Jeremiah's recent posts

Recent public posts (showing 1-17 of 17).

What are folks opinions on Blaylock. Anyone have a favorite book of his?

I recently came across this definition

The conspiracy thriller (or paranoid thriller) is a subgenre of the thriller. A common theme in such works is that characters discovering a secretive conspiracy may be unable to tell what is true about the conspiracy, or even what is real: rumors, lies, propaganda, and counter-propaganda build upon one another until what is conspiracy and what is coincidence becomes an undecidable question. The protagonists of conspiracy thrillers are often journalists or amateur investigators who find themselves (often inadvertently) pulling on a small thread which unravels a vast conspiracy that ultimately goes "all the way to the top".

Is it correct? Or can conspiracy be more accurately viewed as a lense on other genres (fantasy, mystery maybe even romance?)

I just picked up Arcanum, which seems to be a secret history that stars, amongst others, Arthur Conan Doyle. Doyle has got to be one of the top historical characters used in this kind of books (this book also has Houdin, Laveau and Lovecraft, if it had Tesla that would be all the usualy suspects of the early 20th century).

What is your favorite secret history (and all the other related types) that features Doyle? Whats some other ones?

Yeah I just finished it and I have to say I agree.

Okay I finished it, review on the book. I wasn't too impressed but I enjoyed the book.

And yeah I have read his SF after all. I rememebr not being amazed by his cyberpunk.

This is a contemporary fantasy where theres a veil over our eyes on the true nature of things. So far I'm enjoying it. More when I'm done.

Anyone here read anything else by Kadrey? I'm interested based on this and looking for some reviews and pointers.

The Wold Newton family is a literary concept derived from a form of crossover fiction developed by the science fiction writer Philip José Farmer. He links, through a common origin, the lives of real fictionalized characters, both heroic and villainous such as Sherlock Holmes, Tarzan, Doc Savage, and Lord Peter Wimsey.

Other examples of this are Kim Newman's work. Warren Eli's Planetary, Alan Moore's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

Wold Newton fictions can very easily be secret histories when they purport to give a secret accounting of what has happened in the world. A truer history. At other times they stray into alternate history land.

Can anyone think of any other ones I'm missing? What are your favorite elements of a Wold Newton?

Interesting. I normally put Helboy in another category in my mind but you are right it has all the elements.

From intrigue-filled fiction spurred by the Cold War to glamorous movies with twisting plots, the business of spying -- espionage, surveillance and sabotage -- has captured imaginations for decades. Occult fiction, especially occult detectives, have probably an even longer pedigree. And for me, as many already know, these are two great tastes that go great together.

Spies have in common with occultists is an uncanny ability to connect the seemingly unconnected, to notice what goes on behind the scenes and to see through misdirection. Both often use collaborators or confederates, and mentors. Each have their rules of engagement. Even some of the elements of tradecraft are the same. Both are cryptic, using encryptions and codes. Each has its own arcane language, symbols veiled from the profane. Remote Viewing is virtually identical with clairvoyance. Both are masters of disguise, the hidden environment, intelligence, espionage, and covert action. Both are Inside Outsiders, working at the fringes of the system. And both work sub rosa.

I’m working on a biography and I find it easier to think of more rpg entries than fiction.

To qualify a book has to involve both espionage and the occult. And frankly I have trouble finding nearly as many as I do occult detectives (like spy novels the sub genre demarcations can of course be difficult).


Tim Powers gives us Declare and Three Days to Never

Charles Stross, Atrocity Archives and Jennifer Morgue

Kim Newman’s Diogene Club cycle

Alexander Irvine’s The Narrows

There’s all of the Brian Lumley stuff (I’m afraid to read him again, I figure if my teenage self found him awful he can only have gotten worse)

My wife, while reading Gibson's Spook County kept on saying it felt very "Power-esque" with the orishas and tulpas and such. I wondered if what she was picking up on might be some Dick influence. I'm not very sure. Any thoughts on what makes something in the style of Tim Powers?

