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Random
From Penn Jillette of the legendary magic duo Penn & Teller: a rollicking crime caper that will bend your mind like a spoon.
Two weeks before his twenty-first birthday, Las Vegas native Bobby Ingersoll finds out he’s inherited a crushing gambling debt from his scumbag father. The debt is owed to an even scummier bag named Fraser Ruphart who oversees his bottom-rung criminal empire from the classy-adjacent Trump International Hotel. Bobby’s prospects of paying off the note, which comes due the day he turns twenty-one, are about as dim as the sign on the hotel’s facade.
The two weeks pass in the blink of a (snake) eye, but before Bobby’s luck runs out, he stumbles upon enough cash to pay off Ruphart and change his family’s fortune. More importantly, he finds himself with a new, for lack of a better word, faith.
Bobby does not consign his big break to a “higher power”—what Penn Jillette hero ever could? Instead, he devises and devotes himself to Random, a philosophy where his life choices are based entirely on the roll of his “lucky” dice. What follows is a rollicking exploration into not so much what defines us as what divines us when we give over every decision—from what to eat to whom to marry to how or when to die—to the random fall of two numbered cubes.
Random combines the intellectual curiosity of Richard Dawkins with the humor and grit of an Elmore Leonard antihero. Jillette’s up-on-his-luck Ingersoll is the character we need to help us navigate the chaos of the post-truth era.
Well, unless his roll runs cold.
Two weeks before his twenty-first birthday, Las Vegas native Bobby Ingersoll finds out he’s inherited a crushing gambling debt from his scumbag father. The debt is owed to an even scummier bag named Fraser Ruphart who oversees his bottom-rung criminal empire from the classy-adjacent Trump International Hotel. Bobby’s prospects of paying off the note, which comes due the day he turns twenty-one, are about as dim as the sign on the hotel’s facade.
The two weeks pass in the blink of a (snake) eye, but before Bobby’s luck runs out, he stumbles upon enough cash to pay off Ruphart and change his family’s fortune. More importantly, he finds himself with a new, for lack of a better word, faith.
Bobby does not consign his big break to a “higher power”—what Penn Jillette hero ever could? Instead, he devises and devotes himself to Random, a philosophy where his life choices are based entirely on the roll of his “lucky” dice. What follows is a rollicking exploration into not so much what defines us as what divines us when we give over every decision—from what to eat to whom to marry to how or when to die—to the random fall of two numbered cubes.
Random combines the intellectual curiosity of Richard Dawkins with the humor and grit of an Elmore Leonard antihero. Jillette’s up-on-his-luck Ingersoll is the character we need to help us navigate the chaos of the post-truth era.
Well, unless his roll runs cold.
264 pages, Hardcover
Published October 11, 2022
67 people are currently reading
479 people want to read
About the author
Penn Jillette
42 books448 followersPenn Fraser Jillette is an American comedian, illusionist, juggler and writer known for his work with fellow illusionist Teller in the team Penn & Teller.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews
May 3, 2022
Thank you to Akashic Books for an ARC of this book.
As someone who loves living in Las Vegas, I hoped this book would strike the right chord with me. And wow did it ever! The deeper I got into this story, the more I felt like I was reading a modern day version of "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" because of how wild it is! Anything is possible in Sin City and Bobby Ingersoll is a character that lives it every day. Faced with having to pay off his father's massive gambling debt or watching his entire family be killed over it, Bobby is searching for any way to get that money. From asking friends for loans to comically knocking over a 7-11, Bobby is desperate. That is until he finds himself in a situation where he stumbles upon some cash and places a fateful bet on his 21st birthday that completely changes his world and his idea of what chance and the idea of "random" actually means. Bobby decides to start living his life by the idea of Random, rolling the dice when he needs to make a choice, playing the odds of life.
This book is hilarious, thought provoking, satirical, and frankly just plain fun. It's a love letter to Las Vegas itself, with the descriptions of the city throughout adding to the storyline and the plot. Places like the Orleans, the Golden Nugget, Binion's, and the Fremont Street Experience all have roles to play in Bobby's adventure. I have to say that the local people mentioned in this book like Piff the Magic Dragon, Carrot Top, Mac King, and a wonderful literary tribute to the great Johnny Thompson, all add to the world that Penn Jillette has created in his unique voice.
As someone who loves living in Las Vegas, I hoped this book would strike the right chord with me. And wow did it ever! The deeper I got into this story, the more I felt like I was reading a modern day version of "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" because of how wild it is! Anything is possible in Sin City and Bobby Ingersoll is a character that lives it every day. Faced with having to pay off his father's massive gambling debt or watching his entire family be killed over it, Bobby is searching for any way to get that money. From asking friends for loans to comically knocking over a 7-11, Bobby is desperate. That is until he finds himself in a situation where he stumbles upon some cash and places a fateful bet on his 21st birthday that completely changes his world and his idea of what chance and the idea of "random" actually means. Bobby decides to start living his life by the idea of Random, rolling the dice when he needs to make a choice, playing the odds of life.
