Million year old earth angel here, I use to care and despised paper back. Guess what yo I despise everything but paper back now wilst almost saying the d word when someone gifted me a hard back recently.
Merphy you are SO DELIGHTFUL AND COZY, thank you for being here for such a chill style of reviewing books. I love laughing with you and feeling things along with you. You are MY comfort channel. 🙂
"Roadside Picnic" is one of my all-time favorites (and has one of the greatest endings of all-time), but your criticism of it thus far is certainly understandable. I hope you can hold on long enough to get to the real philosophical meat of the story and the haunting, profoundly affecting finale.
A natural progression from Fantasy to Sci-fi is to next go to what I call Space Fantasy. I will always recommend Starship's Mage by Glenn Stewart as an excellent start to an impressive series in this genre.
Borne is so good. It's been a long time since I just couldn't stop thinking about a book after finishing it, an instant favorite. VanderMeer's ability to put such humanity and earnestness into such an alien world is truly incredible.
Know you’re not a movie person, but funny coincidence: the greatest Russian art film director of the last century, Andrei Tarkovsky, made film versions of both Solaris and Roadside Picnic. The movie of Roadside Picnic is even weirder than the book (and it’s called ‘Stalker’). Don’t know if you’d like either, but boy oh boy are they bizarre.
Stalker is my favorite film of his & perhaps favorite film ever. definitely recommended. Solaris is also incredible; but film definitely takes a different type of awareness & patience than reading (especially with Tarkovsky).
Yeah, Dead Astronauts is very abstract. I guess the cover is appropriate? Lol. However, I'm so happy to see someone else falling for Vandermeer's novels. And at such a great time with the new Southern Reach novel! (Btw, I recently read Hummingbird Salamander, and it's a simpler novel with only a few "Vandermeer moments", if you get what I mean. Maybe it will be a good filler between the Borne series and Ambergris series)
I think it is so cool that you read Borne recently! I picked it up completely on a whim a few weeks ago and have not been able to stop thinking about it! I am glad you liked it.
Your descriptions of books are always so captivating and seeing the joy that you get from a book is infectious!!! Thank you for sharing your hot takes with us and for getting me to read many books I wouldn't have otherwise picked up (like Annihilation)
Lovecraft has become a comfort read for me, as strange as it sounds, so it's cool for me to hear someone with a similar feeling about an author in the bizarre territory. It's strange, but I think it's because I've read so many of his works, the setting and general story patterns have become familiar. His settings have started to feel homy to me.
Great books! The Strange Bird sounds good! I want to check out this author now! Sorry that your glasses are broken. Glad you got beach time though! I miss the beach 😢
Just found your channel. I enjoyed the discussion and got some good ideas. But I have to say the reason I clicked on this was the title. I saw On the Beach and thought, I haven't read that book in over 50 years, I wonder what she thinks of it. Oh well... On the Beach by Nevil Shute, 1959. A story about a group of people in Australia when a nuclear exchange happens between the USSR & USA. They wait for the radiation cloud to reach them from the northern hemisphere and can't do anything about it. It bothered me as a 13 y.o. but would get a lot more out of it today. So, thanks for several new to me books and the accidental reminder of an old book I should revisit.
i legit was waiting until the 25 minute mark until i opened my phone (i was just listening) & realized she was literally on a beach & not going to be talking about the book! especially with the genre. "Talking about 'On the Beach' while on the beach." next
I'm so glad you picked up Roadside Picnic. It's one of my favorite authors! Now please watch "stalker" by Tarkovsky! It's a film reimagening of the book, and it's one of the most atmospheric movies ever made
Roadside Picnic has some layers to it when you realise how it may relate to the politics of the time. Many see it as a straight up critique of communism, that the zones are an aspect of soviet society, I think primarily based upon the book being banned and censored. (Though it was blocked because of vulgarity not political message.) However, while the Strugatskys certainly had no love of the censorship, and the cynical tone of the book is definitely not hugely positive about the soviet project, they were still life long communists, even if disillusioned for very understandable reasons. For me, the subtext of the book is more balanced, presenting a failed decaying society standing in for the soviet union and the increasingly pervasive and destructive effects of capitalism with its inviting trinkets and hidden dangers. There is a bunch more to analyse though, and I intend to read the book again to dig in to these things. (I dont usually think of much of the deeper stuff during a first read, and Ive probably forgotten many details since.)
