House of Leaves

[Amotis]

I just ordered House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski (the full color edition, if anyone's wondering) and I was wondering if anyone's else has read this and what they thought. From what's I've heard it reminds me of Bukowski in that there's a huge cult following and lacks praise or notice from the more academical realms.

Oh, I also am planning to find a copy of Poe's Haunted album because they are suppose to be connected.

[WalkingTarget]

I liked it immensely. I need to go back and reread it, but then again, it about took over my subconscious the first time through, so maybe holding off is a good thing. A friend, who also read it, described it as the closest thing we're likely to get to how a Lovecraftian tome screws with your head.

I haven't heard the Poe album, but I would recommend reading the appendices as they come up (I figured it would be like Dune or Lord of the Rings where it's ancillary information, but after getting to them I realized that a lot of useful* stuff in there).

*for a highly specialized meaning of "useful".

[Illiterate Scribe]

Yes, I echo Target. The house was one of the few things that did actually scare me. Just those little hints of some really awful things, combined with the atmosphere of soul-crushing 'greyness', and the way that the house begins to close in, actually began to give me nightmares, once the text began, oh so gradually, to break up.

The Whalestoe Letters are good, too - they explain at least a little bit, but just leave more wanting.

Also, once you've read that, I'd recommend Only Revolutions. You thought that HoL was bad? OR's got a plot that requires an intimate knowledge of metaphysics and causality to unpick properly, and, to top it all off, progresses from front to back and back to front.

[WalkingTarget]

Don't forget the minotaur.

Yeah Only Revolutions was cool too, but you have to have the time to set aside to read it (or at least I did). I usually carry a book with me to read during the odd few minutes while I'm waiting for something, but I'd lose the thread of what was going on (with the interplay between the two viewpoints shifting). All I needed for House of Leaves was a handful of bookmarks to keep up with the nested footnotes.

The friend I mentioned also managed to get an English copy of The Fifty Year Sword, but he hasn't gotten off his butt to read it so I can borrow it yet.

[Illiterate Scribe]

Heh, I finished it in the end. Reminded me of Inland Empire, actually, at least with the dual chronologies, and the whole American Dream stuff. I wonder if the two have ever met?

Also - I am jealous of your friend, and, by extension, you. :smallfurious: :smallwink: