What, you may ask, is a rainy bank holiday weekend good for? I’ve have plenty to do in my self-inflicted rota of Purgatory extracurricular tasks, such as preparing the next issue of LabLit, giving my novel one final polish before sending it off to the publishers for copy-editing, and attempting to stay afloat in the Web 2.0 universe.
Fringe benefits A good read about unorthodox science
But one obligation is decidedly not a chore. And that is reading Philip Ball’s debut ‘lab lit’ novel The Sun and Moon Corrupted, which will feature in our first Fiction Lab book group at the Royal Institution on 9 June (blogged about in more detail here). It’s a page-turner, so if you live in or near London, it’s not too late to pick up a copy and join us for the juicy post-mortem in a few weeks’ time.
I’m only halfway through, but it’s a cracker of a story. I won’t give away the plot, but it deals heavily with fringe science, which lies on a continuum between quackery and legitimate (or at least, accepted) knowledge. Often, the fourth dimension of time is the only thing that separates fringe science from its ‘real’ counterpart; anyone studying molecular biology in the 1980s will recall the scathing and incredulous reaction that Stan Prusiner and his wacky-seeming self-replicating prion proteins received in the traditional community – in stark contrast to his momentous encounter with the Swedish monarchy in 1997. Ball’s novel deals with people who doubt Einstein’s view of quantum mechanics, and offers a fascinating view into this nether, neither-here-nor-there universe of scientific culture.
But we can discuss all that on 9 June. What I am enjoying most of all are Ball’s scientific similes, metaphors and assorted descriptions. I’ll leave you with one of my favorites so far for a taster:
“Light was no longer a beautiful beam, a wave stretching from here to infinity. Light was quanta. Light was discrete. Light was particles. Call them photons. These photons won Einstein a Nobel Prize.
But Neder could no longer sit in the sun without feeling like he was being showered with fine grains. The sun was a sandblaster. The stars were tiny pea-shooters. The moon was a springboard for little shards that stung his eyes. The cosmos had come apart.”
Fantastic. Shame I can’t join you for that, but I must pick up a copy.
Joanna Scott approached me about a Second Nature tie-in and then went all silent…so I don’t know what’s going on there.
Hah, that would be fun!
I haven’t logged into 2nd life for months. Must have got a 1st life back.
I would be deeply curious to know if the cozy atmosphere of a book group could survive the Web 2.0 treatment. In some ways I feel it might not – but on the other, it could fulfill that niche requirement that Maxine and others were talking about on your latest post.
An interesting experiment, at any rate.
Mmm. We get quite cozy over at Lablit.com. Maybe a couple of heavies on the door to keep the riffraff out?
I don’t know if a book group could work in an online format, but what certainly is useful is hearing about books that sound interesting but you haven’t come across – maybe we should all blog about a book that really catches our attention every now and then.
Of course, there will inevitably be a degree of conflict of what works for different people – for instance I read your description of the book and thought ‘that sounds great, I will buy a copy from Amazon NOW’ – then read the extract and didn’t like that at all, because it sounded like an over-earnest attempt at being literary.
(That and, with my geekish hat on, I much prefer photons to waves.)
… I’m still buying a copy though!
Brian, it clips along and the writing isn’t forced at all. Extracts are difficult because you are plunged right into a new style with no warning.
The main character, a journalist, actually reminds me of a William Gibson heroine, like someone out of Pattern Formation or Spook Country.
It’s funny and sad and smart all at once.
I second the idea of blogging about books, especially those containing science or scientists. And you can visit LabLit for more reviews and recommendations, some from people not unknown to NN.
I have never succeeded in getting through the Second Life registration system, but several publishers and booksellers do have a presence there and presumably think there is something in it, or that there may be.
