In article <bc5ed9f6-17c5-4d44-8c7d-5afdf598c7d3n@googlegroups.com>, pete...@gmail.com <petertrei@gmail.com> wrote:

On Sunday, January 21, 2024 at 9:28:29 AM UTC-5, James Nicoll wrote:

The Universe Next Door (Schrodinger's Cat, volume 1) by Robert Anton Wilson >>
An exploration of two Unistats, one notably luckier than the other.

https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/round-and-round

RAW's work (especially Illuminatus!) had a surprisingly formative
role for me in my teens and twenties. Nice to see a review.

At some point I will look at at least one Historical Illuminatus book.

--
My reviews can be found at http://jamesdavisnicoll.com/
My tor pieces at https://www.tor.com/author/james-davis-nicoll/
My Dreamwidth at https://james-davis-nicoll.dreamwidth.org/
My patreon is at https://www.patreon.com/jamesdnicoll

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

In article <9fadcd91-3481-4e26-933d-d54d65e3f24dn@googlegroups.com>,
Moriarty <blues95@ivillage.com> wrote:

On Monday, January 22, 2024 at 1:28:29 AM UTC+11, James Nicoll wrote:

The Universe Next Door (Schrodinger's Cat, volume 1) by Robert Anton Wilson >>
An exploration of two Unistats, one notably luckier than the other.

https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/round-and-round

I read the entire trilogy - it was an omnibus edition - sometime in the
mid 80s. I remember very little about, except that it was a complete
mess. If there was a coherent plot in there, I missed it entirely.
Nearly 40 years later, the only thing I recall about it was a dwarf
named Markov Chaney. And I only remember that detail because I was a
maths major, and one of my subjects included Markov chains.

A prof is kind enough to point out to thin-skinned Chaney the
inherent hilarity of his name.



--
My reviews can be found at http://jamesdavisnicoll.com/
My tor pieces at https://www.tor.com/author/james-davis-nicoll/
My Dreamwidth at https://james-davis-nicoll.dreamwidth.org/
My patreon is at https://www.patreon.com/jamesdnicoll

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

This message is in MIME format. The first part should be readable text,
while the remaining parts are likely unreadable without MIME-aware tools.

On Sun, 21 Jan 2024, pete...@gmail.com wrote:

On Sunday, January 21, 2024 at 9:28:29 AM UTC-5, James Nicoll wrote:

The Universe Next Door (Schrodinger's Cat, volume 1) by Robert Anton Wilson >>
An exploration of two Unistats, one notably luckier than the other.

https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/round-and-round

RAW's work (especially Illuminatus!) had a surprisingly formative
role for me in my teens and twenties. Nice to see a review.

How did it form you?

I love the book! Easily one of my favourites! I even met RAW once in a bookstore and it was fun to compare the book with the grumpy old man
sitting in front of me. ;)

Are there any similar books from less famous authors? I imagine that he
could be one of a kind, sadly.

The only other I can think of, but it's not science fiction and it is
_way_ more grown up, is Focaults pendulum, but I imagine most people would find it way too slow.

And I'm not particularly fond of Dan Brown either. =(

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

"pete...@gmail.com" <petertrei@gmail.com> writes:

On Monday, January 22, 2024 at 4:52:01=E2=80=AFAM UTC-5, D wrote:

The only other I can think of, but it's not science fiction and it is=20
_way_ more grown up, is Focaults pendulum, but I imagine most people woul= >d=20
find it way too slow.=20

FP is excellent!

And I'm not particularly fond of Dan Brown either. =3D(

I detest him. At the time I read him, I knew most of the underlying mytholo= >gy
and conspiracy theories. For me, reading The DaVinci Code was like riding= >=20
The Haunted Mansion with all the house lights on - I could see every 'start= >ling
revelation' coming a mile away, along with the creaking machinery, and kept= >=20
saying to myself 'that's not how it works'.

Even worse, by far, was Dan Brown's _Digital Fortress_. Particularly if you have a background in crypto.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

Hello pete,

On Mon, 22 Jan 2024, pete...@gmail.com wrote:

RAW's work (especially Illuminatus!) had a surprisingly formative
role for me in my teens and twenties. Nice to see a review.

How did it form you?

It was my first exposure to modern conspiracy theory/hidden history, etc.
I continue to find this interesting, and follow its continuously changing narratives with interest, though not with credibilty.

Interesting! I think it was similar for me. I was maybe 14 when I read
it the first time. And I love conspiracy theories and I think them an
excellent exercise of creativity. But I'm a bad believer, so for me they
are more works of art/creative writing.

I love the book! Easily one of my favourites! I even met RAW once in a
bookstore and it was fun to compare the book with the grumpy old man
sitting in front of me. ;)

Are there any similar books from less famous authors? I imagine that he
could be one of a kind, sadly.

The only other I can think of, but it's not science fiction and it is
_way_ more grown up, is Focaults pendulum, but I imagine most people would >> find it way too slow.

FP is excellent!

Ahh... if you like Illuminatus and FP, what other books can your
recommend? You seem to have very good taste!

And I'm not particularly fond of Dan Brown either. =(

The problem is that at the time Brown wrote this, the Temple tube stop was the closest stop to KCL. Its less than 100 yards away. (I'm a KCL alumnus).

Ignorance is bliss! ;)

Best regards,
Daniel

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)