Dead Astronauts is soooo good. It's really hard to get into it but it's so rewarding. I really didn't try to understand ALL of it. I felt like I absorbed that book almost subconsciously and I really enjoyed that experience.
Awesome vlog! Love hearing your thoughts on the books. I really enjoyed Borne. Such a great book. I have The Strange Bird and Dead Astronauts but haven't read them yet. I read Roadside Picnic recently and thought it was good. The zones made me think of Area X a bit.
I've never been a "cover buy" person. Honestly, before Booktube, I rarely even noticed covers. (Unless they were particularly ugly.) But that original cover of Borne has captivated me since that darned book came out! I had to skip a lot of the talk on it because I still do kinda want to read it and I want to go in cold. I'll have to check my library.
Weird. My paperback copy of Borne is the beautiful cover that seems to match the size of your other two. I can't comprehend why they would change it, as the cover is really what caught my eye.
There was a show on NBC a few years ago called "Debris" that started out with strong Roadside Picnic vibes -- weird, occasionally deadly effects near debris from an alien ship that broke up and scattered pieces around the world -- but it descended into "meh" pretty quickly. The movie STALKER is based on the book, but you need to be into slow sci-fi movies like Solaris. There's also a PC game franchise called STALKER that's vaguely based on that movie, which is vaguely based on the book. No aliens, just Chernobyl. Atmospheric as hell.
The Borne book sounds like something I might like. .... I am so sorry you have abandoned Toll of the Hounds.... It is probably my fault, so I am very Sad.
My overall favorite author is Fredrik Backman and knowing he is yours and your recent love for VanderMeer books I feel I need to give him a chance. Any recommendation which book to start with to get a good sense of VanderMeer’s style?
You should definitely try Ray Nayler, he has one novel and a novella out. I rarely give five stars, but both of his works I did! The Mountain in the Sea is a masterful piece of speculative fiction about consciousness and otherness, and first contact but from an already existing species known to humans. It’s a book that changed my entire being and made me a better person. Please read!
It’s kind of bold to say that Borne is my most favorite novel (well alongside Frankenstein) but it’s true. Loved the themes explored and the tenderness of the storytelling despite the strange premise. Still haven’t read Dead Astronauts though haha Should I keep treating Borne as a standalone? Hmm
@@readingwarlock I rarely notice covers. But that one is so beautiful that I've never forgotten it. And yet I don't ever want to look at it too closely so that it actually looks LIKE something and my mind forms that mental image. I kinda want it to stay ambiguous. (At least until I read the book.)
@@Yesica1993 I get what you mean! One of the joys of reading is forming our own imagery/interpretation of the story/world. Hope you’ll like Borne! (It was honestly a cover buy for me because I’m simple that way haha)
I feel like I need to listen to someone explain Roadside Picnic to me. I did not enjoy my time with and maybe that made me less invested causing me to miss out on some of the cooler stuff.
This week and next: The Blighted Stars and The Fractured Dark. After that, Borne, The Strange Bird, and Dead Astronauts the latter of which I did see you... SPOILER > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >DNF
The war between having a book with a gorgeous cover and having a book that feels the best in your hands is an eternal and universal struggle
Ikr I want it to flap well AND be pretty 😂
Million year old earth angel here, I use to care and despised paper back. Guess what yo I despise everything but paper back now wilst almost saying the d word when someone gifted me a hard back recently.
And with that, the short-lived era of the Sunglassed Merphy comes to an end 🏯
Sad times
"I know your attention span isn't long enough for all that"
...she's out of line, but she's right.
"There's definitely a murder duck happening in this story." may be one of the most unusual sentences I've ever heard!
I googled "murder duck" and still have no clue what she meant 😂😂
I think unusual just comes with the territory with that author. LOL.
Merphy you are SO DELIGHTFUL AND COZY, thank you for being here for such a chill style of reviewing books. I love laughing with you and feeling things along with you. You are MY comfort channel. 🙂
"Roadside Picnic" is one of my all-time favorites (and has one of the greatest endings of all-time), but your criticism of it thus far is certainly understandable. I hope you can hold on long enough to get to the real philosophical meat of the story and the haunting, profoundly affecting finale.
