The Wild Palms Reader by Roger Trilling

by Roger Trilling

From the Oliver Stone/ABC-TV series written by Bruce Wagner, The Wild Palms Reader documents the circumstances around the broadcast story. It is a paper trail, a psychedelic dossier filled with borrowed moonlight from a floating world--and it's a book that doesn't know it's fiction.

Genres: Science Fiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[DrCrower Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uno de los mejores libros-franquicia de una serie de TV que he leído jamás. Se trata de una especie de biblia del universo de "Wild Palms", que recorre todos los sucesos importantes previos y paralelos a los 5 episodios en lo que respecta a tecnología, biografías de personajes, historia de la ciudad de Los Angeles (y de EEUU en general),: vamos, un artefacto complementario del programa en orden cronológico -empieza en los años 50, con la muerte de la madre del senador Kreutzer en Manzanar, y llega hasta el ficticio 2008 del episodio final-, pero diseñada en base a recortes de periódicos, anuncios publicitarios, extractos de libros, informes, cartas o memorándums. Como bien dice el slogan, "The Wild Palms Reader no sabe que es ficción". La lista de colaboradores es bastante asombrosa. Lástima que el fracaso del show hiciera que el libro pasara totalmente desapercibido.

[Tom Schulte · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Wild Palms Reader purports to be the future tale of Anton Kreutzer. Kreutzer is part political demagogue, part L. Ron Hubbard, part scientist and part nuclear terrorist. This is the companion book to the Oliver Stone-produced ABC mini-series of the same name. The production is part comic book, part fictional history and part commentary on contemporary society. While I never have seen the series based on Kreutzer'' use of technologically advanced TV and mind altering drugs to sway the masses, I found this compendium on the fictional icon engrossing. The pseudo-documents contained here were purportedly manufactured by novelist William Gibson, Bruce Sterling, J. G. Eccarius (author of The Last Days of Christ the Vampire, etc.), former CIA spook E. Howard Hunt, Motorhead front man Lemmy Kilmister, Spy editor Jamie Malinowski, clothing designer and Sex Pistols creator Malcom McLaren, Laibach umbrella organization Neue Slowenische Kunst, author Bruce Wagner (Force Majeur), Genesis P. Orridge (Psychic TV, Throbbing Gristle) and many more.

[Max Renn · Rating 5 out of 5]

With this volume the editors at AMOK show how metanarrative is done right. Namely, a compendium of 'historical documents' and invisible literature from the Wild Palms universe expanding the subtexts and implications of bruce wagner's miniseries in a serious but unponderous way. Of note and by way of example are Genesis P. Orridge's Senator Kreutzer writings. Pure philosophical alchemy.

[C · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never saw the show, but when this came out, I remember thumbing through it at a store and being compelled to take it home and read it. Unpacking it today makes me think I should seek out the show.

[James Brown · Rating 1 out of 5]

I cannot recommend this book. It is a jumbled mish mash and very badly edited. I blame the editors, who were lousy, and the subject matter, which was uninteresting and rather silly. Getting through it was like trying to read a cut and paste book edited by a coke head. Just terrible.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the fellow who brought you the Amok journals comes this companion to the underrated comic/ TV miniseries Wild Palms.