Jo Scott wrote “I notice from our stats that most people visit in the afternoon GMT, so for the next few weeks I’m going to be on Second Nature, in the events area, every day from 4-5pm GMT / 8-9am SLT. Come and visit! I’m also around to meet up pretty much any other time as well, so if you want to meet up some other time, just IM me.” Good luck, Jennifer, if you want to meet up with her there (sounds so simple! Beats me, though). Here is her Nature SL interface website.
Ah, maybe that’s why she ignored my suggestion to just pick up the phone…
There’s a lot to be said for the phone, isn’t there?!
Yes, an interesting Web 2.0 problem. I share an office with my entire lab and we are forever emailing each other form two feet away – when most people don’t speak English well, it’s easier to communicate complicated technical things in writing.
giving my novel one final polish before sending it off to the publishers for copy-editing
Woop! Go Jenny, go!
Thanks, Scott. Actually, they appear to want the second one as well, so having sent the first one off, I’m taking a much-needed break before diving into the next editorial breach. After so many years of waiting for this to happen, it’s sort of unreal how fast it’s all going now.
I’ve read Phil Ball’s book twice and it’s a cracker. I still don’t get the change of pace three quarters of the way through, though. But hey! I’m telling you the plot…
Yes, we have the “email from two feet away” syndrome, too. It’s a whole subculture. My daughter arranges social events on Facebook, even with people who live a few doors away. (Well I think she does. She did a week or two ago but that might be old hat now for all I know. All of this web 2.0 stuff means, for parents, that you can’t even keep up with what you don’t know about, if you see what I mean.)
Maxine, I have a coterie of 20-something friends from my old editorial team and most of them no longer use email. They only use the messaging on social network sites.
Henry, I don’t think I’ve hit that part yet – it’s still very stately and contemplative. But you can tell that something is brewing…a Nor-easter blowing in, perhaps. (That would explain the ache in my knee.)
Do they send decisions to authors about publication by instant messaging too, Jenny? This could well cap the Bob O’Hara “subit at start of lunch hour rejected by the end of it” story.
If only! Alas, they are forced to use email on company time like the rest of us old fogies.
You were probably editing in the days of fax rejections, weren’t you? At least those are suitable for framing.
HAHAHA!
I’ve just pictured text message rejections.
I bought a book of text message poetry (lovely, interesting) by Andrew Wilson on Sunday from the lovely ICA. Perhaps a text message poem rejection or reviewer comments would be OK?
Scott, can you give us a few lines from the book? Just enough to make us want to rush out and buy it?
There’s some here and here
Thanks, Richard.
Meanwhile, I struggled and failed to compose “…but best of luck in preparing your manuscript for submission elsewhere” (surely the most diabolical editorial diss ever) in textese.
bst lck prpping MS sbmssn lswr.
sckr
rdm + wp
I was pre-fax, would you believe, Jenny? Yet in all the time I was Nature’s News and Views editor, we never missed a deadline. (This is, I think, the most difficult “commissioned” section of Nature, deadline-wise, because in the case of N&Vs about Nature papers (about half of the weekly N&V total), there is a rule that the N&V has to be in the same issue as the paper. As there is only about 3 weeks between an article being accepted for publication and the N&V press deadline, you can imagine the rest.
The courier costs for the journal were horrendous.
Bt thn gt fx, tn e, tn wb, tn IM & r thgs btr?
sry msd a ) abv.
Eh? Something’s been stealing letters from here. Does NN suffer from electronic jackdaws?
Hee hee. And then there’s the editor’s reply to the author’s rebuttal:
Not no u old man roflmao
banish u + pain deth
if reform txt me l8r
Bob, if I see any letter-stealing jackdaws in my salon I shall hit them promptly with the Squirt-gun of Doom.
