Mr. Nobody - friend or foe? And a girl who comes out of nowhere to save Eric? Plus the creepiness of a Luxophage.
21 comments:
Naomi
said...
This section had many references to Alice in Wonderland and to water. On pg. 130, Hall writes “So much for finding the place early and checking the LIE of the land”. This is perfect for this book because how can Eric know that anything he must deal with IS real? The infirmary is also an un-space, so do un-spaces even exist? On this same page, Eric feels like he has fallen down a rabbit hole – like Alice. On the very next page, there is a reference to a mirror. Eric stares at his reflection and isn’t able to believe that that person is him.
The man Eric meets at the infirmary wants to be called Nobody. Most of the sentences about who Nobody is or what he does can, out of context, be read as just “nobody”(as in not anyone). Looking at it like this, is Nobody even real? Does anyone actually do what Nobody does? If nobody does something, does that person exist or does that action actually take place?
Nobody says that the work he used to do was purely conceptual. As the Ludivician feeds on concepts, memories, and thoughts, it seems fit that he would be targeted by the shark. However, that makes me think, why would the Ludovician be after Eric? Are his memories extra-special? Is there something in his mind that makes him a prime target for the shark? Maybe it is just that the First Eric let him out, but why would the shark stick around afterwards? And why would Eric have known enough to know how to let out the shark? He must have known something, or at least thought in a special way, for the shark to keep hunting him. Unless the shark was after him, the First Eric gained enough info to track down the shark with Dr Trey, and then let it out, and now the shark is forever after him?
Time is really important in this chapter. Death is also mentioned. Again, what is a person without memory? Nobody says that his employer knows how to make victims of the Ludovician into wire-frames of people. But without records or without remembering or being remembered by someone, are they really people? On pg 141, Nobody says how geniuses go” out so far out that the water is like glass and they can see for miles….they go out over such depths…and some of them get taken” – maybe like Alice in “Through the Looking Glass”? On pg 155, the image of the Ludovician, although doesn’t include the full text,includes Eric’s name and Clio’s – maybe Eric’s true memories? On pg 158, Eric describes “a sound like hissing of memes breaking…”. He first mentioned memes at the beginning of the book! Maybe memes and memories and the shark are closely entwined??? Sorry this is so long!!
I definitely would not have guessed that Eric's sickness was caused by the "idea of a thing" from Nobody's letter. Upon finding this out, it seemed to make sense, and the description of the Luxophage was one of my favorite sections in the book: "the length of a worry that doesn't quite wake you in your sleep… sucker-like mouth lined with dozens of sharp little doubts and inadequacies."
I loved the Nobody character and how he deteriorated as he talked with Eric; he reminded me of Gollum when he talked to himself. At first I suspected the the name "Nobody" would end up being significant, like when Odysseus called himself "Nobody" in The Odyssey to protect himself, but this has not been the case as of yet. I'm not sure of the significance of Nobody saying he and Eric were the same person, I get the feeling he just said that to mess with Eric, although Nobody does seem to be an extreme case of someone fallen prey to the Ludovician. I liked seeing Nobody's end because he seemed like such an evil character, and seeing him pulled through the floor seemed fitting for this book, as if the floor itself became only a concept.
I thought it was interesting how Eric lied to Ruth. She noticed he was sick, and he said he needed a walk. I didn't realize until now that no one knew where he was going. One thing I really liked in this section were the descriptions. Especially about the foyer: "A weak grey-blue light filled the space...low-grade sun from a damp and forgotten courtyard garden." I liked the words chosen because it really put an image in my head of what it looked like.
I thought it was kind of funny how Mr Nobody was nice to Eric even though it was a serious topic they were discussing. He said, "Very pleased to meet you," and asked Eric questions and was open in retun. He didn't just come and go.
I didn't like that Mr Nobody forced the other conceptual "fish" thing onto Eric. It fit the book only because the other shark is already controlling his life, he should be able to make decisions for himself. And I agree with Tom about Mr Nobody. He deserved it.
What I found interesting in this chapter was the affect that Ludovician had on Eric. He was just thinking when he couldn't complete the simple thought. I found his reaction funny when he starts yelling at Nobody for breaking the dictaphones and breaking the conceptual loop. I really liked the action and mysterious parts in the section. I found Nobody extremely weird, when I first read about him I was thinking that Eric was going to get the help he needed seeing Nobody had the same problem as Eric and looked like he was successful and living a good life. I was disapointed when the explosion occured and then the page breaks to a completely different subject: buying a new dictaphone. This writing style made me want to read more just wanting to read more of the action. The Alice in wonderland reference I read in this chapter was on page 130 was about him feeling like he was "splattering down a rabbit hole". I really enjoyed reading this chapter.
The descriptions of Eric being sick are very evocative. They describe almost perfectly the cloudy, foggy, sluggish feeling you have when you are sick. I love the way that Call is able to use language. He is able to describe things with feelings that we all have felt before. He also doesn't clutter his descriptions with meaningless words. He is very careful in his choice of diction. It is almost like a epic poem. The way he writes; he doesn't spend time or space on words without impact.
I absolutely love the idea of Mr. Nobody. The fact that a person can be dead but kept moving with the proper emotion (pills) is very intriguing. The way that he can exist but the soul behind his eyes are gone gives a strong impact to the construct that is Mr. Nobody. That idea helps to reinforce our notion that we are more than just machinery. We exist with souls and with awareness of who we are. The fact that coming out of Mr. Nobody's eyes are urge worms, helps to make the image of his soulless, machine-only body more real. I also loved that fact that because he was just a concept, he was swallowed whole by the conceptual shark. He seems to forget the dangers it poses and breaks the Dictaphone bringing about his own demise.
