I got to the end of the Glass Bead Game, finally! And boy... did it disappoint. The final 20% of the book is several poems and three short stories written by the character whose life we just got a long, tired account of. Two of the three stories were actually really good and I thought …
There is only one reason to write
Because you want to be famous? Â ****X**** Because you want money? ****X**** Because you want everyone to know how smart you are? ****X**** Because you want people to think you are mysterious? ****X**** Because the ghost of PKD has possessed your fingers and is forcing you to scrawl dozens of pages of deep, yet …
A piece to the puzzle…
Still running my mind through all the stuff I pulled out of the aether when writing this novel I'm now trying to rewrite. It is a very satisfying feeling when I find a way to make the pieces fit. A connection clicks and it's like 'ah, yes, that must be what I was really planning …
Magic vs facts
Ritual, magic, mystical powers--these things seem to comfort and guide people much easier than facts or science. One of the short stories at the end of the glass bead game features a 'rain maker', a sort of shaman type figure who is in charge of when to plant crops, and is supposed to warn of …
Somewhat redeemed
Glass bead game has made a slight turn for the better. The main character came up with some of the same complaints I had, and left the order of cloistered obsessives to live in the actual world and do something real with all his knowledge--tutor a child. His story now seems to be over now, …
Jonas David 