The Raw Shark Texts
Encyclopedia
The Raw Shark Texts is the debut novel
by author Steven Hall
, released in 2007. The book was released by Canongate Books
in the US and the UK and published by HarperCollins
in Canada. The title is a play on "Rorschach Test
s", which are inkblot tests.
known as fugue
. However, the First Eric Sanderson, even as he was losing his memory, has left him with a large number of letters explaining Conceptual Fish, the death of his girlfriend, the Un-Space Exploration Committee, and other such things. When Eric Sanderson is attacked once more by the Ludovician, he decides to go in search of a doctor named Trey Fidorous, who is a member of the Un-Space Exploration Committee who may be able to explain what is happening to him.
Eric travels through Britain in search of clues, and ultimately finds one in a hotel he is staying in during a rainstorm. He is contacted by a mysterious figure known as Mr. Nobody, who is actually a part of a larger, internet
-based intelligence called Mycroft Ward. Mr. Nobody attempts to subdue and control Eric with a smaller Conceptual Fish, but Eric manages to escape. Eric soon meets with a member of the Un-Space Exploration Committee named Scout. Scout and Eric have a close encounter with the Ludovician before venturing into Un-Space in search of Trey Fidorous. It turns out that Scout has a small bit of Mycroft Ward in her, but is not truly a part of the intelligence. Eric and Scout develop a romantic relationship throughout their un-space journey. However, the relationship becomes turbulent after it is revealed that from the beginning, Scout sought out Eric and his Ludovician in order to destroy Ward. When they find Fidorous, they help him rig up a conceptual boat with which to hunt the Ludovician. The climax of the book takes place on a conceptual ocean, aboard the Orpheus, the shark-hunting boat. In a climactic encounter, a laptop
hooked up to the Mycroft Ward database is thrown into the mouth of the Ludovician, destroying both. Trey Fidorous is killed in the sinking of the boat, and Scout is lost at sea. Eric is then seemingly given a chance to return to the 'real' world through a postcard showing his house; he declines, choosing to remain in the conceptual world. Scout returns to the boat unharmed, and together with Ian the cat. She and Eric, now reconciled, swim to a "conceptual island" which resembles the Greek island on which Clio and the first Eric holidayed before she died. At this point, it is strongly suggested that Scout is in fact Clio, and that the first Eric Sanderson's plan to preserve his memories of and life with Clio via the Ludovician has succeeded.
The book ends with a newspaper cutting reporting that the body of Eric Sanderson was found not far from his home. The newspaper clipping mentions that a postcard from Eric was sent to Dr. Randle, but from Greece, just prior to the discovery of his body. The postcard is shown on the next page, and claims to be from Eric, stating that he is unhurt and happy, but will never return.
) have been found periodically since the book's initial release, hidden either online or in the real world. Unique negative content has also been discovered in several translated editions of the Raw Shark Texts since publication of the original English language edition in 2007.
On 08/15/07 in The Raw Shark Texts Forum, Steven Hall wrote to following statement about The Raw Shark Texts negatives:
Several sections of the Raw Shark Texts Forum are devoted to the ongoing process of discovering and documenting the negatives. Many negatives are still unaccounted for.
Eric narrates the story. He is a British man in his late twenties. Three years before the events of the story, Eric was travelling with his partner, Clio Aames, in Naxos, Greece. On this trip, Clio died in a scuba diving
accident. Eric was overcome with grief, but organized her wake himself. During the next six months, however, Eric became involved with the Un-Space Exploration Committee. His hope was to find a Ludovician to preserve his memories of Clio so that she would never truly die. This, had it worked, would have been a process similar to that undergone by Mycroft Ward. However, Ludovicians eat memories rather than preserving them. When Eric opened a Conceptual loop containing a Ludovician, thus setting it on himself, the memories were not preserved, but rather lost. Over the next two and a half years, Eric attempts to evade the Ludovician as he writes letters to his future self: the one that will exist when the Ludovician has eaten the last of his memories. The Ludovician attacks him eleven times before this happens. Eric awakes with no memories. Throughout the story, Eric appears rather awkward. He seems unsure of how to form a romance with Scout, though he clearly wants to. He uses the word "erm
" often, and mostly keeps to himself. This is most likely an unsureness of how to act, having no memory of anything he has done.