The hints given to us by Call are well placed in the story. They help to give us the feeling of nervous, apprehension without completely understanding what is so dangerous. This makes the transformation of Mr. Nobody more surprising. The way he begins to disintegrate into puddles brought back the theme of water almost being alive. The water had helped hold him together and without his conceptual pills to keep him together, he start to unravel. The action in this chapter was done with just the right amount of suspense. The surprise of the girl pushes the story into the next phase of Eric's odyssey.
I thought this way an insane section! As I said in the previous blog, I think that Steven Hall's descriptions and images are amazing. I think that is why I like this book so much so far. "Although the foyer itself had its window and the glass doors to feed in some kind of weak illumination, the corridors leading off to the left and to the right soon greyscaled themselves away into total darkness." I could picture this entirely in my mind, and for some odd reason, I imagined Harry Potter. (Doesn't it remind you of what Hogwarts looks like?). Yikes... Anyway, Mr Nobody is so weird. I mean, he is definitely an entertaining character, but he is just so odd. Like, what is with the sunglasses? The whole pill thing is such a weird concept. I really enjoyed it though because it was just SO different. Who takes pills to keep them from dissolving away? I love the line "How long until I need to take my fucking pills?" So great. I love when books have bad words in it. It makes them more exciting. Also, really nasty with the whole barfing thing. "...bile and matter and juices and oils, jellies and snots of thick green slime reeked and splattered out of me all over the black and white tiled floor." ...Yum? I love the image on page 155. It gives me a headache attempting to read the words though. Happens a lot with these images... Altogether really enjoying this book!
Wow! Now that was an exciting chapter. I really enjoyed the affirmation that concepts can gain sentience, or at least the perception of it. What really intrigues me though, is why he was dying. Is the concept that he represents one that is being forgotten? At any rate, it's strange how concepts for the most part appear to be cannibalistic, needing to feed off of each other in order to survive, what with how the shark feeds, and how Mr. Nobody required his pills in order to go on living. It kind of makes sense in a way. An idea cannot be effected by anything else other than another idea. Which kind of plays into how the shark was able to eat Nobody through the floor. The imagery of the shark subsequently pursuing Eric and his strange rescuer, the mystery girl was absolutely fantastic, what with all of the memories of what had happened on the field, it gave the feeling of dozens of tiny moving photographs being thrown up into the air. As excellent as the imagery is, I can't wait to find out more about the plot! Have we stumbled upon some wonderland populated entirely by conceptual people as well as animals? Is Nobodys employer a concept? What about the girl who saved Erics memory, is she one too? More than that, why are all these people interested in him all of a sudden? Also, I think I found another film reference in this chapter. The part where the luxophage is removed from Erics body, reminded me a lot of the part in the first Matrix movie where Trinity vacuums the robotic shrimp thing out of Neos stomach. I may be reading too much into this, but the similarity to the situations and events seems to be waving a neon sign over its head. - Asher
When Eric first picked up the package with this is for you written on the front, I was impressed with how far-reaching the first Eric Sanderson’s network was. Wrong. So wrong. Interesting that Eric was speaking from some point in the future on page 128, about leaving himself vulnerable to the Luxophage: “But in my exhaustion I had made a terrible mistake.” I don’t remember him getting ahead of himself in the narrative before. Is this important? Mr. Nobody was awesome. The tension built up in the scene without being obvious. Steven Hall is careful about not playing to your expectations. Just like Eric, I let my guard down with Mr. Nobody at first, and as he melted became more erratic and aggressive, I was just as bewildered as Eric. Their conversation was fast-paced and well-written, like all of the conversations in this book—again, Hall doesn’t play to your expectations. My one complaint was pages 142—143, when Mr. Nobody has his “conference call”. It was too obvious—“Shh, shut up, he’s going to hear”—sort of a cheap literary trick, a way to drop a lot of heavy hints about Mr. Nobody and his employer. I didn’t believe the shark would appear outside the Manor—maybe the road was abandoned because of the floods, and qualified as un-space? Also, is anyone going to explain the grenade?
So we take our first adventure into un-space, and what an adventure it was. In this section the novel really redeems itself and becomes the thrilling odyssey that I have been promised since the beginning. From the beginning of chapter fourteen, we can tell that there is something amiss with Eric’s mind. His concentration seems a little unfocused and his thought patterns kind of go nowhere. The moment he enters the manor, these effects actually seemed to be heightened. This could be due to the conceptual fish controlling him or perhaps this is how un-space affects you. What was interesting to me about this first scene when Eric stumbles through the darkness searching for Nobody, was that I really didn’t have a clear description of place he was in or anything around him. Usually, Hall’s descriptions are impeccable down to the last speck of detail. So it seems that un-space isn’t really into being defined, or maybe Hall was just having an off day.
