Fuzzy Dice: A Novel

by Paul Di Filippo, Rudy Rucker (introduction)

“Di Filippo clowns his way through this transdimensional travelogue cut from the same cloth as Douglas Adams’s Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.” —Publishers Weekly   At forty-five-years-old, Paul Girard is a self-loathing clerk at an independent bookstore, having finally killed his dream of being a writer by throwing out his rejected manuscripts. Drowning in existential angst, Paul can’t envision much of a future for himself—until he meets Hans.    Hans is one of the Mind Children, an artificial race that has succeeded humanity. If Paul allows Hans to copy his human essence, the key to Superspace and its infinite number of universes will be his. And even though said key is a yo-yo, Paul agrees.   Desperate to escape his banal reality, Paul flings the yo-yo and winds up in the singularity that preceded the Big Bang . . . a matriarchal society of women warriors . . . a realm populated by TV characters from his childhood. But Paul’s frantic travels only prove one wherever he goes in the multiverse, there he is. Now how does he get home?  “It’s like Tom Robbins’s classic Even Cowgirls Get the Blues recast in the hands of gonzo mathematician Rudy Rucker as a kind of ontological day trip.” —Locus  “Frothing with ideas, Fuzzy Dice is one more reason Di Filippo is one of the most imaginative (and underappreciated) writers working today. . . . If humorously intelligent science fiction far beyond the madding crowd is your cup of tea, then this novel (and Di Filippo in general) cannot disappoint. . . . Great fun, great read—almost as much as Sheckley’s Dimension of Miracles.” —Speculiction    

Genres: Science Fiction, Humor, Fantasy, Fiction, Speculative Fiction

374 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Paul Di Filippo is the author of hundreds of short stories, some of which have been collected in these widely-praised collections: The Steampunk Trilogy, Ribofunk, Fractal Paisleys, Lost Pages, Little Doors, Strange Trades, Babylon Sisters, and his multiple-award-nominated novella, A Year in the Linear City. Another earlier collection, Destroy All Brains, was published by Pirate Writings, but is quite rare because of the extremely short print run (if you see one, buy it!).

The popularity of Di Filippo’s short stories sometimes distracts from the impact of his mindbending, utterly unclassifiable novels: Ciphers, Joe’s Liver, Fuzzy Dice, A Mouthful of Tongues, and Spondulix. Paul’s offbeat sensibility, soulful characterizations, exquisite-yet-compact prose, and laugh-out-loud dialogue give his work a charmingly unique voice that is both compelling and addictive. He has been a finalist for the Hugo, Nebula, BSFA, Philip K. Dick, Wired Magazine, and World Fantasy awards.

Despite his dilatory ways, Paul affirms that the sequel to A Year in the Linear City, to be titled A Princess of the Linear Jungle, will get written in 2008. He has two books forthcoming from PS Publications: the collection entitled Harsh Oases and the novel titled Roadside Bodhisattva. His 2008 novel Cosmocopia is graced by Jim Woodring illustrations.

Paul lives in Providence, Rhode Island.

Reviews

[JenniferRuth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about one of my favourite subjects - the multiverse and the ontological pickle. Our protaganist, Paul Girard, is granted the ability to traverse the mutliverse - an infinite number of universes with an infinite number of possible variations - using a yo-yo made of "strange matter". All he has to do is think of where he wants to go, spin the yo-yo and he'll be there. However, with an infinite number of possibilities there is an infinite amount of interpretation that can be applied to your wishes. Paul discovers this quite fast as he misadventures through cellular automata, meme worlds, universes ruled by chaos or morphic resonances, singularities and finally, the Omega Point. He picks up quite a few people along the way and by the end, perhaps learns something from it.

The real treat in reading this book is the sheer amount of ideas that Di Filippo pours out onto every page. Menger sponges, references to the work of Italo Calvino, group personalities, happy cats, and the biggest question humanity has ever asked - "Why is there something instead of nothing?" - are all explored and more! Di Filippo takes these concepts and molds them into entire worlds.