This book is hilarious, thought provoking, satirical, and frankly just plain fun. It's a love letter to Las Vegas itself, with the descriptions of the city throughout adding to the storyline and the plot. Places like the Orleans, the Golden Nugget, Binion's, and the Fremont Street Experience all have roles to play in Bobby's adventure. I have to say that the local people mentioned in this book like Piff the Magic Dragon, Carrot Top, Mac King, and a wonderful literary tribute to the great Johnny Thompson, all add to the world that Penn Jillette has created in his unique voice.
September 16, 2022
Ten years ago, a coworker said to me, “Jim, you’re so random!” I took it as a compliment and have worn it since. I requested and received a review copy of this from the publisher through LibraryThing, as the premise intrigued me and I’ve been a fan of Mr. Jillette for a long time. (Met, talked to, shook hands, and got the pictures together in Vegas the night the nut job shot a bunch of people at that concert. Nice gentlemen, he and Teller. Not so the shooter.) It took a little for me to adjust to the style, but when I did…
Wild book. A bit Dashiell Hammett, a bit Spillane, a bit of Henry Miller, Elmore Leonard (that’s self claimed from the jacket), and a lot, of course, of Penn Jillette. He jabs at the stereotypes, the tropes, the cranks. And The Former Guy and his Magats get their Penn treatment: “Of course. Skiff lived in the same stupid building [Trump International] with the same stupid name on it as the other stupid bad guy. Skiff was that kind of Trump/Ruphart guy, except smarter than both of them put together, which is the same as saying smarter than Ruphart.” - priceless! He hits Vegas itself, hell, even Dallas (“Dallas is nothing. It’s just a city with fewer Mormons than SLC.”) Jillette also swings his no bullshit hammer at more than a few crazies. This is hard-boiled, vulgar, and of course, Random. The pace fits the venue - fast, no resting, always something going on. And the Random twist makes it all surreal. There are a ton of staccato phrases that just grabbed me, like on driving through the desert: “High-lonesome fugue-state driving.”
If you are offended or sensitive to some where-did-that-come-from-? vulgarities, take this as a wave off. If not, you’re in for a ride.
Wild book. A bit Dashiell Hammett, a bit Spillane, a bit of Henry Miller, Elmore Leonard (that’s self claimed from the jacket), and a lot, of course, of Penn Jillette. He jabs at the stereotypes, the tropes, the cranks. And The Former Guy and his Magats get their Penn treatment: “Of course. Skiff lived in the same stupid building [Trump International] with the same stupid name on it as the other stupid bad guy. Skiff was that kind of Trump/Ruphart guy, except smarter than both of them put together, which is the same as saying smarter than Ruphart.” - priceless! He hits Vegas itself, hell, even Dallas (“Dallas is nothing. It’s just a city with fewer Mormons than SLC.”) Jillette also swings his no bullshit hammer at more than a few crazies. This is hard-boiled, vulgar, and of course, Random. The pace fits the venue - fast, no resting, always something going on. And the Random twist makes it all surreal. There are a ton of staccato phrases that just grabbed me, like on driving through the desert: “High-lonesome fugue-state driving.”
If you are offended or sensitive to some where-did-that-come-from-? vulgarities, take this as a wave off. If not, you’re in for a ride.
October 3, 2022
An absolutely bonkers, entertaining tale from beginning to end. I was sad every time I had to put it down to sleep or be a responsible human being.
October 22, 2022
A really great book that made me suffer through soooo many descriptions of Bobby smelling or tasting his own cum
November 4, 2022
Even if I hadn't known this book was written by Penn Jillette, if you had just handed me a mystery manuscript I would know this was from the brain of Mr Jillette. I may go and get the audio book in addition to my print copy just so I can hear him read it, I heard it in his voice in my head but ya know sometimes you want the real deal. Anyway, this was a wacky wild trip. I fully enjoyed this book
December 15, 2022
It’s a manic trip through all things Vegas. 2 points for creativity. But the repetition and one-liners and sophomoric humor were a bit much.
January 9, 2023
Nope. No Booker nomination for this one, Mr. Jillette.
On the other hand, the story perfectly illustrates the title.
On the other hand, the story perfectly illustrates the title.
January 8, 2025
That sure was something. I picked up this book expecting random nonsense, because Random.
By the end I just wanted the main character to die and be done with it. The story while interesting in moments just had random overly disgusting parts for no real reason. Did I expect some wild sex and weird circumstances from a book called Random, sure. What was really unnecessary was the obsession of the main character with the smell and taste of his own cum.
The side characters that were brought into the story felt flat and uninteresting. The main character is just an asshole using Random as his excuse for being an asshole. "You know I can't promise that it's based on the dice".
