Clay Brown > Recent Status Updates

Finishing up Dan Simmons Hyperion series of books. I have read this one before but am rereading it and the Revelations Space series from Reynolds.

Ah, it is close to over and I must admit that I have been transfixed by this book of Bacon. Shake and Bake I would say! Can’t wait for the movie about FB. Make sure to skimp on the gay sex thing! Wouldn’t want to show a Bacon in bed! His Kismet keepers were a mix of like kinds. All UK toughs with roguish features. About 3 or 4 of them all very interesting individuals. Lots of ‘cat’ fights. gonna mrs!

Dense but amazingly interesting is Master Artist Francis Bacon. I found myself surprised that Bacon was in Tangiers in its heyday. With Burroughs and Ginsberg! The ‘girls’ were really in their element coming a 100 years after Rimbaud had arrived! Seems the 3 titans were great friends! Most amazing. A must read, I would say for anyone who has an interest! Bacon! Has never sizzled like this!

I still haven’t got much of a ‘feel’ for Bacon! He is older now in his 30’s but from a perspective of isolation he kept to himself it seems. Although he parties constantly and ‘goes out’ to make merry with the usual suspects. The famous sorts of the day. But he doesn’t join in, in the usual way. He focuses finally on what matters most MONEY!

The beginning 2 to 4 Chapters is the usual slow going. About the ‘old man’ and ‘mother’ as the domineering father and dish rag mommy! Francis hardly gets a word in edgewise. Starting Over begins the more Sexual and Adult Bacon. Bacon was Irish. That is the real controversy. An Atheist through and through. Can’t admit it is all. In the work though. In The Work! Bacon does usually Fry nicely!

Slow first two chapters about the usual Old Time family. Kind of like The Beverly Hillbilly’s but back in 1912 and in Ireland. That sort of thing. The book finally does begin with Francis a teen and hot for some Gay/Fag sex!

Fairly brief book near the end now of Bolano short stories. With some apparent Non-Fiction work as well of the writers.

I continue my Bolono reading craze with yet another book of short stories from Roberto. The Greatest Unknown Writer that will ever be. Is Bolono. So far I just finished one of the stories in the book about Rats being murdered by well, Rats. But seen from a perspective of Rats as Police and people. No Maus here. Just Rats with very Cultural sensitivities. Bolono makes everything work! Superb!

Ishiguro has his fingers upon it, is perhaps the thinking of Klara. Will sure to wet the appetite of the Ishiguro fan!

Blasting through Ishiguro’s Klara. Inventive if staid ‘do gooder’ sort of story through the Nobel Literature Prize author. Still awaiting Murakami in that area... obviously the Greater Writer!

Still Kazuo is popular mostly with Chick Lit fans so I’m respectful to those sorts of readers. And this book should wet their whistles! Bestseller status will come. Later. Usually with Chick Lit types.

Interesting. Rereading this series from Dan Simmons. The book is much further into the Hyperion Quadrilogy.

Coming along.

Reynolds brilliant page turner never quite falls to the usual trope of today’s science fiction. Sadly most Sci Fi today is Chick Lit, dull boring diatribes that mirror America’s small brained intellectual ding dong persona.

Dense and Advanced Reynolds was operating on another level altogether, Hugo? Reynolds should have won for all 4 Revelation Space books, however ‘Chick Lit’ Science Fiction ruled Science Fiction. A sort of failing that swept the culture of America at the time and still today. A lack of Mastery was at hand and Reynolds sadly Robbed!

After many years I decided to return to Revelation Space. By Alastair Reynolds. It’s a true Crime indeed that The Hugo doesn’t have 4 Awards on Reynolds wall.

The book is now at page 144, Not to be missed! Very interesting writers here although Fictional from Master Bolano, still Bolano is surely putting together his Democratic Thoughts! Hating writers that Hate is most exciting! Especially in these days where Hate is seemingly not very popular! I enjoyed these unknown writers who seem much more interesting than like Stephen King and the Ding Dongs of Literature!

Roberto Bolano’s menagerie of Latin writers with a penchant for Hate and unique ideas. So far the book is wonderfully alive with writers that have more Imagination than the usual writers. One woman poet has a picture of her, as a baby and Hitler on her wall, she treasures the picture. All very amusing from Bolano, who is superb as per usual. Mexico’s best writer surely!

Just began the 2nd Dan Simmons Hyperion Cantos book.

I’m now on the 3rd book Finch, which is giving me some hope to pull out of the creaky 2nd book, which for me didn’t soar as it should have. Finch appears to be in the future of Ambergris with the ‘Grey Caps’ finally up top and back in charge. One wonders if Vandermeer will return to this city Ambergris in his near writing future. There is much more to see here I’d say. One would hope so.

Finished the 2nd Book Shriek an Afterword... I can’t recommend it, I was hoping to... Vandermeer needed an editor for this badly. The 1st book is good, but this second may sink the entire book! Rewrite is not a bad word. Onto Finch... the last book of this 3 books from the younger Vandermeer.

The book is better as it goes along and as Janice Shriek comes to the fore more than her brother Duncan. It’s difficult to dislike Vandermeer, unfortunately! Still in the game! For Jeff-O-Philes only.

I’m feeling unsure in a major way about Shriek the 2nd book of Ambergris I don’t like the formatting something I’ve never encountered before...

I’m into the 2nd book now, Shriek...

Things go well in VanderMeer’s startling Ambergris... His 3 books in one of the Strange and unique city of happenings Ambergris.

Just finished the first story of Ambergris... Dradin, in love... from VandeeMeer’s early work... over 800 pages of various stories and books...

3rd story Plenty is more than good it’s Asher Good, which is not always the case! I was thinking Andy Weir here a little bit, of a boy and his chick robot. I could see a Charleston Heston in this role with a Bridget Bardot playing the ‘toaster’.

The first story of Asher’s new book is The Relict about the war machine ‘Scorpion’ and it’s very good. Thrilled to see a future beyond the Parador as I’m not generally a fan of the cannibal turtles. Short and sweet... Neal’s got me hooked with this first story. What better way to spend time during the Pandemic! At least someone was writing.

It’s reading nicely so far. Interesting new scenes here in the first story, The Relict. I don’t quite what is going on but Asher seems to be opening new territory.