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naraburns  nihil supernum  1yr ago (text post)   2508 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for November 4, 2022

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Anyone read House of Leaves? I'm about halfway through and it's definitely an interesting ride.

I read it several times, most recently in January of last year. What I noticed in that reading is that the first ~half maintains a good pace, but after that it comes to a screeching halt and is a chore to get through. I found it interesting more than actually scary, and don't really know what the intent behind it was.

A lot of people see it as a postmodernist piece. Kind of playing with elements of how to tell a story etc.

I've read it and I think it's a great book, though I think it would be more unremarkable if you stripped the experimental elements from it. But it is cool to see the author play around with the form of a book, and how that can draw you into the story. I enjoyed it a lot for that stuff.

I got bored a third of the way through. It felt rather pretentious and full of itself, and I didn't find the horror particularly scary.

Combine it with the generally unlikeable characters who seem devoid of common sense, and I put it firmly in the meh, wouldn't recommend category myself.

I am a sucker for postmodernist naval gazing so I stuck around for that, otherwise I can agree with most of your critiques.

You know, it was just put on my radar recently. Probably going to grab a paperback of it next week.

I definitely recommend the physical book it's a big part of the experience.

I've read it, and enjoyed it immensely. I'm a sucker for art that couldn't be replicated in other mediums, and a House of Leaves that tried to be told in another format like video games or movies would have to change so much to keep the feel of the various levels of the narrative going that it would be unrecognizable.

The tone is very different, but the Thursday Next series is another one that plays with formatting and the fourth wall in order to tell its story.

I also recommend the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde for those who like what House of Leaves does, whether they enjoyed that story or not. It is high geekery of the keenest fashion.

I read it about a dozen years ago. It's hard for me to say where it fits within the pantheon of literature because the unique format overshadows everything else about it. The story of the tunnel exploration is interesting but I don't know that it stands on its own without all the window dressing. That being said, I don't read much horror and it's certainly better than anything Stephen King ever wrote, so there's that.

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