Vacation
by Jeremy C. Shipp (Goodreads author!)
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| topics | replies | last activity |
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| Ask Jeremy any weird question | 3 | 02/07/2008 02:22PM |
| Congrat's Jeremy | 2 | 01/24/2008 03:39PM |
| Vacation has made the Bram Stoker Award Preliminary Ballot | 3 | 01/24/2008 03:40PM |
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 200)
Read in February, 2008
recommended to Julia by:
Jeremy ShippThis review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
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Read in February, 2008
I had to take a step back after reading Vacation to realize it really is as imaginative as it's advertised as being, because it's not so much the usual suspects, like the crazy plot antics or the political interpolations, that impressed me, but the parts that were presented more matter-of-factly, the characters and the interactions. The novel's main character, Bernard Johnson, suspends himself from his prestigious job and prestigious relationships to take his medicated, ennui-filled self off on ...more
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Read in January, 2008
(My full review of this book is much longer than GoodReads' word-count limitations. Find the entire essay at the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com].)
I'm sure some of you must think of it as an insult when I occasionally refer to a book here as "weird;" but believe it or not, so-called "weird fiction" or "weird lit" is in fact a legitimate genre, originally coined by the Romantic writers of the 1800s to describe the absolute strangest...more
I'm sure some of you must think of it as an insult when I occasionally refer to a book here as "weird;" but believe it or not, so-called "weird fiction" or "weird lit" is in fact a legitimate genre, originally coined by the Romantic writers of the 1800s to describe the absolute strangest...more
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Read in February, 2008
recommends it for:
Dark Fiction/Bizzaro Lovers
Jeremy Shipp takes the reader on a psychological head-trip
through the eyes of Bernard Johnson. A thirty-five year old
intelligent man with a wild, incredible imagination. Bernard
is tormented with his dreams, fantasies, and nightmares.
The reader is taken through the door of a magic carpet ride
of adventure, but the ride doesn't end there. The ride
continues from the magic carpet of fantasy, through the
doors of the haunted house of fear. Each reader will be
taken through the same journ...more
through the eyes of Bernard Johnson. A thirty-five year old
intelligent man with a wild, incredible imagination. Bernard
is tormented with his dreams, fantasies, and nightmares.
The reader is taken through the door of a magic carpet ride
of adventure, but the ride doesn't end there. The ride
continues from the magic carpet of fantasy, through the
doors of the haunted house of fear. Each reader will be
taken through the same journ...more
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Read in October, 2007
ONE CAN ONLY PRAY to the Pax-dishing government conspiracy theorists that Jeremy C. Shipp's inaugural dip in deep end of the novel pool is not his last. And if the prayers do go unanswered, those still in the living world just lost the one thing that might make life worth living. Vacation is a surreal jaunt skittering across the calm surface of social norms (on an ocean that certainly doesn't exist) hellbent on splashing waves of ever-disturbing rings disrupting the way one thinks: As if you cou...more
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Read in March, 2008
Well, I have thought about this a lot over the last two days. In light of my last review, I wanted to be fair and yet, not over compensate. I vacillated between three and four stars for a while, but due to the fact that the book actually caused me to give up sleep (I stayed up until midnight reading the last few chapters, I had to see how it ended), I felt that it deserved the upgrade. Those of you who know how important my sleep is to me will understand that!
On my first attempt at this b...more
On my first attempt at this b...more
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55 comments
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"Maybe God made a mistake, and he knows it.
Maybe before a god can become an all-knowing, all-seeing God, he has to create something to know about, and to see. So he reads up on how to create a Universe, and does the best he can, but in the end, no matter how much he wants to be a good God, no matter how hard he tries, things don't turn out the way he planned.
In fact, everything goes to shit."
I love this book. It is full of sentences and paragraphs as memorable as the one I ...more
Maybe before a god can become an all-knowing, all-seeing God, he has to create something to know about, and to see. So he reads up on how to create a Universe, and does the best he can, but in the end, no matter how much he wants to be a good God, no matter how hard he tries, things don't turn out the way he planned.
In fact, everything goes to shit."
I love this book. It is full of sentences and paragraphs as memorable as the one I ...more
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Read in January, 2008
Jeremy Shipp has a unique and entertaining writing style. The 164 page VACATION demands the reader’s attention and should perhaps not be read just before bedtime or while operating heavy machinery. In fact, a second reading may be required to fully enjoy/appreciate the story. But it is definitely worth the effort. Shipp’s surreal and eery vision of the future (or maybe an alternate universe) seems to drift seamlessly between dream and reality. The tale of the battle between the haves a...more
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Read in June, 2007
recommends it for:
Everyone
Awesome story
Awesome writing
Awesome author
Jeremy Shipp is currently taking the world (as we know it) by storm...!!!