we rcv mny mr mss thn we can pblish, so sodf
_Ringrazia for sottopong its manuscript which we must reject for prominenti reasoned. They councilmen them are political of the nature
to scrumble went to the manuscripts of the relation of transformation of the substance for the transmitiz he he, of the way that can be
transmitted another one immediately where. Such decisions take examinación from prominenti personal, if this one to control the end
to follow very is not probably, station of the work limited of the papers the competition stop. We nondoubt of that one the technique of the quality of its work or the relative interest for another one, where functions and for the relatives of the halting to bring. Nevertheless we considered that his extended in the distance of others the disciplines that are the restorations nonupdated for it must exclude the publication you in the type from the little interest immediate for the investigators to one. They are sad that we cannot plus him be positi in this occasion._
On the other hand,
_Thankses for its manuscript. It determines to me requests that he is a civil employee of the deprived fire, Wielder of the flame of Anor and
capienza of I_m of the fact, of that scared, the end to say that the dark fire is not useful of you, flame of Udun. Unfortunaty is concerned what its manuscript must immovable register in the color. They are sad, to be to the load of the elements of, of that the message that disappointing must be._
Henry Gee
I gave Herzlichst of the Dr Spinebreaker.
Picosecond – you one does not exceed!
Henry:
that would be one massive text message.
I thought that was the text message.
I gave Herzlichst of the Dr Spinebreaker
has a certain poetry. I may have to
stealappropriately attrubute it.Well, it’s certainly a good way to discourage rebuttal letters, I’ll give it that.
Nobody ever corresponds with Gee more than once and lives to tell about it.
Nobody ever corresponds with Gee more than once and lives to tell about it.
Oh, I wish.
Do you worry about snipers?
No. Should I?
Hell hath no fury like a disgruntled author. I am amongst them now, and I can affirm that it’s not pretty.
Hell hath no fury like a disgruntled author. I am amongst them now
Oh no – what’s happened?
I don’t think I’ve ever been gruntled.
I could recommende a specialist, you know.
It’s a surprisingly beautiful book – I thought it would just be a fun purchase, and then I opened it at:
MEDICAL SCIENCE
Bladder cut out,
a tube from his stomach to a bag.
But 2 late.
Did he have strength left to make love?
A T shirt on
so my mum didnt have to see.
which is the second of a series of ten about the death of… I think his dad or uncle.
There’s another series about his girlfriend and their unwanted child which is brilliant too.
It is beautifully complex, and every word matters, which, as a gabbermouth, is one of the things I find compelling and enjoyable about poetry.
Dnt rng us.
Donut rings, Henry?
Scott – tell me what other poets you admire. I have enjoyably worked my way through Rupert Brooke and am looking for something new.
Note: am more in the mood for romance than death. So no Seamus Heaney, please.
Or ‘pls’.
I can’t let that crack about Heaney pass! There is a tinge of melancholy to some of his work, but what about Digging? As a writer I’m sure you’ll appreciate it… I hope so anyway!
ooh. Not familiar with that one – thank you, Stephen. Didn’t mean to diss him; just that every one I’ve tried seems to be about morose dying Irishmen.
I’ll never forgive Heaney his translation of Beowulf. Far too loose for my liking, and his reading of the initial Hwaet! as So is just wrong, no matter how hard he tries to justify it.
In my old age I have become suspicious of much modern versifying and have discovered the simple joys of the old classics such as Gray’s Elegy and even Spenser’s Fairie Queene (though I have barely scratched the surface of that enormous work). But, for me, nothing will ever beat Keats.
Jennifer – well you do have a point. The Early Purges is not exactly a barrel of laughs, not for cat-lovers at any rate…! But I do like his style of writing – he has a real gift for description.
Henry – I’ve not read his translation of Beowulf. Was it at least better that Zemeckis’s interpretation?
Robert Graves’ ‘Iliad’, anyone?
The damn thing rhymed.
I thought thye Zemeckis Beowulf rather clever, actually.
Henry – thanks for the link. Will take time – eventually – to read through the conversation. Still only half-way through The Sun and Moon Corrupted…
Dylan Thomas. Fern Hill still brings tears to my eyes, since I first came across it at age around 10.
A few of my favourites by other poets are here, though like so many of my “personal time” projects, it is woefully neglected and preliminary.
