Read a Good Book Lately?

"A Short Stay in Hell" by Steven L. Peck is a short novel, 109 pages, so really a novella.

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"A Short Stay in Hell" by Steven L. Peck is a short novel, 109 pages, so really a novella.

However it aptly captures the horror and dread of near eternity. The book is hard to spoil since much of its world details are laid out on page 1, but then the main story chapters 2 through 5 really show how these play out and by the end of chapter 5 I needed to watch comedy skits because I was more depressed than after reading George Orwell's 1984.

The Hell described (in short) is one where you need to find the book of your life. The catch is, this is The Library of Babel, meaning every possible book that has been written and can be written is here... so that's A TON OF BOOKS. You are free to search all day, you have free food and places to rest. Can collaborate with others. You are in this Hell as a young, healthy version of yourself. And harm, even death, is reversed by the next morning when you wake up all good again. In fact, you are generally free in this Hell. It's no gulag or dark forest or Infernal circle form Dante's Inferno.

But the sheer scope of the task is near unfathomable. There are so many books and the search becomes pure dread as you cling to a sliver of hope that you will one day find your book so that you can go to the promised Heaven.

How long does the search take? Well... on page 1, the protagonist reveals say the beginning is "so long ago that its horizon is a vanishing point of two Euclidian lines that would be parallel by anyon human measure." And by the end of the prologue, due the Hell's "gift" of a near perfect memory he is able to recall how many days he's been there: 23^439

For those who don't know math too well (like me) the appendix provides some context and clarification. The mentioned number is longer than the existence of the known universe. Of just wandering (near) infinite identical library stacks on (near) infinite floors.

The story goes into detail about the soul crushing nature of this seeminly endless monotony which, I remind the reader, the protagonist remembers every detail of due to that "gift" of perfect memory.

A great little book, very thought provoking, but have some comedy queued up for when you finish.

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I read Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. I mostly read it because I saw a used book for a dollar and was like "I've heard of this". It's kind of a dystopian sci fi but from a different angle. It's often contrasted with 1984 by Orwell. While Orwell's dystopia is one where oppression is sustained with fear, Huxley's is sustained with pleasure. People are are not allowed to be free in Orwell's while people don't want to be in Huxley's. Through conditioning and biological manipulation Huxley sees a society that is in a never ending cycle of oppressing itself, that doesn't fight to end oppression but to make it work.

I quite enjoyed this book. I do like some sci fi but am not especially drawn to dystopian stuff, but definitely an interesting book. First of all, it's an easy read. By that I mean the prose goes down very smooth. That's all the more impressive given all the sci-fi gibberish peppered throughout regarding embryos and chemicals and behavioral conditioning. And despite all that, the prose is very compelling and the characters are quite interesting and seem to avoid falling into exactly the type of roles you might expect them to at the beginning. It totally makes sense in the context of the story but a weaker author might feel more compelled to squeeze certain characters into certain roles. Without getting into spoilers, there's one character who seems to be set up to take on the system. But he turns out to be kind of just a petty and selfish person who is trying to get the most out of the system he can. He's unsatisfied with what the system has provided to him, less than with the system itself, and why wouldn't he be? Why would he imagine another way having not been in our shoes as the reader and knowing there is another way? He instead serves to introduce an outsider who can envision another way because he knows another way.

I agree with the stereotype that this is a good companion to Orwell. I think it really provides an interesting perspective on dystopia that you do not get elsewhere. The oppression is a warm blanket, not shackles, but the results are the same. And is that not more frightening? What will break the oppression if no one opposes it, and who would oppose it if everyone feels happier for having been oppressed?

I don't suppose this would lend itself that easily to being a movie. Not that it couldn't be made into a good movie, but sci fi isn't cheap from a production standpoint and the book is very much about subtle processes and long conversations, so not blockbuster material probably. It could be a good TV show though. TV tends to work more for those contemplative type of sci fis, although movies do tend to work for an ending with this type of tone. I'd be interested either way.

Good book. I'd recommend.

Rose Dupuis

3
3 people like this
4 months ago

Since I was 8 years old I am never without at least one book at hand. There is such wisdom held within the thousands of books I've read over the years. Yes books refine who reads them. If you visit th...

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Michael Dzurak

2
2 people like this
- Charmane Wedderburn
- Maurice Vaughan
3 months ago

I found short, snappy descriptions in books effective to adapt into scripts. I've also adapted longer and elaborate descriptions by paring them down.

David Taylor

4
4 people like this
3 months ago

I got a library card at five years old. Weekly visits to the library were a must. Discover an author - read all their books - discover another - read all their books - rinse and repeat for decades. Al...

Maurice Vaughan

2
2 people like this
- Alex Tur
- Heather Gill
5 months ago

Hi, Heather Gill. I just looked up Unreasonable Hospitality. It sounds interesting. I added it to my read list. Thanks.

Sydney S

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1 person likes this
- Maurice Vaughan
4 months ago

Will check out, thank you Heather!

I have this book on my list to read this year

Douglas Self

2
2 people like this
- Don Zorbas
- Maurice Vaughan
4 months ago

Definitely one I will check out. Thanks, Debra!

Don Zorbas

Thanks for sharing.

Michell Chalfont and The Adult Chair podcast would be good place to find healing methods for the child, adolescent and adult mental well being. I just finished her 30 day journaling course and will st...

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Mick Eggins

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2 people like this
- Debra Holland
- Maurice Vaughan
5 months ago

Obviously...

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2 people like this
- Mick Eggins
- Maurice Vaughan
4 months ago

Mick Eggins, I enjoy reading books made into film before as it adds much more depth to the film. What I appreciate the most is the incredible talent the actors bring to the script. It amazes me that t...

Rose Dupuis great point of view. thank you for your thoughts. I still have to watch the second Avatar, I feel bad. I lived the first but find it hard to get 3 hours. terrible excuse, I know...

Mick Eggins the Avatar films become so much more with each one. Listening to the few interviews with James Cameron gives beautiful insights to his purpose for those films. And The Way of Water fantastic, I've yet to watch Fire and Ash. you enjoy your week.

Rose Dupuis oh great, thank you. I will take the time to check them out

Scott Evans

2
2 people like this
- Kevin Aguirre
- Maurice Vaughan
4 months ago

I'm reading a pretty good book right now called The Man Who Saw Seconds. It is about a guy who can see 5 seconds into the future, and he uses his power to fight hundreds of cops at a time.

Michael David

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

I recently read a series of Scottish bookshop mysteries. by Paige Shelton. if you like international low-key mystery. Another series on Kindle unlimited was a 9 book series starting with Tuyo. No spoi...

Kevin Aguirre

oooo these all sound really cool thanks everyone! all of them very interesting

Cynna Ael

3
3 people like this
5 months ago

It's currently on sale in the Kindle side for $2.99 for a limited time. Definitely worth investing in.

2
2 people like this
- Nawaf Al Janahi
- Maurice Vaughan
4 months ago

Thank you, Nawaf Al Janahi . I will check it out.

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