Who Wrote 'Centennial' And Why Is It Famous?

There’s a good Wikipedia article about this: “Ingersoll Lockwood”. The book is from 1896 and is a satirical/panic novel from the election year of that. The ‘why’ is explained in sufficient detail by the historical context of the Populist Movement and the Gold Standard vs. Free Silver issue. The author portrayed the Banking/Industrialists’ fear of farm inflation in currency form via this novel. And trust me, it’s not that hard to read and understand. It’s a very short book, out of print, and out of copyright. You can easily download and read it online (which contains much period-specific language and style). I would definitely not read this expecting some sort of prophetic masterpiece. It’s a partisan tract written in a flash. Most of the current fascination with this novel by Internet weirdos is due to the coincidence of the author’s name.

Reading through this discussion is really helping me understand the extent to which my favorite things were influenced by specific doujinshi artists that I read in my teens. For me, their take on characters was so much more real than the official versions.

The Terminal List is a fast-paced action-packed novel and also a very real and authentic look at the life of a warrior. The book was written by Jack Carr, a former SEAL, who was able to bring his first hand experience to the story whether describing the minute details of a sniper’s breathing or the absolute chaos of an ambush. Reece is a very methodical man who is able to reach the most violent of ends. That Reece can be so technical and at the same time explode in anger makes him a great and complex character in The Terminal List. The novel is a great mix of technical detail and human drama.

You can love or hate Shakespeare but he’s certainly written a play with many memorable lines, some of which stick in the mind long after they’ve been read. Romeo’s last words, ‘Thus with a kiss I die’ are particularly haunting as is Juliet’s request to the nurse ‘Give me my Romeo; and, when he shall die, / Take him and cut him out in little stars’ to be remembered forever in celestial art. There are many more quoted lines throughout the play, including ‘Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs’, ‘O happy dagger!’, and many more which evoke strong emotions and are a big part of the play’s longevity and the reason it continues to feel so alive today.

Remember you said to not overlook any long books? I am going to recommend ‘Clarissa’ by Samuel Richardson. ‘Clarissa’ is an 18th-century epistolary novel and is one of the longest novels in the English language. The repetition in the letters from the protagonist, Clarissa, is often detailed and increasingly desperate as her situation worsens. I felt as though I was trapped in her perspective as her situation continued to deteriorate and the number of pages seemed to be getting greater and greater as she was placed under greater and greater pressure. It was not an easy or even particularly good read, but as a foundational text for the novel it was a psychological deep, complex, exploration of human emotions that required a lot of patience. It is definitely of historical interest for those studying literature, particularly the novel, as it demonstrates the creative use of form and the exploration of the human psyche that early novelists used. But it is a real challenge for other readers and offers a very unique and unconventional glimpse into the past of uncommon length and emotional depth. It is a very long book in terms of page count as well as emotional endurance.

it's one of those stories that defies simple genre labels. At its core, it blends urban fantasy with heavy metaphysical elements, creating this rich tapestry where modern settings collide with ancient magic systems. The protagonist's journey through self-discovery mirrors classic coming-of-age arcs, but the supernatural twists push it firmly into speculative fiction territory. The magic system itself feels like a mix of occultism and quantum physics, with characters manipulating reality through esoteric knowledge. This gives the story a distinct philosophical edge that reminds me of works like 'The Magicians' but with a darker, more experimental tone. The author isn't afraid to explore abstract concepts like consciousness manipulation and parallel dimensions, which adds layers of psychological depth. What really stands out is how seamlessly it incorporates elements from multiple genres. There are clear influences from cosmic horror in the way ancient entities are portrayed, yet the character-driven narrative keeps it grounded. Action sequences read like shonen manga at times, while the political intrigue between magical factions could fit right into a high fantasy novel. This genre-blending approach makes 'A Nascent Kaleidoscope' feel fresh and unpredictable.

ALRIGHT! So the line that still gets me is way at the end of the play. There Truman asks Christof “Was nothing real?” And Christof, quietly and woundedly replies “You were real. That’s what made you so good to watch.” In that moment he is not lying. The whole appeal of Truman Show was that Truman was human and therefore real. And Truman was trying to stop being real in order to control everything. This is a famous line and a great moment for a dramatic villain. Here he’s admitted the obvious that his flawless fictional world needed one real, unpredictable thing in it in order to have any value whatsoever, and in trying to control that one real thing he has destroyed it, thus ruining the show in the process of trying to save it. Tragically brilliant.

The ending of 'In Perpetuity' successfully managed to provide closure for the story whilst keeping a lot of aspects open to interpretation. Instead of trying to break the time loop for good the protagonist redefined it in a meaningful way for himself in the last scenes. Lots of the last scenes were very still and potent. It’s a brilliant ending that leaves a lasting impression on the reader making you re-read the whole story with new found insight.

K.M. Moronova wrote this story. It has a lot of cosmic horror in it, but it’s a gothic horror story. Thus, there’s a lot of personal, emotional horror in it as well. The house in this story operates according to rules that are unknown to man and in which man’s suffering means nothing. Thus, the “flame” is not evil. It simply is. And man, by nature, is a moth. He is drawn to the flame. This type of bleak, Existential horror is present throughout the story. Author Moronova is heavily influenced by the works of Thomas Ligotti. Thus, this story explores a rather bleak and unpleasant view of the universe – a universe which is meaningless and even hostile to man. Moronova’s inspiration for this story was to combine typical, emotional, personal horror found in your average gothic horror with the impersonal,often even more horrific, cosmic horror found in weird fiction. This was a very chilling combination.

For the sake of this list, I can only focus on the great 80s power ballads, so for example, “The Final Countdown” by Europe is not about a phoenix, but it’s a very triumphant and fiery song to launch off into something. The synth riff is so iconic. For a song literally called “Phoenix,” then there’s “Phoenix” by Asia, a super AOR song that is about renewal. Then there’s “Fly Like an Eagle” by Steve Miller Band (the eagle can certainly rise up above, after all). Occasionally a song can evoke the exact feeling and inspiration you need for a phoenix song and “Hearts on Fire” from the Rockey IV soundtrack is training montage music to help Rocky rise to the challenge in front of him to meet his adversary. It’s all about feeling like you can rise up and be unstoppable after having been through the wringer.