A natural progression from Fantasy to Sci-fi is to next go to what I call Space Fantasy. I will always recommend Starship's Mage by Glenn Stewart as an excellent start to an impressive series in this genre.
Agreed love Glenn Stewart so much!
Borne is so good.
It's been a long time since I just couldn't stop thinking about a book after finishing it, an instant favorite.
VanderMeer's ability to put such humanity and earnestness into such an alien world is truly incredible.
To hell with continuity, I would have bought the hard cover, lol. Also, I literally just bought roadside picnic this week.
Know you’re not a movie person, but funny coincidence: the greatest Russian art film director of the last century, Andrei Tarkovsky, made film versions of both Solaris and Roadside Picnic. The movie of Roadside Picnic is even weirder than the book (and it’s called ‘Stalker’). Don’t know if you’d like either, but boy oh boy are they bizarre.
Stalker is my favorite film of his & perhaps favorite film ever. definitely recommended. Solaris is also incredible; but film definitely takes a different type of awareness & patience than reading (especially with Tarkovsky).
Yeah, Dead Astronauts is very abstract. I guess the cover is appropriate? Lol. However, I'm so happy to see someone else falling for Vandermeer's novels. And at such a great time with the new Southern Reach novel! (Btw, I recently read Hummingbird Salamander, and it's a simpler novel with only a few "Vandermeer moments", if you get what I mean. Maybe it will be a good filler between the Borne series and Ambergris series)
I think it is so cool that you read Borne recently! I picked it up completely on a whim a few weeks ago and have not been able to stop thinking about it! I am glad you liked it.
That was a great sunset you got there, thanks!
I'm glad you got your new glasses 🙌
Hope you and your family had a wonderful and fun time on your trip.
Yayy, sci-fi vlog! I’ve never read exclusively sci-fi, so this is intriguing to me.
"I know your attention span isn't long enough for that."
Me who regularly watches video essays that are several hours long: 🤔
Your descriptions of books are always so captivating and seeing the joy that you get from a book is infectious!!! Thank you for sharing your hot takes with us and for getting me to read many books I wouldn't have otherwise picked up (like Annihilation)
Lovecraft has become a comfort read for me, as strange as it sounds, so it's cool for me to hear someone with a similar feeling about an author in the bizarre territory. It's strange, but I think it's because I've read so many of his works, the setting and general story patterns have become familiar. His settings have started to feel homy to me.
Great books! The Strange Bird sounds good! I want to check out this author now! Sorry that your glasses are broken. Glad you got beach time though! I miss the beach 😢
Just found your channel. I enjoyed the discussion and got some good ideas. But I have to say the reason I clicked on this was the title. I saw On the Beach and thought, I haven't read that book in over 50 years, I wonder what she thinks of it. Oh well... On the Beach by Nevil Shute, 1959. A story about a group of people in Australia when a nuclear exchange happens between the USSR & USA. They wait for the radiation cloud to reach them from the northern hemisphere and can't do anything about it. It bothered me as a 13 y.o. but would get a lot more out of it today. So, thanks for several new to me books and the accidental reminder of an old book I should revisit.
i legit was waiting until the 25 minute mark until i opened my phone (i was just listening) & realized she was literally on a beach & not going to be talking about the book! especially with the genre.
"Talking about 'On the Beach' while on the beach." next
I'm so glad you picked up Roadside Picnic. It's one of my favorite authors! Now please watch "stalker" by Tarkovsky! It's a film reimagening of the book, and it's one of the most atmospheric movies ever made
Mord is terrifying :D I didn't realize The Strange Bird was in the same world. Might have to pick that up too.
Awesome can't wait to read these thanks as always!❤
Roadside Picnic has some layers to it when you realise how it may relate to the politics of the time.
Many see it as a straight up critique of communism, that the zones are an aspect of soviet society, I think primarily based upon the book being banned and censored. (Though it was blocked because of vulgarity not political message.) However, while the Strugatskys certainly had no love of the censorship, and the cynical tone of the book is definitely not hugely positive about the soviet project, they were still life long communists, even if disillusioned for very understandable reasons.
For me, the subtext of the book is more balanced, presenting a failed decaying society standing in for the soviet union and the increasingly pervasive and destructive effects of capitalism with its inviting trinkets and hidden dangers.
