Surfing the Gnarl

I discovered Rudy Rucker in 2007, when he Creative Commons-released Postsingular. Reading his interview from this book actually blew me away: it slotted into my sci fi journey, a journey whose origins I had forgotten. But OH YES it all began with cellular automata! That must have been how I found Rudy Rucker -> CC books -> Cory Doctorow -> SCIENCE FICTION!?

Anyway, this book contains 2 short fiction pieces, 1 non-fiction essay, and 1 interview. The 2 stories are outlandish and wild in the usual Rucker way; I liked the first one (a horror comedy nightmare about a Virginia town being torn apart by fundamentalist/apocalyptic Christians versus scary corporo-zombie golf aliens?!) a bit more. I forgot how incredibly imaginative and zany and out there Rucker is! SO GOOD! The non-fiction essay was pretty interesting, especially his taxonomy of “gnarly” science fiction (and his in-depth, semi-mathematical explanation of what the “gnarl” is; approachable and hypnotic complexity, sorta). It reminded me I should read Charles Stross.

The interview, though, funnily, kinda turned me off - he sounded so self-satisfied and kinda full of himself?! Which was a bummer. I mean, Kim Stanley Robinson (who I've done a better job of reading more of) sounded curmudgeony and grumpy as hell in his interview; but he also sounded... I dunno, like an authentic Zen master? Who hits you with a stick when you meditate badly? But also teaches you the ways of the Force? Rudy Rucker's interview, instead, made me roll my eyes a bit.

But bah, whatever, this series is fun fun.