Okay, folks, I need your help on this one. Recently, one of my much younger cousins has finished reading the "Twilight" books (I applogize for sullying this blog with mention of that... stuff) and has put out a request for recommendations of what she should read next.
I'm normally one to let people read what they want to and stick to my own business, but when there's a call for SF literary help, I can't ignore it. Now's the crucial time to steer her towards good speculative fiction, rather than the dreck she's just inflicted on herself.
My initial recommendations were, if the Twilight aberration was a sign of an interest in urban fantasy, that she give pretty much anything by Charles De Lint a try. Yes, I know, read more than two of his books and they all start to look the same, but in limited quantities they're entertaining enough. I also suggested Cory Doctorow's "Somone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town".
But I thought I'd put the question out to you. You might think other books are a better way to nudge her into reading better fare. Maybe you think urban fantasy is the wrong direction and you have a different take on where the interests of a Twilight fan might point to in terms of sub-genres (aside from cheesy romance novels).
What are your gateway recommendations to introduce a Twilight fan to good speculative fiction?
babbling relentlessly about science fiction, fantasy, and all points in between
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Sunday, March 08, 2009
Watchmen Definitely Worth Watching
Warning: Spoilers
(spoilage factor: about the same as the basket of fries in the prison caffeteria after Rorschach got finished with it)
It was about as faithful a big-screen adaptation of the comic classic as you're gonna get, and while it wasn't perfect, it was good enough. Good enough to pay full price for an IMAX ticket. Good enough to wait an hour-and-a-half in line on opening night last Friday (with a highschool princess braying behind us in line the whole time - but that's another story). Good enough to see a late showing after a long day of work. "Watchmen" was a damn good movie about good people damned by having to make a compromise to make a damned world a bit better.
The opening sequence (including a shockingly graphic depiction of Kennedy's assasination at the hands of the Comedian) did a good job of laying out the recent history of this alternate world, along with enough glimpses of the backstories of the early superhero pioneers, the Minutemen, as well as the newer generation. It was enough to bring the uninitiated up to speed and let the film get on with its business - killing Eddie Blake and getting on with the unfolding conspiracy.
Overall, the film had the same feel as the comic. Sacrificing a lot of the secondary story lines, narratives and add-ons (although some may argue, and rightfully so, that the stories involving the other characters like the newsman and the comic reader, the psychiatrist, Nite Owl I, the black freighter comic, etc orbiting that of the conspiracy were actually primary storylines in their own right) took away from the depth of the story, but allowed for greater focus on the conspiracy and enabled a slightly faster pacing. I say "slightly" because with all of the flashbacks and the reminiscing conversations, the movie's pace was thoughtful, methodical - which is as it should be. The story's about reconciling the past as much as it is coping with the present and averting or ushering-in the future. Anyone who came to this film looking for a relentless head-banging action piece like "The Increadible Hulk" was blinded by the fact that there are superheroes in the movie. Yeah, these people are costumed vigilantes, but they're people - highly damaged people - first and foremost.
The casting was pretty much spot-on. Jackie Earle Haley was Rorschach and got cheers from the audience with his delivery of the "You're locked up in here with me!" line. Billy Crudup's voice work for Jon was distant, vaguely appologetic, matter-of-fact, and utterly creepy. And Patrick Wilson did a great job as Dan Dreiberg. Wilson had to carry a lot of weight on his shoulders for this role - and I'm not talking about the owl suit. Rorschach may get the ball rolling and let us know what's going down, but he's a complete nut and we, as an audience can't ever really connect with him. Dreiberg, on the other hand, is more-or-less a normal guy and provides the real emotional window to what's going on. Being something of a geek, he's the perfect choice for a character to focus on, given the comic readers and SF fans who make up the primary audience for the movie. Because of this, I was actually a little disappointed that Dreiberg wasn't given more screen time for his backstory (I think it was just a quick throwaway line about liking birds), but, admittedly, his is probably the least interesting of the personal histories. In a way, it's also kind of a-propos that his backstory gets marginalized - as a geek in our society, he's overlooked anyway. But as the film unfolds (as in the comic) we see Dan come into his own and become more confident. If there's anything to nitpick, it's that Wilson didn't pack on enough weight to show off the paunch Dreiberg has in the comic, but that's certainly not a story-killer.
