Arctangential

I haven’t done a book status post for a while, and since I’m snowed in this morning, I figured I might as well. I was also holding off making this post until I finished Michael Moorcock’s The Vengeance of Rome, the last in a 4-book series called “Between the Wars”. I’ve been waiting to read these books for something like 15 years; I bought the first two books, Byzantium Endures and The Laughter of Carthage from the remainder table of the Border’s in Framingham, MA when I was in high school. I waited something like 3 more years until I was able to find a copy of the third book, Jerusalem Commands, which I thought at the time was the past book. It turns out, of course, that there was a fourth book, and Moorcock didn’t finish it until last year.

I could write pages and pages about these books. They’re like nothing I’ve ever read before and I’m having a lot of trouble coming up with a concise description for them. They follow the life of a man born on January 1st, 1900. His name is always unclear; we meet him as Maxim Arturovitch Pyatnitski, or Pyat, but he changes his name on a regular basis as it most benefits him. The books follow his life from the age of 18 (at the end of WWI) to the age of 36 (at the beginning of WWII). He travels all over the western world, starting in the Ukraine, moving all over Europe and then on to the USA, then to northern Africa and then back to Europe. He works as a movie star, invents a laser beam to fight the reds in the siege of Odessa, ends up as a sex slave to a mad hermaphrodite in the Sahara, works to build Mussolini an air force and even dresses up like a woman to be Hitler’s dominatrix.

Part of the joy of these books is Pyat’s complete self-involvement and inability to see the reality of any person other than himself. He lies almost constantly through the books; he invents not only new names, but entirely new personas for himself as they’re needed. He pretends to be a count, to be a Colonel in various armies and to be a member of almost every major political faction in the world. While doing this, however, he is unable to recognize when anyone else is ever lying, taking everything said to him at face value. Even though the books are written in his voice and we see his world through his own warped vision, it is entirely clear to the reader when people are tricking him and he never, ever catches on.

Anyways, I’ll stop there. Here’s my stats:

1. Neil Gaiman – Anansi Boys – 1-6-08 (287pp)
2. Jonathan Vankin – The Big Book of Bad – 1-7-08 (93pp)
3. W. Michael Gear – The Warriors of Spider – 1-16-08 (367pp)
4. Max Brooks – World War Z – 1-19-08 (342pp)
5. Hari Kunzru – Transmission – 1-27-08 (276pp)
6. Bill Watterson – The Complete Calvin and Hobbes – 1-30-08 (480pp)
7. W. Michael Gear – The Way of Spider – 2-7-08 (408pp)
8. Dick Francis – Hot Money – 2-12-08 (423pp)
9. W. Michael Gear – The Web of Spider – 2-21-08 (648pp)
10. Philip José Farmer – The Maker of Universes – 2-22-08 (247pp)
11. Samuel R. Delany – Empire Star – 2-23-08 (132pp)
12. Philip José Farmer – The Gates of Creation – 2-25-08 (188pp)
13. Neil Gaiman – Don’t Panic – 2-27-08 (182pp)
14. Philip José Farmer – A Private Cosmos – 2-29-08 (275pp)
15. Chuck Palahniuk – Fight Club – 3-1-08 (218pp)
16. Philip José Farmer – Behind the Walls of Terra – 3-3-08 (188pp)
17. John Swartzwelder – The Time Machine Did It – 3-4-08 (138pp)
18. Philip José Farmer – The Lavalite World – 3-6-08 (282pp)
19. David Mamet – On Directing Film – 3-7-08 (107pp)
20. Steven Gould – Helm – 3-11-08 (383pp)
21. Sharyn McCrumb – Missing Susan – 3-14-08 (401pp)
22. Philip José Farmer – Red Orc’s Rage – 3-15-08 (282pp)
23. Dick Francis – Break In – 3-18-08 (371pp)
24. Philip José Farmer – More Than Fire – 3-21-08 (312pp)
25. Hugh Cook – Wizard War – 3-25-08 (447pp)
26. Emily Brontë – Wuthering Heights – 3-30-08 (324pp)
27. Hugh Cook – The Questing Hero – 3-31-08 (186pp)
28. Hugh Cook – The Hero’s Return – 4-4-08 (204pp)
29. Jack Weatherford – Indian Givers – 4-4-08 (255pp)
30. Philip K. Dick – Eye in the Sky – 4-7-08 (255pp)
31. Hugh Cook – The Oracle – 4-12-08 (346pp)
32. Stephen King – Everything’s Eventual – 4-14-08 (583pp)
33. Hugh Cook – The Walrus and the Warwolf – 4-21-08 (779pp)
34. Robin Wayne Bailey – Shadowdance – 4-26-08 (537pp)
35. Hugh Cook – The Wicked and the Witless – 5-2-08 (459pp)
36. Joel Engel – Screenwriters on Screenwriting – 5-6-08 (287pp)
37. Jeffrey Richter – CLR via C#, Second Edition – 5-8-08 (648pp)
38. Hugh Cook – The Wishstone and the Wonderworkers – 5-12-08 (448pp)
39. Larry Niven – Crashlander – 5-16-08 (281pp)
40. Hugh Cook – The Wazir and the Witch – 5-23-08 (448pp)
41. Walter Jon Williams – Ambassador of Progress – 5-28-08 (432pp)
42. Michael Howard – Writing Secure Code – Second Edition – 6-1-08 (745pp)
43. Spalding Gray – Swimming to Cambodia – 6-3-08 (127pp)
44. Hugh Cook – The Werewolf and the Wormlord – 6-3-08 (352pp)
45. Hugh Cook – The Worshippers and the Way – 6-6-08 (380pp)
46. Geoffrey Sampson – Writing Systems – 6-12-08 (217pp)
47. Hugh Cook – The Witchlord and the Weaponmaster – 6-19-08 (726pp)
48. Symon Jade – Return from the Dead – 6-20-08 (181pp)
49. Ian Fleming – Thunderball – 6-22-08 (188pp)
50. Symon Jade – Cosmic Carnage – 6-23-08 (198pp)
51. Symon Jade – Alter Evil – 6-25-08 (196pp)
52. Robert A. Heinlein – Between Planets – 6-25-08 (190pp)
53. Mike Resnick – The Widowmaker – 6-27-08 (293pp)
54. Jane Austen – Pride and Prejudice – 7-7-08 (324pp)
55. Mike Resnick – The Widowmaker Reborn – 7-8-08 (297pp)
56. Richard Brautigan – Trout Fishing in America – 7-10-08 (112pp)
57. Mike Resnick – The Widowmaker Unleashed – 7-10-08 (231pp)
58. Emil Petaja – Saga of Lost Earths – 7-11-08 (124pp)
59. Stephen King – The Colorado Kid – 7-12-08 (184pp)
60. Emil Petaja – The Star Mill – 7-14-08 (128pp)
61. Ian Fleming – For Your Eyes Only – 7-15-08 (143pp)
62. Emil Petaja – The Stolen Sun – 7-16-08 (136pp)
63. Mark Twain – Pudd’nhead Wilson – 7-21-08 (172pp)
64. Emil Petaja – Tramontane – 7-22-08 (119pp)
65. Michael Moorcock – The Wrecks of Time – 7-23-08 (135pp)
66. Susan R. Matthews – An Exchange of Hostages – 7-28-08 (372pp)
67. Ian Fleming – Diamonds Are Forever – 7-30-08 (160pp)