Thanks Maxine. Will definitely check those out. I am really pleased with my new Sony e-Book reader – all the classics are out of copyright including collections of poetry, so you can get good files for free pretty easily (e.g. see here, and thanks to Richard for pointing me towards it).
Henry, I think I’ve hit that shift in pace in Sun and Moon you mentioned – I miss Lena’s POV. But it’s still good…
Just finished The Sun and Moon Corrupted, with mixed feelings. I was briefly irritated by the loss of Lena’s POV in the middle section, but got quite interested in the two young protagonists, though in the end the communist era stuff went on a bit. But I think Henry is referring to the third section where we’re back with Lena and suddenly it’s a very different book through to the ending.
I’m afraid that totally lost my sympathy – I couldn’t see why she was bothering and I couldn’t really care. The backstory that I guess was supposed to justify why she was bothering didn’t convince.
I’d still say the book was well worth reading for the rest, but don’t expect a satisfactory conclusion.
Brian, thank god you didn’t give a spoiler – I am not finished yet. The backstory has been looming since the beginning…I am very curious to know what’s up with her. I have only just reached part 3. But am interested to compare notes afterwards.
Speaking of which, you thinking of coming to the book club?
SPOILER ALERT
It’s all that business about the Red Mercury. I got to that and thought, ‘now where did that come from’? There is a deep Paracelsian metaphor in there (evident from the title), but I only knew that because Ball has written a biography of Paracelsus, and the man himself (Ball, not Paracelsus) confirmed it when I asked him.
Interesting problem: how to respond to a comment without reading it?
Not easy.
Jennifer – I was conciously trying not to do a spoiler. (BTW some nice in-joke references to spoilers in this week’s Dr Who.)
Unfortunately getting up to London is a pretty major expedition from out in the wilds of Wiltshire, so unless I can find some excuse to be up on business that day, it’s unlikely. Any chance of someone recording the session and podcasting it?
Henry – yes, that too – it seemed very detached from the earlier perpetuum mobile theme.
Gentlemen, the mercury has started to redden up a bit and I sense a bit of a rush-job phenotype, in contrast to the perfectly composed first half. I wonder if the deadline was looming at the time? I still want to know what’s going to happen, though, which is a good sign.
Anyway, Brian, there was talk of Second-Naturing it, but Joanna went AWOL. Perhaps future sessions might get some AV action – we’ll see how it goes.
I wonder if the deadline was looming at the time?
No – it was like that in the draft.
Brian, there was talk of Second-Naturing it
My computer is so slow it thinks a web page is exotic – no chance of running Second Life. I was hoping for a nice, low tech, audio recording. Much better for absorbing while eating lunch or in the car too. Second Life is risky while negotiating the Hanger Lane Gyratory System.
(Not that I ever have, but when we used to live in reach of Capital Radio they were always going on about traffic problems there, and it sounds very exciting. Positively dance-like.)
Second Life is risky while negotiating the Hanger Lane Gyratory System.
I lived in west London for many years, during which time I got a black belt in origami, but only after five years’ hard practice on the CHiswick-Ikea run did I get the hang of the Hangar Lane Gyratory, learning how to enter the system such that I was always in the correct exit lane.
An audio podcast would be nice, actually – informative without being intrusive. I’ll do some nosing around and see what’s possible. The thing about podcasts is, they normally need to be edited to be truly palatable.
thinks we should talk about podcasting the August event.
Proper podcasting, in my experience, is a lot like radio – people sitting in a small sealed room with headphones and microphones. I wonder how amenable a messy live event would be for that medium.
we should talk about podcasting the August event.
Adam Rutherford (on nature network or contactable by usual initial dot surname at nature dot com code) is the person to contact for that. Possibly Corie, Matt and Li-Kim have already done so, but can’t do any harm to sell the idea to Adam, I am sure he’ll be keen.