On the subject of nit-picking though, what I didn't think was necessary for the film was the addition of so many concocted scenes with Nixon and his gang. His part is quite minimal in the comic (in fact, I don't recall that his face is ever seen in the comic - or if it is, not for more than a frame or so). It's enough to know that the US and Soviets are squaring off, and if Zack Snyder wanted to ramp-up the tension while staying true to the original story, he could have done so with panic on the streets or more TV newsflashes. Don't get me wrong, I've got no problem with anyone picking on Nixon - it's entirely justified. My issue is with taking up extra screen time with him unnecessarily. Those were minutes that could have shown us something else.
Lastly, there's the end. No doubt many fanboys will complain about the absence of the manufactured giant squid alien and the substitution of Manhattan-esque explosions by Veidt to carry out his scheme to sow unity through mutually-shared fear of the superman. I didn't have a problem with this. It was logical and consistent with the story and with what Veidt was capable of doing. What's problematic about it for me is that it creates in the movie a noticeable departure from Ozymandias' character in the comic. The Adrian Veidt of the comic would not have framed Jon with the attack/disaster/mass-murder because he would have known that Manhattan's repsonse to the fear and hate generated around the world by the explosions would have prompted him to leave for good. And that would be the last thing that Veidt in the comic would have wanted. In the comic, Veidt manouevered the situation to get Jon off Earth, but I never got the sense that he wanted that to be the case permanently. Ozymandias sees (in a way, worships) Jon as his only superior. He wants to learn from Manhattan, to get validation from him. And Adrian's mighty upset that Jon leaves without giving him the answers he wants. It's one of the few times that he displays true humanity (which underscores how different he is from Jon). Movie-Veidt, on the other hand, doesn't have much to say when Manhattan toddles off on his merry way to make some life on the other side of the cosmic tracks. Movie-Veidt is in many ways as inhuman as Jon. Because there's no sense of loss in the film for Ozymandias, his personal victory is total (aside from the need to grow/breed another souped-up kitty). And I think the movie loses something because of that. It's this loss of the final exploration of flawed humanity that's more significant as a weakness of the moive than the lack of the other sub-plots of other characters who have been cut out or minimized.
That being said, "Watchmen" remains a thoughtful and well-crafted story and is certainly worth seeing.
(spoilage factor: about the same as the basket of fries in the prison caffeteria after Rorschach got finished with it)
It was about as faithful a big-screen adaptation of the comic classic as you're gonna get, and while it wasn't perfect, it was good enough. Good enough to pay full price for an IMAX ticket. Good enough to wait an hour-and-a-half in line on opening night last Friday (with a highschool princess braying behind us in line the whole time - but that's another story). Good enough to see a late showing after a long day of work. "Watchmen" was a damn good movie about good people damned by having to make a compromise to make a damned world a bit better.
The opening sequence (including a shockingly graphic depiction of Kennedy's assasination at the hands of the Comedian) did a good job of laying out the recent history of this alternate world, along with enough glimpses of the backstories of the early superhero pioneers, the Minutemen, as well as the newer generation. It was enough to bring the uninitiated up to speed and let the film get on with its business - killing Eddie Blake and getting on with the unfolding conspiracy.
Overall, the film had the same feel as the comic. Sacrificing a lot of the secondary story lines, narratives and add-ons (although some may argue, and rightfully so, that the stories involving the other characters like the newsman and the comic reader, the psychiatrist, Nite Owl I, the black freighter comic, etc orbiting that of the conspiracy were actually primary storylines in their own right) took away from the depth of the story, but allowed for greater focus on the conspiracy and enabled a slightly faster pacing. I say "slightly" because with all of the flashbacks and the reminiscing conversations, the movie's pace was thoughtful, methodical - which is as it should be. The story's about reconciling the past as much as it is coping with the present and averting or ushering-in the future. Anyone who came to this film looking for a relentless head-banging action piece like "The Increadible Hulk" was blinded by the fact that there are superheroes in the movie. Yeah, these people are costumed vigilantes, but they're people - highly damaged people - first and foremost.
