Andrew’s Comments (group member since Mar 11, 2024)

Andrew’s comments from the Beyond Reality group.

mark wrote: "Wow, excellent analysis Andrew!!"

Thanks buddy. :)

Finished this yesterday. Although Asimov's writing style continues to be, well, poor at best, often with hideous clunky awkward phrases shoved in and a tendency for prolonged sentences cranmed with unnecessary information, I thought it was brilliant. The conceit is incredible, the scope is fantastic, and the premise is executed with deft brilliance, that of the sheer relentless, grinding nature of the plot, one in which the protagonist is less any character and more simply the abstract grind of history. Its a stunning achievement. The richness of such an abstract concept, which should be nigh on impossible to convey in a narrative, that of displacing personal heroism for sociological trends, works so well and is so interesting its kinda amazing. The politics in it are great, with superb interplays between different factions, the power plays, schemes, tensions between different segments of the empire, with a ridiculously bloated core and an isolated periphery, thats all really well done, and gives it a sense of acute verisimilitude. Its also fascinating how Asimov essentially shows a kind of cyclical nature to historical development, one that ends up matching, almost to a tee, Earth's own development. We start off with a very small society, one dedicated almost entirely to the pursuit of knowledge and development of science (Ancient anthens in particular). Then there's a crisis, which produces a more authoritarian power structure (Rome). After a while, we get theocratices, where religion is the mainstream and power is derived from an almighty Church (the feudal middle ages). Then we get the beginnings of capitalism, first of a merchant phase, rooted in traders operating within feudal boundaries (sort of 14th-17th c.) then the full arrival of developed Capitalism on the scene at the end of the book, the final triumph of the bourgeoisie against the ancient regime (say, from the 17th century right up to the Industrial Revolution). To see it all laid out like this, noble principles becoming more and more degenerate and corrupt, finally triumphing in a power structure not too dissimilar to the sort of one that probably led to the formation of the empire that is now in decline, is fascinating, and also faintly depressing. The fall from hyper modern Empire on Trantor to essentially feudal superstition was staggering, and also a rather prescient warning that civillosation sony go in a straight line, that in the refounding of a civillisation from scratch one can expect to see the same patterns emerge again and again, with different variants each time. So overall, a truly brilliant work, and despite my gripes, there's a crispness and a brevity to the writing which actually helps nip it along nicely. It also makes me smile greatly that what Frank Herbert essentially managed to achieve in 6 long books Asimov did in a single 220+ page book. He's not considered the godfather of modern sci fi for nothing.

I think too, Hari Seldons speech desperate pleading at the beggining that science has show without a doubt the end is coming, and the need to do something to lessen the blow now, is remarkably relevant in the context of the ongoing pandemic, and more specifically climate breakdown, the Seldom crisis par excellence, except one without even a tenth of the effort put in to try and abate it that the rulers of the galaxy do in allowing the Foundation to be built, depressingly enough.

Sci fi: Windhaven by George R.R. Martin and Lisa Tuttle. I love Martin's stuff, and this sounds like a really beautiful and interesting concept.

Fantasy: Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James. An epic fantasy, start of a trilogy, which dealves into the trove of African mythology and legends. Apparently pretty violent, but sounds brilliant none the less.

just finished it. Jesus christ. I'm full scale sobbing right now, almost uncontrollable. I'm not sure I was even remotely prepared for this kind of heartbreak. Like, at all. I can barely even tell if it's a happy ending or sad. I think sad.

I'm so glad he got a little chance of living properly, for abit. Its hard for me to say what I thought was most upsetting, the fact he didn't know people were making fun of him when he was mentally disabled, or the realisation no one likes him when he was more intelligent. His childhood was so awful as well.

I'm too emotionally distraught right to give a proper intellectual review, but I'll try and lay down some thoughts. I agree with Shel, the ableist language was abit tough at times, but it was period accurate (moron, idiot and cretin were considered value neutral medical terms, crazily enough), but considering what an overwhelmingly sympathetic look at disabled people it is, and a desperate, agonised cry for their better testament, its clearly not intended negatively.

If ever I need to book to shove into some snobs face if they doubt sci fi can be literature it'll be this one. If I ever need an example of why the written form can accomplish things that other mediums can't, I may also choose this one. At only 216 pages it's capable of traversing almost the entire experience of humanity, its highs and lows, its ups and downs, the agonies involved in simultaneously having to give up on the bliss of childhood ignorance, but arguably can newer, and better experiences thorough growing up, even if its infinitely, infinitely more painful. and then, of course, for some very unlucky people, the slow descent into altheizmers, or just more generally the losing of your mental dynamism and agility as you get older anyway. To convey this through the medium of the first person accounts, physically degenerating the words in descending and then ascending order as the book progresses - it's just a staggering works of creative genius.

it was also rather personally affecting. I've suffered from chronic social anxiety all my life, and I only recently decided to get it properly sorted out before the summer started. And although no where near the same level as Charlie, I too feel in some way, having been on Setraline for a while now, that it's like you've got to relive your life, learn how to behave like a human and try and do human things (make friends, converse, do romance). And like Charlie it's hard, real hard, it's like everyone else had a head start on you and you're desperately trying to catch up with everyone else who got a head start in life. That bit when he says he finds himself just wondering around hoping for someone to talk to him or just something to happen to him...yep, I know the feeling.

I guess if I only have one minor quibble is that it potentially arguably falls into the idea that there is something "wrong" with mentally disabled people, that of they were "smarter" they'd be happier in a way, which I don't think is the right attitude. I wasn't too sure why the mum and Nora were, and especially the mum, almost seemed to be forgiven for her actions when she was so utterly abominable to him. There was a sort of sense in that chapter that in some way he was glad they could treat him now as normal. But that isn't right. He was good as he was when he wasn't "smart", they should have loved him regardless, especially considering the father, who actually loved him, wasn't even given the chance for some closure. That seemed kind of off. Still, I think it mostly addresses it in the book, the fact that Charlie was still a person before hand, not some kind of fallen, misshapen person, and that although clearly not having intelligence as we would know, they're capable of enormous qualities of their own (the kindness, empathy, and love they show to others, and in the case of the two people at center who look after each other, is astounding in its own right).

I still don't quite know how to feel about this. I'm still too emotionally broken. All I know is I want to go out and find a mentally disabled person and give them the biggest hug in the world, msybe even help them, to ensure that no one ever has to endure what Charlie went through. I hope things are better today for people like him.

Poor Charlie. :(

dunno really. I see as my mood goes. I'll finish off Margaret Atwood's Cat's Eyes, then I'll see I I want to read another of hers (I have blind assasin, Oxynx and Crake and Handmaid's Tale from the library). I'll probably try and finish some of the other library books, Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig and Two Tribes by Christopher Beckett. then I dunno. I'll definitely be reading Flowers for Algernon, then I may go and read Dune Messiah (having finished the first book). then at some point I'll have to finish off my book on Lenin (Lenin Reloaded), maybe my book of Rimbaud poetry. I think I'll read Sir Gaiwan and the Green Knight, having seen the film and loved. I've got to read Kazuo Ishiguro's latest book and some other book I can't remember for the book club I'm part of, but other than that well see.

I'm planning too! really been wanting to read this for ages and looking forward to doing so here. :)