Science fiction can often be annoyingly unimaginative - with the whole realm of possibility to play with writers often don't think very far past their own experiences. Di Filippo turns this on it's head - his character, Paul, makes some very mundane choices with his yo-yo, but Di Filippo manages to expand each one into places that you have never even thought of.

If you love high-concept science fiction then this book is for you. It'll take you through all 10 dimensions and back again!

[Sara]

My hopless dream
remmber the coffy shop at water
with rosy tafta in window
white chire
run the shadow of dream
went mountin and come back
and iam her in dizy mind
can a dream come true
can wishes fly kiss the cloud
why is there somthing insteed of nothing?
lost in night
but i will make my sound
hearing
wes went to spring love
green day
just grap my yo-yo
travel throw shadow of love eyes
to be after that mountine
high
like star and cloud
far from that wind
just take my shaool
my amperela
to protect from hot su
dew my love

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some times it’s hard to compare great books because they necessarily are great in there own unique way. Were they too similar to other great books they wouldn’t stand out as being great but instead eclipsing or being eclipsed by there similar cousins. This book need not fear any such comparison from me. While there may be no work truest disconnected from the eternal regress of inspiration this title has done all that could be to blaze its own trail across the fascinating and wonder studded multiverse. A great read that’s both funny and poignant, it respects its reader and offers new avenues of consideration. Both novel and familiar in its efforts to confound and betray expectation, this is a book not to be missed by the sci-fi lover with a passion for the limitless and mind bending. A wonderful romp though the best parts of sci-fi and philosophy. Highly recommended.

[Crypticstill · Rating 2 out of 5]

That was okay. Some good multiverse ideas, some humor, postmodernistic exercises. At the same time, the story is absolutely not absorbing and the characters do not cause any emotions at all. I finished it not because I was interested in what happens to the characters, but rather to know simply how the author ends it. And the ending... It was boring, to say the least.

I don't recommend to read it after Lem's Futurological Congress - you'll feel as if it is a similar style but not enough to be comparable at all.

[Jeffsnyder11 · Rating 5 out of 5]

What the...

Not exactly sure what I just read, but it was something! A whirlwind of creativity, adventure and trippy thoughts. A perfect balance of thought provoking ideas and pure thoughtless enjoyment of the ride.

[Doug · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read

Interesting and fun. It crosses over nicely with a science book I read about different parallel universe theories. Lots of references to pop culture and computer science.

[Vincent Hernot · Rating 2 out of 5]

2nd time of trying Di Filippo, and I don't know, it's a sort of blend between the Rudy Rucker of the 90s and Robert Sheckley, but it doesn't really do it for me.

[Tobey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This adventure across the multiverse is more concerned with the ideas explored in each alternate world than it is with the characters making the journey, but it is still a journey worth taking.

I think the most impressive aspect of this book is the fact that it really takes on the staggering concept of infinity. If there are an infinite number of universes, then it logically follows that there are universes out there that conform to anything you are capable of imagining and everything that you aren't. When Paul Girard is given a yo-yo that takes him to any universe he wants to visit, the author uses this format to explore a number of theories about evolutionary development, and a little bit of alternate history. All of this is presented from the point of view of our narrator, Paul, who is kind of a self-centered jerk.

The ending is the most interesting part of the story, and it reminded me of Terry Gilliam's Brazil, in that could be a happy ending, or a very dark ending depending on your point of view. Essentially, the bad guys kill Paul and his friends, but then a being that looks just like Paul and has all of the memories and thoughts of Paul up until the moment he died comes into being thousands of years later in a "heaven". So what if someone is emulated perfectly after they die, and that emulation gets to experience heaven? Does that count as a happy ending even if it is not really the same Paul, just an identical manifestation of Paul? It might not to us, but as far as the new Paul is concerned he has all of the thoughts and memories of the old Paul and he is happy so Paul gets a happy ending.

Like I said, this is a book about ideas and if that is what you're up for, you should definitely sling this yo-yo.

