Still in the Midst
Nov. 3rd, 2006 02:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cpolkof my weekend long abandonment, though they are kind and drop notes from moment to moment.
I'm sure some of you are puzzled that I haven't actually posted anything LJ about Peter Watts' latest book. I'm having the but I can't talk about it crisis. I've got the book, I've read it, I'm waiting an undefined yet short amount of time to do the re-read (like Light, this book needs to be read twice. I detected that there were levels going on that I was only glimpsing, that weren't going to pack into place without a repeat) but I can't talk about it.
There are a few reasons for this. One is that I have this rabid hatred of spoilers, and I certianly wouldn't want to do that to you. Another is that there isn't enough population of people who have read the book yet for people to talk to about it (and I'll get back to this in a moment.) I remember how trapped I was after reading What's Bred in the Bone by Robertson Davies - I wanted to discuss my experience of the text with someone, because I wanted to know if I was a genius!Chelsea or an oncrack!Chelsea or maybe even a geniusoncrack!Chelsea...
but I COULD NOT FIND anyone who had read the cursed thing. oh, it was terrible.
I would like to not repeat this experience.
Lucky for me, someone started the community![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
peterwatts, which I have joined today. it looks like they are starting to discuss the book, but I'm not going into it yet because my take on what happened is entirely backwards from what the original poster posited. so I'm worried that I have completely misread it (some of you may remember what happened when I got my hands on Footnotes.) and need to read it again. The community has just gotten started and right now they're interested in how people managed to get a copy of the book, so your answers would probably be appreciated here.
And that comes to my second part of talking about the fact that I'm annoyed by not being able to talk about this book.
The first printing edition of this book is less than 5000 copies. they are rare. (i've got one, nyah nyah. and you'll have to get your own, as this one is MINE and I am not. lending. it.) they are also unavailable in most big chain bricks and mortar bookstores, because of Ingram/Barnes and Noble's 25 dollar rule (you know the one.) It's selling fairly nicely on amazon, and independent booksellers like Clarkesworld have clocked it at #1 in their shop's sales.
So if you want a copy, you will have to work for it, my friends. If you have the time, and if you have the effort, and if you have not summarily crossed a Big Box Bookstore off your list forevermore (As I have done with the Coles/Indigo/Chapters Canadian conglomerate, for various reasons, don't get me started) could I ask you to please please pretty please call a bricks and mortar chain store and express dismay at Blindsight being unavailable, and ask them to order you a copy, please.
I know it will likely take longer for me to have the book discussion I want to have by asking you to do it this way, but if you have time to do it the hard way, would you? otherwise, Amazon orders will do nicely. More people need to read this book. you've heard various cool kids of SF spinning in circles over this one. it's already in the hugo best novel betting pool. there's some very good reasons for that. the damn thing is scary.
(p.s. if you have read What's Bred in the Bone by Robertson Davies, PLEASE tell me. I still need to bounce my reading of it off someone.)
I'm sure some of you are puzzled that I haven't actually posted anything LJ about Peter Watts' latest book. I'm having the but I can't talk about it crisis. I've got the book, I've read it, I'm waiting an undefined yet short amount of time to do the re-read (like Light, this book needs to be read twice. I detected that there were levels going on that I was only glimpsing, that weren't going to pack into place without a repeat) but I can't talk about it.
There are a few reasons for this. One is that I have this rabid hatred of spoilers, and I certianly wouldn't want to do that to you. Another is that there isn't enough population of people who have read the book yet for people to talk to about it (and I'll get back to this in a moment.) I remember how trapped I was after reading What's Bred in the Bone by Robertson Davies - I wanted to discuss my experience of the text with someone, because I wanted to know if I was a genius!Chelsea or an oncrack!Chelsea or maybe even a geniusoncrack!Chelsea...
but I COULD NOT FIND anyone who had read the cursed thing. oh, it was terrible.
I would like to not repeat this experience.
Lucky for me, someone started the community
peterwatts, which I have joined today. it looks like they are starting to discuss the book, but I'm not going into it yet because my take on what happened is entirely backwards from what the original poster posited. so I'm worried that I have completely misread it (some of you may remember what happened when I got my hands on Footnotes.) and need to read it again. The community has just gotten started and right now they're interested in how people managed to get a copy of the book, so your answers would probably be appreciated here.And that comes to my second part of talking about the fact that I'm annoyed by not being able to talk about this book.
The first printing edition of this book is less than 5000 copies. they are rare. (i've got one, nyah nyah. and you'll have to get your own, as this one is MINE and I am not. lending. it.) they are also unavailable in most big chain bricks and mortar bookstores, because of Ingram/Barnes and Noble's 25 dollar rule (you know the one.) It's selling fairly nicely on amazon, and independent booksellers like Clarkesworld have clocked it at #1 in their shop's sales.
So if you want a copy, you will have to work for it, my friends. If you have the time, and if you have the effort, and if you have not summarily crossed a Big Box Bookstore off your list forevermore (As I have done with the Coles/Indigo/Chapters Canadian conglomerate, for various reasons, don't get me started) could I ask you to please please pretty please call a bricks and mortar chain store and express dismay at Blindsight being unavailable, and ask them to order you a copy, please.
I know it will likely take longer for me to have the book discussion I want to have by asking you to do it this way, but if you have time to do it the hard way, would you? otherwise, Amazon orders will do nicely. More people need to read this book. you've heard various cool kids of SF spinning in circles over this one. it's already in the hugo best novel betting pool. there's some very good reasons for that. the damn thing is scary.
(p.s. if you have read What's Bred in the Bone by Robertson Davies, PLEASE tell me. I still need to bounce my reading of it off someone.)