Tag: books

Reading List 2022

In the absence of any new Murakami novels last year, I went on a fairly serious Japanese murder mystery bender. Of the 58 books I read in 2022, I’d say the best were Journey Under the Midnight Sun, The Penguin Book of Japanese Short Stories, and Masks. I also discovered that a) Banana Yoshimoto is actually a pretty good pop writer and b) Ryunosuke Akutagawa’s literary influence not only runs deep, but is well-merited.

China Mieville, This Census-Taker
Mike Florio, Playmakers
Robert E. Howard, The Robert E. Howard Omnibus
Seth Wickersham, It’s Better to Be Feared
Keigo Higashino, Journey Under the Midnight Sun
Keigo Higashino, The Devotion of Suspect X
Keigo Higashino, A Midsummer’s Equation
Keigo Higashino, The Name of the Game is a Kidnapping
Keigo Higashino, Naoko
Keigo Higashino, Salvation of a Saint
Keigo Higashino, The Miracles of the Namiya General Store
Seicho Matsumoto, Points and Lines
Seicho Matsumoto, A Tale of False Fortunes
Fumiko Enchi, Masks
Kaoru Takamura, Lady Joker
Haruki Murakami, The Penguin Book of Japanese Short Stories
Rampo Edogawa, The Black Lizard
Seishi Yokomizo, The Inagumi Curse
Seishi Yokomizo, The Village of Eight Graves
Seishi Yokomizo, The Honjin Murders
Keigo Higashino, Silent Parade
Banana Yoshimoto, Kitchen
Banana Yoshimoto, Goodbye Tsugumi
Junchiro Tanizaki, The Makioka Sisters
Yuko Tsushima, Territory of Light
Eric Cline, 1177 B.C.
Glenn Cook, Gilded Latten Bones
Glenn Cook, An Empire Unacquainted With Defeat
Glenn Cook, The Black Company
Glenn Cook, Shadows Linger
Glenn Cook, The White Rose
Glenn Cook, Shadow Games
Glenn Cook, Dreams of Steel
Glenn Cook, The Silver Spike
Julian May, The Many-Colored Land
Julian May, The Golden Torc
Julian May, The Nonborn King
Julian May, The Adversary
Julian May, Sorceror’s Moon
Julian May, Ironcrown Moon
Julian May, Congueror’s Moon
Julian May, The Intervention Omnibus
Yoko Ogawa, The Memory Police
Marcel Proust, Swann’s Way
Kanae Minato, Penance
Kanae Minato, Confessions
Joel Dicker, The Enigma of Room 622
Soji Shimada, The Tokyo Zodiac Murders
Piero Chiara, The Disappearance of Signora Giulia
Osamu Dazai, Crackling Mountain and Other Stories
Bill Simmons, The Book of Basketball
Ryunosuke Akutagawa, Rashomon and 17 Other Stories
Jake Adelstein, Tokyo Vice
Sayaka Murata, Convenience Store Woman
Yoko Tawada, Facing the Bridge
Chuck Dixon, Siege of the Black Citadel

I never got around to posting these on the blog last year, but I’ll go over the list on the Darkstream.

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The Five Reasons for Failed Fantasy

The Dark Herald reviews the year in fantasy for 2022 and provides an explanation for why it was so disastrous.

First, everyone wanted their own Game of Thrones, (it wasn’t just Jeff Bezos).

Second, none of these producers knew anything about fantasy and they didn’t want to learn. They just wanted to glom on to something and tell their own version of THE MESSAGE.

Third, neither did the people who ran the studios. They were green-lighting anything that could be accused of being a fantasy franchise with an existing fanbase. And they also wanted to use it to spread THE MESSAGE.

Fourth, Woke. All of these shows were much more interested in contemporary politics than they were ancient worlds, eerie wonders, and glories beyond imagining. They cared more about scoring points in Hollywood than they ever could about fantasy.

Fifth, all of these shows were the result of globalism. Oh, it was Hollywood globalism to be sure, so on top of all of their other failings, they were shallow as a mud puddle. But it was all globalist fantasy. It was something too hopelessly bland to be at all interesting.

“The Shadow that bred them can only mock, it cannot make: not real new things of its own. I don’t think it gave life to the orcs, it only ruined them and twisted them; and if they are to live at all, they have to live like other living creatures.”

I can’t help but find it amusing that all of these producers are casting desperately around for the next A GAME OF THRONES and it will never, ever, occur to them to go to the one epic fantasy series that is fully capable of providing them what they are looking for and more.

But it’s just as well. I have zero desire to see ARTS OF DARK AND LIGHT utterly demolished the way that everything from WHEEL OF TIME to SANDMAN have been destroyed.