There is a bunch more to analyse though, and I intend to read the book again to dig in to these things. (I dont usually think of much of the deeper stuff during a first read, and Ive probably forgotten many details since.)
Dead Astronauts is soooo good. It's really hard to get into it but it's so rewarding. I really didn't try to understand ALL of it. I felt like I absorbed that book almost subconsciously and I really enjoyed that experience.
Awesome vlog! Love hearing your thoughts on the books. I really enjoyed Borne. Such a great book. I have The Strange Bird and Dead Astronauts but haven't read them yet. I read Roadside Picnic recently and thought it was good. The zones made me think of Area X a bit.
I've never been a "cover buy" person. Honestly, before Booktube, I rarely even noticed covers. (Unless they were particularly ugly.) But that original cover of Borne has captivated me since that darned book came out! I had to skip a lot of the talk on it because I still do kinda want to read it and I want to go in cold. I'll have to check my library.
Weird. My paperback copy of Borne is the beautiful cover that seems to match the size of your other two. I can't comprehend why they would change it, as the cover is really what caught my eye.
There was a show on NBC a few years ago called "Debris" that started out with strong Roadside Picnic vibes -- weird, occasionally deadly effects near debris from an alien ship that broke up and scattered pieces around the world -- but it descended into "meh" pretty quickly.
The movie STALKER is based on the book, but you need to be into slow sci-fi movies like Solaris. There's also a PC game franchise called STALKER that's vaguely based on that movie, which is vaguely based on the book. No aliens, just Chernobyl. Atmospheric as hell.
I've always heard much more about the movie adaptation of Roadside Picnic, Stalker by Tarkovsky. Sounds like a fair bit is changed though
Thanks for taking us to the beach with you!
i lean towards trying to keep books from same author/series in same format and size and less cover except series with same cover style
As an aspiring author, that’s interesting 👀
The Borne book sounds like something I might like. .... I am so sorry you have abandoned Toll of the Hounds.... It is probably my fault, so I am very Sad.
Id pick pretty cover over matching sizes any day
My overall favorite author is Fredrik Backman and knowing he is yours and your recent love for VanderMeer books I feel I need to give him a chance. Any recommendation which book to start with to get a good sense of VanderMeer’s style?
I thought you were going to talk about Nevil Shute's _On the Beach._
Same haha
You should definitely try Ray Nayler, he has one novel and a novella out. I rarely give five stars, but both of his works I did! The Mountain in the Sea is a masterful piece of speculative fiction about consciousness and otherness, and first contact but from an already existing species known to humans. It’s a book that changed my entire being and made me a better person. Please read!
Is today is tuesday right...
there are video games based on Roadside Picnic. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is the name of the games
And now I desperately want to go to the beach
Will there be a spoilery review for Roadside Picnic? Because I'm dying to hear what you think of the parts you "couldn't" talk about.
It’s kind of bold to say that Borne is my most favorite novel (well alongside Frankenstein) but it’s true. Loved the themes explored and the tenderness of the storytelling despite the strange premise. Still haven’t read Dead Astronauts though haha Should I keep treating Borne as a standalone? Hmm
I forgot to say, the copy I have of Borne is the paperback with the beautiful cover. I hope you come across this version!!
@@readingwarlock I rarely notice covers. But that one is so beautiful that I've never forgotten it. And yet I don't ever want to look at it too closely so that it actually looks LIKE something and my mind forms that mental image. I kinda want it to stay ambiguous. (At least until I read the book.)
@@Yesica1993 I get what you mean! One of the joys of reading is forming our own imagery/interpretation of the story/world.
Hope you’ll like Borne! (It was honestly a cover buy for me because I’m simple that way haha)
I feel like I need to listen to someone explain Roadside Picnic to me. I did not enjoy my time with and maybe that made me less invested causing me to miss out on some of the cooler stuff.
0:0 He's also my friend on Facebook ;)
Is that the Gulf Coast? Looks beautiful
Big M pumped out 36 minutes of NICELY Done content for less then 1k views
This week and next: The Blighted Stars and The Fractured Dark. After that, Borne, The Strange Bird, and Dead Astronauts the latter of which I did see you...
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Shorter? How dare you
glad you had a great beach vacation, hope you have replacement glasses soon
looks like I need to jump on board the Vandermeer train🚆
33:50 They have arrived! 🌟