A world made of brittle glass, Tom, laconic and quietly menacing. I was drawn into the inescapable predicament of the narrator, the staccato paragraphs echoing JG Ballard, an admired writer who lived near the famous Shepperton Studios just outside our ancient Roman metropolis of Londinium.
Yesterday, I drove my Saab for miles in grindingly slow traffic to post two books [Ryszard Kapuscinski and Bruce Chatwin] through the letterbox in Putney belonging to my newest online student, who is away in Japan. He is the new CEO of Toyota GB, looks more like a Beat poet than a corporate leader.
On my way home, I stopped for a latte [‘cow or oat milk?’] at BookBar, a 21st century hangout that is always crammed with pensioners, dogs and children and that provides a cosy and welcoming space in which to ‘peruse’ the hundreds of new - not secondhand - books professionally ranged in the softly lit shelves.
I am convinced that we already live in the final days of real human beings. The automatons are everywhere, playing out their days as pre-programmed members of what we laughingly call society, narrowly avoiding collision through their built-in sensors as they race around chaotically, desperately trying to inject enthusiasm and meaning into their all-too-brief span upon Earth.
Keep up the good work. Splendidly dystopian humour, from the front line.
thank you, bob. this commentary is incredibly thoughtful.
I'm not sure which is the more impressive: that a corporate ceo is studying writing, or that you're his teacher! And i'm sure i'd fit right in at the book - coffee shop. find myself a table and settle in for the day :)
we're riding along a slippery slope. I can feel my character uttering something about how we were in control of things, till we weren't...
The story reads like a quiet apocalypse told through the eyes of someone who’s already half surrendered to it. The narrator documents bodily pain, but it becomes obvious the real sickness is societal: disappearing people, vanishing news, and a world where even food feels illicit. 🤯
Thanks. Your commentary is kind, insightful, and helpful. You gave me feedback to part 1 which made me want to work out part 2. i very much appreciate the reaction and interaction. thanks again :)
Haha. My comment about dystopia has to do with art - there isn't any; or, hardly any. I want to start an organization called AID, Art in Dystopia. Must be a theme in there about what happened to it (too radical?), and some sort of insight if a future being discovers Magritte, Pollock, Degas, Michelangelo, da Vinci......
A world made of brittle glass, Tom, laconic and quietly menacing. I was drawn into the inescapable predicament of the narrator, the staccato paragraphs echoing JG Ballard, an admired writer who lived near the famous Shepperton Studios just outside our ancient Roman metropolis of Londinium.
Yesterday, I drove my Saab for miles in grindingly slow traffic to post two books [Ryszard Kapuscinski and Bruce Chatwin] through the letterbox in Putney belonging to my newest online student, who is away in Japan. He is the new CEO of Toyota GB, looks more like a Beat poet than a corporate leader.
On my way home, I stopped for a latte [‘cow or oat milk?’] at BookBar, a 21st century hangout that is always crammed with pensioners, dogs and children and that provides a cosy and welcoming space in which to ‘peruse’ the hundreds of new - not secondhand - books professionally ranged in the softly lit shelves.
I am convinced that we already live in the final days of real human beings. The automatons are everywhere, playing out their days as pre-programmed members of what we laughingly call society, narrowly avoiding collision through their built-in sensors as they race around chaotically, desperately trying to inject enthusiasm and meaning into their all-too-brief span upon Earth.
Keep up the good work. Splendidly dystopian humour, from the front line.
Oh, and have a good weekend with a few laughs!
thank you, bob. this commentary is incredibly thoughtful.
I'm not sure which is the more impressive: that a corporate ceo is studying writing, or that you're his teacher! And i'm sure i'd fit right in at the book - coffee shop. find myself a table and settle in for the day :)
we're riding along a slippery slope. I can feel my character uttering something about how we were in control of things, till we weren't...
Tom, when is the next installment dropping? Love this, and I never read sci-fi, so that's the best compliment, really! Waiting patiently :-)
Thank you 😊 … I’m not much for sci-fi either!
The story reads like a quiet apocalypse told through the eyes of someone who’s already half surrendered to it. The narrator documents bodily pain, but it becomes obvious the real sickness is societal: disappearing people, vanishing news, and a world where even food feels illicit. 🤯
Thanks. Your commentary is kind, insightful, and helpful. You gave me feedback to part 1 which made me want to work out part 2. i very much appreciate the reaction and interaction. thanks again :)
Part 3, please
Whoa. That's a cliff=hanger. When do we get Part 3, please??
thanks, holly - i'm working on it! Got any good dystopian ideas???
Haha. My comment about dystopia has to do with art - there isn't any; or, hardly any. I want to start an organization called AID, Art in Dystopia. Must be a theme in there about what happened to it (too radical?), and some sort of insight if a future being discovers Magritte, Pollock, Degas, Michelangelo, da Vinci......