What do You think about The Ticket That Exploded (1994)?
This is the first book in the Nova series that makes even any sense at all, or at least has portions I found I could explain to others. This book is notable for a much heavier and intentional inclusion of actual science fiction (as opposed to things that were most likely simply drug-fueled delusions). Burroughs fascination with film splicing and the use of tape recorders also marks the era of his writing but opens a door on more of his prophetic visions of how technology would be used in the future. The last chapter is perhaps the simplest and most straightforward bit of writing Burroughs does, but is fascinating in terms of his perspective on how audio-video tech can influence the world around us.Ultimately I can still only recommend this to the most loyal Burroughs fans.
—B. Jay
This is the second book in the "trilogy" that I read and not really a trilogy as we normally conceive of them as they can be read in any order. Whereas "The Soft Machine" introduced the concept of the cut-up novel to the world, "The Ticket That Exploded" took it to a whole new level adding in more popular music, explaining how Burroughs thought we could subvert the ruling oligarchy with these techniques, and integrating a much more SciFi feel than the previous novel. As with "The Soft Machine" this is not for the weak of stomache or the average reader as the technique involves cutting up pieces of well-known, not so well-known, and Burroughs own writing and mashing them together and editing them into a choppy yet cohesive string that challenges the reader to stretch outside their normal comfort zone for a "novel." The commentary included in this version helps explain some of the references and some of the new technique that Burroughs included in this version which added folding to the cutting, meaning he folded pages of different writings together rather than just cutting pieces. The commentary is excellent and well-researched and helped increase the overall enjoyment I got from this. Ultimately, I think Burroughs was hoping to help us break the chains of control of society and our minds and instilling us with a revolutionary spirit in our approach to what it means to be alive in the modern age.
—Scot
Up until I read McCarthy's The Road, this was King of the Hill for over a decade. The book Uncle Bill wrote right dead center at the transition between the raw cut up style of the Nova trilogy and the later books where he "attained mastery". Bottom line-it's his best book. Burroughs will always be my favorite writer, there is no one comes close to his sheer artistic power, and no one can hold a candle to his deadpan cynicism that fluctuates between hate and love of all things human.This is the one book he let his guard down a little, and wasn't trying to impress anybody. He just got swept up in the storm of badassedness that was his own voice, and rode the wave.
—Tedopon
