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GeekNights 20090514 - Kavalier and Clay
Tonight on GeekNights we review The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. In the news, there was a Google outage, and Cheerios are in trouble.
Comments
Rym's Thing - Star Trek vs. Star Wars
Have you thought about talking on the SGU forums about your plan to lobby the FDA?
Also, could you try pitching the next book before you do the currently read book.
In a "universe speaking out to me if I believed in that kind of thing" way, though, I actually fell asleep shortly after the book talking began, and woke up just as you were saying you'd like to know the opinions of someone who isn't so much into the comic books and isn't Jewish and isn't from NYC. I stopped the episode immediately because I feel I meet the requirements and would like to volunteer.
I know very little about comics (I can name a bunch of superheroes and have seen plenty of comic book movies, but have never read a superhero comic in my life), I am not Jewish (and know VERY little about the faith - I don't think I know anyone who is Jewish) and don't know a lot about New York City, though I did visit back in mid-2001 for a couple of days with my school.
The book (and audiobook) are both out at the local library, but I'm on both waiting lists. I'll come back to this thread when I've gotten started.
He apologized, though, so he's not completely in the doghouse.
I listened to the beginning of the book club part, but I intend to read the book so I switched off. I did hear you mention the Hugo awards:
You are very, very wrong about Hugo award winners always being good books. The Hugo decided by popular vote by the attendees of a convention. Sometimes things apart from the quality of the book lets them win:
2003 (maybe) won by a shockingly bad book by Robert J Sawyer, who is a very Canadian writer. That year the worldcon happened to be in Toronto, and the majority of voters were Canadian. Coincidence?
The following year a Harry Potter book won. Fuck that.
Anyway, I was going to read the book on my last cruise, as I found it in the library. It turned out to be another book by Chabon, but they'd put Kavelier and Clay title ON THE SPINE in a "from the author who brought you" kind of way. I've seen this done with front and back covers, but not the spine. I think this a sign that the book is pretty good.
It runs just shy of 9 hours across 8 discs - I'm going to start "reading" them tomorrow.
I, like TommyV, am not a Jew and is not a resident of New York. However I am very fond of the funny books (both American/English and Japanese) and have always been in awe of New York (or what I perceive it to be like).
Aspects which stood out to me :
-Throughout the story, until the snowy adventures of Joe I remain unsure as to if the story told was in fact dramatised truth, especially with how well the story had intertwined within the actual comic book histories.
-The Orson Welles moment with the built up towards and results of Citizen Kane, wow (probably the most epic moment for me).
-I agree with Rym on the effects the structure upon the works.
-How New York was portrayed really solidified my imaginary New York of the 30s to post second World War.
-Got kind of sick of the Escapist idea, especially when there wasn't much guilt felt for it or even consideration of alternatives.
Overall a brilliant read and another fine suggestion from the Book Club.