Dorian (ISBN 0802140475)

Many people just don't like this sort of stuff...:
...but I'd rather be one of the few who finds pleasure in Self's perversity than one of the many who see only perveristy in such pleasures (as those of the wanton that is Self's Henry Wotton). Perhaps you should skip this tale if you: ) rarely find reinterpretations as enjoyable -- note that this is not the same as 'good' -- as an original or 'classic' ) are offended by repeated discussions of drugs, sex, homosexuality, precious bodily fluids, et cetera ) haven't read any of his other works; or have, and don't like such ) don't like it when authors make much wordplay or use obscure vocabulary which might require the reader to visit a dictionary Note: I am a big fan of Mr. Self. You also may find his writing very entertaining if you don't fall into any of the above buckets. If you're interested in checking for yourself, I would recommend the short story collection _Grey Area_ or the novel _Great Apes_. (The only major book of his that I did not find highly enjoyable was _How the Dead Live_, which was a little tedious.) So there you have my opinion. It's just that. But do take the reviews of those who panned this book as such as well. There's no accounting for taste; however, I personally recommend that you taste this account of a modern Dorian Gray. Terrible, I know;).

Narcissism, surely the scourge of our age:
It was years ago that I read the Wilde classic, so I wasn't as I read Will Self's update consciously or otherwise thinking about the differences between the two and judging how it measures or fails to measure up to its more famous predecessor. Perhaps that's one of the reasons why I enjoyed it while many others disliked it. As a standalone novel about narcissism - surely a contemporary social ill, if not the scourge of our age - I thought "Dorian" stood its own ground very well. Self doesn't pull his punches in his depiction of the dissolute lifestyle of the upper classes. He seethes with barely concealed contempt for their amorality and their never-ending drug and sex orgies. There's not one sympathetic character among the lot. They're careless and callous of life - they dismiss somebody else's death by murder with the wave of a limp wrist - so when they catch AIDS and find the dagger pointing at their own throats, should anybody baulk ? Dorian is only the distillate and the end result of a values system that encourages if not promotes self worship. Self's excessive wordplay - headache inducing as always - is only quintessentially Self. I'm sure he's added liberally to the English language. His graphic, no holds barred take on decadence is often unpleasant and shocking. His narrative technique is sometimes confusing as he takes us backwards and forwards in time, juxtaposing past events alongside current occurrences through the use of bedside confessions. We confront our horror just as the tale reaches its nadir when Dorian confuses himself with his airbrushed video images. The rest, as they say, is history. "Dorian" isn't for everyone. It's nasty, graphic and violent but also eerily contemporary and necessary.

Wilde would not approve:
Wilde was a silver-tongued philosopher if there ever was one: his incisive witticisms weren't disembodied pretticisms, but a glittering facade for dark, multilayered meaning. In other words, he was a man of brilliant ideas and impeccable style, in many senses of the word. Will Self seems to be a man of mildly intriguing ideas and loathsome taste. The punchline of the book offers some insights on the purpose, function, and effect of art. Besides that, the book is a tedious, torturous read (besides being gory to the point of swift apathy and desensitization.) Self's voice is not only grating, but Self-congratulatory and Self-indulgent: he amuses himself with pointless, witless alliteration as often as his characters smoke, snort and shoot all kinds of hideous drug combinations. His treatment of his own characters is sadistic and completely lacking in affection. The book is built around several mildly interesting comparisons with Wilde's original; the last, revealed in the epilogue, being the strongest. And yes, it's sort of interesting to compare 'moral corruption' with the transmission of a virus for which there is no cure. But his ideas lose all appeal thanks to the voices of the narrator and his aggravating flock of junkies (I speak French and I found the constant turd-like dropping of 'bons mots' infuriating; I can't imagine what it would be like for someone who can't understand them at all....) Read the original and let your own imagination fit it to the context of the '80s and '90s.

horrifically bland, boring story:
I like some of Self's work but this one is unreadable...rambling plot, wooden contrived scenes and dialogue, endless repetition of phrases. UG, spend more time on the next one and reclaim your original talent that was found in "My Idea of Fun."

I didn't like this as much as I wanted to.:
When I ordered this book I was really looking forward to it. I have enjoyed quite a few of Will Self's other books but, I was disappointed. Self's writing is still clever, his characterizations of bitter old queens is fabulous, the setting was very good. His placement of the story at the dawn of the AIDS era was very smart, however the book itself falls flat. There are bright spots here and there, but the story as a whole seems lackluster. I feel the ending was a bit of overkill and entirely unecessary. All in all despite Will Self's wit, I don't really recommend this particular book.