Scattered Thoughts 2
Can’t always write a bunch of words about the things I’ve been thinking about lately, but I still want to write something for posterity.
The Fort Bragg Cartel
I’ll let a choice quote from the book’s author, Seth Harp, sum it up:
Ever since World War II, illegal drugs have served as a common coin for the purposes of espionage, paramilitary operations, and covert actions, and the foreign entities that choose to work for the U.S. military and the CIA—the twin sentinels of global capitalism—often profit from this most capitalistic of all enterprises. Throughout its history, the CIA has worked to achieve American national security objectives in partnership with known drug traffickers, including the anticommunist Kuomintang, the founders of modern-day Taiwan; France’s Corsican mafia syndicates; Cuban exiles opposed to Fidel Castro; Hmong irregulars in Laos as well as the Royal Lao Army; and the contra rebels of Nicaragua. But American foreign policy elites’ complicity in the international drug trade was never so substantial, sustained, witting, and consequential as in Afghanistan.
Incredibly relevant read considering the current state of the world. Pairs well with Nick Turse’s Kill Anything That Moves. Also reminds me that I still have about 300 pages left in Robert Fisk’s The Great War for Civilisation to finish.
Pluribus
Fun show. Solid premise that doesn’t get too bogged down in superfluous detail. Good sense of humour.
The Stars My Destination
This novel is frequently highlighted for being a pioneer in the cyberpunk sub-genre, written decades before Neuromancer. On the one hand, I can recognize the novel’s importance. Cyberpunk tends to deal with morally grey characters, and that is all too true here. Its protagonist, Gully Foyle, is a man hell-bent on revenge for being abandoned by a passing vessel despite issuing a distress signal. Foyle’s quest for revenge sees him become physically and mentally augmented through technological means (a common cyberpunk concept). He is more than happy to use anyone and everyone to achieve his goal of revenge. I found the women characters to be terribly written. All of them are portrayed as being weak.
There’s some neat ideas here, but I don’t think I’d ever read it again. Kind of unpleasant, and by the last few chapters I was eager for the story to wrap up.
Strange Houses
This horror novella wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. I guess I was hoping for something a bit more out-there and weird. Instead, I found myself reading a pretty bare-bones murder mystery story à la Agatha Christie. Although fun in a sort of “creepy story told around a campfire” sense, ultimately pretty middle of the road. Didn’t do enough for me.
Talk to Me
Decent horror film with a unique take on the “talk to the dead” trope. Are 90-minute films finally back? Not everything needs to be two hours.
The Weapon Shops of Isher
A novella that leaves me with some mixed feelings. The pacing of this story is pretty good. Some cool sci-fi ideas, like the weapon shops themselves which can simply appear in communities to offer people powerful self-defensive weapons. The political discussions are unfortunately naive.
Maybe I just don’t like 1950s sci-fi much?