Titanium White by CF

[thatguy]

I just read the first offering. Enjoyed it. Laughed at the "we're fucked" bit. I appreciate the font. Very readable. Nice story out the gate to engage the reader...

--tg
PS: unexpectedly, I imagine the story being told in your voice, rather than the particular character's voice...

[Drunk Monk]

I enjoyed tDoCS too, mostly for its time distortion. It made me ponder how I’d describe cf’s writing style, as I’ve read a lot of it over the years and this had that distinct underlying tone I attribute to cf. There’s a lot in the technobabble (for lack of a better term) which he casually works into descriptions without missing a beat, forcing the reader to accept the vernacular bricks that he quickly lays to build his worlds.

Deceptiod took several night for me to read because I’ve been reading in bed late in the evening, which is a poor time to read but it’s habit. I found the ending existential and still want to know what the tattoo is. Also the line about falling for Kabita for her mind reminded me that lcf said that once about cf, and then I started to look for relationship metaphors.

It’s good to be back in the speculative worlds of cf.

[Drunk Monk]

Been meaning to comment on the titular sorry but I’ve been absent minded about D00M reports lately. I had this strange deja vu whilst reading this, as if it was a party I had been to, something about the delicious cheeses struck too close to home. I read this well over a week ago but just didn’t comment. 

The Coming of the Goonga - I believe I’ve read this before, perhaps in some anthology. It struck me as if jabberwocky was a short story instead of a Wonderland poem. Not sure I understood it then. Still don’t quite understand it now. But it has a catchy title and the extensive use of made up words is strangely engaging.

[Drunk Monk]

Come, Mongoose, I want to play was a really fun read. I loved the atmosphere of it and the way it moved the story along. At a point, it had a meta vibe, and overall, it went a lot of fun places. 

I think I spotted a typo - one instance of Natasha dropped a consonant, the t I think. I went back to look for it and couldn’t find it so maybe it was my mind that dropped that letter.

[Drunk Monk]

This is my travel read for Mar de Jade and it’s perfect. It’s like having cf alongside for the trip. 

One rambunctious classmate was looking to do a book trade, saw the cover staring back at him and balked. Once I explained that it was written by my dear longtime friend, he used that to wriggle out of the trade. I think he was scared. Score 1 for cf.

[Drunk Monk]

That was a delightful read, especially on here on vacation.

I think perhaps I know cf too well. After practicing Kung fu side-by-side for so many years, we’ve had countless endorphin-fueled conversations in between forms, and cf has shared many of the elements going into some of these tales. I’ve read a few previously (I have a tiny cache of cf pubs in f&sf mag) but most were new. The nods to Kung Fu were funny, and some of the odd references reminded me of thoughts we’ve shared over the years. That cf humor, so compelling, irreverent and quirky, shines on. The Easter eggs, especially in the Dali story, made for wonderful discoveries. And the perverse sex made me wonder how much was cf imagination and how much was metaphors for real life experiences (remembering that cf was the person who told me there was such a thing as amputee porn). I was thoroughly engrossed, not just by the storytelling, but also by random observations, like the fact that Chinese hotels have elevator rugs with the day of the week printed on them, recalling past mutual adventures and speculations. I found myself curious to find elements of D00M characters woven into protagonists (I never did - if there are any, they are well hidden). 

Grateful for the read, cf. Twas most excellent!