Neil Hopcroft

A digital misfit

I’m coming to the end of the Shadow of the American Dream, what do I read next? I’ve got three shelves full of books I’ve not read yet, but I’ve narrowed it down to a choice of three for the moment, but which should it be?


5 comments

  1. If it’s non fiction you are after try ‘On a Holy Mountain’ by William Dalrymple. He’s a noted historian going around some of the Christian temples that are about to be destroyed in the Middle East. It fascinating to see that the different sects that once existed and just how f**ked up the whole region is by religious zealots. ‘Life of Brian’ is scarely accurate!

    If it’s fiction, the best read I’ve had recently was Ilium by Dan Simmons. Good rip roaring sci-fi. Tighter and better written than his Hyperion Canticles. Trojan war meets pampered genetically modified humans who are the play things of the gods.

    • I second the vote for Ilium — splendid junk space opera with classical pretensions :)

      BTW — Hello Neil, long time no see; missed your otherwise inevitable presence at our recent US gigs. :) Nottingham/London?

      PS Great science vs arts / classical vs romantic deep meta-thinking kicks to be had from Zen and the art of Motorcycle Maintenance…

      • Hey Tom! You guys back from the states? You had a good time over there by looks of things – good to see the pictures on the net. gotta get back in touch properly now I’m back in the country too…

  2. If you’re into the whole global terrorism thing (reading about it, I assume, rather than doing it), “Deterring Democracy” by Chomsky, or Howard Zinn’s “People’s History of the United States of America” are both pretty good.

    • Both sound good, but I find Chomsky a bit annoying sometimes, hes can be a bit full of himself, some nice insights though.

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