Overall I will not recommend and I should have just DNF'd.
By the end I just wanted the main character to die and be done with it. The story while interesting in moments just had random overly disgusting parts for no real reason. Did I expect some wild sex and weird circumstances from a book called Random, sure. What was really unnecessary was the obsession of the main character with the smell and taste of his own cum.
The side characters that were brought into the story felt flat and uninteresting. The main character is just an asshole using Random as his excuse for being an asshole. "You know I can't promise that it's based on the dice".
Overall I will not recommend and I should have just DNF'd.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 25, 2023
A decent book, but you can't help but read it in Penn's voice and sometimes that's a detriment. The main conceit of the book gets annoying about halfway through. Fortunately, the book is short so you can get through it. There's a few primers on group sex, so if you ever find yourself in that situation this is a good manual for what to do and when and who to do it with. It's a distraction in the book. There is some unnecessary crudeness in it, which seems to just be for shock value. I just talked myself into knocking a star off the review.
November 17, 2022
A pretty original idea filled with plenty of overwrought pulp fiction tropes. Penn is an amazing magician; as a fiction writer...not so much. Still, pretty enjoyable but some parts were just a little too over the top for me. Was also underwhelmed by the ending and normally I don't put too much weight in endings.
Read
November 10, 2022Let's try to be nice and say the book just isn't to my taste. Mr Jillette is, in my humble opinion, trying too hard.
Read
August 15, 2023DNF
July 3, 2024
DNF at chapter 14- this book is gross and is super slow. I can do vulgar but this book is beyond that (carrying your own c*m rag around in public to lick and sniff) I’m out
April 5, 2023
Wasn't sure what I was expecting with this, and I suppose with that title, that makes sense. It was weird, and yes, I expected that. However, it was uber-weird in some places, so much so that I was thinking about quitting right after our main character is carrying around his bucket full of money with a certain towel on top of said cash.
Look, I know it's Vegas. And I know it's Penn, so of course there's going to be sex in the book and not what one would think of as plain old white-bread intercourse. But this was just OUT THERE with it. So yeah, not a fan of that aspect.
And yet, I still wanted to know what would happy to Bobby, to Terri, to Skiff, to Ruphart, and the rest of the assortment of weirdos that show up in this work. So yeah, I finished it. Make of that what you will.
Look, I know it's Vegas. And I know it's Penn, so of course there's going to be sex in the book and not what one would think of as plain old white-bread intercourse. But this was just OUT THERE with it. So yeah, not a fan of that aspect.
And yet, I still wanted to know what would happy to Bobby, to Terri, to Skiff, to Ruphart, and the rest of the assortment of weirdos that show up in this work. So yeah, I finished it. Make of that what you will.
November 16, 2022
Entertaining read, although some readers will be put off by the raunchiness. Audiobook is narrated by Jillette, and he does a great job- his voice is perfect for the tone of the story, gritty and excited. The story gives the reader a look behind the glitz and glamour of Vegas, to the dirty, lawless side the entertainment world has told us is there.
My only complaint is that the protagonist is nearly 21 and navigating the underworld of Vegas seamlessly, yet most kids that age I've met could hardly do a proper load of laundry.
Thanks to NetGalley for an ALC in exchange for an honest review.
My only complaint is that the protagonist is nearly 21 and navigating the underworld of Vegas seamlessly, yet most kids that age I've met could hardly do a proper load of laundry.
Thanks to NetGalley for an ALC in exchange for an honest review.
November 29, 2022
Really liked the concept of randomness controlling every decision you make. Penn has made a career on being a really-loud-magician-guy and this book definitely captures his essence. Felt it was a little too lude/crude for this prude at some parts, but super entertaining overall!
December 4, 2022
A Gonzo, bonkers comedic thriller . . . A super goofy premise that somehow pays off . . .
January 1, 2023
Detailed review to come.
January 17, 2023
One of the most accurate book titles I've ever seen. Very bonkers. A short but fun ride. Though with some truly insane moments
March 23, 2023
I got to say, I am a huge fan of Penn Jillette from his podcast and his work on Television, but this book just did not do it for me. I think the most grading aspects of it were some of Penn's more obnoxious personality traits came through in the writing. He has this almost manic side to his writing that seemed to rush through all the parts where the story needed to slow down and breathe. It left me feeling like the characters were just that, two dimensional characters imagined by a Vegas Magician, rather than actual people living in a fictional story.
Jillette's own moral philosophy is oozing throughout this story. He has made no apologies about being a libertarian in the past, which I am not blasting him for, but he takes this notion of living your life at random and really takes it to selfish conclusions that I think only a Libertarian could reach. Through the book, Jillette almost luxuriates in the idea that a life could be really best lived through the will of a random pair of dice. While he admits at times that the main character Bobby is "Crazier than a shit-house rat", everything he does Randomly turns out okay for him in the end. He never has to deal with the effects his random lifestyle has on others. Yes one character ends up dying, but even then it didn't seem to affect Bobby that much in the grand scheme of things. It is an entirely selfish worldview that he basically gets away with.