The casting was pretty much spot-on. Jackie Earle Haley was Rorschach and got cheers from the audience with his delivery of the "You're locked up in here with me!" line. Billy Crudup's voice work for Jon was distant, vaguely appologetic, matter-of-fact, and utterly creepy. And Patrick Wilson did a great job as Dan Dreiberg. Wilson had to carry a lot of weight on his shoulders for this role - and I'm not talking about the owl suit. Rorschach may get the ball rolling and let us know what's going down, but he's a complete nut and we, as an audience can't ever really connect with him. Dreiberg, on the other hand, is more-or-less a normal guy and provides the real emotional window to what's going on. Being something of a geek, he's the perfect choice for a character to focus on, given the comic readers and SF fans who make up the primary audience for the movie. Because of this, I was actually a little disappointed that Dreiberg wasn't given more screen time for his backstory (I think it was just a quick throwaway line about liking birds), but, admittedly, his is probably the least interesting of the personal histories. In a way, it's also kind of a-propos that his backstory gets marginalized - as a geek in our society, he's overlooked anyway. But as the film unfolds (as in the comic) we see Dan come into his own and become more confident. If there's anything to nitpick, it's that Wilson didn't pack on enough weight to show off the paunch Dreiberg has in the comic, but that's certainly not a story-killer.
On the subject of nit-picking though, what I didn't think was necessary for the film was the addition of so many concocted scenes with Nixon and his gang. His part is quite minimal in the comic (in fact, I don't recall that his face is ever seen in the comic - or if it is, not for more than a frame or so). It's enough to know that the US and Soviets are squaring off, and if Zack Snyder wanted to ramp-up the tension while staying true to the original story, he could have done so with panic on the streets or more TV newsflashes. Don't get me wrong, I've got no problem with anyone picking on Nixon - it's entirely justified. My issue is with taking up extra screen time with him unnecessarily. Those were minutes that could have shown us something else.
Lastly, there's the end. No doubt many fanboys will complain about the absence of the manufactured giant squid alien and the substitution of Manhattan-esque explosions by Veidt to carry out his scheme to sow unity through mutually-shared fear of the superman. I didn't have a problem with this. It was logical and consistent with the story and with what Veidt was capable of doing. What's problematic about it for me is that it creates in the movie a noticeable departure from Ozymandias' character in the comic. The Adrian Veidt of the comic would not have framed Jon with the attack/disaster/mass-murder because he would have known that Manhattan's repsonse to the fear and hate generated around the world by the explosions would have prompted him to leave for good. And that would be the last thing that Veidt in the comic would have wanted. In the comic, Veidt manouevered the situation to get Jon off Earth, but I never got the sense that he wanted that to be the case permanently. Ozymandias sees (in a way, worships) Jon as his only superior. He wants to learn from Manhattan, to get validation from him. And Adrian's mighty upset that Jon leaves without giving him the answers he wants. It's one of the few times that he displays true humanity (which underscores how different he is from Jon). Movie-Veidt, on the other hand, doesn't have much to say when Manhattan toddles off on his merry way to make some life on the other side of the cosmic tracks. Movie-Veidt is in many ways as inhuman as Jon. Because there's no sense of loss in the film for Ozymandias, his personal victory is total (aside from the need to grow/breed another souped-up kitty). And I think the movie loses something because of that. It's this loss of the final exploration of flawed humanity that's more significant as a weakness of the moive than the lack of the other sub-plots of other characters who have been cut out or minimized.
That being said, "Watchmen" remains a thoughtful and well-crafted story and is certainly worth seeing.
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Reaper Takes a Slice Out of a New Season
Warning: Spoilers
(spoilage factor: about the same as a gob of cheese dried onto the inside of the pizza box that Sock... well, that would be a spoiler, wouldn't it?)
It was a solid enough start to season 2 of "Reaper" tonight. Not a great episode, but entertaining. Sock's dilemma with his newly-acquired sister was a hoot, and Sam had a nice escaped soul takedown. All it needed was a little place-the-vessel-on-the-mat action with Gladys.
