Literary Divination

Over at Making Light, Abi has proposed a parlour game using books as Tarot cards. As always for Making Light, the resulting comment thread is full of dizzyingly erudite responses, and clever literary in-jokes.

But it strikes me that there’s a fundamental flaw in the game– Abi’s examples all involve selected works, chosen to be appropriate for the subject of the reading. For true divination, though, you need an element of randomness, whether it be yarrow stalks tossed in the air, or the iTunes randomizer. Fortunately, we have LibraryThing: if you look at our library, you’ll see a “Random Books” list. So, I asked the Gods of Literature to tell my future, and hit “Refresh” a few times (to accumulate ten books that I’ve actually read), and this is what I found (I think you’ll agree that it’s eerily accurate):

1. This crosses him, showing the nature of his challenge: The Science of Discworld by Pratchett, Cohen, and Stewart. Clearly, the most important challenge in my life is the future of the Bunnies Made of Cheese book.
2. This crowns him, representing the best possible outcome: Beggars in Spain, by Nancy Kress. I’ll lose a lot of sleep, but become hyperintelligent and immortal in the process.
3. This is beneath him, the foundation of the matter: The Worm Ourobouros by E. R. Eddison. I’m stuck in an endless loop of waiting for revisions.
4. This is behind him, where he has been: Greenwitch by Susan Cooper. A book from a beloved children’s series, indicative of a lifetime of reading.
5. This is before him, where he is going: Future on Fire, edited by Orson Scott Card. The future is most definitely before me.
6. The Significator, defining the Querent: Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story by Christopher Moore. Tommy, the hero of the piece, is an aspiring author who gets involved with a beautiful woman.
7. His environment: Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang. At least a few of these are set in an academic environment, involving working scientists.
8. His fears: The Guns of Avalon by Roger Zelazny. Demon squirrels from another dimension will storm Chateau Steelypips and destroy the manuscript.
9. Culmination, how it all comes out: Hammered by Elizabeth Bear. Drinks are on me!

As I said, eerily accurate. Prescient, even.

So, what’s it say in your tarot?