The whole sequence of occurrences regarding the loony and creepy Mr. Nobody was some of the best writing I’ve seen in any novel. As usual Hall does an excellent job in describing every moment of thrilling suspense and action. Much like in Homer’s “Odyssey” the scene starts out quite appealing to Eric, satisfying his frustration of not having anyone to talk to about his predicament. As the dialogue continues between the two characters, the tension continues to build with Nobody’s questioning of the time to take his pills becoming harsher and louder as the scene continues. Eventually this leads into more abnormal reality as Nobody literally begins melting away into a pool of his own sweat. In this way, I kind of saw Nobody as an actual body of thoughts and conceptual stream being brought forth either by the Luxophage’s mental manipulation or Eric’s desire, again, to be in contact with someone who can help him with the Ludivician. The fact that he sort of becomes hostile and deranged could be caused by Eric’s fear and weakness of mind or something to do with how un-space affects him. Any way you see it, this was a very intense and exciting moment in Eric’s own Odyssey and I hope to read many more.
I really enjoyed this reading. It was probably my favorite when I first read it. I loved how Hall really brought me into the book and made me become Eric when we first meet Mr. Nobody. I found myself liking Mr. Nobody and was just as excited when I found out he knew about the shark. As the conversation with Mr. Nobody continued, my read warning flags kept going off and I became suspicious of Mr. Nobody. I also became suspicious of Dr. Randle when I found out the Dr. Randle told Mr. Nobody about Eric. My favorite part about the conversation with Mr. Nobody was his explanation of geniuses. Oddly enough it makes perfect sense. The geniuses become so wrapped up in their conceptual thoughts which lead them to go so far out into this conceptual sea where the shark eventually gets to them. I loved the idea of Mr. Nobody’s pills. These conceptual pills are keeping Mr. Nobody alive but other than that he is “dead.” It almost seems like thoughts and your conceptual thoughts are what keep a person alive. I agree with Mr. Nobody that Eric is dead. The original Eric, the conceptual part of him, has died and a new conceptual Eric has then taken his place, similarly like Mr. Nobody is being kept alive by these pseudo-conceptual pills. The only “complaint” I have of the chapter is Hall’s vivid description of Eric’s “getting sick.” I did enjoy the Luxophage though. Finally toward the end of the reading we get some action! I love how Hall is so specific in his descriptions of the action. His descriptions allow the reader to create vivid mental pictures or create a miniature movie in his or her head. This makes the book much more like a movie then a book and makes it much more engaging. I even found myself having the same reaction as I do in the movies; I sat screaming, “Run you idiot! Leave the Dictaphones!” : )
Mr. Nobody is a good character for Hall to add. He is mysterious and eerie. He has important information but is not as helpful as Eric might wish for. A new rule I have created for myself; never trust someone who freaks about over popping pills. Mr. Nobody makes me realize how much of this story could be in Eric’s mind and not physically real. I really enjoy Page 158 and the girl rescuing Eric is exactly what would happen in a movie. I would like to visualize someone who cant see the shark watch Eric freak out throughout the story.
This section was soooo creepy! It didn't help that I was reading it right before I went to bed. After I shut the light out I was worried the shark was coming after me. I have a weird fear of sharks.
I liked the allusion to Alice in Wonderland on page 130, "My insides felt like offal splattering down a rabbit hole". I like that it was foreshadowing Eric's entrance to the hospital. The hospital is kind of like a rabbit hole he "falls" in and everything is different. This is really Eric's point of no return.
I didn't like that Mr. Nobody lulled us into a false sense of security. He didn't seem sinister at all but then he turned out to be super creepy. I loved his story about how his shark was drawn to him. I also loved this explaination for Alzheimer’s. Now anytime forgetfulness comes up I'm going to think "conceptual shark!!!" It was so scary when Mr. Nobody had his meltdown. When he had his "conference call" I thought he was just talking to himself but now I think he might actually have been talking to someone through some sort of weird connection possibly from the pills.
I loved the picture of the Luxophage. It was cool how it kind of made a sentence. Why did Mr. Nobody have to be so stupid? He didn't need to break the Dictaphones. What I don't understand is why the shark didn't get Eric once he stepped out of the Dictaphones? Oh well.
The shark attack was really cool. When I was little I was super afraid of sharks and I used to worry that there were sharks circling my bed but I would just tell myself that sharks couldn't swim on the floor, but guess what? Now they can pull people through floors! On page 151 I really liked the image of "the white tiles flushed red for a moment in an under-the-ice plume. The coulor dispersed in swirls and was gone". But then I realized that the red was blood and I was creeped out.
The chapter became less creepy and more actiony and stressful after the girl appeared. I loved the picture of the shark! It was so cool how it was like it was under the checkerboard floor. When they jumped through the window it was like they were jumping through the rabbit hole in reverse. When they got to the other side everything was normal. The image of the shark's fin rising up from the grass was amazing!
As the chapter started I couldn't help but be scared for Eric. Maybe not scared, but most definitely anxious. Immediately I thought that Mr. Nobody was actually the shark, tricking Eric into coming to unspace so that he could eat Eric.
I, like Naomi, enjoyed the way that all attributes of Mr. Nobody could be applied to anybody. The way that Hall writes about him fits in perfectly with the way that we know something and yet nothing at all about Mr. Nobody. It's subtle. just like the way that Mr. Nobody gradually changes, but if you pay attention to it then it's truly brilliant. The images that Hall creates in my mind off Mr. Nobody's skin literally sweating off him, watching him become nothing and fade away from us, is amazing.
The reading as a whole was great, even though most of it was sitting and talking between Eric and Mr. Nobody. I can't deny that I really loved when the girl showed and things really got moving. I hoped that it was Clio, because of course I'm a hopeless romantic. The way that Hall described the two of them on the motorcycle, riding across the football field and getting away, made me as a reading feel like I was on the bike. I felt Eric's uneasiness, and how nervous he was lighting the grenade.
