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How did you discover the Raw Shark Texts/Steven Hall? Options
MiaVRO
Posted: Thursday, July 16, 2009 4:17:11 PM

Rank: Bede Shark
Groups: Shoal

Joined: 1/24/2009
Posts: 260
Location: Canada
Want to share your stories?

Here's mine:
I was browsing in the book store when the spine of TRST caught my eye. I looked through it and thought "Psht, just a House of Leaves wannabe" (a cruel thought, I know, but I was obsessed with HoL at that point)
However, I could NEVER stop thinking about Raw Shark! It was the only thing i could think about for the longest time, and every time I went to the book store it was my "to buy" book, but, I never ended up buying it! Finally, after a few months, I made the purchase with a gift certificate from Christmas, and finished it in a few days (I actually considered skipping out on a New Years party to finish the book, but, I didn't, so that added one day to my read-time)

Also, when the paperback came out, I went to the book store that day just to take a peek!
Mr. Somebody
Posted: Sunday, July 19, 2009 11:19:37 PM

Rank: Fry
Groups: Shoal

Joined: 3/10/2009
Posts: 9
Location: USA
I went into my dad's office which is a whirlwind of junk. I looked at a stack of new books he had just bought. The UK TRST cover caught my eye and I asked if he had read it. He said that he hadn't, but I was welcome if I wanted to. I finished my other book a few days later and started The Raw. I was blown away! I nearly put the book down because the thought of conceptual fish was too crazy for me. Thankfully I didn't because this is the best book that I have ever read. When I finished the book, I realized just how much I loved it! I'm glad that I found read this book before my dad, because he would have hated it and thrown it away!
justoffthecoast
Posted: Monday, July 20, 2009 6:15:16 PM
Rank: Fry
Groups: Shoal

Joined: 7/20/2009
Posts: 2
Location: Monaca, PA
My girlfriend bought it for me a couple birthdays ago. I started reading it as soon as I got it but only got a chapter or two in (I was still in college at the time, and my birthday was only slightly before finals started). I put it down until this summer, when I re-started from the beginning and became instantly addicted. I finished it yesterday and knew even before I finished that it was the most brilliant book I've ever read. I can't get enough, so I quickly found my way here and will be setting out on a quest to find and collect the negative chapters. Thanks to Steven for re-awakening my literary curiosity after years of dormancy; I eagerly await his next book, as well as the film adaptation of TRST.
timlarsson
Posted: Monday, September 28, 2009 9:03:07 PM

Rank: Luxophage
Groups: Shoal

Joined: 5/7/2009
Posts: 104
Location: Sweden
Actually, it was Mark Z. D. who wrote about it on his mySpace... He said we should check it out, I did and fell for it instantly!
heartbreak
Posted: Tuesday, September 29, 2009 8:43:13 AM
Rank: Unspace Science Committee
Groups: Shoal , Unspace Science Committee

Joined: 1/24/2009
Posts: 218
timlarsson wrote:
Actually, it was Mark Z. D. who wrote about it on his mySpace... He said we should check it out, I did and fell for it instantly!


Same here.
CpVb006
Posted: Tuesday, September 29, 2009 7:52:24 PM

Rank: Shoal
Groups: Shoal , Unspace Science Committee

Joined: 1/24/2009
Posts: 139
Location: United States
heartbreak wrote:
timlarsson wrote:
Actually, it was Mark Z. D. who wrote about it on his mySpace... He said we should check it out, I did and fell for it instantly!


Same here.


Make that three.

I wish we'd hear something new from MZD. Whether about something he has coming up, or a recommendation of something I end up liking even half as much as I did TRST.
timlarsson
Posted: Wednesday, November 04, 2009 9:53:33 PM

Rank: Luxophage
Groups: Shoal

Joined: 5/7/2009
Posts: 104
Location: Sweden
Same here CpVb006... Either that, or that mr Hall's new book suddenly just appeared out of thin air on top of my desk :)
chrisps
Posted: Thursday, November 05, 2009 3:05:56 AM
Rank: Fry
Groups: Shoal

Joined: 10/29/2009
Posts: 7
Location: london
justoffthecoast wrote:
My girlfriend bought it for me a couple birthdays ago. I started reading it as soon as I got it but only got a chapter or two in (I was still in college at the time, and my birthday was only slightly before finals started). I put it down until this summer, when I re-started from the beginning and became instantly addicted.
Quote:
I finished it yesterday and knew even before I finished that it was the most brilliant book I've ever read. I can't get enough, so I quickly found my way here and will be setting out on a quest to find and collect the negative chapters.
Thanks to Steven for re-awakening my literary curiosity after years of dormancy; I eagerly await his next book, as well as the film adaptation of TRST.
Quote:


haha i hope you're not serious.
drklunk
Posted: Friday, June 11, 2010 4:46:36 AM
Rank: Fry
Groups: Shoal

Joined: 6/11/2010
Posts: 1
Location: FL
Ive never been a reader until I picked up Welcome To The Monkey House by Kurt Vonnegut Jr., which I loved. I was talking to a friend in class about it and she recommended this book to me so I bought it used from Amazon. This was the first book Ive ever read and could not put down. It was always in the back of my head. Started reading it just before graduation and got side tracked but read about a chapter a day. Summer came, blew through the rest of it. Read it again some months later and recently started it again before sending it to a friend in NY. We're making an altered book out of it, reading as we go through.

