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PaperclipPerfector  3d ago (text post)   1906 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for May 3, 2026

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

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So, what are you reading?

I'm getting interested in Ellul. Also about halfway through The Handmaid's Tale. Can't say it has really moved me yet one way or the other, but it seems to be moving towards something. It vaguely occurs to me that some of the undertone of resentment might be intended for readers like myself, but I can't quite figure out what precisely it is angry about yet. Hopefully it will be something that I can use.

Just finished The Doomed City. It was good, but I feel like it could have been much better without the expedition plot- treating the turning point as the climax of the novel, with the philosophical commentary over drinks or in editorials, would have avoided the dragging and trippiness of the expedition.

To start Man Eaters of Kumaon.

I liked the expedition - it expands the world and shows there has been a lot of stuff going on that the City dwellers have no idea about and are basically beyond their comprehension. But I didn't like the ending too much... Too close to the dreaded "and then he woke up and it all was just a dream".

Agreed that the ending was quite bad. The expedition dragged. It was an acid trip. But most of all, nothing happened, it was merely a framing for philosophical rambling. There could easily have been philosophical dialogue over the problem of governing the city by the post turning point elites, in which something actually happens.

BTW, has anyone read Roadside Picnic?

I of course read it, many times, but if you intend to read it in translation, I have no idea about how good they are. This is an example of a good ending btw. The whole setup is kind of standard "weird sci-fi" thing - aliens, artifacts, zombies, everything of that sort - and pretty enjoyable by itself, but then the ending totally kicks it all out of the water and makes you just sit there and scratch your head, wondering.

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