Are his books actually good?

Atomised is amazing, like a 4/5.

>>24566897
Why is "amazing" only a 4/5?

>>24566895 (OP)
Atomised is very good.
Submission was very good too, but not as good as Atomised.

In the Presence of Schopenhauer wasn't really that good. It felt too unnecessary and thus I dropped it. It was just him quoting Schopenhauer and not really adding anything to it. Reading Schopi primary is probably better.

So his fiction is nice while is nonfiction is probably not as nice.

>>24566907
>In the Presence of Schopenhauer
Thanks, I didn't know this existed.

>>24566900
Because that's the scale I use.

>>24566912
What do you call 5/5?

>>24566914
Maybe On Heroes and Tombs; I would just call it "flawless" or "perfect".

Ir order of quality:
>the map and the territory
No scandalous so it may put people off, specially those who seek after sex obsessed, nihilistic Houellechad.
This one is a subtle meta narrative about art and detachment from life. Many, many layers of interpretation. Much fun.
>how to stay alive: a method
Helps a lot if you write and want to off yourself.
>whatever + atomized + possibility of an island
I consider it a trilogy. They are all about the same thing and all try to be edgy with sex and nihilism. I see it as whatever = personal level; atomized = social level; island = existential level. It escalates, the conflict and the solution.
If you're to read just one, read atomized (elementary particles).
>submission
Same as the three above, but with religious context. First good ending.
>Lovecraft
Great if you like Lovecraft. Otherwise it's good to understand Houellechad's hatred, his philosophy (if you want).
>serotonin
Same protagonist with kinda same plot. However, the sniper part makes up for it. Also, IMO one of the best last pages in any book ever.
>aneantir
Felt underwhelming as I was really hyped. Some cool ideas anyway. Maybe I'll get more out of it when I'm older.
>Schopenhauer
Like the Lovecraft one, but without the passion. It's interesting at most.
>platform
Same sex stuff with parallels of first world countries fucking third world countries. I couldn't care less, but maybe that's your thing.
>lanzarote
Novella about a guy who goes to an island to fuck. Couldn't finish.
>public enemies (I guess that's the title, it's the one with his letters with another french witter)
Why is that even a thing? Lol

I'm not big on poetry so I cannot judge pursute de la Bonheur, the only one I've read.

>>24567049
Thanks

yes
The Map and the Territory and The Possibility of an Island are both terrific tier
Submission is quite good also

>>24566895 (OP)
I've only read atomised and it was very good, very interestimg but I was too lazy to read it to the end, possibly because I was to young for it so it didn't feel it as much as I would when I'm let's say 35

>>24566897
ask me how I know you are videogame-brained mouthbreather

>>24567230
ask me how I put my cock in your mouth

>>24566895 (OP)
Big Houellebecq fan.

Start with Submission or Atomized.
Annihilation is his worst.

>>24567621
>Start with Submission or Atomized.
That those are his best seems to be the consensus on /lit/.

i liked annihilation

>>24566895 (OP)
'elementary particles' (atomised) is a tribute to Carl Sagan and the beautiful time of XX when all hopes were not dead.
A 4/5.
Not withstanding Wellbeck is pure s o y boy.
Whatever/submission were pure slop.
What's the use for reading further just to see, hear this whining bitch go on and on.
It's like Baudrillard at the iq of a room temperature.

>>24566895 (OP)
I've only read Atomised, Serotonin and Annihilation. I thought they were good. He's not amazing or anything but still worth reading at least one of his novels.

>>24566920
My nigga.

>>24567230
Lame faggot

>>24568367
Whining is an art form

He really thinks he looks cool smoking? Because he's not cool.

>>24566895 (OP)
I really liked Whatever and Serotonin.

>>24566907
>Houellebecq recounts how he as a 25-year-old came across a copy of Schopenhauer's Aphorisms
Woah. That's literally me, but I was 24 and it was last month.

>>24566895 (OP)
yes. you can skip his last one (though it has a good epilogue to his body of work) and the Map and the Territory and I'm not big on Platform but the rest are kino

>>24566895 (OP)
Sure

>>24567049
>pursuit of the boner

>>24566895 (OP)
Submission is pretty good. The Map and the Territory is fine. Atomized is overrated, a bit of a chaotic mess (not in a good way), but overall it's still not bad.

>>24566895 (OP)
Wellbeck is a good, but not great, author.

>>24572344
Who do you think is great?

>>24572428
Pynchon

>>24570907
>though it has a good epilogue to his body of work
voice of sanity, annihilation may not be as great as his previous works but it clearly is important. annihilation kind of sums houellebecq's thought about proper way to live in modern society

I liked "Whatever".