This book though, its awesome.
bunnymud
Posted: Sunday, June 20, 2010 10:41:00 AM
Rank: Fry
Groups: Shoal

Joined: 6/20/2010
Posts: 2
Location: New Orleans
I arrived by way of The House of Leaves
UNderstanding Concept
Posted: Monday, June 21, 2010 2:30:32 AM
Rank: Fry
Groups: Shoal

Joined: 4/23/2010
Posts: 12
Location: U.S.
I also arrived by way of House of Leaves, I would venture to guess that many of us did.
Conceptually yours...
Posted: Monday, June 21, 2010 9:49:38 AM

Rank: Deconstructive Piranha
Groups: Shoal

Joined: 1/24/2009
Posts: 90
Location: Glossop Manchester
I was talking to a friend who told me that an old friend of ours had finished his book, he told me it was called sharking texting or something, so I went straight to Waterstones and purchased it, and I must say definately one of the best books I have read for some time.

See in black and white, feel in slow motion....
Marygold
Posted: Friday, October 01, 2010 8:24:44 PM
Rank: Fry
Groups: Shoal

Joined: 10/1/2010
Posts: 3
Location: Finland
TSRT (the Finnish translation) was an entrance examination book of literacy in our university two years ago. Due to poor Finnish translation of the name ("Haiteksti", meaning just "The Shark Text") I actually supposed it to be a nonfiction book before I read it... And I was very surprised when it was not. Even if I did not end up to study literacy but psychology, it became my all time favourite book...

By the way, it is a real shame that there is no Finnish translation of The House of Leaves, because everyone here is talking about it and I am so curious :D But I could not find even the English version from library or any Finnish book store...
IsthereaMissesNobody?1123
Posted: Wednesday, October 13, 2010 5:53:34 PM
Rank: Fry
Groups: Shoal

Joined: 5/21/2010
Posts: 11
Location: America
Read an interview with MZD where he was asked if he thought Hall was taking notice and copying him he said he liked TRST and people of Paper for their originality. On one note it is this which is very unfortunate to say that Steven Hall is the British MZD (just give it time), I say this because writers like Steven and Mark are ALWAYS going to be meshed together, which I believe ruins both writers talent and makes people think House of Leaves IS TRST and vice versa if anything Hall and Danielewski are very different.
Mr. Somebody
Posted: Thursday, October 14, 2010 7:50:29 PM

Rank: Fry
Groups: Shoal

Joined: 3/10/2009
Posts: 9
Location: USA
I really had trouble with The House of Leaves. Either I'm really thick or I totally missed the point, but I seemed to latch onto TRST much easier.
euripus
Posted: Wednesday, December 15, 2010 4:18:56 AM
Rank: Fry
Groups: Shoal

Joined: 12/15/2010
Posts: 1
Location: San Diego, CA
After reading House of Leaves, I looked up books to read that were similar. This book is definitely in my top three books ever read alongside House of Leaves.
timlarsson
Posted: Friday, December 17, 2010 11:43:34 PM

Rank: Luxophage
Groups: Shoal

Joined: 5/7/2009
Posts: 104
Location: Sweden
Mr. Somebody wrote:
I really had trouble with The House of Leaves. Either I'm really thick or I totally missed the point, but I seemed to latch onto TRST much easier.


I don't think you're thick. I think it has more to do with TRST being more of a novel and less "art"... TRST has a solid story that everyone can enjoy, and for us extra interested, there are some hidden stuff everywhere and negatives and all.. HOL on the other hand, isn't for everyone. you HAVE to have the extra interest from the get go, making it harder to get into.

My mom even wanted to read TRST when I told her about it, she thought it sounded interesting!

MiaVRO
Posted: Saturday, December 18, 2010 2:19:37 AM

Rank: Bede Shark
Groups: Shoal

Joined: 1/24/2009
Posts: 260
Location: Canada
Yeah I agree with timlarsson. HoL took up like, four whole months of my life. It was much more about the "meta" part of the fiction rather than the "novel" part like TRST is. Raw Shark definitely has the advantage of a strong storyline to pull you along, whereas that's a bit lacking, or rather, more convoluted in House of Leaves. They seem super similar, but in reality they're sort of far apart.
PostModernMan
Posted: Sunday, May 15, 2011 8:49:11 PM
Rank: Fry
Groups: Shoal

Joined: 5/15/2011
Posts: 2
Read it for my high school post modern literature class
shakycircuit
Posted: Wednesday, May 18, 2011 6:56:36 AM

Rank: Fry
Groups: Shoal

Joined: 6/14/2009
Posts: 2
Location: Gainesville, FL
Im sad I didnt see this question sooner!

I found it about three years ago. Im obsessed with sharks and was going through shark stuff on Amazon randomly. RST popped up on the "things you might also like". I think I read about 2 sentences about the book and immediately ordered. I was going through a lot of things at that time so it was one of those right place at the right time situations. This book gave me back my mental stability.
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