Wowsers, just realised that I've actually already got a copy of The Affirmation that's been sitting unread on my bookshelf.

Yeah, from what I’ve read about the book I’m not sure why it’s regarded as sci fi.

Really looking forward to reading it. Going to read The Aleph by Borges first.

OH YO IVE READ THIS BOOK

Finished Narrow Road last night.
Was hard for me to get into but I enjoyed it in the end. The overall story wasn't that interesting, but the fact that he described everything through details and emotions (I guess) in stead of just straight up writing down the facts was something that kept me going. The smoothness of skin, the texture of rice, the shine on a pearl necklace, the smell of disease, the heat of fire etc.
Not sure how to describe it, guess best way is how in animation you start by putting down two key poses, and then a curve will form between those two. Feel like the Narrow Road spends a lot of time following the curve, while not caring as much about the actual key poses (which are the most important in animation, if those don't work the curve won't be good either). Made for pretty intense reading for me, and I've had more dreams about shitty mud than I want to admit.

I'm about to go as weirdly free spouse as I can on the affirmation, so spoilers ensue.

It was in reading the book I got the courage to go out again, and to meet my wife in doing .

It's a special novel for me, but one I'm also happy to flush down the toilet. I don't mean that literally, it just hit me at a particular place and time. Priest is still my favourite novelist although The Gradual is bad.

Shoot

Hmmm.

Raiziel wrote:

Have finished The Affirmation. Will be reading more by Christopher Priest.

The novel of the prestige is better than the book. Inverted World is very full on Sci Do if you want that. I like his stuff around the glamour but I'd recommend The Separation for something a bit more different.

Raiziel enjoying a book?! Madness.

I'm a few chapters into The Affirmation and it's very odd, but compulsive. I've also just realised that I've read The Islanders, another Priest novel that shares the same world. I'm interested to see where this goes.

Gremill wrote:

it's very odd

My kinda book.

regmcfly wrote:

He's also done a set of short stories set on this archipelago.

I think that's The Islanders.

You need to post those two books because I want to read them

I'm loving the dream like quality of it - not really sure what is 'real' and what isn't.

There's something about the nature of the writer or author that lends itself to a place like the dream archipelago, a place where you can sit and navel gaze for days without doing anything, and when you do, it's not quite what you want.