Maybe my own political and moral beliefs are coming into play here, but it feels like only someone who believes that whatever they do is okay as long as it doesn't actively hurt other people (the basic tenant of libertarianism) can think up a novel where a person basically surrenders their life to Random chaos and everything turns out alright in the end with no one real consequences to anyone of value to the main character.
I also had issue, with a lesser extent, to Jillette's vernacular. This wasn't a huge issue, I listen to his podcast. However his dialogue and story-telling did feel cringey to me at times and it was painful to read.
In my experience Penn Jillette is an excellent writer of nonfiction, I loved his other two books "Presto" and "Everyday is an Athiest Holiday", however I felt like this book was not doing it for me. It felt obnoxious and cringey at times, I didn't agree with the premise, and the story itself felt rushed and incredibly two dimensional. As mean as it may be to say this, I don't think this book would have been published as widely as it was if it hadn't had a famous name like Penn Jillette on the cover.
Jillette's own moral philosophy is oozing throughout this story. He has made no apologies about being a libertarian in the past, which I am not blasting him for, but he takes this notion of living your life at random and really takes it to selfish conclusions that I think only a Libertarian could reach. Through the book, Jillette almost luxuriates in the idea that a life could be really best lived through the will of a random pair of dice. While he admits at times that the main character Bobby is "Crazier than a shit-house rat", everything he does Randomly turns out okay for him in the end. He never has to deal with the effects his random lifestyle has on others. Yes one character ends up dying, but even then it didn't seem to affect Bobby that much in the grand scheme of things. It is an entirely selfish worldview that he basically gets away with.
Maybe my own political and moral beliefs are coming into play here, but it feels like only someone who believes that whatever they do is okay as long as it doesn't actively hurt other people (the basic tenant of libertarianism) can think up a novel where a person basically surrenders their life to Random chaos and everything turns out alright in the end with no one real consequences to anyone of value to the main character.
I also had issue, with a lesser extent, to Jillette's vernacular. This wasn't a huge issue, I listen to his podcast. However his dialogue and story-telling did feel cringey to me at times and it was painful to read.
In my experience Penn Jillette is an excellent writer of nonfiction, I loved his other two books "Presto" and "Everyday is an Athiest Holiday", however I felt like this book was not doing it for me. It felt obnoxious and cringey at times, I didn't agree with the premise, and the story itself felt rushed and incredibly two dimensional. As mean as it may be to say this, I don't think this book would have been published as widely as it was if it hadn't had a famous name like Penn Jillette on the cover.
December 23, 2022
I'm a big fan of Penn Jillette, but unfortunately, this novel just wasn't for me. It's so weird and overly raunchy. Penn is a fantastic magician and has a knack for storytelling, but he would've been better off having a professional writer construct the book while he provided all of the details and story beats. I will say, the audiobook is narrated by Penn and he does an excellent job with it. If you're a fan of his, you probably should give it a try anyways; you'll know pretty quickly whether or not you'll like it.
December 11, 2022
I’m a big fan of Penn Jillette and think he is an incredibly insightful and entertaining magician and personality. This book just wasn’t my thing. I enjoyed hearing his voice in my head as I read it, but as a story it struck me as just too much: overly silly, extreme brashness from every character, to the point where everyone who had a line sounded alike. I also found myself becoming kind of exhausted and annoyed by the whole dice concept, wanting to tell the newly 21-year-old main character fairly early on: ok, pal, enough already.
January 24, 2023
6.99 out of 10 stars.
Wow, what a ride of a book.
I love Penn. I'm a member of Penn's congregation. I've been watching him and Teller on TV for decades. I've been listening to Penn for a long time on his radio show, and I listen weekly to his Sunday School podcast. I consider Penn my personal pope after he inherited the title from the late George Carlin. So I may be a little biased in my review of this book.
Something I love about Penn is he has always pushed against society's norms. He's not afraid to step across a line to make a point. While I don't believe he's stepped across any lines with this book, more straight laced people might find it uncomfortable in a few places. Did you know Penn made a movie called "Fuck," about the history and uses of the word Fuck. He also made "The Aristocrats," a film about the dirtiest joke ever told. (Both great movies by the way) So be aware if you're easily offended this book may not be for you.
Disclaimer aside, this was an entertaining book. I love the idea of a person just totally surrendering their life to a roll of the dice. The dice become Gods of Chance. They have supernatural powers that steer Bobby through life. The dice lead Bobby on a great swashbuckling adventure. I especially enjoyed the scene where he accidentally encounters the gang war while out riding his scooter.
If you are a Sunday School Podcast fan, you'll notice a lot of similarities between Bobby and Penn. Lots of the stories Penn tells on Sunday School end up in this book. Many of his friends he talks about on the podcast have parts in the story. Which for me were like little easter eggs.
