What are you reading

[Phenol]

For a different perspective, after reading 'Conspiracy...' I reread his collected fiction and consequently got more out of them than 'just' being short horror stories. Basically, his philosophical musings are heavily embedded within and underpin his fictional writings.

Good to know! I'm a big fan of Ligotti, but have so far chosen not to read 'Conspiracy...' out fear that it could taint my experience of his fiction.

[BlackCavendish]

For a different perspective, after reading 'Conspiracy...' I reread his collected fiction and consequently got more out of them than 'just' being short horror stories. Basically, his philosophical musings are heavily embedded within and underpin his fictional writings.

I think "Conspiracy..." is very well written (at least so far) and I think it's interesting to know more about the author and his view, and could be useful to read his fiction wiritings from a different angle.
And there's also the True Detective thing. Some of Rust's dialogues are taken from here word by word (the whole paragraph about consciousness as an evolutionary mistake).
But as a "philosophy" text in itself I don't think it can stand the test of time, although some of the paragraphs are very interesting and, obviously, attractively written.

Or maybe, according to his categories, I'm not a pessimist so I can't really relate to his philosophical conclusions.

[SIEGSIEGSIEG]

The conspiracy against the human race - Thomas Ligotti

I had high expectations for this, maybe too much since I'm a fan of his fiction writings, but so far (I'm halfway through) is ups and downs...

That's how I felt when I last read it a few years ago.  He's interesting, but I think his fiction and the sources are better than his experiment in philosophy.

I've only read Conspiracy... by Ligotti and I think it's great. Good book, solid conclusions. Caused humongous amount of existential dread when I read it last year. Would recommend it. If you have misanthropic tendencies I think the book will hit a right chord. For me atleast it did. Nothing bad to say about the book. It delivered as a thought provoking book and if a book makes you think about things, preferably things you haven't thought about, then a book is a good book in my books (hehe).

For a different perspective, after reading 'Conspiracy...' I reread his collected fiction and consequently got more out of them than 'just' being short horror stories. Basically, his philosophical musings are heavily embedded within and underpin his fictional writings.

I think "Conspiracy..." is very well written (at least so far) and I think it's interesting to know more about the author and his view, and could be useful to read his fiction wiritings from a different angle.
And there's also the True Detective thing. Some of Rust's dialogues are taken from here word by word (the whole paragraph about consciousness as an evolutionary mistake).
But as a "philosophy" text in itself I don't think it can stand the test of time, although some of the paragraphs are very interesting and, obviously, attractively written.

Or maybe, according to his categories, I'm not a pessimist so I can't really relate to his philosophical conclusions.

What do you mean by "philosophy" text? From the books' blurb:

--Drawing on philosophy, literature, neuroscience, and other fields of study, Ligotti takes the penetrating lens of his imagination and turns it on his audience, causing them to grapple with the brutal reality that they are living a meaningless nightmare, and anyone who feels otherwise is simply acting out an optimistic fallacy.

Just pointing out for others interested that it doesn't specifically even advertise itself as a pure bred philosophy book.

What is the test of time you are talking about? It's not an academic text so it will not be refuted by the academia or anything so there's that. Someone can maybe write a book arguing against Ligotti's arguments, but if someone writes a book arguing against your book then I think the book is a success because it made people think and react. Or is it that in 20 years people would not be interested reading Ligotti's pessimistic take on humanity because we will have it so good by then hehe?

Just throwing some thoughts out on this matter, because I personally really liked the book, and usually if some people really dislike a book and some others love it, then it's a book worth reading most of the time!

[Balor/SS1535]

For a different perspective, after reading 'Conspiracy...' I reread his collected fiction and consequently got more out of them than 'just' being short horror stories. Basically, his philosophical musings are heavily embedded within and underpin his fictional writings.

I think "Conspiracy..." is very well written (at least so far) and I think it's interesting to know more about the author and his view, and could be useful to read his fiction wiritings from a different angle.
And there's also the True Detective thing. Some of Rust's dialogues are taken from here word by word (the whole paragraph about consciousness as an evolutionary mistake).
But as a "philosophy" text in itself I don't think it can stand the test of time, although some of the paragraphs are very interesting and, obviously, attractively written.

