Customer Reviews

Fallen Nation: Babylon Burning

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Thick with both occult and pop-culture references "Fallen Nation" summons up echo's of Robert Anton Wilson's "Illuminatus!" trilogy. The book sets an aggressive pace as it follows the adventures of several gods who are seeking to reform the nature of reality and their own minds. If you are at all a fan of "American Gods" by Neil Gayman or Illuminatus! this book is one which you will surely enjoy.

How can I put this lightly? Fallen Nation is like Neil Gaiman's American Gods on an ayahuasca trip, while rocking out to the noise of Mushroomhead, with the lyrical subtext of Steely Dan. To all those that thought Curcio's Join My Cult! was good, this is James Curcio to the second power... with spicey mustard for added kick.

There has been a lot of comparisons made between James Curcio and Robert Anton Wilson, Philip K. Dick, or even a little Neil Gaiman. Throw those out the window - even my comparison above. If you're reading Fallen Nation with those comparisons in mind, you're not doing the book - nor Curcio - any justice. This is something totally new. Curcio's book is specifically meant to stimulate the missing art of storytelling and hijack the archetypes of mythology that have - for too long - been buried in your subconscious.

Curcio has stepped up his game since Join My Cult!. Fallen Nation is big on cultural warfare, but unlike the rebellious "teenage revolution" feel of Join My Cult!, Fallen Nation is the more mature sibling that knows which battles are best to fight, and goes in with a game plan rather than a grenade. This isn't to say that its tame; to the contrary, it makes it that much more powerful.

For additional information - and downloadable content - check out the books web site.

Illuminatus, Robert Anton Wilson, Philip K. Dick and Neil Gaiman certainly all come to mind when reading Fallen Nation; Haruki Murakami and Alan Moore too. I love all these authors, but thankfully Curcio is doing something all his own here. He's not aping anyone else.

In Fallen Nation Curcio has dragged something unsettlingly out of the shadows of modern culture so we can examine its contours more closely. In the process we may note the hidden effects of oh-so-fashionable complacency, homogeneity, cynicism, escapism and post-modern irony just as his rebel-rousing characters must; and just maybe find a portion of the courage, tenacity, wit and humor they unfold in order to find both themselves and a better, more humane way of living.

If you liked any of the fore-mentioned authors then this book is for you. If you enjoyed his previous book, Join My Cult!, then you're going to absolutely love this one. It's a faster, more fun-loving and dangerous ride.

Curcio's prose begs the reader to live and love like there's no tomorrow... 'cause you know what? Your end, and the end of the American Empire may be coming sooner then you think.

An anarchistic dystopia that might not be so hard to believe in. Curcio is a great writer, and truly delves into the human soul with his character production and surreal landscapes of the inevitable babylon!

If you enjoy Hunter S. Thompson, Robert Anton Wilson, and Crowley then you will enjoy this. Even if you do not, this man is truly and up and coming author, that I think everyone will enjoy. I'm excited to see what else will come from this unique mind.

Your head will be spinning too when you read this. That's a good thing. Trust me. No, really.

Hunter S. Thompson's darkest fantasy - sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll bring down the forces trying to turn us into cookie-cutter people. Along the way there's some seriously hardcore philosophical babble that might make your head hurt if you're unprepared. But if you are, it will probably make you grin in pleased recognition: "A fellow travelor!"

But it's no Utopian vision. James Curcio has no illusions as to what the crumbling of the infrastructure would mean to most of us. (As most of us do, which is why so many won't question deeply). But the infrastructure (and thus those who comprise the infrastructure) aren't particularly benign. They can't be. Security, to their mind, is based on conformity and control, completely antithetical to the individual.

What's the answer? Perhaps there isn't one. Or perhaps there isn't just one. The question is: will we wait until the decision is made for us?

This is not a review per se. This title has been pulled from sale on Amazon so as to be completely overhauled as the first in a related modern mythology series all running under the "Fallen Nation" brand. Stay tuned for that.

Philip K. Dick had an ability to portray human psychological states with very realistic responses to very unrealistic stresses.

Fallen Nation: Babylon Burning was not really at all like a PKD universe. It didn't have any sort of clever set-up. I'd equate it more to 'American Gods.'

Rather than portraying a unified new mythology as it attempts, the author instead presents a haphazard collection of fringe and pop culture references, and seems to think that outcome is awfully clever. Call it the 'Family Guy' version of 'A Scanner Darkly.'

It is also riddled with spelling errors such as Aderol (Adderall) and countless others. Perhaps future endeavors will be accompanied by more rigorous copy editing.