Scout:
Scout is at times confident, and at times an anxious young woman involved with the Un-Space Exploration committee. In her youth, she was surfing the internet and began answering what appeared to be some sort of IQ test. In reality, this was a trap designed to turn people into new parts of Mycroft Ward. Fortunately, her sister disconnected the internet so Mycroft Ward could not completely take over her brain. Later, it is she who saves Eric from his second encounter with the Ludovician with her "Letter Bomb" (composed of typewriter keys attached to an explosive device). Scout has a good knowledge of Un-Space. At first she appears to have a romantic interest in Eric Sanderson, but then he begins to believe that this is just her using him so that she can be freed from Mycroft Ward. This turns out not to be true. Scout has a smiley face tattooed on her big toe, so that when she is dead and in the morgue
, her toe tag will be funny - something that Clio Aames had also discussed doing. It is suggested strongly near the end of the book that Scout and Clio Aames are the same person.
The First Eric Sanderson:
In all respects, the first Eric Sanderson is treated as a separate character from Eric Sanderson, though they are the same person. The first Eric's role in the story is mainly sending letters and fragments to Eric. These often cryptic
documents slowly reveal Eric's past, how to defend oneself from a Ludovician, the taxonomy
of conceptual fish, and other such things.
Dr. Trey Fidorous
Trey Fidorous is an expert on conceptual fish. He makes his laboratory home deep in un-space. It was he who was caring for the Ludovician that is now chasing Eric. At first, he is reluctant to help Eric, but eventually warms up to him and creates the conceptual boat the Orpheus.
Clio Aames:
Clio Aames is the first Eric Sanderson's girlfriend, revealed only in the text through various letters and fragments. She, like Scout, is at times confident, at times vulnerable. It is revealed that she has suffered from cancer in the past but is in remission, yet her personality is brash, as she toys with the first Eric Sanderson, ironically gives human names (Ian and Gavin) to the couple's cats, sunbathes nude on the beach, impulsively purchases an underwater camera, and expresses a desire to have a smiley face tattooed on her big toe (so that when she dies, her toe-tag in the morgue will look funny). It is the underwater camera that eventually precipitates her presumed drowning, and Scout's tattoo which leads the second Eric Sanderson to contemplate a connection between Clio and Scout. Her name is a possible anagram of "I am Solace."
Ian the cat:
A large cat of unfriendly temperament, who becomes the travelling companion of the second Eric Sanderson. Initially one of two cats purchased and named by Clio Aames and the first Eric Sanderson, Ian appears one morning on the second Eric Sanderson's window sill. It is never revealed what became of the other cat, Gavin.
The original Mycroft Ward existed in the mid nineteenth century. His purpose in life was immortality
. When he died, it was assumed he had failed. In truth, he had succeeded. He had found a new body, a young man, and hypnotically told him every detail of his own life. When Mycroft was done, the man thought, acted, and had the same memories as Mycroft, and was essentially a new Mycroft Ward. The original plan was for this man to find a worthy next Mycroft, but at some point, the plan went wrong. The self-preservation instinct within him became too strong and he began creating serial Mycroft Wards. At the time of the story, Mycroft Ward is an immense internet database
that controls hundreds of Mycrofts world wide. Mycroft Ward is one of the antagonists of the story.
Dr. Randle:
Dr. Randle is a retired doctor, presumably of psychology
. She is the first contact Eric Sanderson has after the death of The First Eric Sanderson. Dr. Randle is convinced that Eric has a dissociative condition. Indeed, Eric's symptoms are similar to that of a dissociative condition, though some of them do not fit at all. For the first few months of the book, Eric Sanderson and Dr. Randle meet regularly. The book ends with a postcard
from the supposedly dead Eric Sanderson to Dr. Randle, which she passes off as a joke in ill taste.