This book isn't perfect, it's no Moby Dick, but for carney trash it's pretty fucking good.
Wow, what a ride of a book.
I love Penn. I'm a member of Penn's congregation. I've been watching him and Teller on TV for decades. I've been listening to Penn for a long time on his radio show, and I listen weekly to his Sunday School podcast. I consider Penn my personal pope after he inherited the title from the late George Carlin. So I may be a little biased in my review of this book.
Something I love about Penn is he has always pushed against society's norms. He's not afraid to step across a line to make a point. While I don't believe he's stepped across any lines with this book, more straight laced people might find it uncomfortable in a few places. Did you know Penn made a movie called "Fuck," about the history and uses of the word Fuck. He also made "The Aristocrats," a film about the dirtiest joke ever told. (Both great movies by the way) So be aware if you're easily offended this book may not be for you.
Disclaimer aside, this was an entertaining book. I love the idea of a person just totally surrendering their life to a roll of the dice. The dice become Gods of Chance. They have supernatural powers that steer Bobby through life. The dice lead Bobby on a great swashbuckling adventure. I especially enjoyed the scene where he accidentally encounters the gang war while out riding his scooter.
If you are a Sunday School Podcast fan, you'll notice a lot of similarities between Bobby and Penn. Lots of the stories Penn tells on Sunday School end up in this book. Many of his friends he talks about on the podcast have parts in the story. Which for me were like little easter eggs.
This book isn't perfect, it's no Moby Dick, but for carney trash it's pretty fucking good.
October 22, 2022
What a wild ride Penn take us on with his latest novel. I love Bobby as a main character and enjoyed his random journey. Along the way we get to meet Piff, Jade, Johnny & Pam, we get some laughter and a lot of insights into the religion of Random. In my Mind Terri & Bobby are enjoying life in Gandor loving each other.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 7, 2025
I read and enjoyed Penn's new novel "Felony Puppet". I figured I would try another. This one I did not enjoy as much.
The premise is that a Bobby Ingersol's father is two and half million dollars in debt to a very bad guy. The bad guy is going to kill Bobby's whole family if he is not paid in two weeks. Through a wild set of escapades and crazy luck, Bobby ends up with eleven million dollars in time to pay the debt and have plenty left over. This, of course, is set in Las Vegas.
His takeaway is that he should just live by random chance. He travels with a pair of dice and makes every decision by rolling the dice. Everything from, what should I get at Starbucks? to What should I do for the rest of my life? gets decided by a roll of the dice.
Bobby has a bunch of adventures. He meets a girl. He has people trying to kill him. He sets up a detective agency to help lost causes and gets into the middle of investigating a huge casino con job. He glides through all of it by simply trusting to chance.
Penn knows Las Vegas. The explanations of how card counters and others try to beat the casinos is fascinating. He also captures the difference between the glitzy tourist Las Vegas and the grimy resident Las Vegas.
The plot is kind of silly. It seems more like an outline of a plot. It jumps around, which I guess is part of the random theme, but it doesn't make for much of a plot.
The bad guys are unrealistic and one dimensional. The crime boss that runs the mob is pure evil. The conman that organizes the big take down of a casino is pure evil. The ghetto drug dealing gang, is pure evil. None of them do anything for any good reason, they just do bad things because they are pure evil.
My biggest gripe is with the premise of the book. Bobby does not act randomly. He decides which decisions he will use the dice for, and which he won't. Nothing random about it.
Even more basically, he decides how the dice will decide. Sometimes he says there are two options and odd is one way, even the other. Other times he lists twelve options and adopts the one that the dice "decides". But of course, the odds on each number are not the same. Only one combination gives you 2 or 12 as the number. Multiple combinations give you the other numbers. So, deciding which option goes with which number is not random.
Finally, sometimes he uses several numbers for an answer he likes. Not random. Bobby is very aware of the ways he can manipulate the results and tries, at times, to set the options to get the result he wants. Not random.
The story didn't make much sense to me because Bobbby wasn't making decisions randomly. He was half ass deciding between options he selected and literally loading the dice in favor of certain outcomes. Not random and not something which makes any sense as a way to make decisions.
The premise is that a Bobby Ingersol's father is two and half million dollars in debt to a very bad guy. The bad guy is going to kill Bobby's whole family if he is not paid in two weeks. Through a wild set of escapades and crazy luck, Bobby ends up with eleven million dollars in time to pay the debt and have plenty left over. This, of course, is set in Las Vegas.
His takeaway is that he should just live by random chance. He travels with a pair of dice and makes every decision by rolling the dice. Everything from, what should I get at Starbucks? to What should I do for the rest of my life? gets decided by a roll of the dice.