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Traffic Report 2022

2022 was another year in which I failed to finish A SEA OF SKULLS. It was also a year that saw the full effects of Google’s banning of the blog, as the precipitous decline to 12 million annual views from the previous year was actually smaller than the immediate month-on-month decline. Shadowbanning and deplatforming works, to a certain extent, which is why they do it. I also suspect that people are just exhausted with vaccine-related news, given that it’s mostly a grim chronicle of things going from bad to worse for the majority of the population. One can only read so many stories about young men and women dying from Suddenly before tapping out.

In 2022, Vox Popoli had 12,018,040 Google pageviews, down 69 percent from last year. The blog is now running at an average rate of 30,307 daily pageviews, down 17.9 percent from an average 36,091 last year. Total historic blog views closed out the year at 264,572,806. The running annual pageview totals are as follows:

2008: 3,496,757

2009: 4,414,801

2010: 4,827,183

2011: 5,422,628

2012: 6,098,774

2013: 9,340,663

2014: 11,236,085

2015: 16,211,875

2016: 25,817,343

2017: 31,216,357

2018: 32,260,094

2019: 32,757,068

2020: 41,338,037

2021: 38,884,355

2022: 12,018,040

It appears that it is time to retire the annual comparison to the former Most Popular Blog in Science Fiction, because there is no data to which this blog’s traffic can be compared. Also, Whatever now features as many posts by Scalzi’s daughter, with whom I have no issue, as it does by Scalzi himself, so the comparison is not even all that relevant anymore.

To be honest, this year feels a bit like the passing of a torch, not to any one individual, but rather, to the community as a whole. No one actually needs to visit here to access my ideas anymore, not when a single video promulgating concepts first presented here has 21 million views. This is not a complaint, but rather, an observation made with no little sense of satisfaction; it’s very freeing to know that others will not only take on the burden of spreading the ideas around, but will do so far more effectively than I ever have.

Intellectual success isn’t people knowing your name, it’s people embracing your ideas without ever needing to know your name. Having reached the point of having self-appointed populizers means being able to focus on breaking new ground rather than simply repeating the same basic things over and over again.

I won’t be taking a step back or reducing blog posts and Darkstreams, but I will attempt to focus them less on the operational details and other distractions and more on the core ideas. The Bindery, Selenoth, and a revival of Castalia’s traditional publishing are my top priorities for the new year; among other things, we’ll be publishing THREE new Conan novels by The Legend Chuck Dixon in 2023.

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The Evil of this World

It is remarkable to see how the patterns of history play out again and again. Even though more than 1,600 years separate us from St. Augustine’s time, the same behaviors appear every time evil gains the ascendancy.

OF THE KIND OF HAPPINESS AND LIFE TRULY DELIGHTED IN BY THOSE WHO INVEIGH AGAINST THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION.

But the worshippers and admirers of these gods delight in imitating their scandalous iniquities, and are nowise concerned that the republic be less depraved and licentious. Only let it remain undefeated, they say, only let it flourish and abound in resources; let it be glorious by its victories, or still better, secure in peace; and what matters it to us? This is our concern, that every man be able to increase his wealth so as to supply his daily prodigalities, and so that the powerful may subject the weak for their own purposes. Let the poor court the rich for a living, and that under their protection they may enjoy a sluggish tranquillity; and let the rich abuse the poor as their dependants, to minister to their pride. Let the people applaud not those who protect their interests, but those who provide them with pleasure. Let no severe duty be commanded, no impurity forbidden. Let kings estimate their prosperity, not by the righteousness, but by the servility of their subjects. Let the provinces stand loyal to the kings, not as moral guides, but as lords of their possessions and purveyors of their pleasures; not with a hearty reverence, but a crooked and servile fear. Let the laws take cognizance rather of the injury done to another man’s property, than of that done to one’s own person. If a man be a nuisance to his neighbour, or injure his property, family, or person, let him be actionable; but in his own affairs let everyone with impunity do what he will in company with his own family, and with those who willingly join him. Let there be a plentiful supply of public prostitutes for every one who wishes to use them, but specially for those who are too poor to keep one for their private use. Let there be erected houses of the largest and most ornate description: in these let there be provided the most sumptuous banquets, where every one who pleases may, by day or night, play, drink, vomit, dissipate. Let there be everywhere heard the rustling of dancers, the loud, immodest laughter of the theatre; let a succession of the most cruel and the most voluptuous pleasures maintain a perpetual excitement. If such happiness is distasteful to any, let him be branded as a public enemy; and if any attempt to modify or put an end to it let him be silenced, banished, put an end to. Let these be reckoned the true gods, who procure for the people this condition of things, and preserve it when once possessed. Let them be worshipped as they wish; let them demand whatever games they please, from or with their own worshippers; only let them secure that such felicity be not imperilled by foe, plague, or disaster of any kind.

