(no subject)
I've been on a dystopian literature kick lately ("If This Goes On-" by Heinlein, Farenheight 451, Atlas Shrugged, The Stand, The Handmaid's Tale [if we suddenly go to Theocracy, I'm moving to Canada no matter how awesome Theocracy is in CIV4]), and what could be more dystopian than vast segments of society vanishing without a trace, leaving the world in chaos? Plus that one rapture-girl I talked to a few days ago mentioned it.
So I've been reading Left Behind. For a book with large print and big margins, I've been having trouble getting through it. It's just not very good! So there's this reporter named Buck. And post-rapture, he's gone to London to visit a friend of his in Scotland Yard. So they have a clandestine phone conversation, and they meet up in a grungy pub -- and after they've discussed conspiracy theories and how Buck's other reporter friend was MURDERED by some sort of evil organization that made it look like a suicide*, his Scotland Yard friend goes to turn off the dome light in his car. The car explodes and kills him.
This kind of bugs me -- not just because the guy was blown up. They have a whole secret agent conversation about how these organizations are all-powerful and have hooks everywhere, powerful enough that Buck is worried about people bugging his phone! And then his friend goes "huh, I don't remember leaving my dome light on" and just goes to turn it off? Somehow, this super-powerful organization isn't out to get him, too? He doesn't even consider "huh, the Illuminati (or whatever) are after Buck and his associates, I had better watch out?"
Also, no one talks about aliens, or nuclear radation, or about why all these people might have disappeared. They don't seem to be worrying about it. I mean, planes are crashing, Buck's chartering private planes to get as close to NY as possible, the runways are out, and one guy's daughter has no trouble flying to Chicago from California? It's like that wizard book where he never has trouble parking in Chicago.
It just bugs me. I remember Morceleb making careful notes of when her characters last slept, and making sure they got dirty and tired -- making sure the world made sense, and that the characters did smart things. And she was 14 when she wrote. Left Behind seems to forget parts of the background. But I kind of want to know what happens next, so I'm still reading...
*and why a suicide, done so poorly that people know it was a murder? Why not just make the body disappear and leave some clothes and glasses, make it look like he was raptured?
In Other News:
Today I went to Will's to take pictures of my Penelo outfit -- just to make sure the stuff I got for it would work. Then I went to my skit buddy's house to look at her progress on our Detour masquerade costumes. WOW. Hers is epic. Mine's... still in pieces. And she's pretty much finished her boyfriend's, while I haven't even started Gus'.
Then we talked for hours. It was lovely.
So I've been reading Left Behind. For a book with large print and big margins, I've been having trouble getting through it. It's just not very good! So there's this reporter named Buck. And post-rapture, he's gone to London to visit a friend of his in Scotland Yard. So they have a clandestine phone conversation, and they meet up in a grungy pub -- and after they've discussed conspiracy theories and how Buck's other reporter friend was MURDERED by some sort of evil organization that made it look like a suicide*, his Scotland Yard friend goes to turn off the dome light in his car. The car explodes and kills him.
This kind of bugs me -- not just because the guy was blown up. They have a whole secret agent conversation about how these organizations are all-powerful and have hooks everywhere, powerful enough that Buck is worried about people bugging his phone! And then his friend goes "huh, I don't remember leaving my dome light on" and just goes to turn it off? Somehow, this super-powerful organization isn't out to get him, too? He doesn't even consider "huh, the Illuminati (or whatever) are after Buck and his associates, I had better watch out?"
Also, no one talks about aliens, or nuclear radation, or about why all these people might have disappeared. They don't seem to be worrying about it. I mean, planes are crashing, Buck's chartering private planes to get as close to NY as possible, the runways are out, and one guy's daughter has no trouble flying to Chicago from California? It's like that wizard book where he never has trouble parking in Chicago.
It just bugs me. I remember Morceleb making careful notes of when her characters last slept, and making sure they got dirty and tired -- making sure the world made sense, and that the characters did smart things. And she was 14 when she wrote. Left Behind seems to forget parts of the background. But I kind of want to know what happens next, so I'm still reading...
*and why a suicide, done so poorly that people know it was a murder? Why not just make the body disappear and leave some clothes and glasses, make it look like he was raptured?
In Other News:
Today I went to Will's to take pictures of my Penelo outfit -- just to make sure the stuff I got for it would work. Then I went to my skit buddy's house to look at her progress on our Detour masquerade costumes. WOW. Hers is epic. Mine's... still in pieces. And she's pretty much finished her boyfriend's, while I haven't even started Gus'.
Then we talked for hours. It was lovely.