Henry: only after five years’ hard practice on the CHiswick-Ikea run did I get the hang of the Hangar Lane Gyratory etc– but clearly, you managed to get out of IKEA each time. Brilliant navigation skills! I once went to the Croydon IKEA and I was in there for weeks trying to get out.
Jenny, your comment did not show through when I posted my “Adam podcast” comment. Sorry– I don’t know about the acoustics problem, but I believe Adam does “remote podcasting” as part of his Nature podcast brief– in any event, he’d have some practical advice I am sure.
Maxine – the worst navigational problem I ever had was in your very own Kingston-upon-Thames, whose one-way system seemed to change weekly in the mid 1980s. Back then I was in a rock band that played regularly in SW London and I often had cause to drive through Kingston, or even play there (The Old Grey Horse was a favorite haunt). On one occasion, there I was, shattered, after a gig, driving round and round, a car packed to the roof with gear, at about 1 a.m., trying to find a passer-by who might help me get out of the maze. At that time of day (or night)
the onlyan appreciable fraction of the pedestrians are drunks.“How do I get out of Kingston?” I asked the specimen I accosted.
“I’ve been here for eighteen years,” he slurred, amiably, “and I still haven’t been able to work that one out.”
Yes, I know the feeling, Henry. The one-way system is byzantine, and has become more so in the 18 years (;-) ) since I’ve been there (actually 17.5 but who is counting).
I met Adam when I did a Nature podcast – I didn’t know they did remote ones. That’s useful info.
Still haven’t finished the book: my life seems like an endless series of snatched moments. I still have 4 days though!
So Jenny – are you going to talk with Adam about it (seeing as you know him) or shall I bring my, ah, persuasion to bear?
(What a frightening thought).
I hope I am not wrong. But I listened to a podcast the other day (an extremely rare occurrence for me, and I have to admit it was because someone told me I was mentioned in it), which was very clear, and done in the interviewee’s back garden, complete with birdsong, so it must be possible. I think Adam would be well placed to help, and probably would be happy to either get his team involved or would advise.
Probably too late for Monday – I’m sure the Baroness would need to be consulted and
a small furry animal sacrificedhealth and safety placated.Richard: I think you should keep your persuasion safely holstered. This is a respectable salon.
Richard: I think you should keep your persuasion safely holstered. This is a respectable salon
Jenny, you really should stop reading my novels. They are obviously having a very bad influence on you. Is that your persuasion you’re packin’, or are you just pleased to see me?
All I’m saying is that I’m not the one who made the comment about virgins.
Yes, I saw that comment, too. It’s very sad, how the youth of today is so easily corrupted. I shall ask Mrs Gee to go prepare the hemlock.
Hey, tough crowd.
I can juggle if people prefer?
Honestly, I don’t know what to say.
The elderly folk of today are so squeamish.
Honestly.
p.s. The Ball novel has now transformed into a James Bond film…
p.s. The Ball novel has now transformed into a James Bond film…
I liked that part. The problem I had was that it seemed to come out of nowhere, and I couldn’t see how it related to what had gone before.
I’m liking the seedy Eastern European vibe.
It’s the Song Contest all over again. I keep expecting Sir Terry to chime in with a sardonic quip.
It’s the Song Contest all over again.
Oh, now I want to read this.
I’m still headdeep in popsci at the moment, alas.
Scott, it would not be ethical for me to lead you astray. The resemblance to the song contest is only superficial – not enough contortionists on roller skates, for one.
p.s. I am 20 pages from the end!
p.s. I am 20 pages from the end!
Ah, well, you won’t have got to the Grand Finale in which Terry Wogan is immolated by a troupe of skating Ukrainian fire-eaters.
smeared in red mercury and bearing synchronized Geiger counters.
Wogan or the Ukrainians?
Everybody, duck.
(Hm, interesting how one comma can completely change the meaning of a two-word sentence.)