Bobby has a bunch of adventures. He meets a girl. He has people trying to kill him. He sets up a detective agency to help lost causes and gets into the middle of investigating a huge casino con job. He glides through all of it by simply trusting to chance.
Penn knows Las Vegas. The explanations of how card counters and others try to beat the casinos is fascinating. He also captures the difference between the glitzy tourist Las Vegas and the grimy resident Las Vegas.
The plot is kind of silly. It seems more like an outline of a plot. It jumps around, which I guess is part of the random theme, but it doesn't make for much of a plot.
The bad guys are unrealistic and one dimensional. The crime boss that runs the mob is pure evil. The conman that organizes the big take down of a casino is pure evil. The ghetto drug dealing gang, is pure evil. None of them do anything for any good reason, they just do bad things because they are pure evil.
My biggest gripe is with the premise of the book. Bobby does not act randomly. He decides which decisions he will use the dice for, and which he won't. Nothing random about it.
Even more basically, he decides how the dice will decide. Sometimes he says there are two options and odd is one way, even the other. Other times he lists twelve options and adopts the one that the dice "decides". But of course, the odds on each number are not the same. Only one combination gives you 2 or 12 as the number. Multiple combinations give you the other numbers. So, deciding which option goes with which number is not random.
Finally, sometimes he uses several numbers for an answer he likes. Not random. Bobby is very aware of the ways he can manipulate the results and tries, at times, to set the options to get the result he wants. Not random.
The story didn't make much sense to me because Bobbby wasn't making decisions randomly. He was half ass deciding between options he selected and literally loading the dice in favor of certain outcomes. Not random and not something which makes any sense as a way to make decisions.
November 8, 2022
I've always loved Penn & Teller (they're a great live act as well as recorded). Penn was recently in town giving a talk about this book, so I went over that night to see him and learn more about Random. The talk was great -- he's a very engaging performer, and even through in a great "smart ass" card trick during the talk as well.
He talked about how the book was inspired by The Dice Man (by Luke Rhinehart) and hearing about the experiences that various friends/acquaintances in his life have had "living the Dice Life" (letting a roll of the dice determine the choices that they make when they're in a state of indecision). He mentioned that he hates parodies which was one of the reasons he hated The Dice Man (but still was fascinated with "Dice Life").
The execution of the book was solid. He took a somewhat interesting idea and managed to sprawl it out into a larger novel. This book felt a bit like a much simpler version of "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency", but where Dirk had to keep rolling dice to make decisions while also having lots of sex.
I like Dirk Gently more due to the added humor and the, simply, larger set of interconnected-things that somehow make his books seem to make no sense until all the puzzle pieces finally set in place. In Random, things just randomly managed to resolve themselves, but it wasn't as pleasing of a resolution.
I think the biggest negative of the book was that we never really saw anything _bad_ happen to Bobby due to Random. And that just seem too unlikely. Sure, there were multiple different antagonists that wanted to kill him (which helped to push the story forward), but it really felt that every time Bobby rolled, it always worked out in his favor. I understand that he only ever included options that he was genuinely ok with, but I have to believe that if I randomly rolled to make decisions, some of those decisions just wouldn't end up working out as well in my favor as others. As far as I can tell, the only roll that he did in the book that wasn't really in his favor was the roll early on which convinced him to buy the pizza. That ended up unnecessarily gaining him an enemy.
I think the story probably needed a better balance of good/bad things happening to him because of the dice (Bobby seemed a bit too invulnerable due to them). The end also came about quite suddenly, and the way that his outstanding problems got resolved felt a bit too similar to each other and too neat/simple.
Overall: I enjoyed the ride, but felt a little let down with the end and the fact that things seemed too good for the protagonist -- almost like he was living his life with shaved dice.
He talked about how the book was inspired by The Dice Man (by Luke Rhinehart) and hearing about the experiences that various friends/acquaintances in his life have had "living the Dice Life" (letting a roll of the dice determine the choices that they make when they're in a state of indecision). He mentioned that he hates parodies which was one of the reasons he hated The Dice Man (but still was fascinated with "Dice Life").
The execution of the book was solid. He took a somewhat interesting idea and managed to sprawl it out into a larger novel. This book felt a bit like a much simpler version of "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency", but where Dirk had to keep rolling dice to make decisions while also having lots of sex.
I like Dirk Gently more due to the added humor and the, simply, larger set of interconnected-things that somehow make his books seem to make no sense until all the puzzle pieces finally set in place. In Random, things just randomly managed to resolve themselves, but it wasn't as pleasing of a resolution.
I think the biggest negative of the book was that we never really saw anything _bad_ happen to Bobby due to Random. And that just seem too unlikely. Sure, there were multiple different antagonists that wanted to kill him (which helped to push the story forward), but it really felt that every time Bobby rolled, it always worked out in his favor. I understand that he only ever included options that he was genuinely ok with, but I have to believe that if I randomly rolled to make decisions, some of those decisions just wouldn't end up working out as well in my favor as others. As far as I can tell, the only roll that he did in the book that wasn't really in his favor was the roll early on which convinced him to buy the pizza. That ended up unnecessarily gaining him an enemy.
