Todd's Parallel Cities
Todd's comment reminded me of a short story in Millhauser's Dangerous Laughter that I thought of a lot while reading this. The story has to do with a town that has created an exact replica of itself just down the street. When anything happens in the real town, there are staff whose job it is…

Yeah, I thought there was definitely a muted version of the Madonna and the Whore phenomenon with Caroline/Emmeline going on, MikeStrange

Idiotking- I think you make a good point about the "drive for improvement" theme, and I think Millhauser draws the "improvement/encompass" themes together when we see the switch from "building the better hotel" to "completely transcending the Platonic Ideal of Hotelness". Maybe these drives are related?

Martin as America (or at least Manhattan)
I really read Martin as a microcosm or symbol of America as a whole, which was my take on the "American Dreamer" subtitle. I think his reasons and motivations are unknown even to him because that's the way a giant metropolis like Manhattan gets built - little (and some big)…

Nice call, Amazing Jim. Nothing like sitting back with a Champipple in your junkyard.

This would be better as a kid's show
Make it sort of an animated Detective Bunnicula vs. that zombie cat from Pet Sematary. Also, Bunnicula should have some sort of impairment, like OCD or something.

This is awesome news
I really needed the extra week; thanks AV Club for reading my mind.

"we will not offer you a franchise unless and until we have complied with applicable pre-sale registration and disclosure requirements in your jurisdiction"

Just to add on to Thad's point - In Androids, one of the ways you can identify an android is their treatment of human beings as means rather than as ends - like the androids' treatment of the "special" whose apartment they commandeer. On the other hand, their cruelty towards animals (there's a bit where a spider is…

I'm afraid I don't even read the "blue flower" part as optimistically as MS and FJ. I take that to be merely the effect of a "programming" that Donna and Mike put on Bob/Fred. I took the mentions of little spring flowers and Donna's speech about the man who would take her to a farm "up north" to be her…

I would love to hear either of these songs. Lucifer's speech is indeed incredible.

I finally watched the movie last night, and I'll save most of my comments for Thursday, but I see this as a real "-1" to the movie. This was a nice bit of uncertainty that played well in the book, and is too simplistically revealed in the movie for my taste. On the other hand, the assumption that Donna=Hank really…

Yeah - I think that is the question. Although, I would argue that for most of us, under normal circumstances, memories come with a "memory tag"; i.e., I may have a memory of playing with my childhood dog, but it differs from my actual experience of playing with the dog because it sort-of shouts "I AM A REAL MEMORY". …

This thread has more soul than Motown
Not to sound too strident, but who let all the Cartesians in the room? For me, one of the most poignant "identity" points I took PKD to be making was that there is no REAL Bob Arctor. All of the personas he wears are equally "false" constructions that each serve their own…

Gotcha - I've got the movie on the queue for tonight, so I'll have to see how that connection gets made. Thanks!

Wait a minute - did I skip a page? Are we sure Donna is Hank? I remember wondering that as I read it, but I didn't think that was actually confirmed, especially since Donna was a Fed, and we're at least led to believe Hank is a local cop like Fred.

Not quite addiction memoir, but I'd add Denis Johnson's story collection Jesus' Son to Leonard's good list

I had the same experience. I think it was the similarity between the aphids and the jars full of bugs in IJ that triggered it for me.

"judging from y'all's reactions, I didn't do much of a job of it the FIRST time around." Nice work, Leonard. Way to steal the firstie right out from under us. ;)

Ten Speed Bikes and Suggestibility
First of all, I feel like I'm at a reverse-AA meeting where everyone stands up and says "Hi. My name is Bob, and I'm not an addict". Nonetheless, count me in with the straights.