At first I thought it was out of character for anyone to trust somebody the way that Eric trusted this girl right off the bat. However, as I thought about it more, it all made sense. He has nowhere else to go, nobody else to turn to, and obviously this girl knows him and may be able to provide answers to questions that aren't even on the tip of his tongue yet. I'm glad he went with her, even if I questioned it at first.
I love the section with the Luxophage, which also elaborates on the idea of the evolution of the conceptual fish, from the jawless fish to the cartilage-y fish, i.e the sharks. It makes me think that perhaps eventually conceptual vertebrates will evolve! I love the idea that was introduced that those parasitic Luxophages cause anguish, guilt, lethargy, forgetfulness, etc. in humans.
I feel bad for the creepy Mr. Nobody. His brilliance-and his insanity-in the end ended up being his downfall. As he says, "My theories were what drew it in." (pg. 141) referring to the Ludovician. Speaking of which, we see the Ludovician's full, complete, fully evolved form on page 155, and it is an awesome conceptual sight.
I have to say I was not happy when Eric was saved by a hot girl riding a motorcycle! Of COURSE it's a hot girl that rides a motorcycle, I mean how much more cliche can you get?!? But anyway, it looks like she might be Clio at this point, so we'll see how that turns out.
This chapter was like wattttttt in a good way haha. I like how he is sick yet we all think that he has the flu. Its very clever of StevenHall to say that he has a Luxophage in him, so weird but it ties perfectly with the book GOOD JOB STEVEN HALL. At this point i am really paranoid whenever Eric encounters water whether its taking a shower or drinking water or passsing by a water fountain. Haha i feel like the sharkie is ganna pop out of no where haha like in the movie "IT" ....YOU"RE NEVER SAFE HE WILL ALWAYS BE THERE LOOKING FOR YOU. i LOVE HOW HE DESCRIBES THE DARKNESS and i actually can get a feel of how pitch dark it is ...too damn creepy lol. " There was no one around, just me and the lamps standing together at the end of a long lonely hallaway." (pg.133)To have someone understand Eric and to know what hes going through makes me happy for him. I love this line, " The change in him was small but it was there. Some of the breezy confidence, the high-gloss polish had rubbed away." (Pg. 138) AHHHHHH WTF IS HAPPPENING TO MR> NOBODY lol haha.This #%^@#%^ is crazy, Mr. Nobody is dripping woahhhhh , pills are needed for survival.I like the description of his eyes not being there, so sketch. Best line on page 150, "I wanted to run, more than anything i wanted to run, but that would mean splashing, churning the flows and spreading the scent of my panic and fear out through the waterways."...Is it Clio????? Please be Clio.Run RUN RUN ...JUMP JUMP...DONT ASK ANY QUESTIONS JUST DO.....JUMMMMMMMpppppp.....
I think it’s kind of sad that Eric is sick fro, his head because he’s got the small conceptual fish in his head which is eating away his memory, little by little. I think that its scary when they mentions that he goes towards a light in the dark and follows because it reminds me of every scary movie I’ve seen. His attraction towards Mr. Nobody is weird because it’s not in a sexual way; instead, it’s because he knows what Eric is going through right now. I liked the description they had of dementia and old people because it relates to what Eric is going through. I found it interesting that he is unable to keep the shark captive because adult sharks would die after a short amount of time compared to an infant shark. On page 139, Mr. Nobody did some conceptual work which then was kind of cool because this attracted the shark, alike every time water is mentioned. I liked the part of the Geniuses because it says that geniuses don’t go mad because they are absorbed into their thoughts of intellect (pg. 140). At first I couldn’t tell that Mr. Nobody was dead because it was unclear. When we discussed it in class, I then saw that he was looking really bad and that at that point, Mr. Nobody had turned into a concept. Then I knew he was dead. I FREAKED out when his eyes were missing, and u could tell his “soulessness” (pg. 144). It is disgusting when he vomits and this black worm thing starts to move in his vomit. EEWWWW… The primitive conceptual fish were kind of cool. I totally liked the girl with the black hair, leather jacket, and boots. She seemed really BADASS!!!! She is in a blur as if he is trying to remember. If I were them, I would have gotten scared when the shark started chasing them when they were escaping on the motorcycle. It was awesome because the shark would follow them underground and the top fin was showing. I liked the transition at the end when it goes from an action scene to a calm and relaxed scene.
I really like that we get to see Eric become someone else during this reading. Though we have read about Eric having recreated himself in his past, it is very interesting to see Eric transform in and out of being Mark Richardson. This part is written in such a real way and it shows us that Eric doesn't have any control over who he is and who he becomes, these transformations just happen.
In this section, we get to see more of Hall's creative genius when he introduces a brilliant new character, Mr. Nobody. At first it was exciting for me that Eric has someone he can sympathize with, someone who is going through the same things, and has much success. I thought that they were going to become friends and Mr. Nobody could maybe be a source of inspiration possibly to Eric, but then again that would just be way too predictable and boring for Hall to have written. The idea of Mr. Nobody's pills is just so odd. He takes the pills because he doesn't want for them to dissolve? This is a great example of how both Eric and Mr. Nobody get so enwrapped in these ideas, such as the shark eating all of their memories, and this pill idea, that they eventually end up really losing it, because at some point maybe a pill will dissolve and at one point Eric will probably believe that a shark has eaten all of his memories. I absolutely agree with Brenda in that the way it ends is so odd. I get so into the story and then bam, an explosion, then bam, we're talking about a dictaphone. We're not in the story anymore! What just happened?