St. Augustine, City of God, Book II, Chapter 20

A society that prioritizes economic growth, where hedonism is celebrated and consent is the highest morality. A society in which those who see the danger and instability inherent in the society are silenced, banished, and cancelled. A society in which those who provide pleasure are celebrated, and where the powerful may do as they like without fear of recourse or consequence. A corrupt society whose rulers hate Christianity.

Sounds familiar these days, doesn’t it.

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Free Speech is Anti-Christ

Free speech is a satanic concept that was developed by anti-christian atheists to attack Christian civilization during the Enlightenment. It is neither a Christian nor a conservative value. You don’t need to take my word for it, though. Read A HISTORY OF THE FREEDOM OF THOUGHT by historian JB Bury, who was a strong proponent of free speech.

That is one of two books I would recommend to read if you would like to understand how we went from Christian civilization to Clown World. The other one is AN AUSTRIAN PERSPECTIVE ON THE HISTORY OF ECONOMIC ANALYSIS by Murray Rothbard. Whereas Bury describes the historical degradation of the anti-blasphemy laws, Rothbard describes the successful centuries-long assault on the anti-usury laws.

“The entire idea of free speech is a farce. It is a lie. It is not real.”

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Why Russia Will Defeat Clown World

Much can be usefully learned from this excerpt from a book published in 1989 concerning a brief conversation that took place forty years prior between a German Army officer and a Soviet political officer.

Much to my surprise, the NKVD officer expressed a wish to speak to me alone in the presence of the interpreter.

“Polkovnik,” he said, “a question: how many convinced Communists do you think there are in this and the other German POW camps?” Was it a catch question? It was hard to answer, and it also seemed to me dangerous to give my own views. So I said, “About ten percent, I should think.”

“Oh, no; at most six to seven percent,” he replied. “And Polkovnik, how many do you think there are in East Germany?”

“Since you have been in East Germany now for nearly five years, it might be some eight to ten percent.”

“At most three to four percent. And what about West Germany?” Surprised by his figures, I suggested, “Less, about two to three percent.” To which he gave an even more astonishing reply, “Nil. You see, we are realists in Moscow. And because we are, we see no chance of being able to convince the German people of communism.” His conclusion, “Neither the Italian nor the French Communists can be numbered among us. They are first and foremost Italians and Frenchmen. Britain is on the other side of the Channel, the Americans are far away. But we do have to reckon with you.”

And then his words held doubt and fear again, “One day you will want to have an army again, with which you will invade us again. There lies our whole interest in keeping Germany ‘neutral.“ With a neutral Germany danger for us is banished. We can convince Europe of our desire, but also of our intention, never again to allow a war on our territory. That’s how things look, Polkovnik.”

This was one of the most interesting and instructive conversations I had as a prisoner of war. The view was in keeping with that of ordinary soldiers, Russian convicts, and civilians, who had already said to me previously, “Although it will be hard for us, we shall one day forget what has happened. But you will go back to your country. Then you will build up a new army and march into Russia, destroy our villages and kill or carry off our people.” How can this fear ever be removed from the people or from the “realists” in Moscow? All the noisy reactions to the rebuilding of the Bundeswehr, the federal army, and to the alliance with the American superpower are to be seen against this background.

PANZER COMMANDER by Col Hans von Luck

The Russians trusted, briefly, in the promises made to them in the early days of the post-Soviet era. After seeing their economy raped and their boundaries methodically encroached upon by the very Satanic clowns who previously ruled over them, they will never again give the benefit of any doubt to Clown World’s servants in Germany, the UK, or the USA.

And they have very good reason to place absolutely no trust in them.

British general admits UK deployed troops to Ukraine

British Royal Marines conducted high-risk operations in Ukraine in April, Lieutenant General Robert Magowan has admitted, according to a report in The Times on Tuesday. Russia has consistently warned that NATO troops have been active in the conflict, but these statements have been dismissed by Western analysts and media.

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Subversion and Perversion

The Cambridge Dictionary revises the definitions of “man” and “woman”:

In yet another example of the insanity of modern progressive activism, the Cambridge Dictionary has redefined “man” and “woman.” Under previous definitions, which were reflective of reality, it said that “woman” meant an “adult female human being.” Now, woman is any adult who “lives and identifies as female though they may have been said to have a different sex at birth.” It made the same anti-biology change for “man,” saying it’s “an adult who lives and identifies as a male though they may have had a different sex at birth.”

We’ve had several people ask Castalia Library to reproduce an old dictionary ever since we first launched it, but it was never something I’d seriously considered. Now, however, the need for one is becoming clear. The problem is that it would take a prohibitively long time to do a proper layout from scratch, so the only viable option would be doing a high-resolution scanned reproduction of a pre-1927 dictionary.

If a traditional dictionary is of any interest to you, let me know in the comments, and recommend the public domain dictionary of your choice. I’m not saying that we intend to do one, I’m merely observing that there is a growing need for one given the intentional subversion and perversion of the English language.