My problem was with the sub-plot about Sam and Andi's tiff. They've been through that kind of thing already. Hell, that was most of the first season. You'd think that with Sam bringing Andi into the full truth of what's going on, and with her accepting it, at the end of season 1, they'd be past all that by now. You might argue that's precisely Sam's problem, that he still can't get his shit together, but I don't think so. His finally-realized relationship with Andi at the end of season 1 was significant enough that he would have let her know he was roadtripping, or taken her along (like any sane guy with a scorching hot girlfriend that he's head-over-heels for would do when she feels the same), instead of just taking off like some little wuss with only a note to be sent by the least reliable person he knows. The whole set-up for their fight just seemed like the writers got lazy. Let's hope the rest of the season doesn't have any repeat performances of this nonsense.
The question remaining from last season of course is what's the deal with Sam's father (meaning the father he grew up with who was buried alive in the finale - and then uncovered by Sam's mom) and mother?
And then there's a new question for the new season: has the escaped soul from the end of the episode really gotten out of his deal with the devil, and if so, can Sam cash in on the same kind of strategy? Somehow, I have my doubts. Funny that when the devil showed up at the end in his red muscle car to congratulate Sam on a good take-down he didn't rag on him for letting the soul escape like he normally would. Seems like a convoluted trick is in the works, and I'm guessing, that in some way, in the end, the joke will be on Sam.
(spoilage factor: about the same as a gob of cheese dried onto the inside of the pizza box that Sock... well, that would be a spoiler, wouldn't it?)
It was a solid enough start to season 2 of "Reaper" tonight. Not a great episode, but entertaining. Sock's dilemma with his newly-acquired sister was a hoot, and Sam had a nice escaped soul takedown. All it needed was a little place-the-vessel-on-the-mat action with Gladys.
My problem was with the sub-plot about Sam and Andi's tiff. They've been through that kind of thing already. Hell, that was most of the first season. You'd think that with Sam bringing Andi into the full truth of what's going on, and with her accepting it, at the end of season 1, they'd be past all that by now. You might argue that's precisely Sam's problem, that he still can't get his shit together, but I don't think so. His finally-realized relationship with Andi at the end of season 1 was significant enough that he would have let her know he was roadtripping, or taken her along (like any sane guy with a scorching hot girlfriend that he's head-over-heels for would do when she feels the same), instead of just taking off like some little wuss with only a note to be sent by the least reliable person he knows. The whole set-up for their fight just seemed like the writers got lazy. Let's hope the rest of the season doesn't have any repeat performances of this nonsense.
The question remaining from last season of course is what's the deal with Sam's father (meaning the father he grew up with who was buried alive in the finale - and then uncovered by Sam's mom) and mother?
And then there's a new question for the new season: has the escaped soul from the end of the episode really gotten out of his deal with the devil, and if so, can Sam cash in on the same kind of strategy? Somehow, I have my doubts. Funny that when the devil showed up at the end in his red muscle car to congratulate Sam on a good take-down he didn't rag on him for letting the soul escape like he normally would. Seems like a convoluted trick is in the works, and I'm guessing, that in some way, in the end, the joke will be on Sam.
The Allegedly Renovated Doctor's Interdimensional Spacecraft
The word from the Mirror.co.uk (thanks for the heads-up, Steve!) is that the powers-that-be over at the BBC have ordered a reno for the interior of the TARDIS as part of the switch to the 11th Doctor. The report says the exterior of the vessel will get an improvement to its quality.
While the organic and somewhat dark interior of the current TARDIS design is a bit weird, it's also condusive to a somewhat intimate feeling and does a good job of focussing the audience's attention on the interplay between the Doctor (9th or 10th, take your pick) and whichever Companion is along for the ride. It's also got the feeling of being aged and well-used - something that's tramped its way across the universe a few times, gotten beaten up along the way but always able to face the next challenge.
So if the old girl is going to get an interior design treatment, what sort of new look to you think it should have? (aside from the claims in the report of it being "intricate" and "hitech"?)
I'm thinking an early 80's tiki bar. You heard me: wacky tiki god idols on the walls (and maybe also as stools), a grass overhang above a bamboo bar, brightly-coloured drinks topped with fruit and paper umbrellas, Don Ho music playing in the background, and the Doctor presiding in a loud Hawaiian shirt. ; )
While the organic and somewhat dark interior of the current TARDIS design is a bit weird, it's also condusive to a somewhat intimate feeling and does a good job of focussing the audience's attention on the interplay between the Doctor (9th or 10th, take your pick) and whichever Companion is along for the ride. It's also got the feeling of being aged and well-used - something that's tramped its way across the universe a few times, gotten beaten up along the way but always able to face the next challenge.
