Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with fiction

But Not The Wasp Factory, Please

A Terrible Llama — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 07:22:14 -0800

Okay, so I found a recommendation for Iain Banks' The Wasp Factory via an old AskMe thread and picked it up. Unfortunately, this was the thread I probably needed to see. Kill all the people you want, fictional characters, but hurt animals and you've lost me forever. I'm not capable of the kind of detachment required to read about waging war on bunnies or oh. my. god. setting fire to dogs.

What I liked about the Wasp Factory: very clean prose style--I'm not in the mood for frilly writerliness, but I also don't like mechanical writing, where you feel like a non-writer has a story to tell and everything is just plot, plot, plot. TWF had character-based forward momentum to it.

If I could have gotten past the animal stuff, it was INCREDIBLY compelling and had moments of dark humor, plenty of surprises, a vibrant narrator, a creepy sense of place, and even though ultimately I couldn't get through it I was really into it--I flicked through to pick out the plot so I'd get to know what happened without reading in terrible detail about the animal horrors. Basically I cheated.

So, what can I read that: has clean, sharp prose and is as compelling but is animal-torture free?

Books I've liked: The Pat Barker WWI series, Lolita, some Elmore Leonard, The Living by Annie Dillard (if anyone's looking for a recommendation: this is about settling the pacific Northwest, which sounds thuddingly dull but Dillard will be beautifully prosing along and will knock off characters without a second thought and merrily plink along to the next paragraph while you're still blinking the image away--in a weird way, it's got the same breezy momentum as TWF. I really liked it.), the story 'Brokeback Mountain' -- the writing is sheer unrelentingly awesome. I liked The Shining, too.

I think I'm in the mood to be creeped out--I'm home all day with an infant and would like some escapism (not that the rigors of changing diapers every three hours isn't riveting.)

Also, I will revisit the book recommendation threads again, but I was wondering if anyone had specific recommendations with the above in mind...

Creating an Artistic Persona

divabat — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 04:32:03 -0800

followup to this question: how does one create and develop a persona? I'm referring to artistic/entertainment personas, such as Borat and Ali G - where performers actually take on a whole new personality as part of their work.

How are such personas developed? Are they carefully planned out, or do they organically develop? How much of the persona is developed before being performed (for example, does Borat have a detailed childhood history?)? Is it much like creating a fictional character for stories, or is there some other process?

Along with that, how are the other aspects - fashion, style, mannerisms, talents, accents, etc - of the persona handled? Does someone that want to make an artistic persona usually go to classes to learn all those skills? Where do they get it from?

I've emailed Empress V (who performs in Brisbane as A Wonder Woman, amongst others) and she's given me some good advice, but I'd like to know of any other perspectives and resources. Google doesn't turn up much and my local libraries don't have a lot on the topic either - where and what topic should I be looking for?

Help ID this nonreligious Jesus book

jk252b — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 07:28:14 -0800

Play more name-that-book! Young Jesus adjusting to role as Messiah. I heard about this book recently on NPR, I believe. It has something to do with a young Jesus coming to terms with what it means to be the Messiah. I'm pretty sure it's a new book - recently or soon to be published, and written by a famous female author. The sense I got was that it's not a religious book (a la any book you find when searching for "Jesus" or "Messiah" on Amazon), but simply a fictionalized literary work about a religious figure.

I can't find anything on Amazon or independent book store sites, Google, or through searching contemporary female writers. Did I just make this up?

Help me identify a long lost short story!

jujube — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 22:15:33 -0800

What is the title of this short story? Author? Any hints? About a boy and his younger brother (more detailed description of the story follows) I think it must be a fairly "classic" short story because I read it as a school assignment, and it was in an anthology of short stories along with stories like The Lottery, The A&P, etc.

The story is narrated by the older brother. He has a younger brother who hero worships him, to the extent that the younger brother at one point breaks his arm because the older brother tells him that he could fly if he jumped off the roof or something like that. And then something happens, and the younger brother no longer worships the narrator. Can't remember what it was that happens, can't remember the title or the author.

