fine whine

People have lots of reasons why they cannot sleep. As for me, if past experience is any indication, I sometimes cannot sleep because I haven't finished a book. At any given time I'll be midway through two or more tomes, but certain ones seem to keep me awake until I finish them, and only then can I slumber. This is, of course, based purely on conjecture and potential coincidence, but it seems every time that I stay awake far too long to finish a book my restlessness lasts only until that final page.

Two such books in the last week or so were My Ishmael by Daniel Quinn and The Earth abides by George Stewart. It's almost fitting that I read them in that order, as one flows almost naturally from the other. Allow me to explain.

Daniel Quinn is a brilliant guy. My Ishmael is something of a sequel (though it is told alongside) to his debut novel Ishmael, about which I have written earlier, but with the years' accumulated knowledge and further ruminations seamlessly integrated. This, of course, makes no sense to you since you have not read either book.

Well, do it. Read one, then the other. Ishmael is the name of a really smart ape, capable of telepathic communication. He places an ad in the paper saying TEACHER SEEKS PUPIL, must have an earnest desire to save the world. Apply in person. This sort of thing does tend to get a response, and each book is about a single pupil.

Anyway, this time around Ishmael takes on a twelve-year-old girl (or vice versa). They focus on education and the wisdom of tribal civilizations and more. It's a bleak book, at least if you think anything in this way of life works. I can't really describe it any better.

The recreation of the tribal lifestyle is also explored in The Earth abides, but in a more practical sense as a mountain climber comes back to civilization to find that a great majority of people have disappeared or died. He faces the challenge of finding out what happened and rebuilding civilization next.

He answers no classified ad, but it might have read SELF STARTER NEEDED for disaster recovery, must work well alone, own tools a plus. if there'd been one.

Anyway, read the books. Pay close attention to the ways that the downfall of civilization would go differently now, in the age of persistent and redundant communications technology. That, more than anything else, dates the book.

In completely unrelated news, I got my name on Boingboing today. I'm just waiting for the karma and the visitors to roll in.