Mr. Nobody:
Mr. Nobody identifies himself as an employee of Mycroft Ward, and attempts to capture the second Eric Sanderson. He is described initially as a well-dressed and confident man, though it becomes clear that he is no longer completely human. Ward has apparently devised chemical means, pills, to build up and maintain the aspects of Mr. Nobody's personality, while at the core he remains only the Concept of some former self.
Aunty Ruth:
The owner of the Willows hotel, where Eric stays during a rainstorm. Though she is not actually the aunt of any of the guests, the guests generally use this term of endearment
.
"Letter #0":
This is the note Eric finds beside the telephone, instructing him to go to Dr. Randle's house.
Letter #1:
The first Eric introduces himself and gives Eric the Ryan Michell Mantra for use in emergency.
Letter #2:
Further introduction, and preliminary explanation of the Ludovician.
Letter #3:
Gives Eric the equipment for a non-divergent conceptual loop, and instructions on its use and how to make another.
Letter #4:
Further ways to camouflage oneself in conceptual waterways.
Letter #5:
Money management.
Letters #17, 44, 58, and 59:
Unknown procedures to be followed before opening the locked room.
Letter #60:
The key to the locked room.
Letter #67:
More information on the Ludovician.
Letter #108:
Introduction to the Light Bulb Fragment.
Letter #109:
The Light Bulb Fragment.
Letter #110:
On the coding of the Light Bulb Fragment.
Letter #205:
Eric reveals his scrap of the Aquarium Fragment.
Letter #206:
Un-space.
Letter #214:
A reminder regarding electronics.
Letter #222:
Trey Fidorous.
Letter #238:
Selecting a false identity.
(2008), and was shortlisted for the Arthur C Clarke Award (2008).
(Slumdog Millionaire
) has completed a Raw Shark Texts screenplay for Blueprint Films. No director or cast have been confirmed for this project.
Debut novel
A debut novel is the first novel an author publishes. Debut novels are the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to publish in the future...
by author Steven Hall
Steven Hall
Steven Hall is a British author. He has written one novel, produced a number of plays, music videos, concrete prose/conceptual art pieces, and short stories....
, released in 2007. The book was released by Canongate Books
Canongate Books
Canongate Books is a Scottish independent publishing firm based in Edinburgh; it is named for The Canongate, an area of the city. It is most recognised for publishing the Booker Prizewinner Life of Pi...
in the US and the UK and published by HarperCollins
HarperCollins
HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
in Canada. The title is a play on "Rorschach Test
Rorschach test
The Rorschach test is a psychological test in which subjects' perceptions of inkblots are recorded and then analyzed using psychological interpretation, complex algorithms, or both. Some psychologists use this test to examine a person's personality characteristics and emotional functioning...
s", which are inkblot tests.
Plot introduction
The Raw Shark Texts takes place in our own world; however, certain aspects that do not exist in our familiar world exist in the book, hidden from the general public by dedicated organizations. Foremost among these are so-called "conceptual creatures", life forms that exist within and feed upon ideas. Another new concept is the idea of "un-space", the unvisited, unnamed, and uninhabited empty areas beneath the normally-used parts of the urban landscape. This area is documented and managed by a group known as the Un-Space Exploration Committee.Plot summary
Eric Sanderson, a British man in his late twenties, was working with the Un-Space Exploration Committee after the death of his girlfriend, Clio Aames. His hope was to preserve his memories of her within the body of a conceptual creature. This leads to his intentional release of a Ludovician—the most dangerous of the conceptual fish—on himself. He loses memories of his life as they are devoured by the Ludovician, but still the Ludovician pursues him until all is lost and he awakes as the Second Eric Sanderson. Eric is told by a psychologist that he has a dissociative conditionDissociative disorders
Dissociative disorders are defined as conditions that involve disruptions or breakdowns of memory, awareness, identity and/or perception. See also dissociation. People with dissociative disorders are able to escape from reality involuntarily...
known as fugue
Fugue state
A fugue state, formally dissociative fugue or psychogenic fugue , is a rare psychiatric disorder characterized by reversible amnesia for personal identity, including the memories, personality and other identifying characteristics of individuality...