I think the story probably needed a better balance of good/bad things happening to him because of the dice (Bobby seemed a bit too invulnerable due to them). The end also came about quite suddenly, and the way that his outstanding problems got resolved felt a bit too similar to each other and too neat/simple.
Overall: I enjoyed the ride, but felt a little let down with the end and the fact that things seemed too good for the protagonist -- almost like he was living his life with shaved dice.
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February 19, 2023Favorite Quotes
He wasn’t eliminating choice; he was eliminating doubt.
“Jesus, what was twelve?” “Tony Orlando … without Dawn.” “Your god is kind.”
Ruphart still wanted Bobby dead. Wanted him deader than a hammer, except he wanted him to suffer. He wanted Bobby dead like a fully sentient hammer who didn’t like being dead and could still feel pain.
No serious gambling business wants to do serious gambling.
According to W.H. Auden, “We are all here on earth to help others; what on earth the others are here for, I don’t know.”
Tony was in his sixties, looked about eighty, and probably gave his last fuck back in the nineties.
Like nutjob conspiracy theories—it’s better to believe there are evil forces plotting together against you than to believe things are Random. Evil is better than Random.
Plug stupidity and Random into the unknown X and Why, and the equation always solves.
But if he really told the truth to himself, and truth was all he had left, part of him really hoped this billboard could help him. A drowning man will grab a snake.
“Okay, now you’re using words that you don’t know what they mean.
“You saw the bag, right?” “Yes, but I didn’t steal it.” “I know you didn’t, but you saw it.” “Yes.” “Was it on wheels or was it like a duffel bag?” “There weren’t wheels.” “And what color.” “Gucci?” “Gucci isn’t a color.” “Yes it is.” “No, Gucci isn’t a color, it’s a brand. Was it beige?” “No, it was Gucci.” “Beige is a color. Was it light or dark? Was it tan? Was it like white but dirtier?” “It was a brand-new Gucci-colored bag full of green money.”
Card counting was one of the greatest things to ever happen to the Las Vegas casino industry. Almost everyone understood the basic concept and almost no one really did it right.
Going into the hospital sick, with a weakened immune system, is deadly— pathogens happily floating around looking for a warm, wet place to live. If you add those deaths to all the doctor and nurse fuckups, it can be argued that the third-largest cause of deaths in the USA is medical care.
Gangbangers started shooting their guns sideways because they saw gangbangers in movies shooting prop guns sideways. Movies make this shit up and then assholes live it.
He wasn’t eliminating choice; he was eliminating doubt.
“Jesus, what was twelve?” “Tony Orlando … without Dawn.” “Your god is kind.”
Ruphart still wanted Bobby dead. Wanted him deader than a hammer, except he wanted him to suffer. He wanted Bobby dead like a fully sentient hammer who didn’t like being dead and could still feel pain.
No serious gambling business wants to do serious gambling.
According to W.H. Auden, “We are all here on earth to help others; what on earth the others are here for, I don’t know.”
Tony was in his sixties, looked about eighty, and probably gave his last fuck back in the nineties.
Like nutjob conspiracy theories—it’s better to believe there are evil forces plotting together against you than to believe things are Random. Evil is better than Random.
Plug stupidity and Random into the unknown X and Why, and the equation always solves.
But if he really told the truth to himself, and truth was all he had left, part of him really hoped this billboard could help him. A drowning man will grab a snake.
“Okay, now you’re using words that you don’t know what they mean.
“You saw the bag, right?” “Yes, but I didn’t steal it.” “I know you didn’t, but you saw it.” “Yes.” “Was it on wheels or was it like a duffel bag?” “There weren’t wheels.” “And what color.” “Gucci?” “Gucci isn’t a color.” “Yes it is.” “No, Gucci isn’t a color, it’s a brand. Was it beige?” “No, it was Gucci.” “Beige is a color. Was it light or dark? Was it tan? Was it like white but dirtier?” “It was a brand-new Gucci-colored bag full of green money.”
Card counting was one of the greatest things to ever happen to the Las Vegas casino industry. Almost everyone understood the basic concept and almost no one really did it right.
Going into the hospital sick, with a weakened immune system, is deadly— pathogens happily floating around looking for a warm, wet place to live. If you add those deaths to all the doctor and nurse fuckups, it can be argued that the third-largest cause of deaths in the USA is medical care.
Gangbangers started shooting their guns sideways because they saw gangbangers in movies shooting prop guns sideways. Movies make this shit up and then assholes live it.
December 6, 2022
I listened to the audiobook almost immediately after finishing Michael Singer's The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourselfhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/edit...#
I am now inspired to never feel stress while making any decision ever again. Let's hope this lasts.
