Robert Anton Wilson's Illuminatus Trilogy

[JemCheeta]

Has anyone on here read these psychotic and amazing books?
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It isn't that you couldn't see the forest from the trees, it's just that you've never been out in the woods alone.
-Ben Folds Five, Philosophy

[Sorus]

Years ago. It's somewhere on my long, long list of things to reread.
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And though I have shed my skin
I can't tell if I've grown

Burn your white flags, refuse to surrender
Then raise your red flags to remember
To remember

[danlo]

Yes of course--Gnomes of Zurich--UFOs--Chuthulu--you name it! Conspiracies upon conspiracies-practically founded the Church of the Subgenius. Ever played the board game!? Ah I love it!!!
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"The day science begins to study non-physical phenomena, it will make more progress in one decade than in all previous centuries of it's existence."~Nikola Tesla

[JemCheeta]

Actually, Reverand Stang of the Church of the Subgenius broadcasts out of Cleveland State university near where I live every sunday at 9, and I JUST REALIZED that I missed the hour of slack because I'm talking about it.
Curses.


Anyway, I don't know anyone else that has read it, and theres so much to talk about in it that it left my head spinning. It was better the second time through though.
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It isn't that you couldn't see the forest from the trees, it's just that you've never been out in the woods alone.
-Ben Folds Five, Philosophy

[Avatar]

Have read it a few times, except I've never been able to get my hands on book 4. Love them, love the other books he's written, never fails to bend my mind one way or another. BTW, another Member is a fan of them as well, Count Cagliostro.

Great Books


--A
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Don't believe everything you think.

[Kinslaughterer]

I'm a big fan...can't think to hard on some of the conspiracies as I may start believeing them




fnord!
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"We do not follow maps to buried treasure, and remember:X never, ever, marks the spot."
- Professor Henry Jones Jr.

"Hither came Conan, the Cimmerian, black-haired, sullen-eyed, sword in hand, a thief, a reaver, a slayer, with gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth, to tread the jeweled thrones of the Earth under his sandalled feet."

http://crowcanyon.org/
support your local archaeologist!

[Avatar]

<-- Ahem.

--A
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Don't believe everything you think.

[Kinslaughterer]

Oh yeah, they are there. I started noticing them after I picked up my Discordian pope card...
_________________
"We do not follow maps to buried treasure, and remember:X never, ever, marks the spot."
- Professor Henry Jones Jr.

"Hither came Conan, the Cimmerian, black-haired, sullen-eyed, sword in hand, a thief, a reaver, a slayer, with gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth, to tread the jeweled thrones of the Earth under his sandalled feet."

http://crowcanyon.org/
support your local archaeologist!

[Avatar]

I carry a Deity card myself.

--A
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Don't believe everything you think.

[The Laughing Man]

I have a license to operate a forklift.

[danlo]

I tryed to form an "Anti-Masonic gathering" in college but I started hearing very strange stories about the Tri-Lateral Commision that scared the wholly hell out of me!
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"The day science begins to study non-physical phenomena, it will make more progress in one decade than in all previous centuries of it's existence."~Nikola Tesla

[Zarathustra]

I finished the trilogy a couple months ago. I was not impressed. This is coming from a Watcher who pays homage to RAW in his forum name! There are MUCH better RAW books--all of his "nonfiction" books, for instance. All the Cosmic Trigger series, to be specific. In his nonfiction books, you get all the important philosophical concepts in the Illuminatus in a much more condensed form, without the silly characters and implausible, contrived coincidences. Wilson is an amazing thinker. This trilogy does not exhibit the full depth of his thought.

I suppose if this were the first thing of his I'd read, I might be impressed. It clearly touches on themes such as the uncertain nature of reality, the relativity of history, the practical uses of conceptual anarchy. But this series is so long with such little payoff, I'm afraid that if this were all people read of his stuff, they'd stop there.

A much better book (though even harder to read) is Masks of the Illuminati, in which Aliester Crowley is a character. That man is fucked up! I think James Joyce and Einstien make an appearance, too. Imagine the possibilities with those three in a story! Just imagine the conversations they would have.

In the end, I'll have to say that I like the post-modern pseudo-stream-of-consciousness style this trilogy tries to acheive. I like the confusing, disorienting effect of the sudden, inexplicable changes in character point-of-view. I like the blurring of the symbolic and literal lines. But this trilogy was ultimately disappointing.

[Avatar]

I enjoyed it because I'd already enjoyed some of his other writing, although I've only really read his fiction.

I think he went a long way toward proving his own suggestion that if you sift enough nonsense, there is gold in there too.

The problem is telling the difference.

--A
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Don't believe everything you think.

[Tulizar]

[danlo]

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"The day science begins to study non-physical phenomena, it will make more progress in one decade than in all previous centuries of it's existence."~Nikola Tesla

[earthbrah]

I got through it once, and vowed never to return...read too much like a bad trip for my taste.

And I was cornswabbled to find that it was on the shelf of the little school I was then teaching at in Namibia. I had it taken off the shelf...
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"Verily, wisdom is like hunger. Perhaps it is a very fine thing--but who would willingly partake of it."
--Saltheart Foamfollower

"Latency--what is concealed--is the demonstrable presence of the future."
--Jean Gebser

[Cagliostro]

Wow, how have I never seen this?

Actually, I'm totally with Z on this. I'd say out of RAW's work, this is probably my least favorite, which is odd as he is most known for it. The last time I read it was probably over 10 years ago, and it was interesting being able to separate the co-authors out. I've only read one Robert Shea book, and while most of Illuminatus read like Wilson, I never felt like they were my favorite pairings. However, from playing the card game first, then seeing the book that served primarily as inspiration, it was pretty mind altering, and introduced me to a bunch of concepts that I fell in love with. But I must say that most of his other books do a much better job at getting those across.

My favorite of his fiction books are the sadly frequently passed over Historical Illuminatus books. They are much more coherent and fascinating. But I definitely prefer his "non-fiction," particularly the Cosmic Trigger books. Despite their typically awful new-agey covers. He is a brilliant man to me, and it comes across more often in his non-fiction.

Edit: Wilson had said at one point that Masks of the Illuminati was the sequel to the Historical Illuminatus series, despite saying that he was working on a fourth book at times. And Masks reads similar to the Historical, but I definitely have my preference. And Cagliostro had a bigger role, which drew me to him once upon a time.
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Life is a waste of time
Time is a waste of life
So get wasted all of the time
And you'll have the time of your life

[earthbrah]

Clearly I need to read more of his stuff...
_________________
"Verily, wisdom is like hunger. Perhaps it is a very fine thing--but who would willingly partake of it."
--Saltheart Foamfollower

"Latency--what is concealed--is the demonstrable presence of the future."
--Jean Gebser

[hue of bone]

Hail Eris. All Hail Discordia
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. . . that power is the anchor of the arch of life, that spans and masters Time: and white - white gold, not ebon, ichor, incarnadine, viridian - because white is the hue of bone; structure of flesh, discipline of life . . .

[Avatar]

Pax et Discordia.

Heute die Welt, Morgens das Sonnensystem!



--A
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Don't believe everything you think.