Ring a bell, anyone? I've recently become enamored of short stories, and would love to read it again. And plus, I remember crying when I read it the 1st time over 20 years ago, and am curious to know how my jaded old self would related to the story.

Apotheosis fiction

ninazer0 — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 02:24:50 -0800

Fiction Filter: Help me find stories involving apotheosis (glorification of an individual as divine). Books or movies - it doesn't matter. As well as fiction where one of the main characters is worshipped as or assumes the position of a god, I'd also probably include those stories where the character receives or develops god-like powers or abilities.

Examples I've already collected would be Paul Atreides from the Dune books by Frank Herbert or the book "Expecting Someone Taller" by Tom Robb (where, by virtue of the Tarnhelm and Ring, pretty much becomes the accidental Master of the Universe, much to Wotans dismay).

Can anyone think of any others? (I know at least one more is out there - trouble is I only read it once about 20 years ago and can't recall much about it).

Best HCI Examples In Pop Culture

libraryman — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 18:09:26 -0800

What are the best examples of human/computer interaction in tv and movies (please mention specific scenes and episodes if you can). ex: HAL in 2001, The touch screen in Minority Report, Scotty talking to the mouse in Star Trek IV -lol, etc...

Great, absorbing books and films showing life in different times and places

MetaMonkey — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 03:53:00 -0800

I'd like to broaden my horizons by getting a better understanding of life in different cultures and time periods. Please recommend great books or films (fiction or non-fiction) which paint a broad, immersive, reasonably accurate picture of a place and time. The question is inspired by recently seeing a fascinating film called Atanarjuat, which spends a lot of time showing Inuit life.

Sorts of things I'm looking for: family life, relationships, spirituality, arts, economics... the whole deal.

Other examples of times and places: medieval europe, pre-history anywhere, roman empire, modern rural India... but anywhere and anywhen, as long as the portrayl is good and vivid.

Arrr, Captain Hook

roomthreeseventeen — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 09:23:56 -0800

Short-story filter: What are your favorite pirate names? (Real or imagined)

Help me find a young adults hard sci-fi book about a space medic?

ArkhanJG — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 08:41:23 -0800

Please-help-me-identify-a-book-filter. Trying to track down a young adults hardish sci-fi book from the mid 80s in the UK about a space medic in trouble. I read it from the young adults/teenagers library fiction section, when I was about 10 which puts it around 1984-1986.

It was fairly hard sci-fi for a YA book, and addressed the story of a travelling space-ship. There was some sort of accident or other mishap that ended up leaving the medical officer - fairly young, I think - in charge. I remember one particular incident in the book where they had to pass through a radiation storm/solar flare with insufficient shielding. The crew and passengers hid behind the water tank, and they had to jury-rig manual attitude control of the thrusters back to the safe compartment, to rotate the ship thus keeping the water tank between the radiation and the passengers for some period of time. I also believe there might have been some sort of disease that the doctor had to try and diagnose with insufficient experience and tools, that was slowing spreading amongst the crew, which he finally succumbed to near the end of the book.

hopefully my memory isn't completely wrong, and someone kind recognises this from my description. My nephew is very much into space and sci-fi, so I'm sure he'd love this if I do manage to find a copy. My google-fu has failed so far.

Blue Man, not the group.

Slap*Happy — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 22:25:47 -0800

I'm looking for an old science fiction novel about an evil, blue giant titled "The Blue Man" - the Google and Amazon search is poisoned by both The Blue Man Group, and a young-adult science fiction novel "The Blue Man" which isn't it at all. There is a science fiction novel I read long, long ago called, I think, "The Blue Man" - the Google and Amazon search is poisoned by both The Blue Man Group, and a young-adult science fiction novel "The Blue Man".

It was about a mysterious giant, the titular Blue Man, who laid waste to various human colonies on alien planets, a scene sticking out the most was of the giant being filmed rampaging though a domed-over city, then noticing the camera man and reaching for him, the broadcast going blank thereafter...

