A Book You Should(?) Read.

[Lopez]

The Sacred Book of the Werewolf by Victor Pelevin.

Just make sure to strip off the cover sleeve before your parents see it. o.O. Seriously. Whoever made the cover sleeve for the American edition of this book should...actually read what the book's about. There are sooooo many better possible cover sleves for this book...(Read the book and you'll see why.)

So, I was walking outside the English Teacher's Lounge at my school and wouldn't you know it, one of them posted up the New York Times' book review containing this book. After staring at the review quite awkwardly and attempting to figure out what on earth was going through the author's mind when he decided to pen this to paper, I knew that I needed to read this book either to show what I did NOT want the anthrofiction genre to turn into, or to be able to describe how this book was NOT related to us antrofiction writers in any way, shape, or form, (long story.)

Therefore, I decided that it was imperative that I get my hands, (paws?) on this book. I don't want to spoil too much of the book for you, like every single review of the book will, but it can be summed up in this sentence from the back cover, "What is the difference between the transformation of perception and the perception of transformation, and what does either have to do with werewolves, werefoxes, and modern marketing techniques?"

There you have it. Modern society, Werewolves, Werefoxes, and some philosophical stuff that you will understand only after reading the book.

I would highly recommend this book for anyone interested in a very alternate perspective about the lives of werewolves, or werefoxes, or anything of the sort. Be careful, though. The last 100 pages really lay it on thick if you don't know your philosophical history. And, the book may not be appropriate for children under 17. Fortunately, that only takes up a minimal portion of the book. Kind of. If you're a naturally skittish person, you might want to shy away from reading this book. It gets really, really nasty at times. I mean, seriously. Don't tell me I didn't warn you. Because I did. Really.

And set aside one day of reading the book, then 4 days of your mind being blown. Don't tell me I didn't warn you. Again. Have fun. Or not. Maybe.

If you feel the urge to inquire of an alternate, British opinion, http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/feb/16/featuresreviews.guardianreview21

[Virmir]

Hmmm, interesting.  I think I'll pass based on it focusing on several things I don't care much for (were-creatures in a modern setting, philosophy, adult situations or graphic violence-- whichever you were referring to).  But thanks for the review.

[DessertFox]

So thats Virmir's secret to staying positive, no were-wolfs.

That's cool Lopez, I have been itching for a new book to read at night, so I think I'll see if Barns and Nobles has this one.

[KaiAdin]

Lopez, since you had recommended 'The last question' I though you might be interested in this story
'The machine stops' , and possibly its Wikipedia article as well.

[Geo Holms]

Well, if you want something with a magical fox, and more odd details than you shake a tail at, I would recommend the strange tale of Franky Furbo . I can honestly say I haven't quite read as...weird a tale as this one. It's an exploration of a man's sanity as he tries to separate fact and fiction from an experience he had during World War II. My only complaint is it isn't quite as quirky as it should have been, but it defiantly was an engaging tale all the way through.

My second fox oriented recommendation would be Foxes of Firstdark which is a brilliant story about foxes trying to survive in the British countryside as the suburbs creep upon them. It has a great cast of characters and really does a great job of mixing real facts about foxes and spinning a mythos about their own legends and beliefs. Definitely one with some re-reading factors on it.

I could go further but that's enough recommendations fer now.

[Virmir]

You have a typo in your links.  Those two again are here and here.

I like the sound of both of those.  Though the first one is $150 on amazon.com?!  The second is $6... will more likely start with that one.

Honestly I'm not much of a paper book reader, as I do all my reading on my PDA.  Although it is nice to look at a non-glowing screen every once in a while, so I've been meaning to try picking up a book sometime.

[Geo Holms]

Hmm. Those links don't like me. Anyhoo, here be a cheaper version of Franky Furbo (though that prize for that one is hilarious).
http://www.amazon.com/Franky-Furbo-novel-William-Wharton/dp/0805011579/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1236143263&sr=1-3

Would still recommend Firstdark even if Franky could be gotten for cheaper. ^^ Perhaps a poking around DealOz...

[Lopez]

all combine to invite comparison to Watership Down

I'll have to read Firstdark. For our first reading assignment in high school, my class read Watership Down. My entire class agreed that English class only went downhill from there. (As much as my classmates like to criticize Anthro writing, they all find it FAR more agreeable than Shakespeare.)

Strange, since this has become the book thread, I would like to inquire if anyone knows anything about two certain categories. Firstly, I heard of a book called Beasts by John Crowley. But I haven't been able to find it for the life of me. In addition to things impossible to find, I've been looking for a reasonably recent translation of "Reynard the Fox". I've heard it in so many places, but my searches on Amazon.com merely yielded the relatively recent poetic epic "Reynard the Fox" by John Masefield, a far cry from the famous Anthropomorphic medieval societal satire. Anyone have any knowledge on these two?

[Pontos]

In addition to things impossible to find, I've been looking for a reasonably recent translation of "Reynard the Fox". I've heard it in so many places, but my searches on Amazon.com merely yielded the relatively recent poetic epic "Reynard the Fox" by John Masefield, a far cry from the famous Anthropomorphic medieval societal satire.

I think I've found it here:
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Renard-the-Fox/Patricia-Ann-Terry/e/9780520076846/?itm=3
It's a translation into English by Patricia Ann Terry.