The Diceman.

Only few books have made a lasting impression on me. However, I think I just finished one that did: "The Diceman" written by George Cockcroft (alias Luke Rhinehart) in 1971. In brief, Luke Rhinehart is a successful psychiatrist who feels bored and unsuccessful, and begins making life decisions based on the casting of dice. While at times a bit vulgar (rape and sex are very present throughout the book), this is a very impressive book. Rhinehard's new method of live puts in questions the one most of us are living at the moment - one where we are slaves to rules, customs, and often our own grown-into set of habits.

Fig 1. The Diceman

Btw, I recently received an email from Tim Butcher - the author of "Blood River". At the right of this blog one finds my reviews of several books. This included a review on his book: "[Not a good book]". In the email to me he wrote (paraphrased): "Unfortunately you did not like the book, but it's always good to get reviews. Good luck with your future work." That's good sport, and so I was planned to write a more complete review. However, the dice told me not to. :). Also, I also recently finished a new book by Jason Stearns - a PhD collegue at Yale and a real expert on the Congo. Of course, a large, well-structured review about this book has been added to the right of this blog as well.