It was (I think) a cheesy 60's environmental/war political message dressed up as science fiction, but the scenes where the giant was doing his thing were really thrilling to this closeted giant-monster fan.

I think I would like to read it again, but it's been hell trying to track down a copy. I may have the title wrong.

Add a new category to this list: Aliens, Monsters, Ghosts...

Flying Saucer — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 20:51:29 -0800

Aliens, monsters, and ghosts. The big three. But is there a fourth? I am working on a writing project and am struggling with a conundrum that I thought I'd bring to the hive mind.

It seems to me that in speculative fiction (which encompasses science fiction, fantasy, and horror), there are three major elements, or adversaries:

1. Aliens
2. Monsters
3. Ghosts

The brave souls who fight these creatures have been the basis of all kinds of exciting stories.

For example, in the comic book and the movie, the Men In Black fought aliens.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer fought monsters.

Ghostbusters fought ghosts.

Mulder and Scully fought all three.

So my question is...is there a fourth category? Spirits, maybe? Elves? Combining the categories has already been done -- remember the alien ghosts of "Final Fantasy"?

Any thoughts?

I need a novel-writing soundtrack

changeling — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 10:07:20 -0800

Can you help me set the writing soundtrack to my novels? Hi! I've avoided asking this forever -- I've gone through and sampled the songs from every related ask thread. I've used Pandora, iTunes and Rhapsody's similar music detectors, but I'm sick of artificial intelligence. I want metaintelligence.

So I write books, and I write to a soundtrack, master-planned for each book. Problem is, books take a long time to write. By the revision stages, I'm sick of the (hours-long) playlist, and what originally set the tone becomes grating. So I'm always switching out, seeking new artists that fit. But because I'm so particular on a song-by-song basis, doing so becomes another method of vacuuming the cat. I'm looking for song and artist recommendations that somehow match the tone of these books & existing songs below. I know some of the songs don't seem to match, but there must be a common thread, because they work.

Book1: Western setting. Confused (young, possibly ff) love. Lonely, moody, poignant. "Golden" by My Morning Jacket, "Both Sides Now" by Joni Mitchell, "Crimson and Clover" by Joan Jett, "Lydia" by Staid Cleaves, "Waiting on the Stairs" by Pela. Lots of Band of Horses.

Book2: Travel abroad. Soft adventure. Flight from an unpleasant past. Learning to let go. So obviously, "Let Go" by Frou Frou. Lots of The National. "Run" by Snow Patrol. "Don't Become the Thing You Hated" by Destroyer. "All Mixed up" by Red House Painters.

I have some Tegan and Sara and Sigur Ros on both.

So please, go crazy! Popular, obscure, any genre (though obviously different species of rock fit best). I have Rhapsody. Thanks!!

Legal question about using celebrities in works of fiction

Astro Zombie — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:36:51 -0800

What is the legality of using a celebrity as a character in a satiric work of fiction? I've seen it before, such as in David Sedaris's short story in which he claims to have dated Mike Tyson. I'm writing a story that includes several celebrities in fictional, and obviously satiric, situations, and I want to make certain that if they try to sue my ass off, I've got a legal leg to stand on.

This question is not based on any real concern

daksya — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 12:18:40 -0800

I just saw The Bank Job and had a question about the disclaimer at the end It says,

"This motion picture is based upon actual events and people..[snip]..Similarity of any dramatized characters, incidents.. to any actual event.. is entirely coincidental and unintentional"

The disclaimer contradicts itself. I realize that this is probably something to with libel CYA, but having just admitted that the film is "based on actual events", how can the similarity be unintentional?

What's the legal status of these disclaimers? If someone is indeed depicted libelously, what protection does it offer (in US, UK)?