21 comments:
This section had many references to Alice in Wonderland and to water.
On pg. 130, Hall writes “So much for finding the place early and checking the LIE of the land”. This is perfect for this book because how can Eric know that anything he must deal with IS real? The infirmary is also an un-space, so do un-spaces even exist? On this same page, Eric feels like he has fallen down a rabbit hole – like Alice. On the very next page, there is a reference to a mirror. Eric stares at his reflection and isn’t able to believe that that person is him.
The man Eric meets at the infirmary wants to be called Nobody. Most of the sentences about who Nobody is or what he does can, out of context, be read as just “nobody”(as in not anyone). Looking at it like this, is Nobody even real? Does anyone actually do what Nobody does? If nobody does something, does that person exist or does that action actually take place?
Nobody says that the work he used to do was purely conceptual. As the Ludivician feeds on concepts, memories, and thoughts, it seems fit that he would be targeted by the shark. However, that makes me think, why would the Ludovician be after Eric? Are his memories extra-special? Is there something in his mind that makes him a prime target for the shark? Maybe it is just that the First Eric let him out, but why would the shark stick around afterwards? And why would Eric have known enough to know how to let out the shark? He must have known something, or at least thought in a special way, for the shark to keep hunting him. Unless the shark was after him, the First Eric gained enough info to track down the shark with Dr Trey, and then let it out, and now the shark is forever after him?
Time is really important in this chapter. Death is also mentioned. Again, what is a person without memory? Nobody says that his employer knows how to make victims of the Ludovician into wire-frames of people. But without records or without remembering or being remembered by someone, are they really people? On pg 141, Nobody says how geniuses go” out so far out that the water is like glass and they can see for miles….they go out over such depths…and some of them get taken” – maybe like Alice in “Through the Looking Glass”? On pg 155, the image of the Ludovician, although doesn’t include the full text,includes Eric’s name and Clio’s – maybe Eric’s true memories? On pg 158, Eric describes
“a sound like hissing of memes breaking…”. He first mentioned memes at the beginning of the book! Maybe memes and memories and the shark are closely entwined???
Sorry this is so long!!
I definitely would not have guessed that Eric's sickness was caused by the "idea of a thing" from Nobody's letter. Upon finding this out, it seemed to make sense, and the description of the Luxophage was one of my favorite sections in the book: "the length of a worry that doesn't quite wake you in your sleep… sucker-like mouth lined with dozens of sharp little doubts and inadequacies."
I loved the Nobody character and how he deteriorated as he talked with Eric; he reminded me of Gollum when he talked to himself. At first I suspected the the name "Nobody" would end up being significant, like when Odysseus called himself "Nobody" in The Odyssey to protect himself, but this has not been the case as of yet. I'm not sure of the significance of Nobody saying he and Eric were the same person, I get the feeling he just said that to mess with Eric, although Nobody does seem to be an extreme case of someone fallen prey to the Ludovician. I liked seeing Nobody's end because he seemed like such an evil character, and seeing him pulled through the floor seemed fitting for this book, as if the floor itself became only a concept.
I thought it was interesting how Eric lied to Ruth. She noticed he was sick, and he said he needed a walk. I didn't realize until now that no one knew where he was going. One thing I really liked in this section were the descriptions. Especially about the foyer: "A weak grey-blue light filled the space...low-grade sun from a damp and forgotten courtyard garden." I liked the words chosen because it really put an image in my head of what it looked like.
I thought it was kind of funny how Mr Nobody was nice to Eric even though it was a serious topic they were discussing. He said, "Very pleased to meet you," and asked Eric questions and was open in retun. He didn't just come and go.
I didn't like that Mr Nobody forced the other conceptual "fish" thing onto Eric. It fit the book only because the other shark is already controlling his life, he should be able to make decisions for himself. And I agree with Tom about Mr Nobody. He deserved it.
--Amanda
What I found interesting in this chapter was the affect that Ludovician had on Eric. He was just thinking when he couldn't complete the simple thought. I found his reaction funny when he starts yelling at Nobody for breaking the dictaphones and breaking the conceptual loop. I really liked the action and mysterious parts in the section. I found Nobody extremely weird, when I first read about him I was thinking that Eric was going to get the help he needed seeing Nobody had the same problem as Eric and looked like he was successful and living a good life. I was disapointed when the explosion occured and then the page breaks to a completely different subject: buying a new dictaphone. This writing style made me want to read more just wanting to read more of the action. The Alice in wonderland reference I read in this chapter was on page 130 was about him feeling like he was "splattering down a rabbit hole". I really enjoyed reading this chapter.
The descriptions of Eric being sick are very evocative. They describe almost perfectly the cloudy, foggy, sluggish feeling you have when you are sick. I love the way that Call is able to use language. He is able to describe things with feelings that we all have felt before. He also doesn't clutter his descriptions with meaningless words. He is very careful in his choice of diction. It is almost like a epic poem. The way he writes; he doesn't spend time or space on words without impact.
I absolutely love the idea of Mr. Nobody. The fact that a person can be dead but kept moving with the proper emotion (pills) is very intriguing. The way that he can exist but the soul behind his eyes are gone gives a strong impact to the construct that is Mr. Nobody. That idea helps to reinforce our notion that we are more than just machinery. We exist with souls and with awareness of who we are. The fact that coming out of Mr. Nobody's eyes are urge worms, helps to make the image of his soulless, machine-only body more real. I also loved that fact that because he was just a concept, he was swallowed whole by the conceptual shark. He seems to forget the dangers it poses and breaks the Dictaphone bringing about his own demise.