Nicholas Christopher is on the list of authors that I don’t understand aren't more popular amongst fantasy fans. Probably because he is firmly in the literary camp and thus ignored by most genre people. It’s a pity because he writes good fantasy of history. A literary omnivore (which I always appreciate), he is versed in classical lore and pulp fiction, and his books are a thrilling amalgam of the two: erudite, lyrical and breathlessly paced. Unlike Christopher’s previous novels, The Bestiary merely teeters on the edge of fantasy. But it teeters in such a delightful way.

The Bestiary concerns a medieval manuscript with a whiff of heresy, suppressed and possibly destroyed by order of the pope. And the story is primarily that of a fable. The main character’s – Xeno - hunt for this bestiary is quixotic — it is, he soon realizes, a thinly veiled quest for his own identity — and the novel is less a detective story than a kind of theme and variations on the failure of man’s dominion over nature.

I consider Tim Powers one of the masters of secret history.

When I think of secret history books I think of books that fall into the following categories


Romance of the Archive: A book which depicts an acquaintance with moldering books, indices, monographs, bibliographies, slips of paper, and footnotes through a romantic lens depicting a scholar-adventurer whose quests for Truth take place mostly through archives and dealing with written matter. A pivotal work is A.S. Byatt’s Possession.

Fantasy of History: A story that uncovers a Secret History of the World through the aid of fantasy devices. Set in the mundane world, either now or at some point in the past, no matter how fundamentally our understanding of the mundane world may be rewriten through the revelations of the tale. These are also widely called Secret Histories.

Alternate History: Simply stated, an alternate history is the description and/or discussion of an historical "what if" with some speculation about the consequences of a different result.

Occult Fantasy: The study of the occult is the pursuit of hidden or secret doctrine. Occult Fantasies are stories which explore these mysteries in the hope of a revelation. Some crucial examples are Joris-Karl Huysmans, La-Bas (1891), Talbot Mundy, Om: The Secret of Abhor Valley (1924) , and John Fowles, The Magus (1984)

Occult Detective: Occult detective stories are a sub-genre of the detective story. The main difference is that the occult detective is involved in cases involving ghosts, curses, and other supernatural elements. These days most occult detectives are really occult fantasies as their roots are more in the fantasy side then the detective side but there are exceptions. Theres also an interesting switch from occult detectives who abhorred the occult to ones who are active and enthusiastic practitioners (compare and contrast Dr Silence to Harry Dresden)

Occult Espionage: A rare breed, the espionage story turned to matters of the occult.

Crypto-thriller: Thrillers are characterized by fast pacing, frequent action, and resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more-powerful and better-equipped villains. Literary devices such as suspense, red herrings, and cliffhangers are used extensively. A crypto-thriller involves hidden history, secret societies, strange codes and puzzles. Think Da Vinci Code and all the rest.

Why three stars?

Well for me it was a matter that Ithis is a book that survived mostly on hype and probably good example on how important networking is. Everytime someone compared this book to Austen it made me want to screan. My major complaint is that while the author may have the technical side of the language down she is lacking the soul. Yes her language can be intoxicating, but there is not a single scene in the first 400 pages that doesn’t demand to be trimmed, and most need to be trimmed vigorously. Very few scenes in the first 400 pages do anything to advance a story and the author often seems unsure and unable to do that. Clarke’s use of Austen is a crutch to her story and while it can be beautiful it is oftentimes empty of meaning. Austen was a brilliant teller of story and Clarke often forgets she’s telling one.

And then there are the woman characters, or the lack of woman (and minority). Really all they are treasures to be saved and redeemed by men, white men to be exact. White whiny men.

And I could go on for ever on the hype. Actually the hype for this book sounded a lot like the hype for Stardust (movie). Which is probably why I won't go see the movie. Mainstream reviewers always have to justify their liking speculatvie works by putting it on a pedestal. The shameful hing is the stuff they end up seeing/reading is not necessarily the stuff thats actually stand out in the genre.

This score of 1 star from Bryant is another good example towards his having good taste.

I've enjoyed these books, but I do agree that this one was atad diffuse. I'm looking forward to this series being done so I can reread it in one big gulp. And give it to the kids to read. The Boy is probably ready for these.

Glad you read this one. I liked it though I think I wanted more story.