Books that grab you and don't let go

banjo_and_the_pork — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 06:20:51 -0800

Looking for decently written, page-turning historical fiction. I love, love, love historical fiction. But I find that I'm kind of picky about the books that really grab me. It seems that it's been about a year since the last general historical fiction recommendation question, so I'm hoping to get some suggestions. I find that Amazon's "people also bought" suggestions are good, but sometimes lead me pretty far astray, and I like LibraryThing and GoodReads to find suggestions, but it can be hard to wade through everything there.

My basic parameters: well-written enough so that bad writing doesn't jar me or take me out of the story, not so well-written that it feels cumbersome and a drag to get through. I'd like a dash of romance, and if it involves a mystery or suspense that would be great, but not totally necessary.

Books I love: the Outlander series, Connie Willis' "Doomsday Book" and "To Say Nothing of the Dog," Rutherford's "London" and "Sarum," (but his other books have not grabbed me), a few Phillippa Gregory books, "The Historian," everything by Deanna Raybourn and Tasha Alexander.

Books I have not enjoyed: Dorothy Dunnett (maybe I'm not giving her enough of a chance, I could not get into the two books of hers I've picked up), The Red Tent, Years of Rice & Salt. Not really "historical fiction," but I don't particularly care for Jane Austen.

In terms of fantasy books that read kind of like historical fiction but are not actually historical, I love Robert Jordan's first 5 books, but I could not get into George R.R. Martin. I have tried Pratchett and just don't enjoy his writing style. Also, because it always comes up in these book questions- I liked "Pillars of the Earth" (and kind of liked the sequel, but that was not nearly as good), but I wouldn't lump it in with books I loved. I hope these aren't horribly tight restrictions that make suggesting anything impossible, there must be people who like the same kind of books I do out there!

Who's that frog-licker?

bettafish — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 13:16:16 -0800

WhatWasThatBookFilter: a friend of mine needs help tracking down a fantasy/sci-fi paperback she read back in 1997. Full description below. Quoth my friend:

"What I Remember
-- the cover was of an orange-y sky with a grey-purple rock face with a large stone with a hole through it that might have been called 'The Eye of ----'?
-- their was a rich, Baron Harkonnen-type guy who licked frogs either for drug or vision-inducing properties.
-- the lead might have been involved in some sort of Gladiator-style combat.
-- there was something to do with the sea? Ship-travel?
-- it was the first of a series/trilogy.
-- if you looked through the stone-eye-thing, then sometimes people (prophets?) could see the future.
-- the stone eye thing looks like the thing from Star Trek's City on the Edge of Forever, except it's up on a cliff or a mountain."

Does this ring a bell for anyone?

Recommend a first Douglas Coupland novel

grobstein — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 07:27:46 -0800

Recommend a first Douglas Coupland novel, if you please. I want to read one. No strong ideas about what it should be like. Any grounds for the recommendation are cool. No holds barred. Thanks!

Looking for lowbrow books

reenum — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 20:35:23 -0800

Looking for sites or reviewers who review books other than literary fiction I've gotten into Bookgasm and I love it. I've realized that I'm not that into literary fiction. I prefer books that are plot-based, rather than character-based. So, that gets me into genre fiction or non-fiction stuff. I'm not into sci-fi at all.

Problem is, most sources like Bookslut and NY Times Book Review devote most of their reviews to literary fiction.

So, are there any other sites or magazines out there like Bookgasm? Meaning well written reviews of books that are not literary fiction?

cold fiction for the hot summer?

taz — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 07:44:01 -0800

Two of my favorite books for summer are "Winter's Tale" by Mark Helprin and "Smilla's Sense of Snow" by Peter Hoeg; I'd like suggestions for other (preferably hefty) novels with complex/absorbing story lines and wintry settings or themes to help me stay sane 'til September. Got an ice book to recommend?

sodden vests? sounds uncomfortable...

russm — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 21:47:17 -0800

please help identify this "young adults" sci-fi-ish novel - "I'm an Est, for Ests are best, down to their sodding woollen vests"... read back in the '80s, set in a near-ish future UK in which everyone gets the same education but are streamed into their future lives based on their final exam results... if you score poorly you become a Prole and face a life of manual labour or service industry work... score well and you become an Est (presumably "Establishment"), and go into business or whatever... the rhyme above the fold is sung by kids in school, because, hell, who wouldn't want to be an Est...