On the topic of Castalia Library, a few notes regarding shipping and availability.

  • The Library editions of A THRONE OF BONES Vols. 1 and 2 are on schedule to begin shipping on Friday.
  • The Libraria editions of A THRONE OF BONES Vols. 1 and 2 are delayed. There was a quality issue with the gold foil provided by the supplier and we approved the bindery’s recommendation to delay the stamping until the foil is replaced.
  • The Leather editions of the Junior Classics are scheduled to begin shipping between Christmas and New Years.
  • The cover designs for all four INCERTO editions by Nassim Nicholas Taleb have been completed, and all four books can now be ordered. The customary discount codes apply to all four books for active subscribers. The Library editions are dark brown Italian cowhide, the Libraria editions are black Italian goatskin. Please note that THE BLACK SWAN and FOOLED BY RANDOMNESS are not, and will not be, part of the subscription.
The INCERTO collection in leather

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JC Leather 1-6 part 2

Attention: Junior Classics Leather Set backers who backed via the Arkhaven store more than two months ago.

Please send your current shipping address to: castalialibrary-AT-infogalactic-DOT-com.

Please do not “confirm” your current address or send a useless note that says “it’s the same as it was before”. Send the current shipping address in this form, preferably on one line, please, as described below. Do not send it to me or to any email address other than the one specified. Send your current shipping address to castalialibrary-AT-infogalactic-DOT-com. No spaces after the commas.

Order ID, Name and Lastname, Quantity (sets, not books), Address, City, State, Country, Postal Code (Zip), Email address. Separate the sections by comma, so that the line looks like this:

12345,Name Lastname,1,123 Main Street Apt #2,San Diego,CA,USA,55555,email@url.com

If you don’t know your Order ID, just use 000 and we’ll look it up. If you’ve sent your address to us in response to an email in the last week, you do NOT need to do so again.

Junior Classics Leather 1-6

Attention: Junior Classics Leather Set backers.

Please send your current shipping address to: castalialibrary-AT-infogalactic-DOT-com.

Please do not “confirm” your current address or send a useless note that says “it’s the same as it was before”. Send the current shipping address in this form, preferably on one line, please, as described below. Do not send it to me or to any email address other than the one specified. Send your current shipping address to castalialibrary-AT-infogalactic-DOT-com.

Backer ID, Name and Lastname, Quantity (sets, not books), Address, City, State, Country, Postal Code (Zip), Email address. Separate the sections by comma, so that the line looks like this:

12345, Name Lastname, 1, 123 Main Street Apt #2, San Diego, CA, USA, 55555, email@url.com

If you don’t know your backer ID from the campaign, just use 000 and we’ll look it up. That’s all we need. We’ll be sending out an email to all the backers too, so hopefully we can start having them shipped next week if everyone responds quickly.

Those who purchased sets from the Arkhaven store do NOT need to send in their addresses unless you have a different shipping address than the one you provided when you ordered it. There are only 10 sets left, so if you would like one, this will be your last chance for a while.

UPDATE: In other Castalia Library news, the Libraria stamping for A THRONE OF BONES Vol. I has been approved.

It’s gold and it glitters.

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Black Friday Book Sale

Aetherczar announces the Based Black Friday Book Sale

Bypass the cultural gatekeeping, support non-woke authors, and get yourself some great books from both established and emerging talent for only $0.99 – many titles free! Sale starts today, Wednesday November 23, and runs through Tuesday November 29.

The new additions from the previous sale include science fiction grandmasters, Dragon Award winners and nominees, established mainstream authors, and emerging indie talent. Authors include Patrick Abbott, James Alderdice, J.M. Anjewierden, Graham Bradley, Henry Brown, Misha Burnett, Paul Clayton, Mel Dunay, Marina Fontaine, Karl K. Gallagher, N. Gray, Steve Griffiths, William Hastings, Chris Haught, Daniel Humphreys, Becky R. Jones, M.R. Kayser, Chris Kennedy, Moe Lane, B.P. McCoppin, Jon Mollison, Chance Paladin, S. Kirk Pierzchala, Alex Rath, Denton Salle, Cedar Sanderson, David Skinner, R.H. Snow, Glen Sprigg, Henry Vogel, David J. West, Thomas Wilson, John C. Wright, and Page Zaplendam.

And in related news, the MIDNIGHT’S WAR campaign has begun. You can now obtain print editions of Arkhaven’s excellent introduction to the Midnight World. Remember that the Kickstarter system is different than Indiegogo, so instead of multiple backings, back one reward and then use the add-ons to select additional items. For example, back for the first paperback (issues 1-6), then add on the second paperback (7-12) and the third one (Night Streets 1-6). While you aren’t permitted to do multiple backings, you can add add-ons to your backing later.

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