The synopsis is already present, but I may as well. A newly 21 year old man named Bobby has beat impossible odds with dire stakes. Chance and good luck drove his success. After overcoming those odds, Bobby made the decision to allow chance to guide him whenever doubt or indecision might have stopped him from acting at all.
Some of Bobby's adventures satirize common American stereotypes. Some of his decisions take leave a very life-affirming message. Many of them are sexually explicit in ways that Penn Jillette is uniquely skilled at penning.
I am the kind of person who subscribed to PC Computing Magazine entirely to read his articles. Although his sharp wit is often directed toward pointing out peoples' flaws, he has a shameless way of celebrating successes. I jumped at the chance to hear him narrate his own audiobook with the possibility of a positive, affirmative story.
Yes, every opportunity to satirize our current culture is seemingly capitalized on. The core story, somehow, manages to present a world of opportunity.
Siddhartha was name dropped while I looked for information about this book. I can imagine that the trio of Random, Siddhartha, and The Untethered Soul would leave a considerable impression on someone.
I am now inspired to never feel stress while making any decision ever again. Let's hope this lasts.
The synopsis is already present, but I may as well. A newly 21 year old man named Bobby has beat impossible odds with dire stakes. Chance and good luck drove his success. After overcoming those odds, Bobby made the decision to allow chance to guide him whenever doubt or indecision might have stopped him from acting at all.
Some of Bobby's adventures satirize common American stereotypes. Some of his decisions take leave a very life-affirming message. Many of them are sexually explicit in ways that Penn Jillette is uniquely skilled at penning.
I am the kind of person who subscribed to PC Computing Magazine entirely to read his articles. Although his sharp wit is often directed toward pointing out peoples' flaws, he has a shameless way of celebrating successes. I jumped at the chance to hear him narrate his own audiobook with the possibility of a positive, affirmative story.
Yes, every opportunity to satirize our current culture is seemingly capitalized on. The core story, somehow, manages to present a world of opportunity.
Siddhartha was name dropped while I looked for information about this book. I can imagine that the trio of Random, Siddhartha, and The Untethered Soul would leave a considerable impression on someone.
February 23, 2024
A book written by someone who's lived in Las Vegas too long, obsessed with gambling, luck, sex, and hedonism without meaningful relationships.
The opening was terrible, as a mathematician. Random is not a winning strategy. There is order in chaos, the same way 2-dice comes up 7 more often than any other combination. The initial premise is differently terrible: guy's gambling father is in mafia debt, and he somehow hits the jackpot multiple times in stupid ways, and starts living a life of luxury instead. The religion of random, rolling 2 fair sided dice to help choose what to do is moderately interesting.
If you rank your 11 or less favored choices for any decision, you can assign them various numbers on a 2 dice roll. This applies to what coffee to order, what music to listen to, what tattoo to get, etc.. When you see many people who get the same thing every time they go to a restaurant, this sort of randomness can be refreshing.
However, after hearing too many descriptions of bodily fluids and sexual fantasies, I noped out. Even with his random religion, the guy is just not that interesting or compelling as a character. He has no real connections with people. Sure he's got a mom and dad, but they too are barely descript placeholders who just cry occasionally. There are random bits of political nonsense thrown in from all sides.
The pace of the book and the narration are easy to listen to and follow. Jilette makes a good sales pitch for gambling in Las Vegas, it makes you wonder if he's sponsored by their tourism industry. Hey, are you broke and in debt? You too can have something impossible happen to you and never have to work again! As if.
Moderately interesting religious concept, but the story did not become that interesting.
The opening was terrible, as a mathematician. Random is not a winning strategy. There is order in chaos, the same way 2-dice comes up 7 more often than any other combination. The initial premise is differently terrible: guy's gambling father is in mafia debt, and he somehow hits the jackpot multiple times in stupid ways, and starts living a life of luxury instead. The religion of random, rolling 2 fair sided dice to help choose what to do is moderately interesting.
If you rank your 11 or less favored choices for any decision, you can assign them various numbers on a 2 dice roll. This applies to what coffee to order, what music to listen to, what tattoo to get, etc.. When you see many people who get the same thing every time they go to a restaurant, this sort of randomness can be refreshing.
However, after hearing too many descriptions of bodily fluids and sexual fantasies, I noped out. Even with his random religion, the guy is just not that interesting or compelling as a character. He has no real connections with people. Sure he's got a mom and dad, but they too are barely descript placeholders who just cry occasionally. There are random bits of political nonsense thrown in from all sides.
The pace of the book and the narration are easy to listen to and follow. Jilette makes a good sales pitch for gambling in Las Vegas, it makes you wonder if he's sponsored by their tourism industry. Hey, are you broke and in debt? You too can have something impossible happen to you and never have to work again! As if.
Moderately interesting religious concept, but the story did not become that interesting.
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