. However, the First Eric Sanderson, even as he was losing his memory, has left him with a large number of letters explaining Conceptual Fish, the death of his girlfriend, the Un-Space Exploration Committee, and other such things. When Eric Sanderson is attacked once more by the Ludovician, he decides to go in search of a doctor named Trey Fidorous, who is a member of the Un-Space Exploration Committee who may be able to explain what is happening to him.
Eric travels through Britain in search of clues, and ultimately finds one in a hotel he is staying in during a rainstorm. He is contacted by a mysterious figure known as Mr. Nobody, who is actually a part of a larger, internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
-based intelligence called Mycroft Ward. Mr. Nobody attempts to subdue and control Eric with a smaller Conceptual Fish, but Eric manages to escape. Eric soon meets with a member of the Un-Space Exploration Committee named Scout. Scout and Eric have a close encounter with the Ludovician before venturing into Un-Space in search of Trey Fidorous. It turns out that Scout has a small bit of Mycroft Ward in her, but is not truly a part of the intelligence. Eric and Scout develop a romantic relationship throughout their un-space journey. However, the relationship becomes turbulent after it is revealed that from the beginning, Scout sought out Eric and his Ludovician in order to destroy Ward. When they find Fidorous, they help him rig up a conceptual boat with which to hunt the Ludovician. The climax of the book takes place on a conceptual ocean, aboard the Orpheus, the shark-hunting boat. In a climactic encounter, a laptop
Laptop
A laptop, also called a notebook, is a personal computer for mobile use. A laptop integrates most of the typical components of a desktop computer, including a display, a keyboard, a pointing device and speakers into a single unit...
hooked up to the Mycroft Ward database is thrown into the mouth of the Ludovician, destroying both. Trey Fidorous is killed in the sinking of the boat, and Scout is lost at sea. Eric is then seemingly given a chance to return to the 'real' world through a postcard showing his house; he declines, choosing to remain in the conceptual world. Scout returns to the boat unharmed, and together with Ian the cat. She and Eric, now reconciled, swim to a "conceptual island" which resembles the Greek island on which Clio and the first Eric holidayed before she died. At this point, it is strongly suggested that Scout is in fact Clio, and that the first Eric Sanderson's plan to preserve his memories of and life with Clio via the Ludovician has succeeded.
The book ends with a newspaper cutting reporting that the body of Eric Sanderson was found not far from his home. The newspaper clipping mentions that a postcard from Eric was sent to Dr. Randle, but from Greece, just prior to the discovery of his body. The postcard is shown on the next page, and claims to be from Eric, stating that he is unhurt and happy, but will never return.
Negatives or un-chapters
The Raw Shark Texts consists of 36 core chapters bound into the novel itself, and an additional 36 "lost" sections, known as "negatives" or "un-chapters" which exist outside of the main printed text. These extra 'un-chapters' (also written by Steven HallSteven Hall
Steven Hall is a British author. He has written one novel, produced a number of plays, music videos, concrete prose/conceptual art pieces, and short stories....
) have been found periodically since the book's initial release, hidden either online or in the real world. Unique negative content has also been discovered in several translated editions of the Raw Shark Texts since publication of the original English language edition in 2007.
On 08/15/07 in The Raw Shark Texts Forum, Steven Hall wrote to following statement about The Raw Shark Texts negatives:
Several sections of the Raw Shark Texts Forum are devoted to the ongoing process of discovering and documenting the negatives. Many negatives are still unaccounted for.