The hints given to us by Call are well placed in the story. They help to give us the feeling of nervous, apprehension without completely understanding what is so dangerous. This makes the transformation of Mr. Nobody more surprising. The way he begins to disintegrate into puddles brought back the theme of water almost being alive. The water had helped hold him together and without his conceptual pills to keep him together, he start to unravel. The action in this chapter was done with just the right amount of suspense. The surprise of the girl pushes the story into the next phase of Eric's odyssey.
I thought this way an insane section! As I said in the previous blog, I think that Steven Hall's descriptions and images are amazing. I think that is why I like this book so much so far. "Although the foyer itself had its window and the glass doors to feed in some kind of weak illumination, the corridors leading off to the left and to the right soon greyscaled themselves away into total darkness." I could picture this entirely in my mind, and for some odd reason, I imagined Harry Potter. (Doesn't it remind you of what Hogwarts looks like?). Yikes... Anyway, Mr Nobody is so weird. I mean, he is definitely an entertaining character, but he is just so odd. Like, what is with the sunglasses? The whole pill thing is such a weird concept. I really enjoyed it though because it was just SO different. Who takes pills to keep them from dissolving away? I love the line "How long until I need to take my fucking pills?" So great. I love when books have bad words in it. It makes them more exciting. Also, really nasty with the whole barfing thing. "...bile and matter and juices and oils, jellies and snots of thick green slime reeked and splattered out of me all over the black and white tiled floor." ...Yum? I love the image on page 155. It gives me a headache attempting to read the words though. Happens a lot with these images... Altogether really enjoying this book!
Wow! Now that was an exciting chapter. I really enjoyed the affirmation that concepts can gain sentience, or at least the perception of it. What really intrigues me though, is why he was dying. Is the concept that he represents one that is being forgotten? At any rate, it's strange how concepts for the most part appear to be cannibalistic, needing to feed off of each other in order to survive, what with how the shark feeds, and how Mr. Nobody required his pills in order to go on living. It kind of makes sense in a way. An idea cannot be effected by anything else other than another idea. Which kind of plays into how the shark was able to eat Nobody through the floor. The imagery of the shark subsequently pursuing Eric and his strange rescuer, the mystery girl was absolutely fantastic, what with all of the memories of what had happened on the field, it gave the feeling of dozens of tiny moving photographs being thrown up into the air. As excellent as the imagery is, I can't wait to find out more about the plot! Have we stumbled upon some wonderland populated entirely by conceptual people as well as animals? Is Nobodys employer a concept? What about the girl who saved Erics memory, is she one too? More than that, why are all these people interested in him all of a sudden? Also, I think I found another film reference in this chapter. The part where the luxophage is removed from Erics body, reminded me a lot of the part in the first Matrix movie where Trinity vacuums the robotic shrimp thing out of Neos stomach. I may be reading too much into this, but the similarity to the situations and events seems to be waving a neon sign over its head. - Asher
When Eric first picked up the package with this is for you written on the front, I was impressed with how far-reaching the first Eric Sanderson’s network was. Wrong. So wrong. Interesting that Eric was speaking from some point in the future on page 128, about leaving himself vulnerable to the Luxophage: “But in my exhaustion I had made a terrible mistake.”
I don’t remember him getting ahead of himself in the narrative before. Is this important?
Mr. Nobody was awesome. The tension built up in the scene without being obvious. Steven Hall is careful about not playing to your expectations. Just like Eric, I let my guard down with Mr. Nobody at first, and as he melted became more erratic and aggressive, I was just as bewildered as Eric. Their conversation was fast-paced and well-written, like all of the conversations in this book—again, Hall doesn’t play to your expectations. My one complaint was pages 142—143, when Mr. Nobody has his “conference call”. It was too obvious—“Shh, shut up, he’s going to hear”—sort of a cheap literary trick, a way to drop a lot of heavy hints about Mr. Nobody and his employer.
I didn’t believe the shark would appear outside the Manor—maybe the road was abandoned because of the floods, and qualified as un-space? Also, is anyone going to explain the grenade?
So we take our first adventure into un-space, and what an adventure it was. In this section the novel really redeems itself and becomes the thrilling odyssey that I have been promised since the beginning. From the beginning of chapter fourteen, we can tell that there is something amiss with Eric’s mind. His concentration seems a little unfocused and his thought patterns kind of go nowhere. The moment he enters the manor, these effects actually seemed to be heightened. This could be due to the conceptual fish controlling him or perhaps this is how un-space affects you. What was interesting to me about this first scene when Eric stumbles through the darkness searching for Nobody, was that I really didn’t have a clear description of place he was in or anything around him. Usually, Hall’s descriptions are impeccable down to the last speck of detail. So it seems that un-space isn’t really into being defined, or maybe Hall was just having an off day.
The whole sequence of occurrences regarding the loony and creepy Mr. Nobody was some of the best writing I’ve seen in any novel. As usual Hall does an excellent job in describing every moment of thrilling suspense and action. Much like in Homer’s “Odyssey” the scene starts out quite appealing to Eric, satisfying his frustration of not having anyone to talk to about his predicament. As the dialogue continues between the two characters, the tension continues to build with Nobody’s questioning of the time to take his pills becoming harsher and louder as the scene continues. Eventually this leads into more abnormal reality as Nobody literally begins melting away into a pool of his own sweat. In this way, I kind of saw Nobody as an actual body of thoughts and conceptual stream being brought forth either by the Luxophage’s mental manipulation or Eric’s desire, again, to be in contact with someone who can help him with the Ludivician. The fact that he sort of becomes hostile and deranged could be caused by Eric’s fear and weakness of mind or something to do with how un-space affects him. Any way you see it, this was a very intense and exciting moment in Eric’s own Odyssey and I hope to read many more.