Or maybe, according to his categories, I'm not a pessimist so I can't really relate to his philosophical conclusions.

This was pretty much my sense of it, just better said!

[n a a r a]

Kalle Päätalo of course

[ritualabuser]

Anyone interested in doing a book swap? If so, PM me for details.

[PuddysJacket]

Laird Barron's The Imago Sequence...good old fashioned cosmic horror.

Just finished Body by Harry Crews which was a fantastic read like all of his stuff. Hilarious and violent.

[Hakaristi]

Just finished Body by Harry Crews which was a fantastic read like all of his stuff. Hilarious and violent.

Currently coming down from a long Harry Crews binge, such an amazing writer. After reading everything I could find, felt hungry for more so tried out a few other comparable "Grit Lit" authors like Larry Brown, Barry Hannah... ok stuff, but no one does it quite like Harry!

Now reading some Michel Houellebecq, a name I've often come across but never looked into. Dig his style so far; detached, nihilistic, sardonic and blackly humorous.

[PuddysJacket]

Just finished Body by Harry Crews which was a fantastic read like all of his stuff. Hilarious and violent.

Currently coming down from a long Harry Crews binge, such an amazing writer. After reading everything I could find, felt hungry for more so tried out a few other comparable "Grit Lit" authors like Larry Brown, Barry Hannah... ok stuff, but no one does it quite like Harry!

Now reading some Michel Houellebecq, a name I've often come across but never looked into. Dig his style so far; detached, nihilistic, sardonic and blackly humorous.

I think I have a collection of Larry Browns shorts here somewhere...read maybe half and agree with you, not bad but definitely does not scratch the itch. Hannah I have Geronimo Rex and should maybe give it another try, it's been years but I remember not being blown away.

Houellebecq I love..read Platform/Whatever/Lanzarote back to back and felt I was good for a while. I have The Possibility of an Island here and will probably get to it next.

[theotherjohn]

A new academic book has just been published by Routledge which seems like a promising read:

Neo-Nazi Terrorism and Countercultural Fascism: The Origins and Afterlife of James Mason's Siege

I'm currently browsing through a pdf of it but I may well have to splurge out for a physical copy down the line.

[Atrophist]

Earache: 35 Years of Noise

https://earache.com/products/earache-35-years-of-noise-152-page-hardcover-book

Didn't realize this would be a large "coffee table" format type book. No problem, whatever.

The choice of Glen Benton for the cover seems somewhat odd, and the "foreword" by Cavalera is literally written in the back of a napkin in 2 minutes. Why do people keep worshipping this guy, year after year, decade after decade?

The book is essentially a promotional product, rather than serious historical/cultural analysis. A very entertaining and well made one, however. Visually it looks great, with lots of admittedly very cool photos and other material included.

I will readily admit that I fell off the Earache train many years ago already, and towards the end we're introduced to bands I've never even heard of, let alone listened to. I probably won't be the only one, I would guess.

It's a nice little read, but not essential even for fans of any of the artists featured, imo. Hopefully, Digby's life and work will receive the more serious recognition it deserves eventually.

[NIT]

A new academic book has just been published by Routledge which seems like a promising read:

Neo-Nazi Terrorism and Countercultural Fascism: The Origins and Afterlife of James Mason's Siege

I'm currently browsing through a pdf of it but I may well have to splurge out for a physical copy down the line.

Where did you find the PDF?

[BlackCavendish]

Where did you find the PDF?

Go to "anna's archive" website and look for the title.
Downloaded this morning.

Thanks to theotherjohn for mentioning the book, looks interesting.

[ritualabuser]

Had found Jim Fielder's "Slow Death" for cheap at a local used bookshop, very high recommendation for most on this forum if you happen to come across it in similar circumstances. Writing is adequate, but since the focus is on extreme BDSM with some light Satanic elements, what more could you ask for?

[BlackCavendish]

Currently going through Lords of the Left-Hand Path: Forbidden Practices and Spiritual Heresies by Stephen Flowers, a well-documented account of how the left-hand path evolved, starting with the Indo-European religions to the present.