Yes ! That last passage is what I was wondering about. When I read it, in context, it struck me that he was practicing some sort of martial arts (gun loading, hand to hand, etc.).
It’s been a while since I’ve read it, though.
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Can’t swear to it, but with the other references, it seems like he’s referring to all the trades he basically had to learn/discover while on the island.
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I have a particular fondness for his recounting the incident of the Lydian king Croesus in Book 1. You may recall how he consulted the Oracle of Delphi on whether or not he should attack the Persian king Cyrus the Great and was told that, if he did so, he would destroy a mighty empire. Genre Savviness not really being a thing back then, Croesus goes with the most favorable interpretation of this rather vague prophecy and assumes he’ll curbstomp those pants and Smurf hat wearing chumps. I quote from Chapter 86; “Just as the oracle had foretold, he had indeed destroyed a mighty empire. His own!” For full effect, this should be followed with a “wah wah waaaaaaaaah”.
Or like the Rude Mechanicals from A Midsummer’s Night Dream.
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I do like the various threads of the Croesus tales. I am especially impressed by his survival and eventual servitude to the guy he tried to take down.
I really like the story of Hippokleides, and the Egyptian King who partied non-stop for years on end.
What’s a man to do on a desert island full of goats…?
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I’m reminded of the French invasion of England planned in the 14th century which had to be put off because one of the lords traveled with bears and swans, and they were quite temperamental and didn’t like to rush around a lot.
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I also like it when the Persian King has his men whip the river for being so fast and killing some of his horses when he tries to cross.
Meanwhile, this came in, and I will start it soon…ish…
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I read my first superhero comic books today. Not one, but two! The Ultimate Spider-Man, 66 and 67.
It was kind of good!
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A Steven Johnson book about the way decisions with far-reaching consequences are made. I think Johnson is a very entertaining writer and has a way of making subjects interesting that would be very dry if presented by most anyone else.
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I can’t find the quote but I swear I heard a recent interview/biography where his biographer is talking to him about Tek War and he’s like, in the shower, yelling out “Who was the guy who wrote those? Ron somebody?”
But I can’t back that up.
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Currently on the nightstand:
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Flipping through this this morning.
I kind of think QT had some “assistance” in composing the actual sentences, but I didn’t expect some of the broader knowledge of the careers of, for example, director Don Siegel, and others whose influence one can easily discern in the author’s own movies. Some excellent observations on actors, of all stripes, as well.
Pretty amusing short set of essays.
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The Worm Ouroboros by E.R.Eddison. Apparently Tolkien admired the story-telling but criticised the inconsistencies of naming (surprise, surprise).
It is rather overblown and dated, but still imaginative.
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With the Barbara Remington cover. My dad had that exact edition. I remember trying to read it when I was young and not getting very far.
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This book just arrived from the Amazon fairies.
I’m unreasonably excited to read it, for unknown reasons. I don’t know, I just like knowing more about Revolutionary times…especially when some Brit complains about the inferiority of their Imperial system of measurement and how the yanks are fools for continuing to use their system.
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Just started flipping through the Jim Thompson (whom I’ve always liked, pretty much) novel The Getaway. It’s a bit of a slog, IMHO, but beats a sharp stick in the eyehole. Probably won’t finish it, though.
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Tana French is one of the handful of authors that I eagerly gobble up everything she does. She has a series, the Dublin Murder Squad, and some standalones. This is her latest, one of the standalones. Her sparse prose and sense of setting is SO wonderful.
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A Taste for Honey, which was adapted into the Deadly Bees (or Beez, as MSTies prefer)
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Wow ! I literally just watched that episode last night !
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Trying to find a more modern niche.
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I just finished Managing Expectations by Minnie Driver and while it was well written, I didn’t really learn anything about her other than she was pretty horrific as a child. It’s ten essays about her life but a lot of them are just anecdotal and there are huge gaps of time between them. It’s in the pile to donate to the library.
Currently I’m reading Psycho by Robert Bloch and should have it finished today. There are a few differences from the movie, but I’m finding it equally as good. Getting into Norman’s head is a dark, dark place and I’m constantly surprised at how grisly the book is considering when it was written and published.
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