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60th out of 151 books
—
143 voters
Schrödinger's Cat Trilogy (Schrödinger's Cat #1-3)
Take a quantum leap into the universe of Schrödinger's Cat Trilogy. It's a wise and wacky look at our recent past seen through a fun-house mirror...it's a satire on our violent, inexplicable, wonderful world...and it's a mind trip inward to expose our deepest hopes and fears.
The missing plutonium a terrorist group turns into nuclear devices, the Mad Fishmonger, the future...more
The missing plutonium a terrorist group turns into nuclear devices, the Mad Fishmonger, the future...more
Trade Paperback, 545 pages
Published
October 21st 2009
by Dell Publishing
(first published 1979)
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I read this before I read the Illuminatus! Trilogy, and though it only took me one time through that and one and half times through this, I enjoyed this so much better.
For one, it's much sillier.
For another, it's more scifi.
For another, it made much more sense.
Not that I didn't like Illuminatus!, just that Schrödinger's was much more digestible. Less conspiracy theory, less Christian-related mythology. More scifi, in other words. But still crazy and out there.
I got stuck the first time in the mi...more
For one, it's much sillier.
For another, it's more scifi.
For another, it made much more sense.
Not that I didn't like Illuminatus!, just that Schrödinger's was much more digestible. Less conspiracy theory, less Christian-related mythology. More scifi, in other words. But still crazy and out there.
I got stuck the first time in the mi...more
These books, in essence a sequel to the brilliant Illuminatus! Trillogy (The book that invented the Illuminati), start of quite dated and generally absurd, with some fairly typical set-pieces you'd expect from a bunch of pot-addled, coke-snorting alcoholic genius quantum nerds but then it really does start to get very interesting. The second book in the series recasts many of the original characters in different roles, genders, races and so on but keeps a general theme of 'quantum those says all...more
Wide ranging would be a good term to use here. Kinky sex, quantum physics, social revolution, space aliens, art, politics and nearly everything else come into play in this 70s trilogy of alternate worlds. The writing gets way way out there at times and ultimately there isn't really a chronological narrative to follow, which makes sense given the focus on the quantum mechanical view of reality. The characters exist in multiple, parallel universes, changing careers, names, sexes, etc. along the wa...more
After reading the Illuminatus Trilogy, I was really anticipating this novel. Robert Anton Wilson's high mind style of writing is enjoyable, if a bit fractured. I really had high hopes.
This book fell kind of flat however, as Mr. Wilson attempts to visualize the concept of the multiverse my creating different versions of each of his characters, many of whom first appeared in the Illuminatus. However what the author does not do is adhere to any kind of real plot, and just when you think you might h...more
This book fell kind of flat however, as Mr. Wilson attempts to visualize the concept of the multiverse my creating different versions of each of his characters, many of whom first appeared in the Illuminatus. However what the author does not do is adhere to any kind of real plot, and just when you think you might h...more
Quite possibly the worst book I have ever read. I can say this with reasonable certainty because any other books that might have qualified for that distinction (anything Hemingway, Joyce's Ulysses come to mind) I would never have finished. I've reached a point in my life where my time is too valuable to waste on stupid things. If I've gotten all I can out of a book, or all I expect I can get, then there is no point reading further.
With Wilson, I had to finish for several reasons:
1) I needed to s...more
With Wilson, I had to finish for several reasons:
1) I needed to s...more
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Necessary for everyday survival.
Also, as a total bonus, totally messes with your head.
I have two different editions of this book (first edition and the edition listed above) and they're substantially different. Heh.
Also, as a total bonus, totally messes with your head.
I have two different editions of this book (first edition and the edition listed above) and they're substantially different. Heh.
2 likes · like · see review
I'm a big RAW fan. This didn't do it for me, though. I found it: dated in a tawdry 70s sort of way; too much like Ulysses; too surreal; too disjointed. Maybe those last 3 are redundant.
It is well soaked in RAW's 8-circuit model of human behaviour, but it's better to read about that model in his non fiction books like Quantum Psychology or Prometheus Rising.
On this re-read, after reading it maybe 15 years ago with no clear memory of it, I read about 60 pages of book 1, then skimmed a bit of book...more
It is well soaked in RAW's 8-circuit model of human behaviour, but it's better to read about that model in his non fiction books like Quantum Psychology or Prometheus Rising.