So if the old girl is going to get an interior design treatment, what sort of new look to you think it should have? (aside from the claims in the report of it being "intricate" and "hitech"?)
I'm thinking an early 80's tiki bar. You heard me: wacky tiki god idols on the walls (and maybe also as stools), a grass overhang above a bamboo bar, brightly-coloured drinks topped with fruit and paper umbrellas, Don Ho music playing in the background, and the Doctor presiding in a loud Hawaiian shirt. ; )
Monday, March 02, 2009
Where Trademark Lawyers Have Gone Before
The town council in Vulcan, Alberta is asking CBS for a license to use the Star Trek trademark, according to the local paper. While this town at the edge of the Badlands only by coincidence, for years it's used its monicker to attract Trek tourists like Tribbles to, well, any kind of food. The cost of a license is $5,000. You just know that somewhere, the one resident who isn't making money off the tourist traps is probably howling: "Dammit, Jim, I'm a taxpayer, not a Trekkie!"
Sunday, March 01, 2009
Take Your Dolls and Go Home
I'm finished with Joss Whedon's "Dollhouse".
Friday's episode was like a bad combination of a mediocre installment of "Quantum Leap" and "The Bodyguard" (a lame offering from Costner). Not only was it boring and uninspired, it was downright annoying. Nothing could make me want to turn the channel faster than a couple of 20-something characters strutting around congratulating themselves on how cool they are and letting their egos explode during their argument near the end.
The one scene in the episode that had the potential to redeem it was the confrontation between the security chief and the lead programmer of the Dollhouse (whatever the company is called, I can't be bothered to remember or even check) about Echo going off-track, but it felt forced and ultimately fell flat.
"Dollhouse" is now 0-for-3, and I've got better things to do on a Friday night than sit around hoping it'll get better and be consistently disappointed.
Friday's episode was like a bad combination of a mediocre installment of "Quantum Leap" and "The Bodyguard" (a lame offering from Costner). Not only was it boring and uninspired, it was downright annoying. Nothing could make me want to turn the channel faster than a couple of 20-something characters strutting around congratulating themselves on how cool they are and letting their egos explode during their argument near the end.
The one scene in the episode that had the potential to redeem it was the confrontation between the security chief and the lead programmer of the Dollhouse (whatever the company is called, I can't be bothered to remember or even check) about Echo going off-track, but it felt forced and ultimately fell flat.
"Dollhouse" is now 0-for-3, and I've got better things to do on a Friday night than sit around hoping it'll get better and be consistently disappointed.
Friday, February 27, 2009
My Nominations for the Hugo Awards
One of the perks of having registered/purchased my membership for Anticipation - the Worldcon this summer in Montreal - nice and early is that I get to submit nominations for the Hugo Awards. Why I've waited until just before the deadline to actually get around and submit said nominations is (as I've noted in my previous post for my Aurora Awards nominations) due to wanting to give myself a little more time to read a couple of more books/stories published in 2008, giving everything I have read and seen some thought, and, of course, a healthy dose of procrastination.
But having finally made some decisions, and most importantly, finally receiving my Hugo pin number from the Anticipation organizers, I've finally put in my two cents. And so my nominees are:
Best Novel:
"Very Hard Choices" by Spider Robinson
"Firstborn" by Arthur C Clarke & Stephen Baxter
"Valley of Day-Glo" by Nick DiChario
"Victory of Eagles" by Naomi Novik
(I left the 5th nomination space empty because I haven't read anything else eligible, or at least nothing I can recall, which means it wouldn't be worthy of nomination anyway.)
Best Novella:
"Ancients of the Earth" by Derryl Murphy
"Wylde's Kingdom" by David Nickle
"Wonjjang and the Madman of Pyongyang" by Gord Sellar
(Not entirely sure if these three are eligible - not sure if Tesseracts Twelve ever got published in the US, but I'm nominating them anyway on the off chance this will work. At any rate, I've left the other 2 nomination spots empty because no other novellas have jumped out at my from this year's reading experience.)
