What are you reading?

polymoog

polymoog

Superstar
Joined
Jun 17, 2017
Messages
9,125
five years with the congo cannibals - herbert ward
good book. nothing has really changed in africa, apparently.

paul di chaillu's 5 series on his explorations in africa in the mid-1850s. another great series. the last book discusses his discovery of the african pygmy tribe which i found absolutely fascinating. two things i didnt like about him: first, his trophy hunting for pleasure, although he had most of his specimens stuffed for exhibits in american museums and second, his promotion of the bible to the savages. he had no business foisting his religious claptrap on them. i understand his wanting to thwart their 'trials by ordeal' customs and their witchhunts, but he should stay out of their traditions and customs. if he doesnt like it, stay in the US. really, the same goes for sharia law proponents who move to western civilizations and start making problems-- stay in your own country.

the last dutch governor of new amsterdam

nice short history of the dutch colony in present day NYC, from the foundation of the colony through the british takeover. eastern US indians were very hospitable towards the dutch-- again, problems arose due to stark cultural differences, mainly, the indian custom of being able to take whatever they want and claim it as their own. they didnt understand ownership, or they simply felt that if they were able to steal something and get away with it, it was theirs. europeans simply had zero tolerance for this.


a prisoner of the reds, a story of a british officer captured in siberia during the russian civil war - francis mccullough

this one wasnt so great. interesting first hand account, but it wasnt eye opening. theres some decent detail about the massacre of the family of the last czar. that was about it.

GREAT short story by ian macleod: "grownups". this was originally published in issac asimovs scifi magazine in 1992, but i read it in The Year's Best Science Fiction: Tenth Annual Collection, 1993.
this is one of those stories which takes place in a similar world as ours, but with some very strange differences.

a link to the download: https://annas-archive.org/search?q=ian+mcleod+grownups

in this world, everything is seemingly the same except for "uncles". fat uncles are revered and respected. the story talks about a boy and his older brother and "growning up". it takes place at the childs 9th birthday, where 3 fat uncles are in attendence, sitting on lawn chairs with their big bellies and having a slightly yeasty smell about them. in this world, as a child matures, he or she is told to drink bitter milk to help him or her grow up. the 'growing up' takes place over the course of a few hours, where a child becomes an adult. this usually happens in high school, and as soon as the child grows up, he or she is allowed to quit school and begin looking for a job.
tony, the older brother, is on the brink of growing up. it happens one night and his younger brother comes in and asks tony what its like to grow up. tony cannot really describe it and says he doesnt really feel any different. then the kid asks where babies come from, and tony says, 'from a slit in a a fat uncles belly, but you know that." the kid says, yeah, i knew that-- i just wanted to ask you.
tony, after a few weeks, gets a job and moves out after a month. the kid goes on going to school, wondering when he will grow up. eventually, he meets a girl and they have sex. they talk and both agree they do NOT want to grow up, so they stop drinking their bitter milk. doctors come in and take their vitals each week as every child has this, and they find they are not close yet to growing up. both he and the gf pretend to be grownups and go to different towns, playing the part, or at least try to. they spot tony one day in a bar with his girlfriend, sitting at a table with a fat uncle. another time, they go to a farther town and meet a fat uncle there, too. they get a hotel room together, and the uncle excuses himself to freshen up. they hear him fart and take a dump, so they start giggling then run out and back home.
the kid one day is caught having sex with the gf, but his mother says nothing. later, the kid comes home one day from a night on the town with his gf, pretending to be grownups and awkwardly finds his mother, father, and a fat uncle in the bedroom. since his mother said nothing, he ignored the incident as well, although he was completely baffled.
on his 17th birthday, he has a party, which might be his last since hes getting old. he gets toys as kids do and some neighbors show up. his gf shows up too, and she grabs his hand and takes him up to the hill in town. they both wish to stay kids forever. he goes to make a move on her and notices her breasts are enlargening and her nipples have completely flattened out. she asks him not to touch her there since shes sore. she then goes to kiss him, but he is struck by a sharp pain. they both panic, and she helps lead him back to his house as his pain gets more excruciating. he gets home and passes out, waking up in the hospital.
theres a knock on the door, and its his gf. she explains to him that he has grown up. as he looks at her, he notices that shes cut her hair very short and has put on more weight...well, fat. she notices him looking, and she says that sometimes this happens to girls. he says yes.
the story wraps up with a nice tie-in to a moment they had shared-- a comment about peter pan and remaining a kid forever, but the reader is left wondering about a world where there are males, females, and fat uncle genders needed for procreation. i thought about this bizarre story for over a month
 
Last edited:
Zakat

Zakat

Star
Joined
Aug 20, 2023
Messages
3,937
1720065021745.png

The Cold One

The Los Angeles police are investigating two strings of gruesome deaths. One killer has left several horribly mangled corpses; the other murderer kills his victims seemingly without touching them. The investigators have only a single set of fingerprints to link the two series of crimes. — Journalist Peter Jacobs is dragged into the investigation when he receives an anonymous call from someone who knows more than he should about the murders. They agree to meet at a specific place and time, but the caller never shows up -- …and the killings continue.

When Julie Moore, a graduate student researching Near Death Experiences, falls in love with Peter, she has no way of knowing that she has placed herself in the deadly sights of the Cold One. The Cold One needs Peter to complete its mysterious designs -- but it does not hate Julie for interfering. It feels nothing -- no hate, no fear, no love -- and Its mere existence threatens all living things.

Until recently, Jerry Washington belonged to a violent street gang. Trying to go straight, Jerry meets Susan Darly, an upper-crust high school sweetheart, and finds that life can be warm and wonderful. Then Susan almost drowns -- and is terribly changed. She has become as cold as death, and Jerry is determined to find out why.

In India, Govinda Sharma's spiritual master has given him a dangerous job -- to pursue a seemingly invincible man, a blind man who can dominate another's will with a mere thought. This man will lead Govinda to the Cold One, and to a great truth that will shatter him to the core.

Govinda Sharma, Jerry Washington, and Peter Jacobs are the last defenders of mankind.

The Cold One knows who they are. It knows they are coming. And it does not care.


For those who wanna listen to the storytelling thereof.
 
Zakat

Zakat

Star
Joined
Aug 20, 2023
Messages
3,937
illegalbeagle said:
Careful of that one, I have a few of his books.
Its a good read, but so is Harry potter, apparently...
Click to expand...
Thanks! Haven't yet although I was about to... :/

Harry Potter was nice when I first read it when I was like 17 or something...

Reread it some twenty years later and it was just like the law of diminishing returns had to take effect.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top