On this re-read, after reading it maybe 15 years ago with no clear memory of it, I read about 60 pages of book 1, then skimmed a bit of book...more
How to sum up a book that started an entire branch of thinking? Simply, this book was my introduction to RAW. It set the bar high for me, which alongside the parallel mindset of the time meant a deep reprogramming would take place. Much of the suspicions that echoed from multiple other influences found resonance in this book, and many of the insights had at the same time synchrogimmickly manifested themselves in a game of peek-a-boo with the man behind the curtain. Enough caffeine and THC will s...more
If you've read Wilson before, then you should know exactly what to expect from this book. I wouldn't call him a one-trick pony, but he certainly has his themes and he sticks with them. This book is more about its ideas than its writing: a mash-up of Timothy Leary, Joyce, a mostly-correct understanding of quantum mechanics, sex, drugs, conspiracies, politics, mysticism and the absurd.
The title draws upon quantum mechanics, and Wilson seems to be attempting an illustration of Everett & Wheeler...more
The title draws upon quantum mechanics, and Wilson seems to be attempting an illustration of Everett & Wheeler...more
Nov 18, 2007
Jessica
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
fans of chaotic, comedic serial fiction with more than a touch of the nerdliness
I was crazy about these books when I read them in high school (thanks, Matthew!). In my opinion they were way better and funnier than the Illuminati series, and were probably one of the dorkier things I've ever read. I thought Infinite Jest seemed kind of indebted to some devices here -- e.g., in alternate universes, genitalia is referred to by names of Supreme Court justices, i.e., "He had an enormous, throbbing Rehnquist" (this obviously stayed with me) -- though probably that sort of thing is...more
This book might sting if you're not careful. My favorite thing about this book is that I keep loaning it to people, and not only does it never come back, but most of them actually get at least half of the obscure references to out-of-print pagan theologies, tenets of physics and aging Lovecraft novels. Says something about my circle of friends.
Like most of Wilson's work, this book pushes you a little outside of your comfort zone. More than just a fascinating read, it will really affect the way...more
Like most of Wilson's work, this book pushes you a little outside of your comfort zone. More than just a fascinating read, it will really affect the way...more
This book is a collection of three Robert Anton Wilson books. I was only able to get through the first two before putting it away. The tone is very pretentious and it is agonizingly boring at times. The only thing that kept me reading as long as I did was the occasional interesting concept that would pop into the story. The second book was far better than the first but still not great. I would not recommend this to anyone unfamiliar with RAW. It is not his best work.
Intellectual rollercoaster. Also hilarious. Gloriously postmodern; and THE best piece of Quantum Theory related fiction I've ever read. I'm pretty sure I missed so much of what was implied; since grappling with something that has Quantum Theory, Philosophy, Religion, Literature, Pop Culture, Politics, Science Fiction....all in the space of 500 pages, was always going to be challenging. If only I were well-read enough to get all references!
The lesser-known of RAW's two fiction trilogies. Less explicitly anarchist than the Illuminatus! Trilogy, focused instead on futurism and the implications of quantum physics; the book itself is structured around a curious interpretation of many-worlds theory, which frequently impairs its readability. A difficult introduction to what RAW explains better and more coherently in his nonfiction, but not without merit, philosophical if not literary.
Lots of the characters from Illumninatus return, and many of the themes from it are featured again. This trilogy is more concerned with science, in particular Quantum Theory, than conspiracy, however. As usual with RAW, there is plenty of humour, and endless references to literature, science, politics, etc. The book lacks a strong plot, but the writing style succeeds in drawing threads together, making the books an enjoyable reading experience.
This is like a less serious Kurt Vonnegut with a higher common denominator of reader in mind. At first, I wasn't really interested. But, I stuck with it and it gets pretty hilarious and all the characters become like kind of like those wacky miserable friends who can never seem to get life right, but are all much more interesting for being that way.
I don't know if you should necessarily try to learn anything from this. Most of it is lies, and what isn't lies is more confusing than it should be.
I don't know if you should necessarily try to learn anything from this. Most of it is lies, and what isn't lies is more confusing than it should be.
