Eric Keys (eric_keys) (24 books)

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Songs of a Dead Dreamer
by Thomas Ligotti

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Fahrenheit 451
by Ray Bradbury

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My Work is Not Yet Done by Thomas Ligotti

My Work is Not Yet Done: Three Tales of Corporate Horror
by Thomas Ligotti

read in June, 2012

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I've been impressed by Ligotti since I was first exposed to him. In addition, he has shown a real growth in his abilities. His early work had a profound impact on me but was colored by unevenness. That being said, I thought I was seeing him at the he...more I've been impressed by Ligotti since I was first exposed to him. In addition, he has shown a real growth in his abilities. His early work had a profound impact on me but was colored by unevenness. That being said, I thought I was seeing him at the height of his powers in Teatro Grottesco . He so perfectly captured the nightmarish aspects of existence I honestly did not see where he could go from there.

And yet, I think My Work is Not Yet Done has surpassed that.

The book is divided into three stories, the first of which is more of a novella than a short story. Each of the stories is related in that they all have a corporate setting. Since I work in the corporate world I was eager to see his take on it. Many of his characters are artists, scholars and people with no discernible means of income so I was interested in seeing how he treated work-a-day cube-dwellers like myself.

I was a bit wary of the novella. I wasn't sure Ligotti's writing style would do well in a lengthier form. But I was impressed with how sympathetic the lead character was despite his predilection for imposing horrific deaths on people. We all have our flaws, yes?

The third story also was surprisingly funny despite the depths of darkness in the story. It has an unusual structure which includes anecdotes, notebook excerpts and classified ads and it works surprisingly well. The humor is probably some of the darkest I've read in a long time and perhaps difficult for someone outside the corporate eco-system to truly appreciate.

Besides the settings, another tie between all three stories is the interplay of puppet and puppet-master. Or, rather, the ambiguity of who is pulling who's strings. Ligotti is very interested in the image of the puppet and here we see him playing with that theme in surprising ways. The line between manipulator and manipulated is not what it seems and there are inversions where one would not expect them. The passive become active and then become passive again and we are left with the sense that the real players - if they exist - are never seen.

In that sense, it is classic Ligotti.

His power is in that he shows the horror of existence in a stark and moving way. His response is pessimism. We all need to respond. Some might take the mystic root and decide that there must be more to life than this. If this is all there is, life is not worth living. That is Ligotti's insight. We are left to decide if this is really all there is.(less)

Eric Keys rated a book 4 of 5 stars

Requiem for a Dream
by Hubert Selby Jr.

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Eric Keys rated a book 4 of 5 stars

That Which Should Not Be
by Brett J. Talley (Goodreads Author)

read in June, 2012

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Overall, I really liked this book. I was a bit apprehensive, at first, about the idea of a frame story. I thought maybe this was just a way of grouping together some short stories and calling it a novel. But the stories worked together and the frame...more

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Skin Trade
by Tonia Brown (Goodreads Author)

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Eric Keys is currently reading

The New Testament and the People of God by N.T. Wright

The New Testament and the People of God (Christian Origins and the Question of God, #1)
by N.T. Wright

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Eric Keys is currently reading Songs of a Dead Dreamer by Thomas Ligotti	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 26, 2013 07:13am
Eric Keys rated a book 4 of 5 stars Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 27, 2012 01:51pm
Eric Keys added My Work is Not Yet Done: Three Tales of Corporate Horror by Thomas Ligotti read in June, 2012	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I've been impressed by Ligotti since I was first exposed to him. In addition, he has shown a real growth in his abilities. His early work had a profound impact on me but was colored by unevenness. That being said, I thought I was seeing him at the he...more
Jun 27, 2012 12:43pm · see review
Eric Keys rated a book 4 of 5 stars Requiem for a Dream by Hubert Selby Jr.	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 06, 2012 11:33am
Eric Keys is now a fan of Goodreads Author Brett J. Talley
Jun 06, 2012 07:26am · like · see all of Eric's favorite authors
Eric Keys is now following Brett Talley's reviews
Jun 06, 2012 07:26am · like
Eric Keys rated a book 4 of 5 stars That Which Should Not Be by Brett J. Talley (Goodreads Author) read in June, 2012	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Overall, I really liked this book. I was a bit apprehensive, at first, about the idea of a frame story. I thought maybe this was just a way of grouping together some short stories and calling it a novel. But the stories worked together and the frame...more
Jun 06, 2012 07:26am · see review
Eric Keys wants to read Skin Trade by Tonia Brown (Goodreads Author)	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 23, 2012 12:28pm
Eric Keys is currently reading The New Testament and the People of God (Christian Origins and the Question of God, #1) by N.T. Wright	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 21, 2012 06:35am

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