4 main characters in their final year of school, exam results posted, one fails and is destined for Prole-hood, 2 pass and will become Ests, the last (smartest of the 4) has no result posted but a "please come see the principal" note... he goes to see the principal and is informed that since he scored 100% he's obviously not a team player and therefore unsuited to be an Est, so please leave with these men in white coats... turns out that a perfect score gets you streamed as a Tech, but the general public doesn't know about them because... ummm... something I don't remember...

oddly enough, I was reminded of this by cortex and TheOnlyCoolTim's comments in MeTa...

Help me find this story...

psergio — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 19:26:04 -0800

A few years ago there was a short story in the New Yorker set in the near future. The characters were children raised in a world where they seemed to be market research test subjects... I really can't recall any more details than that... Does this ring any bells?

So this is why I wrote so much about Tarzan...

overglow — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 12:22:02 -0800

Help me find this short story about Edgar Rice Burroughs in hell. I think that I read the story in the mid 90s, so it would have been published at that time or before. The main thrust of the story is Edgar Rice Burroughs gradually realizing that he is sexually attracted to men (there's a small chance that the main character was some other famous early speculative fiction writer). The hell of the setting contains numerous historical warlords, who are constantly fighting one another; if one dies they simply reawaken the next morning in their bed. Anyone else read this?

short story recommendations?

Salvatorparadise — Wed, 28 May 2008 15:53:47 -0800

What are your favorite short stories or short story collections, anthologies etc. Hi all. I'm interested in writing short stories, but really need to read more of them before I dive into this. What are some of your favorite short stories, anthologies or collections that I should check out?

I'm a reporter and write for a living, and wrote a book a few years ago (haven't tried to publish it, i'd like to try to write it again sometime to make it better) and want to begin writing fiction more seriously. I'd like to start with short stories but I haven't read very many, and that's a problem when one wants to write them!

help me out!

Ecotopian fiction with some political awareness?

salvia — Mon, 26 May 2008 23:46:00 -0800

Book recommendations: ecotopian fiction? (Something to read after The Fifth Sacred Thing)? I just read The Fifth Sacred Thing. I really liked it and am looking for something to read next. Basically, I'm looking for ecotopian or utopian books, particularly those with a progressive political awareness. Any suggestions?

Here's my attempt to describe what I liked, but you can skip this if you're in a hurry:

The book is set in 2048. Southern California has been taken over by a militaristic alliance of The Corporation and the religious Millenialists. Together they own all the water, run human breeding pens, and have perfected torture. But up in San Francisco, an early rebellion against the takeover allowed northern California to blossom into a communitarian ecotopia.

I liked the vision of the utopian society -- ecologies restored, feminism (one main character is a midwife), and the consensus-based community model, particularly because they seem fairly realistic (petty bickering, boring meetings). I also liked the dark parts when the main characters traveled through the south: non-violent political resistance and struggle are necessities, and the main characters struggle to remember that another world is possible.

I've already read World Made By Hand, Ecotopia, and Into The Forest, and I liked them roughly in that order (best to least). I'm not averse to science fiction or extra-planetary ways to explore the same issues, though I do prefer the alternative futures that are close to home.

This story should totally be a comic!

overglow — Sun, 25 May 2008 14:06:53 -0800

What's the process by which published fiction gets adapted into comic book form? I'm most interested in how this happens or could happen with short stories, but if you have information on novels, feel free to share that too. Does an author/story just get famous enough for a comic book company to approach them? Or is there a way for authors to propose adaptations to comic companies? Do you know of any examples of not-already famous short stories which have been adapted into comics? Alternately, are there spaces (virtual or real) where more DIY-style comic artists who are looking for short stories to adapt might go? Thanks!