I really enjoyed this reading. It was probably my favorite when I first read it. I loved how Hall really brought me into the book and made me become Eric when we first meet Mr. Nobody. I found myself liking Mr. Nobody and was just as excited when I found out he knew about the shark. As the conversation with Mr. Nobody continued, my read warning flags kept going off and I became suspicious of Mr. Nobody. I also became suspicious of Dr. Randle when I found out the Dr. Randle told Mr. Nobody about Eric.
My favorite part about the conversation with Mr. Nobody was his explanation of geniuses. Oddly enough it makes perfect sense. The geniuses become so wrapped up in their conceptual thoughts which lead them to go so far out into this conceptual sea where the shark eventually gets to them.
I loved the idea of Mr. Nobody’s pills. These conceptual pills are keeping Mr. Nobody alive but other than that he is “dead.” It almost seems like thoughts and your conceptual thoughts are what keep a person alive. I agree with Mr. Nobody that Eric is dead. The original Eric, the conceptual part of him, has died and a new conceptual Eric has then taken his place, similarly like Mr. Nobody is being kept alive by these pseudo-conceptual pills.
The only “complaint” I have of the chapter is Hall’s vivid description of Eric’s “getting sick.” I did enjoy the Luxophage though.
Finally toward the end of the reading we get some action! I love how Hall is so specific in his descriptions of the action. His descriptions allow the reader to create vivid mental pictures or create a miniature movie in his or her head. This makes the book much more like a movie then a book and makes it much more engaging. I even found myself having the same reaction as I do in the movies; I sat screaming, “Run you idiot! Leave the Dictaphones!” : )
Mr. Nobody is a good character for Hall to add. He is mysterious and eerie. He has important information but is not as helpful as Eric might wish for. A new rule I have created for myself; never trust someone who freaks about over popping pills. Mr. Nobody makes me realize how much of this story could be in Eric’s mind and not physically real. I really enjoy Page 158 and the girl rescuing Eric is exactly what would happen in a movie. I would like to visualize someone who cant see the shark watch Eric freak out throughout the story.
This section was soooo creepy! It didn't help that I was reading it right before I went to bed. After I shut the light out I was worried the shark was coming after me. I have a weird fear of sharks.
I liked the allusion to Alice in Wonderland on page 130, "My insides felt like offal splattering down a rabbit hole". I like that it was foreshadowing Eric's entrance to the hospital. The hospital is kind of like a rabbit hole he "falls" in and everything is different. This is really Eric's point of no return.
I didn't like that Mr. Nobody lulled us into a false sense of security. He didn't seem sinister at all but then he turned out to be super creepy. I loved his story about how his shark was drawn to him. I also loved this explaination for Alzheimer’s. Now anytime forgetfulness comes up I'm going to think "conceptual shark!!!" It was so scary when Mr. Nobody had his meltdown. When he had his "conference call" I thought he was just talking to himself but now I think he might actually have been talking to someone through some sort of weird connection possibly from the pills.
I loved the picture of the Luxophage. It was cool how it kind of made a sentence. Why did Mr. Nobody have to be so stupid? He didn't need to break the Dictaphones. What I don't understand is why the shark didn't get Eric once he stepped out of the Dictaphones? Oh well.
The shark attack was really cool. When I was little I was super afraid of sharks and I used to worry that there were sharks circling my bed but I would just tell myself that sharks couldn't swim on the floor, but guess what? Now they can pull people through floors! On page 151 I really liked the image of "the white tiles flushed red for a moment in an under-the-ice plume. The coulor dispersed in swirls and was gone". But then I realized that the red was blood and I was creeped out.
The chapter became less creepy and more actiony and stressful after the girl appeared. I loved the picture of the shark! It was so cool how it was like it was under the checkerboard floor. When they jumped through the window it was like they were jumping through the rabbit hole in reverse. When they got to the other side everything was normal. The image of the shark's fin rising up from the grass was amazing!
As the chapter started I couldn't help but be scared for Eric. Maybe not scared, but most definitely anxious. Immediately I thought that Mr. Nobody was actually the shark, tricking Eric into coming to unspace so that he could eat Eric.
I, like Naomi, enjoyed the way that all attributes of Mr. Nobody could be applied to anybody. The way that Hall writes about him fits in perfectly with the way that we know something and yet nothing at all about Mr. Nobody. It's subtle. just like the way that Mr. Nobody gradually changes, but if you pay attention to it then it's truly brilliant. The images that Hall creates in my mind off Mr. Nobody's skin literally sweating off him, watching him become nothing and fade away from us, is amazing.
The reading as a whole was great, even though most of it was sitting and talking between Eric and Mr. Nobody. I can't deny that I really loved when the girl showed and things really got moving. I hoped that it was Clio, because of course I'm a hopeless romantic. The way that Hall described the two of them on the motorcycle, riding across the football field and getting away, made me as a reading feel like I was on the bike. I felt Eric's uneasiness, and how nervous he was lighting the grenade.
