Surfing the Gnarl

PM's Outspoken Authors #7

by Rudy Rucker

Combining both the fiction and nonfiction of one of the most unique contemporary science fiction writers, this collection offers a rare look into Rudy Rucker’s mind as an author and mathematician. Featuring an in-depth interview with Rucker about his ideas, politics, and how his career as a mathematician and scientist overlap with that of a bestselling author, this exclusive compilation is a must-have for any science fiction enthusiast. Infiltrating fundamentalist Virginia to witness the clash between religious fanatics and drug-addled and sex crazed youth, this collection is a one-of-a-kind examination of reality according to Rudy Rucker.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Short Stories, Fantasy, Collections

129 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Rudolf von Bitter Rucker is an American mathematician, computer scientist, science fiction author, and one of the founders of the cyberpunk genre. He is best known for his Ware Tetralogy, the first two of which won Philip K. Dick awards. Presently, Rudy Rucker edits the science fiction webzine Flurb.

Reviews

[Özgür · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bilimkurgu severim diye geçinirim ama bu yazarı ilk kez okudum. İsmini daha önce duyduğumu da hatırlamıyorum. Siberpunk bilimkurgunun öncü isimlerinden biriymiş.

Kitap dört bölümden oluşuyor: "Golf Kulübü'nün Arka Odasındaki Adamlar" ve "Uzayda Şehvet" başlıklı iki öykü, "Gnarlda Sörf" başlıklı bir deneme ve "Mucizeleri Yüklenip İstifini Bozmamak" başlıklı yazarla yapılmış bir röportaj.

İlk öykü garipti. Bir Amerikan kasabasında insan eti yiyen garip uzaylılar, kıyameti bekleyen bir Hristiyan mezhebi ve üniversiteye gidecek kahramanımız ile ailesi ve arkadaşları var. Klasik bir yaratık istilası gibi ama daha garip.

İkinci öykünün orijinal ismi ise "Rapture in Space". Daha çekici olsun diye şehvet diye çevrilmiş sanırım (Hatta kitabın orijinal ismi "Surfing in gnarl" ama Ayrıntı bu hikayenin başlığını seçmiş nedense :). Gelişme kısmında daha çok şey var ama uzayda ilk porno filmini çeken bir çiftin hikayesi gibi. Şaşırtıcı bir şekilde bitiyor ama pek hoşuma gitmedi.

Gnarlda Sörf ise oldukça ilginç ve okumaktan keyif aldığım bir denemeydi. Gnarl'ı "öngörülebilirlik ile rastgelelik arasındaki bölgede yatan bir karmaşa düzeyini anlatmak için" kullanıyor yazar. Karmaşıklık üzerine çalışan veya okuyanlar için daha tanıdık bir kavram olabilir. Kaosun kıyısı olarak düşündüm ben, yeni şeyler genelde burada çıkıyor diye hatırlıyorum. Rucker de bilimkurgu ve fantastik yazarlarını gnarllık seviyesine göre dört grupta topluyor: Klasik olarak nitelediği standart bir olay örgüsüyle yazan Tolkien, Asimov gibi yazarlar; Düşük gnarl düzeyinde yani gerçek dünya ya da ona yakın bir kurgusal dünya üzerinde biçimlendirilmiş gerçekçilik kullanan Heinlein, Gibson gibi yazarlar; yazarın transrealizm de dediği gerçek hayatla başlayıp çılgın yerlere giden Yüksek gnarl düzeyinde yazan Dick, Sheckley gibi yazarlar; saçma, tutarsız, mantıktan uzak öğeleri kullanan Adams gibi gerçeküstü yazarlar. Tabi bu yazarlar birden çok gnarl düzeyinde eser vermiş olabilir. Rucker gnarl edebiyatının içine Kerouac, Burroughs, Borges ve Pynchon'u da katıyor. Belki literatürde farklı şekilde isimlendirenler olabilir bu gnarl terimini. Kendi okumalarımı düşününce ağırlıklı olarak gnarl düzeyi düşük yazarları okuduğum kanısına vardım. Ama çok sevdiğim Bulgakov'da gnarl düzeyi hiç de düşük olmasa gerek.

Kitabın son kısmı olan röpostaj da yazarı tanımak açısından güzeldi. Ressam Bruegel üzerine bilimkurgu olmayan bir kitap yazmış mesela.

[briz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I discovered Rudy Rucker in 2007, when he Creative Commons-released Postsingular. Reading his interview from this book actually blew me away: it slotted into my sci fi journey, a journey whose origins I had forgotten. But OH YES it all began with cellular automata! That must have been how I found Rudy Rucker -> CC books -> Cory Doctorow -> SCIENCE FICTION!?