I’ve finished. Overall, a good read, but I feel somewhat unsatisfied with the wrap-up of the protagonist’s story (was there a redemption or not?). Also, I am not sure if the fringe science stuff was resolved either. Nevertheless, I really liked the dark feel and attempts to explain alchemy through a modern lens.
I have to agree – I enjoyed the ride, but when I got off, I wondered where I was, and why.
I am interested to hear what everyone will say at the book club on Monday. Including the author.
I hope we get some non-scientists because I am curious how heavy it would come across to a non-technical person.
Well, the title was enjoyable.
Jenny – don’t forget to give us an account of tonight’s happenings, for those of us who are
country bumpkinsunable to attend.Will do!
The title, Scott, appears to come from some ancient alchemy text. One of things I’m going to ask Phil tonight is how much of that stuff was real, and how much made up. Ditto the science.
Well, it was fun! The evening went off without a hitch, and we managed not to reduce Phil to tears. I’ll blog about it in more detail when I announce next month’s book in a few days’ time, but it really was great to have the author around to ask about rationales and influences. I know a few more authors so hopefully we can repeat the experience, but down The Goat afterwards we had a brainwave: if we can’t get the author, we should at least try to coral in a local expert of whatever science is being discussed in the book.
Look forward to reading about it, Jennifer. And the brainwave sounds, er, like a brainwave.
As one who has long had a “foot in both camps” among the many readers with whom I interact, I have long been intrigued by the way in which books are perceived by scientists vs non-scientifically trained people. Adding a scientist to the mix of the discussion between author and (eclectic group of) readers would be fascinating, a bit like a News and Views article on the book. I wonder whether the non-scientifically trained and scientifically trained readers would have fundamentally different reactions?
Well, we had a nice mix, Maxine: patent attorney, marketing manager, classical musician, a few others that escape me now – and a few scientists or science-degreed sorts. The non-scientists had a lot less patience with the heavy explanations of quantum mechanics (as you might expect) and they seemed to be a lot more demanding when it came to the lit-crit aspects. I guess I’m so thrilled to see any science or scientists whatsoever in a novel that I am willing to overlook certain things. The non-scientists weren’t so easily mollified.
Maxine, would you happen to know of a relatively recent novel that has aspects of science in it? Not necessarily lab lit, but somewhat science-related? Everyone keeps mentioning China Miéville and ‘the new weird’, but I somehow doubt this is scientific enough.
Not really, I am afraid. There seems to be a dearth of it and I am sure you know far, far more about what is around in general than I do.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the NightTime by Mark Haddon is probably the last novel I read that had science in it (chaos theory), and that isn’t recent. But you might get Bob May to come down for a pint on the strength of it 😉
John Macken (see link) is a cancer researcher in Birmingham who has written a couple of science-based thrillers. The premise is that behaviour and phenotype can be predicted forensically, so a spinoff company is set up to do these analyses for the police. The author himeself is very interesting to discuss the science with, but I am not going to exactly recommend the books (well, I only read one).
Going back a bit, there is Jenny Davidson’s Heredity, but that’s about 5 years old now. (Jenny has a great blog called Light Reading which is full of literary-scientific observations and thoughts. If you visit her blog you can see her description of her latest novel, which is certainly science-based but it is children’s, so not sure if that would qualify.)
One more option, which I have not read, is a book that was a bestseller last year (but I have an idea that it might also have been a R&J selection, so that may not tell you much): An Interpretation of Murder by Jed Rubenfeld. Freud meets Sherlock Holmes. I have the impression this is more psychoanalysis meets detective novel than science, but the book did garner a lot of positive reviews.
great tips, Maxine. I’ve met ‘John Macken’ (I won’t out his real name) and his book ‘Paper’ is classic lablit (written under another pseudonym, John McCabe). Yes, I read the first forensic one – classic to the genre but I prefer his more literary stuff.
Goodness, is this another century?
bq. Goodness, is this another century?
Sisters are doing it for themselves, it seems.
