Book Club: Poker Without Cards

[Iason Ouabache]

I'm 20 pages in. (Told ya I was a slow reader)  I like it so far but some of the exposition feels clunky. There have been a couple of lines that took me out of the book because real people don't talk like that.

[Cain]

No-one in reality talks like Howard.

Not even Ben Mack, I suspect.

[Iason Ouabache]

No-one in reality talks like Howard.

Not even Ben Mack, I suspect.

I understand. This is meant to be a Dialogue where Howard is the lecturer and Dr. Fink is just there to move the conversation along. There's just a couple spots near the beginning where the exposition doesn't flow as smoothly as it does elsewhere. It's more my fault than the author's. I suck as suspending disbelief sometimes.

[Triple Zero]

Havent started reading yet, but I will.

[Cain]

Oh, no, I actually agree with the criticism, I just wanted to point out that, yeah, I haven't heard anyone talk quite the way Howard does in this.

[Cramulus]

yeah the dialogue bugs me. It's god-awful in parts. If I were reading HC as one continuous narrative, like a first person novel, it wouldn't seem so wooden. But since there's dialogue and transcription notes to break up the rants and diatribes, it keeps bringing you back to the context as a dialogue.

It's kind of like a socratic dialogue, with Dr. Fink playing the sophist. So far, he seems like a mouthpiece for conventional thought.

[Iason Ouabache]

Just noticed that Howard Campbell is an "HC". I'm going to assume that that was intentional.

[Elder Iptuous]

good catch....
i wonder if it was intentional.
has Mack written any commentary or had any interviews regarding PwoC?

[Requia ☣]

HC?

[Elder Iptuous]

hagbard celine

[Requia ☣]

Oh, I thought it was Celine Hagbard.

[Iason Ouabache]

HC?

http://www.rawilsonfans.com/articles/characterguide.htm

H.C.   Never trust anyone with the initials  H.C.    Harold Canvera, Hagbard Celine, Heathcliffe Clark, Harry Coin, Howard Cork, Hart Crane, H.C. Winifred

I assume this means that we shouldn't trust Howard Campbell either.

[Requia ☣]

Would you with the shit he's spouting?  He's crazier than the catatonic guy.

[Cain]

good catch....
i wonder if it was intentional.
has Mack written any commentary or had any interviews regarding PwoC?

I think there was a sort of meta-fictional "interview" recording of him on Grey Lodge's website, somewhere.

Anytime Joesph Matheny's name is mentioned, you can be assured that the fiction extends well beyond where you would expect.

[Elder Iptuous]

I think there was a sort of meta-fictional "interview" recording of him on Grey Lodge's website, somewhere.

Anytime Joesph Matheny's name is mentioned, you can be assured that the fiction extends well beyond where you would expect.

Does this Matheny fellow have something to do with PwoC other than being among the references?