acemuzzy wrote:

He's decidedly selfish, never once thinking of anyone else. But it's impossible to know if that's due to mental health issues vs or personality trait (if that's even a meaningful distinction).

Obviously it appears as if he hurt Gracie with his blank manuscript but if that is to be believed it says he has been unwell for a long time before he lost his job, father and then her. I think she was possibly very unwell too and the pair were a dangerous fit for each other. Nothing sinister, but they both reached breaking points.

I'm going with well meaning but unwell and afraid.

It's the perfect book where in a sequel everything could fall to shit and be even better.

So, that there Affirmation. This is a novel about a pretty unlikely guy who has relationship issues and in coming to terms with these, begins to create and reside (escape) in an alternative world, the Dream Archipelago. He begins to slip between the two worlds and it becomes unclear what it is real and what is fiction. The first person narration is questionable, in that the main protagonist is a wholly unreliable writer - you're not sure what is real and what is a lie. The Dream Archipelago parts reminded me of one of the Clive Barker books I read when I was in my teens - Imajica possibly? There's no real fantastical part to these sections, but they do seem ethereal, otherworldly and dream-like. It's really well written throughout, though totally accessible. It serves as a parable on relationship breakdowns and I wallowed in it.

What I found most rewarding was that Priest doesn’t really go overboard with description of the archipelago and so it seems very grounded within our own world, whilst having just enough edge to seem somewhat otherworldly.

Is the ending an invitation to join Peter's world? If a blank manuscript holds so much meaning for him then is it the reader who is essentially 'Peter' from that point on, having been recreated after undergoing the process?

In that sense athanasia is Peter being recreated each time someone reads it.

Yeah. Affirmation was July, so it's open slather on that now it's August. BTCGC is this month's read. I'm pretty sure people put spoiler tags in the current month if they need to discuss.

Anyway, turns out we have a copy of this so I will start.




Wonder if the translation has anything to do with language. Flora has read a lot of Japanese literature and has said it is just written quite Orwell-esque.

Just checked.  October is open.  I feel like Muzzy should have his first proper full choice.  So he’s not swayed, (unless he really wants it) I’ll make Thousand Doors my next choice.)

Oops wrong thread, but you should add it to the list. I haven't cried in anger since I was about six.

Minkymu wrote:

Is there a comic thread?

Yes.

comic thread??

the whole forum's a joke

Yeah I started this morning. Its very plainly written

The writer is fond of miniskirts.

They don't have as many words and also they are squares.

Here we go again. I know it's objective and all but Raiziel is very consistent in his wrongness

I’m right about all sorts of good stuff.

I’m beginning to think muzzy is my Mr. Glass.