Anyway, this book contains 2 short fiction pieces, 1 non-fiction essay, and 1 interview. The 2 stories are outlandish and wild in the usual Rucker way; I liked the first one (a horror comedy nightmare about a Virginia town being torn apart by fundamentalist/apocalyptic Christians versus scary corporo-zombie golf aliens?!) a bit more. I forgot how incredibly imaginative and zany and out there Rucker is! SO GOOD! The non-fiction essay was pretty interesting, especially his taxonomy of "gnarly" science fiction (and his in-depth, semi-mathematical explanation of what the "gnarl" is; approachable and hypnotic complexity, sorta). It reminded me I should read Charles Stross.

The interview, though, funnily, kinda turned me off - he sounded so self-satisfied and kinda full of himself?! Which was a bummer. I mean, Kim Stanley Robinson (who I've done a better job of reading more of) sounded curmudgeony and grumpy as hell in his interview; but he also sounded... I dunno, like an authentic Zen master? Who hits you with a stick when you meditate badly? But also teaches you the ways of the Force? Rudy Rucker's interview, instead, made me roll my eyes a bit.

But bah, whatever, this series is fun fun.

[Peter Tillman · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best part of this short book is the interview of Rucker by Terry Bisson. They are old pals, and fellow Kentuckians, and simpatico. OK, Rucker is highly quotable. Re his historical novel on Peter Bruegel the Elder, "As Above, So Below", he said:
"Something I like about Bruegel’s paintings is that sometimes they seem to illustrate a moral or a folk tale, but nobody’s ever been able to figure out exactly what the tale is. The Flemish godfather makes you an offer you can’t understand. ...

I remember being very sad when I finished writing "As Above, So Below". I felt I’d grown very close to Bruegel during my years of work on the book." Excellent novel, that I should reread.

I liked his essay on "Surfing the Gnarl", don't much care for “The Men in the Back Room at the Country Club” (which I didn't reread), and “Rapture in Space” had moments. You might want to see if your library has a copy.

[Regina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up at the Friends of Seattle Public Library's huge book sale this month. This is a quick insight on the cyberpunk writer Rudy Rucker consisting of two short stories, an essay, and an interview with him. His writing reminds me a bit of the great William S. Burroughs Interzone and Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange. Interesting but I just wasn't that interested.

As for PM Press Outspoken Authors putting together this book, I really liked it. Giving you a taste of an author's short stories, essays, and an interview, I would love to read more of these with a great many lesser known writers that I have discovered and enjoyed.

[David H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This special collection from the Outspoken Authors series has a novelette, a short story, an essay, and an interview with the author.

The two stories were quite weird, and not necessarily in the way that I like. I'll give Rucker another shot at some point, I've been interested in his book Software.

His essay caused my eyes to glaze over a bit, though he had some potentially interesting things in there, though I just can't take the word "gnarly" seriously.

[Benjamin Fasching-Gray · Rating 3 out of 5]

The two short stories are amusing. The title essay did not blow me away. Terry Bisson asks some pointed interview questions of Rucker. There is a kind of boyish energy about the whole thing, but the boyishness of it feels a little cramped. Rucker points to the Beats as influences, and I guess it does have an accent of that kind of "transgression," that is probably what is making me less than comfortable. A definite plus is the working-class, at times lumpen, P.O.V., even if Rucker seems to think economic inequality is a natural phenomenon. It's one of the things I like about cyberpunk, Rucker's original ground. This book is far more punk than cyber, and that's nice.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trippy.

[Tomasz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stretched to four stars, because Rucker gets a bit too self-important at times (the title text being a MAJOR case in point). Still, a decent, quick, refreshing read.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amusing and humorous stories, essay and interview but nothing rad poli, a bit of a reach to be part of the series.

[Marc Lucke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know that Rucker's rightful place in the cyberpunk canon is tenuous and therefore books like this are important. That having been said, I didn't find the selection of stories particularly compelling -- although "Rapture in Space" is excellent -- and the interview does not paint an especially gracious or compelling portrait of the author.

[Shauna · Rating 4 out of 5]

PM Press's Outspoken Author series is well worth reading by every writer and reader of genre fiction. I give these brief books only four stars because the $12 asking price seems too high for what you get.

[George Ilsley · Rating 1 out of 5]

A confusing, unsuccessful concoction. I thought it was short stories, but in fact it is one short story, a bit of memoir reproduced from his book, another short story and an interview. I only read the first story and then my interest level entirely disappeared.

[Tobacco Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Rucker, and I love the extra commentary and the interview. But there really just isn't enough there in this thing to make it, like, a real short story collection. The first story was good, crazy, a little ware-mergey, second one was pretty sweet. And that's basically it.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rudy Rucker is a unique science fiction author. He's very much a pot-influenced post-hippie, and his books (both fiction and non-fiction) have a fair amount of 'gnarly' and 'whoa-dude' overtones. But he's fresh and unique and always interesting.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked the stories a lot, not real into the essay or interview

[Ben Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd highly recommend any Philip K. Dick fans read the story "The Men in the Back Room at the Country Club." The rest was decent.

[Mike · Rating 1 out of 5]

A couple of short stories, one decent one not, a memoir I was not interested in, and an interview I was not interested in.