Oh, I thought this was by Heinlein. No, and so now I understand why I was so puzzled by the style/storyline. Even so, I won't be reading on. It's just to evasive in the beginning, and you have to work too hard to figure out what's going to happen. Within 10 pages, I knew I wasn't hooked. Too many good books out there to suffer through pretentious writing!
This is really unfortunate. Basically Wilson tries to redo Illuminatus! but doesn't have Shea there to temper his stupider libertarian cyber-worshipping tendencies. The books basically amount to "everyone who criticizes technology or the inevitability that neoliberal capitalism will save us all in the end is a crazy hateful robot, and everyone who agrees with Robert Anton Wilson about everything is a genius." Ralph Nader as the BAD GUY?? Really? Stupid speech about how black pride is racism and...more
If you know who Robert Anton Wilson is and have not already read this then please expand your reality tunnel a slight bit more and check this out.
If you have an interest in Quantum Physics, alternative realities, enjoy reading Robert A. Heinlein and can keep track of all of the characters and plots, and have ever been a psycho-naut then read this.
If you have an interest in Quantum Physics, alternative realities, enjoy reading Robert A. Heinlein and can keep track of all of the characters and plots, and have ever been a psycho-naut then read this.
One of the most influential books I've read in the past few years. If the plot has a focus--which I do not mean to assert--it is likely that we as humans do not fully recognize or comprehend our primate lineage and ancestry and the social and societal implications of this are enormous. Mind changing book. [Dated here at second reading:]
1 like · like · see review
I think this is the first Robert Anton Wilson book I've gone back to re-read since he passed away nearly six years ago. I remembering enjoying this the first time, but now I'm struck by what a complete genius the man was. He groks people, societies, etc. He uses satire composed and layered so adroitly that leaves nothing unscathed and yet makes such simple and profound points about domesticated primates.
Apr 03, 2010
Erik Graff
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Wilson fans
Recommended to Erik by:
James Koehnline
Shelves:
sf
This book can be read without reading the Illuminatus Trilogy to which some of its characters and themes relate. Interesting in concept, this one-volume edition fails, perhaps because of its having been edited down in size from the three-volume edition, perhaps simply because Wilson is not a very good writer.
A fun conceptual exercise, but Wilson's chatty, jokey, pleased-with-his-own-cleverness style prevents one forming any true connections with the characters. Maybe in shorter doses the humor would stay fresh, but reading the whole trilogy in quick succession I found many of the running gags growing tired.
This book is mystical, inviting, and exciting, but also challenging and confusing. So far I have only read book three. They can be read in any order. I don't understand quantum mechanics, but if you do, you will have a better understanding of this book.
Interesting concept, could have been so much more. Felt like the author was tired of writing about two-thirds of the way through but continued with the drudgery. Was ready for the end, as lack-luster as it was, at about the half way mark.
Read and enjoy the playful, and magical use of words within this book. Wilson was one outstanding writer whose knowledge of linguistics was so deep.The way he used this knowledge is one to be studied, and inspired by imo.
what can i say about this??!!! God just read it...
it's mental and brilliant, just like 90% of everything Robert did.
Hilarious and weird.... re read all his book again last year...and loved them just a little more
it's mental and brilliant, just like 90% of everything Robert did.
Hilarious and weird.... re read all his book again last year...and loved them just a little more
Feb 23, 2013
Paul Lux
added it
A complex tale of pop culture , magick, and science that doubles back on itself like an acidtrip. The kind of book you you sit down and read straight through just for the fun of the ride and the chslenge of focus.
I read this when I was 14. I can't even begin to imagine what this insane rumination on the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics-with-sex-and-drugs did to my addled teenage mind.
This trilogy and the Illuminatus! trilogy were my real introductions to surreal, hyper train-of-thought, acid literature. I love this 3-in-1 book. I own it and have read it many times.
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Robert Anton Wilson became, at various times, an American novelist, essayist, philosopher, polymath, psychonaut, futurist, libertarian and self-described agnostic mystic. Recognized as an Episkopos, Pope, and Saint of Discordianism by Discordians who care to label him as such, Wilson helped publicize the group/religion/melee through his writings, interviews, and strolls.
He described his work as an...more
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