Main characters
Eric Sanderson:Eric narrates the story. He is a British man in his late twenties. Three years before the events of the story, Eric was travelling with his partner, Clio Aames, in Naxos, Greece. On this trip, Clio died in a scuba diving
Scuba diving
Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....
accident. Eric was overcome with grief, but organized her wake himself. During the next six months, however, Eric became involved with the Un-Space Exploration Committee. His hope was to find a Ludovician to preserve his memories of Clio so that she would never truly die. This, had it worked, would have been a process similar to that undergone by Mycroft Ward. However, Ludovicians eat memories rather than preserving them. When Eric opened a Conceptual loop containing a Ludovician, thus setting it on himself, the memories were not preserved, but rather lost. Over the next two and a half years, Eric attempts to evade the Ludovician as he writes letters to his future self: the one that will exist when the Ludovician has eaten the last of his memories. The Ludovician attacks him eleven times before this happens. Eric awakes with no memories. Throughout the story, Eric appears rather awkward. He seems unsure of how to form a romance with Scout, though he clearly wants to. He uses the word "erm
UM
Um may refer to:* Um, an exclamation or filled pause in spoken conversation* Um * .um, the Top Level Domain for United States Minor Outlying Islands...
" often, and mostly keeps to himself. This is most likely an unsureness of how to act, having no memory of anything he has done.
Scout:
Scout is at times confident, and at times an anxious young woman involved with the Un-Space Exploration committee. In her youth, she was surfing the internet and began answering what appeared to be some sort of IQ test. In reality, this was a trap designed to turn people into new parts of Mycroft Ward. Fortunately, her sister disconnected the internet so Mycroft Ward could not completely take over her brain. Later, it is she who saves Eric from his second encounter with the Ludovician with her "Letter Bomb" (composed of typewriter keys attached to an explosive device). Scout has a good knowledge of Un-Space. At first she appears to have a romantic interest in Eric Sanderson, but then he begins to believe that this is just her using him so that she can be freed from Mycroft Ward. This turns out not to be true. Scout has a smiley face tattooed on her big toe, so that when she is dead and in the morgue
Morgue
A morgue or mortuary is used for the storage of human corpses awaiting identification, or removal for autopsy or disposal by burial, cremation or otherwise...
, her toe tag will be funny - something that Clio Aames had also discussed doing. It is suggested strongly near the end of the book that Scout and Clio Aames are the same person.
The First Eric Sanderson:
In all respects, the first Eric Sanderson is treated as a separate character from Eric Sanderson, though they are the same person. The first Eric's role in the story is mainly sending letters and fragments to Eric. These often cryptic
Cryptic
Cryptic can refer to:* Crypsis, of animals that are difficult to observe* Cryptic crossword, a crossword with cryptic clues* Cryptic era, earliest period of the Earth* Cryptic, an album by Edge of Sanity* Cryptic Writings, an album by Megadeth...
documents slowly reveal Eric's past, how to defend oneself from a Ludovician, the taxonomy
Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...
of conceptual fish, and other such things.
Dr. Trey Fidorous
Trey Fidorous is an expert on conceptual fish. He makes his laboratory home deep in un-space. It was he who was caring for the Ludovician that is now chasing Eric. At first, he is reluctant to help Eric, but eventually warms up to him and creates the conceptual boat the Orpheus.
Clio Aames:
Clio Aames is the first Eric Sanderson's girlfriend, revealed only in the text through various letters and fragments. She, like Scout, is at times confident, at times vulnerable. It is revealed that she has suffered from cancer in the past but is in remission, yet her personality is brash, as she toys with the first Eric Sanderson, ironically gives human names (Ian and Gavin) to the couple's cats, sunbathes nude on the beach, impulsively purchases an underwater camera, and expresses a desire to have a smiley face tattooed on her big toe (so that when she dies, her toe-tag in the morgue will look funny). It is the underwater camera that eventually precipitates her presumed drowning, and Scout's tattoo which leads the second Eric Sanderson to contemplate a connection between Clio and Scout. Her name is a possible anagram of "I am Solace."
