/lit/ - Literature

Both of the two wub short stories by PKD are really good. The telepathy element is reused in Martian Time Slip and the wub discussing philosophy after it had taken over was cute, fuck Franco. I was expecting something to happen to Masters at the end of the sequel, though given the typical cliche of immortality being bad. Fucking wubs, I love them.

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So I was looking for a book in the same vein as that selfcontained Rick and Morty episode where the city populated entirely populated by multiple versions of themselves has culminated in a kind of personalised hell for most of the people involved.

So both of these books are very dystopian (as per usual Strugatsky and PKD fare.)

THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE
4/5 book compared to Ubik and Three Stigmata which I would rate 5/5. This is an alt history where Germany and Japan wins. My favourite moment is when Reiss (Nazi) is trying to read his goddamn book and gets interrupted every thirty seconds (which oddly humanises him). I actually liked Nazi-kun much more than that unredeemable asshole Buckman in Flow My Tears mostly because he planted a fucking bomb on Taverner and still tried to get him trouble realising what Taverner went through. Really?. Ending with all the writer saving was a bit gratuitous.

Tagomi was an unexpected favourite of mine I was absolutely certain that he was going to sell out Baynes but for once PKD had some mercy. The typical PKD mindfuck appears but only a small section.

I liked the ending.

THE DOOMED CITY
Another 4/5 novel. Essentially the Doomed City (by the Strugatskys) isn't as good as Roadside Picnic or their Noonuniverse novels but the translation is pretty readable compared to The Beetle in the Anthill. Essentially the Mentors (of unknown origin) have been conducting a sociological experiment by taking volunteers from various time periods, countries and beliefs in the City which is a bit like a planet with a sun they can turn on and off. Fascinating concepts.

It has a lot more psychological elements like Roadside Picnic compared to the Noon Universe books. Wish it was part of the Noon Universe so I could see the Mentors interact with Rudolf Sikorski. Oh well.

Favourite character was Izya he was fucking hilarious. And I also loved Fritz too and how although he was blatantly Nazi, I liked him quite a bit.

The ending was kind of shitty and abrupt. What the fuck happened to Fritz and co? I thought that the first circle was a reference to him passing the first circle of hell.