68. Susan R. Matthews – Prisoner of Conscience – 8-1-08 (312pp)
69. Dick Francis – High Stakes – 8-2-08 (223pp)
70. Steve McConnell – Code Complete 2 – 8-3-08 (862pp)
71. Susan R. Matthews – Hour of Judgment – 8-5-08 (260pp)
72. John Swartzwelder – Double Wonderful – 8-6-08 (151pp)
73. Susan R. Matthews – Angel Of Destruction – 8-11-08 (342pp)
74. Isaac Asimov – The Human Body – 8-14-08 (320pp)
75. Susan R. Matthews – The Devil and Deep Space – 8-19-08 (362pp)
76. Cynthia Kadohata – The Glass Mountains – 8-21-08 (301pp)
77. Scott McCloud – Zot! – The Complete Black and White Collection – 8-24-08 (288pp)
78. Susan R. Matthews – Warring States – 8-26-08 (395pp)
79. Lawrence Watt-Evans – The Wizard and the War Machine – 8-28-08 (291pp)
80. Isaac Asimov – Adding a Dimension – 8-29-08 (224pp)
81. Isaac Asimov – An Easy Introduction to the Slide Rule – 9-2-08 (158pp)
82. Midori Snyder – New Moon – 9-2-08 (280pp)
83. Robert Louis Stevenson – The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde – 9-3-08 (54pp)
84. Midori Snyder – Sadar’s Keep – 9-6-08 (341pp)
85. Isaac Asimov – The Relativity of Wrong – 9-8-08 (302pp)
86. Dick Francis – Reflex – 9-9-08 (346pp)
87. Midori Snyder – Beldan’s Fire – 9-14-08 (376pp)
88. Isaac Asimov – Computer Crimes & Capers – 9-16-08 (235pp)
89. Timothy Zahn – Conquerors’ Pride – 9-18-08 (389pp)
90. Isaac Asimov – Asimov’s Lecherous Limericks – 9-19-08 (207pp)
91. China Miéville – Perdido Street Station – 9-25-08 (623pp)
92. Timothy Zahn – Conquerors’ Heritage – 9-30-08 (360pp)
93. Sam J. Lundwall – Bernhard the Conqueror – 10-2-08 (159pp)
94. Timothy Zahn – Conquerors’ Legacy – 10-6-08 (486pp)
95. Isaac Asimov – David Starr, Space Ranger – 10-7-08 (144pp)
96. Isaac Asimov – Lucky Starr and the Pirates of the Asteroids – 10-8-08 (144pp)
97. Aristotle – Poetics – 10-8-08 (118pp)
98. Dick Francis – The Edge – 10-11-08 (348pp)
99. Isaac Asimov – Lucky Starr and the Oceans of Venus – 10-11-08 (142pp)
100. Megan Lindholm – Wizard of the Pigeons – 10-14-08 (254pp)
101. Isaac Asimov – Lucky Starr and the Big Sun of Mercury – 10-15-08 (143pp)
102. Virginia Woolf – Orlando – 10-16-08 (333pp)
103. Isaac Asimov – Lucky Starr and the Moons of Jupiter – 10-17-08 (142pp)
104. Donna Tartt – The Secret History – 10-22-08 (524pp)
105. Isaac Asimov – Lucky Starr and the Rings of Saturn – 10-23-08 (144pp)
106. Michael Moorcock – Byzantium Endures – 10-30-08 (404pp)
107. Dick Francis – Banker – 10-31-08 (306pp)
108. Michael Moorcock – The Laughter of Carthage – 11-12-08 (602pp)
109. Ian Fleming – Dr. No – 11-14-08 (192pp)
110. Michael Moorcock – Jerusalem Commands – 12-1-08 (577pp)
111. Richard Brautigan – A Confederate General from Big Sur, Dreaming of Babylon, The Hawkline Monster – 12-6-08 (595pp)
112. Joanne K. Rowling – The Tales of Beedle the Bard – 12-9-08 (111pp)
113. Mark Twain – The Diaries of Adam & Eve – 12-11-08 (127pp)
114. Michael Moorcock – The Vengeance of Rome – 12-16-08 (618pp)
Totals:
Books: 114
Pages: 34994

I know I said when I started this that I wouldn’t be reading a bunch of short books at the end in order to meet my quota, and this has turned out to not be true. However, I’m not reading short books for the end of this month in order to meet my book count quote, but rather to bring down my average number of pages, which is at roughly 307 pages per book. I have figured out a set of short books I can read over the next couple of weeks which should allow me to bring that down much closer to 300.

I’m now reading a book on art theory by Wassily Kandinsky. It’s something else; I’ll probably end up doing a post on it soon.

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 18th, 2008 at 6:25 am and is filed under 50 Book Challenge - 2008. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.