Ian the cat:
A large cat of unfriendly temperament, who becomes the travelling companion of the second Eric Sanderson. Initially one of two cats purchased and named by Clio Aames and the first Eric Sanderson, Ian appears one morning on the second Eric Sanderson's window sill. It is never revealed what became of the other cat, Gavin.
Minor characters
Mycroft Ward:The original Mycroft Ward existed in the mid nineteenth century. His purpose in life was immortality
Immortality
Immortality is the ability to live forever. It is unknown whether human physical immortality is an achievable condition. Biological forms have inherent limitations which may or may not be able to be overcome through medical interventions or engineering...
. When he died, it was assumed he had failed. In truth, he had succeeded. He had found a new body, a young man, and hypnotically told him every detail of his own life. When Mycroft was done, the man thought, acted, and had the same memories as Mycroft, and was essentially a new Mycroft Ward. The original plan was for this man to find a worthy next Mycroft, but at some point, the plan went wrong. The self-preservation instinct within him became too strong and he began creating serial Mycroft Wards. At the time of the story, Mycroft Ward is an immense internet database
Database
A database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...
that controls hundreds of Mycrofts world wide. Mycroft Ward is one of the antagonists of the story.
Dr. Randle:
Dr. Randle is a retired doctor, presumably of psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
. She is the first contact Eric Sanderson has after the death of The First Eric Sanderson. Dr. Randle is convinced that Eric has a dissociative condition. Indeed, Eric's symptoms are similar to that of a dissociative condition, though some of them do not fit at all. For the first few months of the book, Eric Sanderson and Dr. Randle meet regularly. The book ends with a postcard
Postcard
A postcard or post card is a rectangular piece of thick paper or thin cardboard intended for writing and mailing without an envelope....
from the supposedly dead Eric Sanderson to Dr. Randle, which she passes off as a joke in ill taste.
Mr. Nobody:
Mr. Nobody identifies himself as an employee of Mycroft Ward, and attempts to capture the second Eric Sanderson. He is described initially as a well-dressed and confident man, though it becomes clear that he is no longer completely human. Ward has apparently devised chemical means, pills, to build up and maintain the aspects of Mr. Nobody's personality, while at the core he remains only the Concept of some former self.
Aunty Ruth:
The owner of the Willows hotel, where Eric stays during a rainstorm. Though she is not actually the aunt of any of the guests, the guests generally use this term of endearment
Term of endearment
A term of endearment is a word or phrase used to address and/or describe a person, animal or inanimate object for which the speaker feels love or affection...
.
Text images
The text images of the book, known as "Ludovician Imagery" on the very first page, appear a number of times throughout, adding a unique touch to the book. These pictures, often of the Ludovician itself, are composed entirely of words and letters. They appear:- On the cover on the US edition: a picture of a shark composed of the words on the first page.
- Page 16: Conceptual silt composed of the words "AustralopithecusAustralopithecusAustralopithecus is a genus of hominids that is now extinct. From the evidence gathered by palaeontologists and archaeologists, it appears that the Australopithecus genus evolved in eastern Africa around 4 million years ago before spreading throughout the continent and eventually becoming extinct...
" and "Homo habilisHomo habilisHomo habilis is a species of the genus Homo, which lived from approximately at the beginning of the Pleistocene period. The discovery and description of this species is credited to both Mary and Louis Leakey, who found fossils in Tanzania, East Africa, between 1962 and 1964. Homo habilis Homo...
" - Pages 57 and 58: The Ludovician on Eric's television.
- Page 93: Conceptual single-celled organisms: 'a' and two 'e's.
- Page 94: The nucleus of a conceptual cell, composed of an upper and lower case version of the twenty six letters of the alphabet in order.
- Page 95: A reconstruction of a fossil fish. The fish's body parts (eye, faceplate, skin, joint, spine, fin) are composed of those words.