[Dennis · Rating 3 out of 5]

My expectations were extremely high for this book, far exceeding what I was able to glean from it, unfortunately.

I almost put the book down after 60-80 pages, due to the superfluously verbose style of writing which signaled (at least, to me) the author's narcissistic tendencies, and overall I kept finding faults with his acute explanations of the narrator's choices. It was a bit frustrating to see some things that I considered contradictory to his intended conclusions, but I decided to stick it out.

Thankfully, the book increased in amusement at about that point in the story, but the rest was constantly filled with explanations that tried to explain fictitious examples of metaphysical and parapsychological idioms and theorems, but done in a way such as to only aid in the story. This always gave me the impression that the author had simply "wiki'd" a load of substantive topics of which he was impressed, and coined them into his plot-lines specifically to get out of self-created holes or simply to tout his acquaintance with the topics or subject-matter.

As for the ending, it was an extremely cheap way to go (much like using open-ended theories to tie the plot earlier), and I probably won't ever read it again strictly because of that. I should probably rate it lower than 3 stars, but I did enjoy some of the writing (even though I felt his sentencing was more to show his vocabulary than to actually convey his thoughts, but who am I to REALLY know that answer?), and enjoyed a couple of the supporting characters and their developments.

It's worth a look if you can get over the aforementioned short-comings, but it's nothing life-changing for me...

[zxvasdf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely not one of Di Filippo's best works, but still a fun crash course in the more esoteric fields of Scientific theory. Sheldraken fields, many worlds theory, the Omega Point, to name a few. He packages these heady concepts into an easy to read trip into total weirdness which encapsulates the capricious nature of Murphy's Law or the Genie's granting of a wish.

It does make you wonder, if your life was actually that interesting, only you never knew it...

[Donald Armfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

My third book by this author I recommend this author to all Sci-Fi, Humor Readers

This was a fantastic ride thru different dimensions. From The beginning normal earth to Cartoon Land. I felt like a passenger in a dolrian traveling beside Christopher Llyod on acid.
Grab your Yo-Yo & Ronald Reagan Pez container and follow this story to the end.

[verbava · Rating 3 out of 5]

це, звісно, було не так дивовижно, як "стімпанк", але теж дуже симпатично.
фрагментарна книжка - з того розряду, шо, наприклад, "химера" барта чи "мантиса" фаулза. але сподобалася мені більше, ніж вони обидві, може, тому, шо менш претензійна - й кожен зі світів, у яких відбувається дія, ретельно, майже любовно так вибудовує, а не merely описує.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow... this is the book that got me hooked on Paul Di Filippo stories. The main character meets an alien who may as well be God, as it can do just about anything. It ends up being a fast paced travel thru time, space, and beyond. Fun book, but not for kids.

[Kim · Rating 1 out of 5]

Forced my way through the first 20 pages, then skipped around to see if it got any better. It didn't, and in fact I kind of hated the main character by the time I put the thing down. I can see how some people are entranced by this book, but I'm not one of them.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first I wasn't too sure. Most of the science went over my head and I hate that! But I didn't go look it up either. Knowledge would hve made the story better I'm sure. But the main character was such a dip it was hard to care.

The book got me at the last chapter and I was glad it did

[Jeff Chu · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read, in my opinion it's an extension of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy but gone awry and more focused on world leaping (Sliders, perhaps?). Many allusions and references to other SF works which add a bit if charm to the story.

[Jeremiah Genest · Rating 3 out of 5]

With tongue firmly in cheek, Di Filippo clowns his way through this transdimensional travelogue.

[Mia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A charmingly silly book that creates potential universes where all kinds of theoretical constructs become real. I found the ending disappointing, otherwise I think I might have rated it higher.

[Terrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although a bit "out there" with the mathematics, I found this enjoyable...especially the homage to kid tee-vee.

[Samantha Balmes]

Excellent book if you love pondering the existence of life. A lot of fun, satire, and good jokes to light up a very serious philophoical quest.

[Benjamin Kahn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of fun. Very funny.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing. Like reading all of science fiction at once.