Eugene Myers is working on a novel about the end of the world. Meanwhile, he discovers his daughter doing porn online and his marriage is coming to an end. When he begins dreaming about people who turn out to be real, he wonders if his novel is real as well. Which isn't good news: the radical and demented President Winchell is bent on bringing about worldwide destruction. Eugene Myers may just be the one to stop the apocalypse.
This history of the future covers every conspiracy imaginable: UFOs, secret societies, and World War III, as well as theories on life after death and human evolution by a writer whose last novel was called by Dogmatika, "A page-turner and an example of an effective piece of storytelling that should be envied."
h century was much less imposing. For all the war, technological breakthrough, etc. the century ended in an artistic fizzle. Regrettably, the 21st began with the same fizzle, which never ended. It turns out that fizzle was the sound of a wick burning out before the great dynamic explosion of war. People had stopped trying, as if they had been struck with some tragic premonition. It's all going to die, why bother? A kind of rational apathy that is only undepressing in hindsight. Instead of a great economic depression leading up to a war, there was a great artistic depression, which is almost to the world's credit-that art had any impact at all. The past masters seemed clued into a greater light, but with God dying there were fewer clues. And it turns out that the lack of good art is as bad a thing as poverty. It fucks with the basic ether.
They say that every generation romanticizes the one that came before it, unrealistically. But for us it really was the last decade. The world really did suck
Esoteric SF with some R.A.Wilson and J.G.Ballard themes thrown in. Don't expect crisp storytelling. However, the author shuffles narration timepoints in an interesting way, and the idea of an Armageddon president is consequently lined out, and for this alone worth a read.
This one would have benefited from some rigorous editing. There are sub-plots that go nowhere and have nothing to do with the rest of the book. There are pages of repetitious whining from the main character about the difficulties of being a failed writer. Thankfully the book improved as I continued reading. Then just as my interest peaked, seems like the author just gave up at the conclusion, as if undecided how to wrap up the story. This could have been a 5 star short story but it is buried inside what is at best a 3 star book.
This is a weird and disjointed tale where the American president is trying to bring about the apocalypse. The main characters daughter is discovered making a pornographic movie and I have no idea why this event is included, as it has nothing to do with the story. I would skip this one
I loved it, especially the ending! I didn't want to stop reading this. I look forward to more stories from this writer.
wow, what a read! the story keeps me reading nonstop until finish. what i find especially endearing about it is the seemingly unchalant humor abundant. though around the middle the plot is kind of convoluted in an unnecessary way which lost me here and there and made me backtrack several times and the ending is a little bit rushed and has left too much unexplained and too many loose ends untied. one more thing, i heard there is a sequal coming, hope some characters get more developed this time.
I liked this book very much, and in part for the very reason that Gilmartin disliked it -- it straddles the line between SF and fantasy. The resulting maze of surrealism, dreamscape and fantasy, all wrapped up in layers of political intrigue and conspiracies, was right up my alley.
I loved the way it became more and more bizarre as the plot unfolded (the first big sign being when the bird flies off the page), and also the way the author involved the novel itself in the plot of the novel (!) -- that was quite brilliant, the novel affecting itself.
I understand that a sequel is in the works. Good. I'll be reading it, most definitely.
Thank you Henry, for a most enjoyable and intelligent novel.
I didn't especially like this book: the premise is interesting and the writing is good; it is well thought-out. Unfortunately from my own point of view, it straddles the line between science-fiction and science-fantasy and the fantasy parts of it detracted from the narrative.
Don't let this put you off. The book is worth reading and if you enjoy fantastical literature, you will like this a lot.
