Radix — A.A. Attanasio

A saga of a young man's odyssey of self-discovery on an eerily alien Earth thirteen centuries in the future.Rich in detail and filled with beings brought to life with intense energy, this strange and beautiful world reveals its secrets as Sumner Kagan changes from an adolescent outcast to a warrior with godlike powers. In the process, we accompany Sumner on an epic and transcendent journey.Nebula Award NomineeWARNINGThis is not a typical science fiction novel. Radix is anarchic fiction. It uses mutinous language and grotesque imagery to dismantle the conventional way of perceiving and experiencing narrative and the world. It is a dangerous work of art. It is not intended for readers with traditional expectations or fragile sensibilities. Inspired by Arthur Rimbaud's A Season in Hell, published a century earlier, Radix fulfills the poet's vision of a transgressive hero who exhausts within himself all poisons and preserves their quintessence. Unspeakable torment, where he will need the greatest faith, a superhuman strength, where he becomes among all men the great invalid, the great criminal, the great accursed--and the Supreme Scientist!CAUTION (from a typical science fiction reader: 2theD at Potpourri Science Fiction Literature): There were times when I cringed in utter pain, screamed out in agony, wished that I had never picked up this dreaded novel. There's a large following of this book for some reason, though any understanding of this reason is impenetrable to me. As philosophy is often referred to as masturbation with words, I would extend this metaphor to Radix: fascinating for the author and voyeurs but a nuisance to passers-by, like myself. I'd rather perform haruspicy or anthropomancy with my bare hands than pick up another Attanasio novel. How can people read this drivel... because it sounds intelligent? Have you read it?Do you dare?