The Riddler Speaks - Casefile #0145 (Patreon)

EDWARD: Suddenelixaroflife asks: Dearest Mr. Riddler, you've mentioned books. Do you have a favourite novel? Author? Genre? The more literary-minded of us are dying to know. Regards, Sudden.

I wondered when a question like this would come up again. Often I am viewed as a rather unimaginative stiff who keeps his nose stuck in journals and textbooks - and rightly so. One's mind can never be stretched enough, nor filled to capacity, especially in my case. Non-fiction holds an indelible mark on me, but fiction has its own rightful place in my affections. I profess myself to be something of a literary magpie, perpetually lighting upon the next shiny object for my possession. I could not choose one book over all others though perhaps I have merely failed to find that one special text that truly speaks to me. Regardless, I have a short list of fictional works to share with you, in no particular order. 

Firstly, "Perfume: the Story of a Murderer", by Patrick Sauskind. I found Jean-Baptiste fascinating and imminently relatable, as one massively talented compulsive to another. His singularity of focus, crimes committed in the pursuit of knowledge rather than base sexual motivation, the discovery that an outsider can never truly belong in this world - is this sounding familiar?

Next, I have Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. A classic Gothic horror story  illustrating the hubris of man and the inherent perils of discovery for its own sake. There is a reason that such books endure the test of time - man never changes.

Thirdly, I present Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. A frankly hilarious book built around the madness of a World War and the subjective madness of the individual. The use of paradox is masterful. For example, freedom from war comes through insanity; in order to be suspended from duty, fighter pilots must be certified as insane. However, a concern for one's safety in the face of dangers that are real and immediate is deemed the process of a rational mind. All one had to do was ask to be grounded but then one is no longer insane. Such logical knots! It's absolutely delightful. 

Fourthly, I select The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. I have yet to be so snarled up by revenge as Dantes, but I greatly admire, again, the singular focus. This time it involves the destruction of one's enemies, a cause I can fully support, especially when it leads to the casting aside of love as the childish toy that it is.

Finally, I choose The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding. You may have thought that I would prefer Orwell's Animal Farm as my cynical allegory, but alas Animal Farm has become a pat cliche. Lord of the Flies however, delves into the construction and destruction of society at the macro level; reduction of men into beasts rather than the inverse. The two works are complementary, though I prefer to smirk at the degradation of man rather than the upward mobility of pigs. Call it a predilection. So there you have it; a reading list, for some of you. This is by no means exhaustive; any further additions will have to be a discussion for another day.