#Ian Watson

[stainlesssteellocust]

that’s good to know, Mr Watson. Still doesn’t explain the synchronised farting scene, but good to know

[ladymirdan]

[aressida]

[mournivaldisco]

Ian Watson's Space Marine, no context:

The book is:

1. Absolutely mad

2. A must read

3. What has been read, cannot be unread

[benshanti]

“If you have to be persuaded, reminded, pressured, lied to, incentivized, forced, bullied, socially shamed, guilt-tripped, threatened, punished and criminalized ... If all of this is considered necessary to gain your compliance -- you can be absolutely certain that what is being promoted is not in your best interest ” - Ian Watson

[guillotineman]

IndieWire Names Steven Spielberg's ‘A.I. Artificial Intelligence’ Best Film of the 2000s.

[dalesramblingsblog]

Lemon Jelly. Creationism. Fight Club. The cinema of Hal Hartley. All this and more will be touched upon in the Dale's Ramblings Sixth AnniVARsary Spectacular, as we look at the last of Virgin's Decalogs.

[clevermird]

Review: Space Marine by Ian Watson

When other Warhammer fans told me that Ian Watson's Draco was a bizarre, uncomfortable mess, I didn't believe them. They were right. So when they also told me that Space Marine had everything wrong with Draco and then some, I should have listened this time around.

Because they were right.

Space Marine follows three adolescent boys growing up on the hive world of Necromunda - Lexandro D'arquebus, the spoiled, hedonistic son of an official; Yeremi Valence, as close to middle-class as you get on Necromunda; and Biff Tundrish, a low-hive ganger with a distinctive spider tattoo on his face. For their own reasons, all three apply to join the Imperial Guard and selected as recruits to the Imperial Fists chapter of the Space Marines, where they will be molded into weapons to fight in the name of the God Emperor and a strange, complex bond will form between the three that will be the cause of both successes and failures as they fight their way across the galaxy. 

Oh man. . . where to start. The story itself had a decent setup. A coming-of-age tale following the training and missions of some young Space Marines will likely come to be a classic plot in Warhammer 40k literature, but it is one for a reason. The plot mixes the fantastic and sometimes horrifying realities of life in the 41st millennium with more down-to-earth and relatable relationships between the boys in a way that could have been very satisfying. 

Unfortunately, however, it was not. 

The character development, while intriguing and surprisingly complex in theory, is delivered in a "tell, don't show" fashion where, for the most part, the narration simply informs us how the boys feel about each other rather than allowing them to express their feelings in dialogue or actions. On the other hand, the action scenes have the opposite problem - they're so overwritten that it becomes difficult to tell what's going on in a sea of obscure vocabulary and flowery metaphor. 

All this, however, pales in comparison to the content. As a gothic space opera setting, Warhammer 40k is no stranger to horrific and sometimes gross elements. But Watson plays these up to the point of repulsing the reader not just from the events of the story, but from the book itself, seeming to glory in comparing architecture to genitalia, describing various forms of self-harm, and, most importantly, talking about poop. I lost track of how many times this book finds increasingly convoluted reasons for the characters to touch poop, eat poop, poop their pants, etc., to the point that it's not clear if this was supposed to be some kind of obscure social commentary, a terribly failed attempt at gross-out humor, or simply the author's fetish. 

All that being said, despite the low rating, I can't quite bring myself to hate this book. It's not a good 40k book, it's not a good story, and even at its short page count, it overstayed its welcome, but the absurdity pushes it firmly into 'so bad its good' territory and I enjoyed reading it and quoting some of the more absurd parts to my friends. 

Warnings: In addition to the previously-mentioned frequent references to excrement, the book is full of other assorted grossout descriptions, as well as graphic violence, torture, religious self-harm, and some light body horror.

In addition, the relationship between the three boys is often played for homoeroticism, but the way it’s written makes it clear that Watson thinks this is disturbing and toxic and, intentionally or no, comes off as homophobic

Rating: 2/10

[haveyoureadthisscifibook]

vote yes if you have finished the entire book.

vote no if you have not finished the entire book.