At first I thought it was out of character for anyone to trust somebody the way that Eric trusted this girl right off the bat. However, as I thought about it more, it all made sense. He has nowhere else to go, nobody else to turn to, and obviously this girl knows him and may be able to provide answers to questions that aren't even on the tip of his tongue yet. I'm glad he went with her, even if I questioned it at first.
I love the section with the Luxophage, which also elaborates on the idea of the evolution of the conceptual fish, from the jawless fish to the cartilage-y fish, i.e the sharks. It makes me think that perhaps eventually conceptual vertebrates will evolve! I love the idea that was introduced that those parasitic Luxophages cause anguish, guilt, lethargy, forgetfulness, etc. in humans.
I feel bad for the creepy Mr. Nobody. His brilliance-and his insanity-in the end ended up being his downfall. As he says, "My theories were what drew it in." (pg. 141) referring to the Ludovician. Speaking of which, we see the Ludovician's full, complete, fully evolved form on page 155, and it is an awesome conceptual sight.
I have to say I was not happy when Eric was saved by a hot girl riding a motorcycle! Of COURSE it's a hot girl that rides a motorcycle, I mean how much more cliche can you get?!? But anyway, it looks like she might be Clio at this point, so we'll see how that turns out.
This chapter was like wattttttt in a good way haha. I like how he is sick yet we all think that he has the flu. Its very clever of StevenHall to say that he has a Luxophage in him, so weird but it ties perfectly with the book GOOD JOB STEVEN HALL. At this point i am really paranoid whenever Eric encounters water whether its taking a shower or drinking water or passsing by a water fountain. Haha i feel like the sharkie is ganna pop out of no where haha like in the movie "IT" ....YOU"RE NEVER SAFE HE WILL ALWAYS BE THERE LOOKING FOR YOU. i LOVE HOW HE DESCRIBES THE DARKNESS and i actually can get a feel of how pitch dark it is ...too damn creepy lol. " There was no one around, just me and the lamps standing together at the end of a long lonely hallaway." (pg.133)To have someone understand Eric and to know what hes going through makes me happy for him. I love this line, " The change in him was small but it was there. Some of the breezy confidence, the high-gloss polish had rubbed away." (Pg. 138) AHHHHHH WTF IS HAPPPENING TO MR> NOBODY lol haha.This #%^@#%^ is crazy, Mr. Nobody is dripping woahhhhh , pills are needed for survival.I like the description of his eyes not being there, so sketch. Best line on page 150, "I wanted to run, more than anything i wanted to run, but that would mean splashing, churning the flows and spreading the scent of my panic and fear out through the waterways."...Is it Clio????? Please be Clio.Run RUN RUN ...JUMP JUMP...DONT ASK ANY QUESTIONS JUST DO.....JUMMMMMMMpppppp.....
I think it’s kind of sad that Eric is sick fro, his head because he’s got the small conceptual fish in his head which is eating away his memory, little by little. I think that its scary when they mentions that he goes towards a light in the dark and follows because it reminds me of every scary movie I’ve seen. His attraction towards Mr. Nobody is weird because it’s not in a sexual way; instead, it’s because he knows what Eric is going through right now. I liked the description they had of dementia and old people because it relates to what Eric is going through. I found it interesting that he is unable to keep the shark captive because adult sharks would die after a short amount of time compared to an infant shark. On page 139, Mr. Nobody did some conceptual work which then was kind of cool because this attracted the shark, alike every time water is mentioned. I liked the part of the Geniuses because it says that geniuses don’t go mad because they are absorbed into their thoughts of intellect (pg. 140). At first I couldn’t tell that Mr. Nobody was dead because it was unclear. When we discussed it in class, I then saw that he was looking really bad and that at that point, Mr. Nobody had turned into a concept. Then I knew he was dead. I FREAKED out when his eyes were missing, and u could tell his “soulessness” (pg. 144). It is disgusting when he vomits and this black worm thing starts to move in his vomit. EEWWWW… The primitive conceptual fish were kind of cool. I totally liked the girl with the black hair, leather jacket, and boots. She seemed really BADASS!!!! She is in a blur as if he is trying to remember. If I were them, I would have gotten scared when the shark started chasing them when they were escaping on the motorcycle. It was awesome because the shark would follow them underground and the top fin was showing. I liked the transition at the end when it goes from an action scene to a calm and relaxed scene.
I really like that we get to see Eric become someone else during this reading. Though we have read about Eric having recreated himself in his past, it is very interesting to see Eric transform in and out of being Mark Richardson. This part is written in such a real way and it shows us that Eric doesn't have any control over who he is and who he becomes, these transformations just happen.
ooops, sorry, posted that in the fourth one instead of third.
In this section, we get to see more of Hall's creative genius when he introduces a brilliant new character, Mr. Nobody. At first it was exciting for me that Eric has someone he can sympathize with, someone who is going through the same things, and has much success. I thought that they were going to become friends and Mr. Nobody could maybe be a source of inspiration possibly to Eric, but then again that would just be way too predictable and boring for Hall to have written. The idea of Mr. Nobody's pills is just so odd. He takes the pills because he doesn't want for them to dissolve? This is a great example of how both Eric and Mr. Nobody get so enwrapped in these ideas, such as the shark eating all of their memories, and this pill idea, that they eventually end up really losing it, because at some point maybe a pill will dissolve and at one point Eric will probably believe that a shark has eaten all of his memories. I absolutely agree with Brenda in that the way it ends is so odd. I get so into the story and then bam, an explosion, then bam, we're talking about a dictaphone. We're not in the story anymore! What just happened?
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