Or is that, Jeremy (as we know him) is currently storming into the world ????
Either way, this writer is no storm in a tea cup.... although I have heard some sneaky rumours that he reads tea leaves for coconut monkeys.......
Go figure..!!!
Awesome writing
Awesome author
Jeremy Shipp is currently taking the world (as we know it) by storm...!!!
Or is that, Jeremy (as we know him) is currently storming into the world ????
Either way, this writer is no storm in a tea cup.... although I have heard some sneaky rumours that he reads tea leaves for coconut monkeys.......
Go figure..!!!
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I'm not sure exactly what I expected when I started Vacation, but suffice to say that it managed to both meet and confound all of those expectations.
For many, a novel of ideas is an excuse to be preachy and a novel that uses surreal images and dream-like prose is all flash and no substance.
Nothing could be further from the truth in Shipp's book.
Oh, there are ideas aplenty here: thought-provoking,history-laden, Big Time ideas about the nature of self and the nature of the unive...more
For many, a novel of ideas is an excuse to be preachy and a novel that uses surreal images and dream-like prose is all flash and no substance.
Nothing could be further from the truth in Shipp's book.
Oh, there are ideas aplenty here: thought-provoking,history-laden, Big Time ideas about the nature of self and the nature of the unive...more
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recommends it for: everyone!
Read in January, 2008
recommended to Buffy by:
Jeremyrecommends it for: everyone!
Wow Jeremy! So I finished this book today and LOVED it! It was like the Island met Dean Koontz and had a baby . I loved how you would describe the situations the best though: "This is Don Quixote's psyche, This is Don Quixote on his deathbed, regaining his sanity."
A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. I didn't read any synopsis beforehand, and I am glad the whole book was a shock and each discovery led me closer to the truth, just like Mr. Johnson.
Thanks to: Jeremy Shipp
A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. I didn't read any synopsis beforehand, and I am glad the whole book was a shock and each discovery led me closer to the truth, just like Mr. Johnson.
Thanks to: Jeremy Shipp
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Read in January, 2008
recommended to Jo by:
Jeremy Shipp
First e-book. The e-book part is fascinating. At first it was a lot of fun, but after about 30 pages, I wanted to hold it. I printed it out! Don't laugh at me. I am just old fashioned.
The story is detailed and believable. That is what makes it scary. You have to care. A lot of info and a lot to track.
Jeremy S. can write!
Recommend to those who like a scare. ...or are going on vacation!!!
The story is detailed and believable. That is what makes it scary. You have to care. A lot of info and a lot to track.
Jeremy S. can write!
Recommend to those who like a scare. ...or are going on vacation!!!
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I have never heard of this book until this site and from what I have read in the discription it looks extremely interesting. I can't wait to see where this book takes me, if it inspires and gives me a whole new understanding of life itself. If anybody has this book for lending please let me know ASAP:D!
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Read in December, 2007
To be honest I'm not sure I remotely know what this book is about, terrorism, drug-running, secret gardens, and sex changes, for sure, and the education system, probably, totalitarian societies, no doubt, but beyond that, can't say. But who cares, it's really good, and completely absorbing, and so what if Jeremy is obviously a complete wack-job, the dude can flat out write.
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recommends it for: horror fans and those living outside of the box
Read in February, 2008
recommended to Adriane by:
Jeremy Shipprecommends it for: horror fans and those living outside of the box
A twisted-wicked sinfully delicious read. It spirals off the page but not for the timid or those with weak eimaginations. If you want to go on a "Vacation" in the likes that you have never experienced then pick up this book and turn the page and get ready! Excellent~!
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Read in April, 2008
recommends it for:
Anyone and everyone!
This has to be the most unique book I've read in a long time. I thought it would be good, but was pleasantly surprised with how amazing it was! I loved the plot, the characters, everything! I absolutely loved it, it is now one of my favorites!
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Read in March, 2008
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
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3 comments
Read in February, 2008
This book was very good, utterly trippy, if that is still a word. Once you pick it up, it's very hard to put it back down.
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Read in October, 2007
recommends it for:
everyone!
This was an interesting read. I did not know what to expect, and as I soon found out - the Author keeps you guessing throught the whole book. I enjoyed it and would definately read it again.
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Being an old-school reader I ordered a (real, physical) copy of this book rather than getting the e-book version.
Hopefully soon to arrive and be read.
Hopefully soon to arrive and be read.
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book data (includes all editions)
avg rating (all editions): 4.17 (64 ratings) avg rating (this edition): 4.15 (62 ratings) number of reviews: 23popular shelves
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"This is the Torture Room. But don't let the name fool you. This is a tent, not a room."
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