- Page 96: A mosquito made of computer code.
- Page 128 and 129: Pages 93 and 94 of The Origin of SpeciesThe Origin of SpeciesCharles Darwin's On the Origin of Species, published on 24 November 1859, is a work of scientific literature which is considered to be the foundation of evolutionary biology. Its full title was On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the...
, covered with the word "plant" - Page 147: A Luxophage.
- Page 155: The Ludovician.
- Page 217: The face of the Ludovician.
- Page 328-373: The Ludovician swimming.
- Page 419: An explosion.
Fragments
The "fragments" are written pieces detailing parts of Eric's past life. The first Eric Sanderson claims responsibility for having written the fragments, though it is unclear when he did so, in terms of before or after he released the Ludovician. Only one of the many fragments mentioned in The Raw Shark Texts is actually included in full within the novel (The Light Bulb Fragment), though a few lines of a second (The Aquarium Fragment) also feature. Eric claims that all of the others are lost. It has been suggested that some or all of these lost fragments are "Negatives" (see above).Letters
The first Eric Sanderson communicates with Eric using letters. These letters often are written as if the first Eric Sanderson still exists somewhere, and the communication is across space, not time, using phrases such as, "It's raining here in the past. I hope the weather there in the future is better." Known letters are listed here."Letter #0":
This is the note Eric finds beside the telephone, instructing him to go to Dr. Randle's house.
Letter #1:
The first Eric introduces himself and gives Eric the Ryan Michell Mantra for use in emergency.
Letter #2:
Further introduction, and preliminary explanation of the Ludovician.
Letter #3:
Gives Eric the equipment for a non-divergent conceptual loop, and instructions on its use and how to make another.
Letter #4:
Further ways to camouflage oneself in conceptual waterways.
Letter #5:
Money management.
Letters #17, 44, 58, and 59:
Unknown procedures to be followed before opening the locked room.
Letter #60:
The key to the locked room.
Letter #67:
More information on the Ludovician.
Letter #108:
Introduction to the Light Bulb Fragment.
Letter #109:
The Light Bulb Fragment.
Letter #110:
On the coding of the Light Bulb Fragment.
Letter #205:
Eric reveals his scrap of the Aquarium Fragment.
Letter #206:
Un-space.
Letter #214:
A reminder regarding electronics.
Letter #222:
Trey Fidorous.
Letter #238:
Selecting a false identity.
Awards
The Raw Shark Texts won the Borders Original Voices Award (2007), the Somerset Maugham AwardSomerset Maugham Award
The Somerset Maugham Award is a British literary prize given each May by the Society of Authors. It is awarded to whom they judge to be the best writer or writers under the age of thirty-five of a book published in the past year. The prize was instituted in 1947 by William Somerset Maugham and thus...
(2008), and was shortlisted for the Arthur C Clarke Award (2008).
Film adaptation
Screenwriter Simon BeaufoySimon Beaufoy
Simon Beaufoy is a British screenwriter. Born in Keighley, he was educated at Malsis School in Cross Hills, Ermysted's Grammar School and Sedbergh School, he read English at St Peter's College, Oxford and graduated from The Arts Institute at Bournemouth...
(Slumdog Millionaire
Slumdog Millionaire
Slumdog Millionaire is a 2008 British epic romantic drama adventure film directed by Danny Boyle, written by Simon Beaufoy, and co-directed in India by Loveleen Tandan. It is an adaptation of the novel Q & A by Indian author and diplomat Vikas Swarup...
) has completed a Raw Shark Texts screenplay for Blueprint Films. No director or cast have been confirmed for this project.
External links
- The Official Raw Shark Texts Discussion Forum
- http://www.annotatedrawshark.com
- The Independent's review of The Raw Shark Texts
- The Australian's review of The Raw Shark Texts
- Digesting the Raw Shark Texts in PopMattersPopMattersPopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
- Critical review by Seamus Sweeney on www.nthposition.com