The Hashish and Superiority Book Club

Pulled from the Kickers of Elves Patreon

Our discussion of Richard Power's The Overstory continues now we've all read it. Wade and Hugh read Gideon the Ninth as a palate chaser: a book not at all like The Overstory

For talk of more books, some comics, and everything else, check out the pateron:

https://patreon.com/kickersofelves

James and Hugh talk about The Punisher's computer guy, America's Chernobyl, and mostly Richard Power's The Overstory.

Want more of these conversations? To hear Wade's eventual thoughts on The Overstory? Check out the Kickers of Elves patreon at https://patreon.com/kickersofelves

A hollow man? The Quest is completed. We finally put Bitworld to rest.

How many books are in this book? Again, themes are questioned.

Fantasy forms are discussed before the big wrap up. Final feelings -and the book- are put to rest.

And no, Chris Brown did not sing on that one song.

If you have your own opinions to share:

917 408 3898

https://kickersofelves.com https://patreon.com/kickersofelves https://twitter.com/kickerspodcasts

A Quest! A new story begins. But we're at the end! How many stories does this book need?

Does this novel have a consistent theme or not?

Things pop off and tension runs high.

Some of the discussion goes back to the Moab section. And some other topics are revisited.

Watch out!

We go full reaility show drama/American Chopper Meme with this one.

The regular James returns. Is it the same podcast on down throughout every reality?

First, a synopsis! We haven't actually done many of those. Are you ready for some hot logging action?

Do we live in simulation? Is it turtles all the way down?

Is there some Snow Crash in this?

Work and labor! Do the economics of this book fall flat? Is this a libertarian text?

Is Bitworld's similarity to our world the point?

How confounding is this to the general reader? Do other books have a more balanced perspective? Should the book be testing its own thesis in its text?

Does it always come back to Ursula K. LeGuin?

Is this like reading a Foundation book?

Is this book a complete antithesis to Alan Moore's Jerusalem on a number of levels?

Is Fantasy as a genre necessarily synonymous with Adventure?

But enough of our opinions: What do other Stephenson fans at r/sciencefiction think about how his books end?

How does having kids affect one's desire for a tight plot structure? Do unemotional/emotional 20 year olds have a better tolerance or patience for long books of this nature?

So many questions.

RATE the podcast. Mind your consonants, people!

Listeners from Season 1 can check out the patreon for a few cut regarding Alan Moore's Jerusalem

https://patreon.com/kickersofelves https://kickersofelves.com https://twitter.com/kickerspodcasts

We experienced a loss with this episode. There may, however, be a technological solution. Listen for a note at the top of the episode to explain further, but the short is:

A routine procedure went awry. James is Gone (No, he's not!) Maybe he is here, in some sense.

What exactly does Gnosticism have to do with Dodge in Hell? Quite a lot it turns out!

We read the beginning of Book 2 of Fall for this installment, but even if you haven't read it that's ok. It's a book about a simulated afterlife. Lets talk about simulations and their worth.

https://patreon.com/kickersofelves https://kickersofelves.com https://twitter.com/kickerspodcasts

Book One ends, but we're still arguing the premise of the book.

How is this thing structured anyway?

All about El's name.

Paradise Lost, huh? Does Milton's view of history have anything to do with this book? What are we supposed to derive from Paradise Lost similarities? Oh boy, here's where we start going off the rails.

If Maeve refers to a brain "simulation" does that completely negate the conceit of a digital afterlife? What is the humanity of this book? Is it a dog staring at your finger? Are these people dead or not? More arguing about "Brain in a Jar" stories.

Is this all leading to characters suiciding themselves, or just Pluto?

Did this book need more philosophical underpinnings explained?

Is the book sympathetic to human experience or is the humanty's next hurdle getting over our meat bodies?

Is this the fall of an idealist after all the rich guys suck up to Trump?

The cold horniness of the scifi writer. A lack of character interiority.

Is bitworld boring or an enjoyable read?

Is it a problem when scifi writers are overly cerebral, or is that an unfair knock from literary fiction fans?

Arguing digital religion with friends.

For all the disagreement, we can agree that the trans character is done very wrong. Way to misread the room. She's not treated with the contempt that HR people are subjected to at least.

Let us know what you think. And check out the patreon for material cut from this episode

917 408 3898

https://patreon.com/kickersofelves

https://twitter.com/kickerspodcasts

With Ameristan behind us, it's time to head back to the back to the conference room. Things get heated. More analyzing the mental state of the author. Is he calming? Is he ok? Are we ok? Are you ok? Just what is happing here?

917 408 3898

https://patreon.com/kickersoflelves

https://twitter.com/kickerspodcasts

https://kickersofelves.com

We think we have a better idea of the book now, but do we? Is this an angry book where Neal is working out his feelings on the 2016 election? Are dumb people the biggest problem in the world? Welcome to Ameristan! Is this intellectual elitism? Plus we meet Enoch Root. More predictions and trying to figure this thing out. Are we right? Wrong? What a sex scene!

917 408 3898

https://kickersofelves.com https://twitter.com/kickerspodcasts

A few minutes cut for time and consistency can be found at our patreon, along with hundreds of hours of additional content. https://www.patreon.com/posts/32119831

We're into Fall! What do we think about the book so far and just how wrong are we about what's going to come next? First off though, we have to talk more about Neal Stephenson and the ideas he likes to write about. Or doesn't.

Is Neal talking against Ursula K. Leguin specifically in this video? We Solve for X: Neal Stephenson on Getting Big Stuff Done https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TE0n_5qPmRM

Contrasting Snow Crash vs Fall vs Ready Player One.

How much of REAMDE is necessary? Is this the culmination of the shared Stephenson universe?

How does this Part One work on its own? How much legal wrangling lies ahead?

Qualia is important.

Why structure the book this way? Would structuring it differently work better for the books intended audience?

Is this a humanist text? A transhumanist one?

How is it for a person who usually reads "themes first" books to dive into a "plot first" text?

Just how High Fantasy might this book get?

Get ready for next week. There's FAKE NEWS ahead.

Give us a call at 917 408 3898 and let us know what you're thinking about the book.

https://patreon.com/kickersofelves

https://twitter.com/kickerspodcasts

https://kickersofelves.com