Jenny: we managed not to reduce Phil to tears.
You obviously weren’t trying hard enough!
If you’d accept a suggestion for a future book that’s been around for a while, I think the use of genetic engineering, phages, viruses as psychedelics, new forms of life etc. in Paul McAuley’s Fairyland is superb. Although written in 1995 it’s still very fresh and very little of the science has dated. See my review for more detail.
Incidentally, this is in a new section in the popsci website, inspired by this post, as I was re-invigorated to discover what SF is doing these days, and what SF science writers like…
Brian: You obviously weren’t trying hard enough!
There was much that was said that was critical of the book (I’ll leave it to Jenny to spill the details) but it was nevertheless very interesting to hear from the author where the book had come from and what he had been trying to achieve in different sections. I wasn’t a big fan of the novel but greatly enjoyed the evening!
There was much that was said that was critical of the book (I’ll leave it to Jenny to spill the details
I’d very much like to learn what people thought of the sudden change of pace in the last quarter of the book, and how Phil explained it.
I shall endeavor to please.
Brian, thanks for the McAuley tip – it sounds promising. His name has been buzzing around my suggestion box for ages but I have not yet managed to read one!
I love your website, by the way.
Awesome evening Jenny, thanks for doing it!
I’ll try not to reveal too much lest I pip Jenny’s post, but I’ll say that although I didn’t really mind that the last bit kinda came out of nowhere, I also wasn’t sure about where it left most of the threads once it ended.
I think the section with the most punch was the bit in Hungary with younger Neder and, especially, Kam. There was a certain amount of Kam-hearting going on last night.
I’ve said too much.
I had hopes of Daniel Kehlmann (Measuring the World), but his new novel, published by Quercus, is about the art scene, not science.
Allegra Goodman’s Intuition I know you know all about, so did not mention it here.
Phil Ball, by the way, has a sweet blog post here with the title “Yes I do read my reviews”, about what it is like to be on the receiving end.
Congrats on your _n_th century, and happy to help!
There was a certain amount of Kam-hearting going on last night.
Can I help it if I thought he was dead sexy? At least I was honest!
Can I help it if I thought he was dead sexy?
If you can’t, then you ought. I thought he was about as sexy as a toothpick.
Pshaw. Every woman secretly fancies the Bad Boy. If he looks like Dracula, so much the better. You’ll have to trust me on this one, Henry.
Oh, yeah, and a fish needs a bicycle.
Being back in full time
enjoymentemployment, I’ve only just noted that in terms of scoring Century comments, the scores on the doors here are now:-1) Jennifer Rohn “n” of three
2) Richard Grant “n” of one
3) The rest of us suckers – diddly squat/points zéro/discarded polythene-bag/dead donkey.
In the words of that rather yucky Anne Robinson, is it time to vote off the weakest link?? I think not.
Statistically, the (other) strongest links so far, Circus Master/Game-show Host/London Tour Guide Master Brown will tell us, are now?
What’s interesting is if you compare number of posts with comments garnered. Jenny and myself have conflicting philosophies on this. But not as conflicted as Henry, who seems to be laying down a veritable artillery barrage of posts.
Not that anyone is listening…
Hear, hear (har har).
Wasn’t there a century to do with Humph as well? Bob, was it?
I don’t have a plan, I just write what I feel like. One day
my army of robots will finally be completed and set loosepeople may lose interest.tumbleweed
Jennifer: I have to say I don’t entirely agree with the attractive villain theory, though there is something in it (Dracula has never appealed to me I have to say). I think a “danger/bad boy” element is the appeal, not the “out and out villain”. Examples include:
Luke Skywalker 0 Han Solo 10 Emperor 0
Legolas (movie) 0′ Aragorn 10 Sauron 0
Mr Bingley 0 Mr Darcy 10 Mr Collins 0”
etc
‘Unless you are a teenager, in which case:
Legolas 10 Aragorn 0
”OK I cheated and did not put Mr Wickham. But still, only about 3 cf Mr Darcy.
