Difference between revisions of "Cat-A-Lyst"
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Alan Dean Foster is one of those authors that you don't really read for ''depth''. However, some of his books hold a place in my bookcase as some of the funniest books I've read. (One of my favorites was Codgerspace (ISBN 0-727-84685-X), even though it has very often been ripped to shreds by reviewers.) He is best when he's doing an original story, but isn't taking himself too seriously. (Although he's best known for his movie novelizations.) I guess you have to be in the right mood and this week I was. | Alan Dean Foster is one of those authors that you don't really read for ''depth''. However, some of his books hold a place in my bookcase as some of the funniest books I've read. (One of my favorites was Codgerspace (ISBN 0-727-84685-X), even though it has very often been ripped to shreds by reviewers.) He is best when he's doing an original story, but isn't taking himself too seriously. (Although he's best known for his movie novelizations.) I guess you have to be in the right mood and this week I was. | ||
| − | I loved the references to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hunting_of_the_Snark The Hunting of the Snark] by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_Carroll Lewis Carroll]. (Or, as the Boojums refer to him, Charles | + | I loved the references to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hunting_of_the_Snark The Hunting of the Snark] by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_Carroll Lewis Carroll]. (Or, as the Boojums refer to him, Charles Dodgson.) I particularly got a kick out of his description of the Boojums, (which Carroll left intentionally undescribed). Anyone who is familiar with Mexican flora, would recognize the description as that of a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boojum_tree Boojum ''Tree''], (which shows Foster's interest in ecology). |
:''A snark is most definitely ''not'' a Boojum.'' | :''A snark is most definitely ''not'' a Boojum.'' | ||
Revision as of 17:36, 23 September 2006
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This one is for the cat lovers out there.
...or the Incan aficionados.
...or just those who like sci-fi humor.
I enjoyed Cat-A-Lyst -- perhaps a bit more than I "should" have.
Alan Dean Foster is one of those authors that you don't really read for depth. However, some of his books hold a place in my bookcase as some of the funniest books I've read. (One of my favorites was Codgerspace (ISBN 0-727-84685-X), even though it has very often been ripped to shreds by reviewers.) He is best when he's doing an original story, but isn't taking himself too seriously. (Although he's best known for his movie novelizations.) I guess you have to be in the right mood and this week I was.
I loved the references to The Hunting of the Snark by Lewis Carroll. (Or, as the Boojums refer to him, Charles Dodgson.) I particularly got a kick out of his description of the Boojums, (which Carroll left intentionally undescribed). Anyone who is familiar with Mexican flora, would recognize the description as that of a Boojum Tree, (which shows Foster's interest in ecology).
- A snark is most definitely not a Boojum.
There are also references to von Däniken's Chariots of the Gods. (Referred to in the book as Hubcaps of the Gods LOL!)
The references to Incan / Peruvian culture were great!
My favorite passage is at the end of the book, when the 'extra-dimensional Incas' were found after they'd been... misplaced:
- It was twelve years later that a Taiwanese fishing boat operation [...] came across an unvisited island populated entirely by South American Indians.
[...]
Nerwegian scientists insisted that here at last was proof conclusive that the Polynesian islands had been settled by explorers from Peru. The rest of the anthropological community said nothing of the sort, often adding commentary of their own that was less than polite.
(If you don't get the humor in that, here's a hint.)
--Tometheus 13:06, 23 September 2006 (EDT)
