![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
juushikaTitle: The Book of the Damned
Author: Charles Fort
Published: San Diego: The Book Tree, 2006 (1919)
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 227
Total Page Count: 86,929
Text Number: 250
Read Because: one of Caitlín R. Kiernan's inspirations, borrowed from the library
Review: Rains of fish, blood, and gelatinous substances; strange meteors, unexplained lights, mysterious markings: The Book of the Damned is a catalog of data dismissed and excluded from modern science—most of all of which remains a mystery today. Fort builds explanations and theories based on this data, and while his attempts at scientific explanation may seem comically disproven now, his theories—perhaps better called a philosophy or a worldview—remain valid and compelling: that we must broaden our definition of "real" to include all aberrant data. Fort rejects dogma and willingly overthrows even his own conclusions, critiques the selectivity of science and generally acknowledged "reality," denies the existence of hard fact and absolute truth, and instead espouses an Intermedialist approach: that all things are relative, nothing is real or unreal, and anything may be contradictory. His possible explanations are secondary; Fort's unexplained data and Intermedialist approach have both stood the test of time, and so The Book of the Damned is intriguing stuff, demanding the reader's attention and future thought.
Fort's writing style is wry and dense, a tangle of rambling data, fluid theory, and strange diction which can make some passages—especially while the reader is still adjusting to Fort's style—a frustrating slog. But in time the writing style develops a certain charm and becomes easier to decipher, and the content never fails to hold the reader's attention. The Book of the Damned is thoughtful and fascinating, sharp and sometimes humorous, dense and confusing, packed full of haunting data and unusual philosophy. The strange content and inscrutable style isn't for everyone, but readers with patience and a penchant for the weird may find it a book to intrigue and beg a reconsideration of "reality." I enjoyed and recommend it, and I imagine I'll pick up Fort's other books in the months to come.
Review posted here on Amazon.com.
Author: Charles Fort
Published: San Diego: The Book Tree, 2006 (1919)
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 227
Total Page Count: 86,929
Text Number: 250
Read Because: one of Caitlín R. Kiernan's inspirations, borrowed from the library
Review: Rains of fish, blood, and gelatinous substances; strange meteors, unexplained lights, mysterious markings: The Book of the Damned is a catalog of data dismissed and excluded from modern science—most of all of which remains a mystery today. Fort builds explanations and theories based on this data, and while his attempts at scientific explanation may seem comically disproven now, his theories—perhaps better called a philosophy or a worldview—remain valid and compelling: that we must broaden our definition of "real" to include all aberrant data. Fort rejects dogma and willingly overthrows even his own conclusions, critiques the selectivity of science and generally acknowledged "reality," denies the existence of hard fact and absolute truth, and instead espouses an Intermedialist approach: that all things are relative, nothing is real or unreal, and anything may be contradictory. His possible explanations are secondary; Fort's unexplained data and Intermedialist approach have both stood the test of time, and so The Book of the Damned is intriguing stuff, demanding the reader's attention and future thought.
Fort's writing style is wry and dense, a tangle of rambling data, fluid theory, and strange diction which can make some passages—especially while the reader is still adjusting to Fort's style—a frustrating slog. But in time the writing style develops a certain charm and becomes easier to decipher, and the content never fails to hold the reader's attention. The Book of the Damned is thoughtful and fascinating, sharp and sometimes humorous, dense and confusing, packed full of haunting data and unusual philosophy. The strange content and inscrutable style isn't for everyone, but readers with patience and a penchant for the weird may find it a book to intrigue and beg a reconsideration of "reality." I enjoyed and recommend it, and I imagine I'll pick up Fort's other books in the months to come.
Review posted here on Amazon.com.
