The Bookian » Technocracy

The Santaroga Barrier : Economic Genre Fiction

Bookian — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:54:17 +0000

The flurry (or slurry) of new, so-called Economic Genre Fiction books must… imperative here, must pay creed to its currently ignored origins. And, for many, Economic Genre fiction starts with the Santaroga Barrier by Frank Herbert. Sure sure sure.. Dune, we know. The Green Brain… excellent! but, off topic. No, in the Santaroga Barrier, Frank Herbert single handedly lay down the framework for all consumption critical economic genre fiction that will ever arise. Its about a small west coast town whose inhabitants are somehow able to maintain complete control over their local economy, much to the chagrin of multi-national corporations. I cant say much more except, dont drink the beer, because it is a must read for anyone who considers themselves currently alive. Alive, I say! – reviewed by jaspers eater

Insatiability: A Novel in Two Parts

Bookian — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:45:17 +0000

Insatiability. The defining term for the twentieth century. The ontological definition of consumer driven markets. Or rather, the ontological definition of a human in a consumer driven market. The novel Insatiability: the dictionary of the ontological definition of the human in a consumer driven market designed by the urge towards technocracy. Unfortunately, theres not much demand for this definition, nor is there much demand for the Truth in perspective… the demand is for consumption of perspectives, but not the perspective about the demand for consumption of perspective, which is why this book is so hard to find! grrr… – reviewed by apocalypse

Memoirs Found in a Bathtub

Bookian — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:00:17 +0000

Stanislaw Lems Memoirs found in a Bathtub has got to be the best polish scifi of the middle century. Its like The Castle by Kafka but with technology, not crummy old villages. And its got confused people wandering around, trying to do stuff to the best of there ability, and failing miserably. But hey, thats life.. or at least, it soon will be. Once our hidden masters assert their reason, we will be able to break free. The writing is dense and paranoid. A lotta people say they are confused by the book, but thats ridiculous. its all about confusion. It a central tenet of good science fiction. All those hard-sf readers are like structuralist freaks, pedantic technocrats with circuits for brains. Go read your heinlein, puny creatures. Leave me with my bathwater. – reviewed by boop