I haven’t read Phil’s book so I don’t know if this chap is an out-and-out villain or just one of these “goodies with a dark side”.
On number of posts re comments: lots has been and can be said on it, but most 100+ comment threads are unreadable because the thread loses the plot, more than once (to continue the literary theme of this one). The NN “100s” so far (both bloggers’) are exemplary because the blogger has participated in the discussion. Many blogs that get loads of comments are utterly tedious as the comment thread consists of people zooming in, writing a predigested opinion that even if relevant to the topic of the post takes no account of the preceding discussion.
In general, I find blog posts with 0 to 30 comment threads more conducive to conversation. (Present company excepted, of course!)
Not that anyone is listening…
Er… pardon? [adjusts ear-trumpet]
On teh sexiness-of-villains argument, Maxine has raised an important point. Some female Tolkienistas prefer
blondesLegolas, whereas others go for the Aragorn look. If I might make so bold, this can be broken down by age of viewer. Maxine likes Aragorn, her teenaged daughter likes Legolas. Mrs Gee, a woman of somematuritydiscernment, likes Aragorn, and this is related to his state of dishevelment: she only liked him in Fellowship and Two Towers when he looked like he’d been dragged through a hedge backwards. When he scrubbed up for Return of the King, she went right off him. Anyone who says that this explains her taste in -beardy croc-wearers- men is cruisin’ for a bruisin’, so be warned.I recall sitting to watch The Two Towers with her as it built up to the final climactic scene at Helm’s Deep when 10000 disgusting orcs are ranged against 300 pretty-boy elves. “What are the Elves gonna do?” exclaimed Mrs Gee, “throw shampoo at them?”
I never saw anything in Mr Wickham, to be honest, even when I was young and innocent. I prefer my flirtations to be more subliminal. Mr Rochester was rather devastating.
I’m afraid the bad-boy element in Phil’s book is entirely superficial – the character isn’t at all bad inside. He even rather bewilderingly comes to the heroine’s rescue (sort of) in a multistory car park. Not that she really deserved it.
Oh, are we back onto damsels in distress, now? 😉
On the subject of damsels – thinkingback to Phil’s book, I found the central character somewhat colourless. When she was in distress, I found it hard to be sympathetic. My favorite character was the eccentric babushka of a journalist Margaret Strong, who was loosely based on a real person (whom Phil will have known, or at least heard of, but Maxine will remember very well indeed).
After getting Jenny in a bit of trouble there I feel I should say I was quite liking Kam as well. He’s just so suave! But yeah, he’s not so much a bad boy – there’s just a hint of danger about him. And free cigarettes.
And actually, as long as we’re talking parallels with Mr Darcy – you know how Elizabeth doesn’t really start to dig him until she’s seen his house? I think Kam got cooler once they’d gone to his. Although it did come with more weird paternal relationships than did Pemberley.
My favorite character was the eccentric babushka of a journalist Margaret Strong
When I read the book I couldn’t help picturing this character as Margaret from The Apprentice, another strong woman. Just to be clear, though: this was a mental image, not a fantasy…
It’s all coming out now, I can see. Mind the Gap will become the place where we can safely confess our deepest literary crushes.
All I said that was Margaret Strong was my favourite character. My crush was exclusively literary (if you knew the model for the character you’d know what I meant).
Henry, given your interest in Paracelsus, I thought you would be interested in this nugget from the latest issue of Science. It’s a little piece about a team of Mexican scientists using Tequila to make diamonds. But the bit that made it for me was the account from a UK group who had achieve the same end from a more British starting point:
“Paul May, a physical chemist at the University of Bristol, U.K., says his group even moved from the bar to the grill: “We once grew diamond using as a source of carbon the grease from a leftover lamb kebab” that was exposed to a hydrogen plasma, he says. After all, there are better uses for the liquor.”
🙂