Schrödinger's Cat 3: The Homing Pigeons

Schrödinger's Cat #3

by Robert Anton Wilson

Step into the day after yesterday where reality is whatever you can get away with! Robert Anton Wilson, the "last Scientific shaman of our age" provides us with a guide to illumination in this series of three books that are one book. Each volume here collected is a different view of the same world, a ride through the most radical theories of modern physics. Many characters from the Illuminatus! Trilogy reappear, including Simon Moon and the midget Markoff Chaney. They all take slightly different forms, except for Chaney, who appears as the ever constant Random Factor. And when Ulyses return to Ithyca, we get a peak at what Wilson's imagination is capable of. The book may be slightly perverse. But then, he's writing about the state of the human race. I assume that it is only Wilson's positivity that keeps him from writing us all into a novel that would make Sade cringe. The point here is to enjoy, observe, and learn. Readers of Illuminatus! will certainly enjoy this book. Moralists, of course, will weep in their beds. But that's the best part of all...

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Philosophy, Religion, Novels, Magic, Literature

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Robert Anton Wilson was an American author, futurist, psychologist, and self-described agnostic mystic. Recognized within Discordianism as an Episkopos, pope and saint, Wilson helped publicize Discordianism through his writings and interviews. In 1999 he described his work as an "attempt to break down conditioned associations, to look at the world in a new way, with many models recognized as models or maps, and no one model elevated to the truth". Wilson's goal was "to try to get people into a state of generalized agnosticism, not agnosticism about God alone but agnosticism about everything."
In addition to writing several science-fiction novels, Wilson also wrote non-fiction books on extrasensory perception, mental telepathy, metaphysics, paranormal experiences, conspiracy theory, sex, drugs, and what Wilson called "quantum psychology".
Following a career in journalism and as an editor, notably for Playboy, Wilson emerged as a major countercultural figure in the mid-1970s, comparable to one of his coauthors, Timothy Leary, as well as Terence McKenna.

Reviews

[Matthias · Rating 5 out of 5]

The President in Leary’s book, called Noxin, was a monster. He got the country into totally unnecessary wars without the consent, and sometimes even without the knowledge, of Congress. He lied all the time, compulsively, even when it wasn’t necessary. He put wiretaps on everybody—even on himself. (Leary, a psychologist,claimed this bizarre fantasy, which smacked of satire, was possible, for a certain type of paranoid mind.) He used the FBI and the IRS to harass every citizen who resisted this tyranny. He not only took bribes, but even had a team of enforcers who extorted “campaign” money from corporations under threat of turning the IRS on them. His political enemies all died in a series of strange assassinations that couldn’t be explained. When Congress started investigating his crimes, he betrayed his own co-conspirators one by one.

Noxin even misappropriated government money to fix up his house, and cheated on his income tax.

The book was a runaway best-seller, because it had a taut, suspenseful plot and because Unistaters could congratulate themselves on not being dumb enough to ever elect such a President.

I wish.

[Anthony Faber · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the one that I remember most. He replaces "bad" words with the names of Supreme Court Justices (which I later found out he stole for Gore Vidal's "Myron", the sequel to "Myra Breckingridge", which the Supreme Court ruled obscene, I guess) and others (mostly politicians and feminists or both, some of whom I didn't know about back when I read it the first time)

[Alethea Hammer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The thrilling conclusion to the trilogy. This one doesn't read as smoothly or as easily. There are two reasons for this, the first is RAW's habit of switching writing gimmicks for each new book. In this one he chose to substitute the names of prominent politicians of the 80's for all the dirty words. This is amusing, of course. But it makes the book seem very dated. Most of the names are now dead and consequently less famous with the younger people who may find this book harder to follow. Second the whirlwind tour of parallel universes steps up the pace toward the end. You keep encountering the same names on people who are in wildly different roles. It is fun, but tricky. The ending is hopeful and bright with a final cameo by our old friend Hagbard Celine from Illuminitus! Trilogy.

[Erik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Barely 3 stars, because its quite unique. But only recommended for superfans of Illuminatus! and Prometheus Rising.

Ultimately the books dont come quite together. There isnt a real plot. There is no beginning and no real end. You never know what version of reality you are in. Most characters have no significant arc, if they have one at all. The beginning of the book has a bit of an interesting rhythm to it, but it then spirals out into, i dont even know.

Is there a point?

If one looks at the book discretely, then it can be enjoyed on a page by page basis. Theres plenty of interesting ideas, strange happenings, and esoteric references and allusions to be enjoyed. And lots of sex. and lots of drugs.

Is there a point?

Maybe not in this reality. But maybe in RAW's. Or in someone else's.

Thats the point.

[Sherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm sure that there are people that loved reading this series, but I'm sadly not one of them. It was ok, but I like stuff that you just fall into and don't have to think so hard. You do have to pay attention to catch all that is in this story. Guess it's just over my head, but I will say the idea is great and how the author shows what he means is creative. I'll read his work again for sure.

[C. Steinmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well. Quite strange. Too much of Rehnquist, Brownmiller and Potter Stewart. The Quantumphysics is fully okay. Read all 3 books at once...the more you read, the better it gets...
Especially the view on Unistate...just like that reality.

[Michael Norwitz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wilson's conclusion is a more linear narrative than the first book and less sexually explicit (in an obvious way ... there is a lot of sex talk but using bizarre euphemisms) than the second book ... to the degree that there is a coherent plot, events wrap up in a (predictably literal) climax.

[Scot · Rating 5 out of 5]

If we all could forget what we know or believe in, we might actually learn something.

[Mary Slowik · Rating 3 out of 5]

He's all hopped up on the goofballs!

But seriously, this made for a downright kaleidoscopic conclusion. Hardcore physics students, or philosophy and semiotics majors, or more experienced psychonauts than I all probably, understandably love this stuff. Even in its strangest, smuttiest moments this book (and series) manages to be heartfelt, both celebrating and pitying the human species. It's challenging, in the sense of questioning traditional thought or beliefs, and deeply informed Wilson knew his stuff, from straight academic philosophy to farflung mysticism. This seems an attempt to weave everything together-- religion and biology, sex and death, drugs and politics, culture and experience. It's a rich, heavy, heady brew, and it's worth reading; there's just so much universe-switching later on that anyone looking for a straightforward or even remotely comprehensible narrative will be frustrated.

[j0n · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still some gems of Operation Mindfuck in this last volume, but by this point in the trilogy some of RAW's shtick is getting a bit repetitive. I can now understand why most people read the abridged single volume version; though if you're a big RAW fan it's worth seeking out the individual editions.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Acquired in the early 2000's
City Lights Book Shop, London, Ontario

I have read it, but either forgot to include my reading dates, or the data somehow got lost (I seem to have discovered some of my book reviews missing, so suspect there continue to be bugs in the system).

[Volker Then · Rating 5 out of 5]

38 years ago I read it for the first time, and I still love this trilogy. Schrödinger's Cat was my first encounter with RAW, and it is still my favorite.