(faq · submit a book)

[ross-hollander]

Face it, Black Library:

No matter how hard you gas up the Fists for all their heroism during the Siege of Terra, we're not going to forget Ian Watson's more...gastric take on them.

[astanleykubrick]

If you ever wondered what came before Steven Spielberg took over the reins of A.I. Artificial Intelligence, this is the video for you: a chronicle of all the attempts that Kubrick made to invent a story based on Super-Toys: 1) Brian Aldiss, 2) Bob Shaw, 3) Brian Aldiss, 4) Ian Watson, 5) Arthur C. Clarke, 6) Ian Watson, 7) Arthur C. Clarke, 8) Stanley Kubrick, 9) Sara Maitland, 10) Steven Spielberg. Followed by my theory on why the project wasn't made (besides the obvious reason, that is).

The sixth and final episode of my series Cracking the Kube is out now. Enjoy!

[stainlesssteellocust]

I-

Is he saying he nearly manifested Chaos into reality

[spaceintruderdetector]

https://archive.org/details/weird-tales-v-54n-02-summer-1993-issue-307

[nevesmose]

@stainlesssteellocust @caiusmajor

Behold the fabled image

The Apparition (1876) by Gustave Moreau

[nettirw]

PRISMS - PRE-ORDER

PRISMS – PRE-ORDER

PRISMS, an anthology of dark science fiction and fantasy co-edited by Darren Speegle and Michael Bailey, is now available to pre-order. This anthology was previously published in limited hardcover by PS Publishing in March 2021, but will be made available in a wider release by Written Backwards on March 21st, 2023. Features cover artwork by Ben Baldwin. Prisms are instruments, mirrors,…

[gunthermunch]

[Transcript under the cut]

Ian: Lucas! Lucas: hi! i brought something! Ian: GASP a man?? Lucas: vegetables Ian: ah… well come on in you Ian: we just had lunch, i saved you some. you're welcome Lucas: aw thanks Ian!! Lucas: Mr McMillan Derek: mhhm. Derek: Strawberry Strawberry barks Derek: did he pressure you into bringing in a boyfriend again? Lucas: well- Ian: Jesus derek learn how to take a joke! we're just being silly! damn. Ian:christ! well, i'm gonna microwave your food Derek: so, how's she? Lucas: well she can walk around without whinning now Derek: I see Derek: and what about you? Lucas: me…? I'm fine. We're both fine, see? Derek: any news on your friends? Lucas: i…talk to Elsa and Pierce almost every day, he's planning to visit soon actually. and Max- well i haven't talked to him in months. I mean-- properly talked to him. Derek: hm? i'm afraid you couldn't bare a week without him Lucas: i know, but our conversations became… slow? over the time. I don't know, must have something to do with distance. Derek: hm. Lucas: but yeah, i'm fine. i think i just learned to be like this Derek nods

Lucas: who's that? Ian: Derek love! could you get the door please? Derek: yes, grunts as he stands up yes dear. ?: Good evening Mr. McMillan! Derek: you're soaking wet Maira: yeah! water's getting everywhere- BUT your groceries. Derek: [chuckles] ah, Maira. Lucas: was that the delivery girl? Derek: mhm. Derek: she's about your age. you should try and talk to her some time Lucas: u-uhhhhh-uhm. Lucas: i'm not good at- with people Derek: me neither, that's why i married Ian. Lucas: what do you mean Derek: dreamy sigh he does the work for me… Ian: Lucas! get over here and EAT Lucas: going!!!

Lucas: thanks for everything guys, i'll see you tomorrow! Ian: take care peep!

Lucas: …okay… [voice message starts recording] Lucas: heyy! it's me, Lucas!- no [voice message starts recording again] Lucas: hey, just wanted to check on you. you know you can talk to me, right? about anything. we are friends, i'm still your best friend. Lucas: …yeah, just hit me up if you need anything… Max.