[August] What are you reading?

[Mark Chance]

The Right Hand of Evil by John Saul

Finished this one a couple of days ago. Definitely not Saul's best work. Characterization was largely flat, uninspired, even cliched. Plot was a bit disjointed, as if pieces of the narrative were edited out. Overall, a disappointment.

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Finished this yesterday. Very well written book. Jackson has a wonderful economy with words. The narrative says a great deal while at the same time playing its cards very close to its chest. There is as much to the story in what Jackson does not say as in what she does say. A classic ghost story.

 

[BluWolf]

Does it talk about the past of corporations where people basically lived on corporate owned land and pretty much did what the corporations wanted?

Its centered largely on the MODERN day FALSE assertion that corporations are people and are there for granted equal protection under the 14th ammendment.

This singular issue has more to do with the current situation in our civilization than ANYTHING else.

 

[Gizzard]

I thought American Gods had an excellent premise, and a great start, but I feel the finale didn't live up to its early promise.

Agreed. Somehow I didn't really see where the book was going (though all the clues are there) and so the ending came out of left field for me. I think a little more structure earlier in the book would have helped, though I can see why Gaiman would pare down the explanations since it's all clear in his own head. (Of course, this same reasoning is what leads to TPKs - where the DM sees the whole picture while the PCs just muddle through. ;-)

Its centered largely on the MODERN day FALSE assertion that corporations are people and are there for granted equal protection under the 14th ammendment.

Basically, the important part of the 14th says about the same thing as the 5th - except that the State shall not deprive a person of life, liberty or the pursuit of happiness. I don't see anything wrong with extending that protection to corporations, though I'm not sure how the Supreme Court decided to do so. Did anyone mention that the original cases here had to do with the railways back in 1877? Which I think ties back to JGKushners point.

-edit-

I just started The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Chabon. It's very good so far, he's a good writer and very vivid. The book won the Pulitzer Prize, so I guess it shouldn't suck. ;-)

 

[Mark Chance]

Basically, the important part of the 14th says about the same thing as the 5th - except that the State shall not deprive a person of life, liberty or the pursuit of happiness. I don't see anything wrong with extending that protection to corporations....

Well, for one generic example, take this situation:

Corporation is about to release New Product into the market. Testing within Corporation has determined that use of New Product includes a number of unavoidable physical risks for consumers. Some of these risks are even life-threatening. Before releasing New Product, Corporation has big meeting with its lawyers. During meeting, these unavoidable physical risks are discussed. Now Corporation can claim to hide research that revealed unvoidable physical risks behind a screen of lawyer-client confidentiality. Test results are buried, and Corporation stays quiet and releases dangerous New Product into the market.

 

[WayneLigon]

Almost done with The Swordsmans Oath but I started on J.V.Jones Cavern of Black Ice early. I tried reading The Barbed Coil earlier, but never could get though it. I'll see how this goes. It's a monster.

I picked up several new books this weekend to add to the Must Read stack. Berg's Restoration may be next.

 

[Mystic Eye]

I am reading Forged, the new novel set in Bastion Press' Oathbound campaign setting.

 

[Gizzard]

Well, for one generic example, take this situation:

An interesting idea - and a dangerous one - but I don't think it works like that. (Of course, I am not a corporate lawyer, so what do I know?) Anyway, I think once your corporation comes under investigation your internal workings are wide open - as happened with Enron and Worldcom.

Anyway, law is an opaque and strange thing so it's probably not worth discussing unless there are some corporate law experts present. Not only that, it's off-topic! ;-)

 

[Justinian]

Almost done with The Swordsmans Oath but I started on J.V.Jones Cavern of Black Ice early. I tried reading The Barbed Coil earlier, but never could get though it. I'll see how this goes. It's a monster.

I picked up several new books this weekend to add to the Must Read stack. Berg's Restoration may be next.

Restoration is an excellent novel, but it is the third book in a trilogy. I'm assuming you've read Transformation and Revelation? I have consistently enjoyed Berg's novels, and she just published a new one titled Song of the Beast. If you want a new take on dragons, read that book. Also bards, now that I think about it.

 

[Mark Chance]

An interesting idea - and a dangerous one - but I don't think it works like that.

It has worked like that in the past. Certain companies were able to suppress incriminating evidence by claiming lawyer-client privilege. Recent cases seem to have demolished such protections, so the point might not be that significant now.

There are, of course, other issues. For example, if Corporation is treated as a person, does Corporation have a personal right to common land? If so, the does the enormous spending power of Corporation unfairly skew access to common land in favor of Corporation? Et cetera, et cetera.

Onto other news, I finished The Abolition of Man by C. S. Lewis. A bit dated in terms of a few specific examples, but still quite relevant to anyone involved in the education of children. His examination of those who seek to debunk "traditional values" remains both cogent and a powerful critique of the methodological fallacies of people who dogmatically decry dogmatism.

Also, while it was not on my original reading list for August, I've this week become distracted by Sax Rohmer's The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu.

 

[drothgery]

I'm not reading Brust's Lord of Castle Black yet, but as soon as Amazon gets it here (they list an August 1 release date, and my copy is pre-ordered), that'll jump to #1 on my reading list.

Incidentally, it was quite good. And Brust was doing the final revisions on Sethra Lavode a few weeks ago, so we shouldn't have to wait too long for the conclusion.