to try and kill as many civilians as possible.
THE SAGA CONTINUES
Have you read “this is how you lose time war”??
I haven't read it, no
@bookpilled please take a look, its really really interesting and refreshing. I would love to see your take on it. Its a short book you can kill it in a day or two :)
Take down a gazelle wirh your teeth! Haha!
I read Nightflyers in its original novella form, which won the Locus Award. I have no interest at all in reading a bloated out version of it since it already felt like there was already too much window dressing for what was basically the plot of Psycho set on a space ship. I also recommend everyone avoid the SyFy TV adaptation. It was bloated even more still and just terrible.
Cha cha Cha! Mega-lopo-lis ;-)
Wear a black shirt if you’re being held hostage in you next video😂
Shame to hear about Nightflyers. I’ve never read any of Martin’s pre-Game of Thrones stuff, and never made it all the way through that series. I hope you find some gems in your next couple of reads!
Martin's science ficton works though limited are not very engaging
🚀🚀
Now that you're in Mexico will you be starting to read in Spanish?
I hope to be at that level eventually
@@Bookpilled It might not be as high a level as you think! I just finished The Giver after a couple of months. Of course it's middle grade but it's a start. Highly recommend the Spanish for Reading textbook if you don't already have something you're working through.
read Lord of the Ring. thankyou
He did. It’s growing on him.
Little hyper active there . . Mexico has good shit
Genuine joy is the best drug in the world.
You learning Spanish? Sorry if you’ve said whether you are on your other channel
Yes, slowly and poorly