Best Novelette:
(Nothing here. The distinction between Novella and Novelette has always pissed me off - it's not like the medium-length works I read in anthologies or magazines come with word counts beside them! Because of that, I'm not sure if a kind of longer story I've read is in fact a Novelette, or whether it's too long and actually a Novella, or too short and thus a Short Story. Is your head spinning too? No nominations!)
Best Short Story:
"Empire" by Simon Brown
"Smoking, Waiting for the Dawn" by Jason Nahrung
(These two stories from the Australian anthology Dreaming Again just kick ass. Empire, because who doesn't love a smart take on life under the Martian occupation from War of the Worlds, and Smoking because it made me think of John Carpenter's Vampires tempered with the thoughtfulness of Coppola's Dracula. No other nominations because most of the short stories I've soaked up this year were in On Spec, which isn't published in the US.)
Best Related Book:
"The Savage Humanists" edited by Fiona Kelleghan
(I nominated this one for its long, but thoughtful and accurate opening essay about several authors' use of science fiction for social commentary. Didn't read anything else this year that stood out that was non-fiction concerning the genre.)
Best Graphic Story:
(No nominations here because I haven't had the time or resources to read many comics or graphic novels.)
Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form:
"WALL-E"
"The Dark Knight"
"Cloverfield"
"Iron Man"
(No nomination in the last slot - again, nothing was good or really stuck out.)
Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form:
"BSG: Revelations"
"Reaper: Unseen"
(Nothing else really sticks out)
Best Editor, Short Form:
(Again, no-one really comes to mind from this year.)
Best Editor, Long Form:
(Same as above.)
Best Professional Artist:
(As I mentioned in my previous post, I don't follow the art scene in the genre that closely.)
Best Semiprozine:
(I don't follow this end of things much.)
Best Fanzine:
"SF Signal"
(Assuming, of course, that websites count as 'zines, the boys at SF Signal deserve a nomination!)
Best Fan Writer:
(No-one really jumps out.)
Best Fan Artist:
(Same as above.)
John W. Campbell Award:
(I'm not sure I can think of a new writer who would qualify, so unfortunately, I've got to pass on this one too. Pity, because if I could think of an eligible new writer I'd like to give them a boost.)
Now it's a matter of waiting until voting time.
But having finally made some decisions, and most importantly, finally receiving my Hugo pin number from the Anticipation organizers, I've finally put in my two cents. And so my nominees are:
Best Novel:
"Very Hard Choices" by Spider Robinson
"Firstborn" by Arthur C Clarke & Stephen Baxter
"Valley of Day-Glo" by Nick DiChario
"Victory of Eagles" by Naomi Novik
(I left the 5th nomination space empty because I haven't read anything else eligible, or at least nothing I can recall, which means it wouldn't be worthy of nomination anyway.)
Best Novella:
"Ancients of the Earth" by Derryl Murphy
"Wylde's Kingdom" by David Nickle
"Wonjjang and the Madman of Pyongyang" by Gord Sellar
(Not entirely sure if these three are eligible - not sure if Tesseracts Twelve ever got published in the US, but I'm nominating them anyway on the off chance this will work. At any rate, I've left the other 2 nomination spots empty because no other novellas have jumped out at my from this year's reading experience.)
Best Novelette:
(Nothing here. The distinction between Novella and Novelette has always pissed me off - it's not like the medium-length works I read in anthologies or magazines come with word counts beside them! Because of that, I'm not sure if a kind of longer story I've read is in fact a Novelette, or whether it's too long and actually a Novella, or too short and thus a Short Story. Is your head spinning too? No nominations!)
Best Short Story:
"Empire" by Simon Brown
"Smoking, Waiting for the Dawn" by Jason Nahrung
(These two stories from the Australian anthology Dreaming Again just kick ass. Empire, because who doesn't love a smart take on life under the Martian occupation from War of the Worlds, and Smoking because it made me think of John Carpenter's Vampires tempered with the thoughtfulness of Coppola's Dracula. No other nominations because most of the short stories I've soaked up this year were in On Spec, which isn't published in the US.)
Best Related Book:
"The Savage Humanists" edited by Fiona Kelleghan
(I nominated this one for its long, but thoughtful and accurate opening essay about several authors' use of science fiction for social commentary. Didn't read anything else this year that stood out that was non-fiction concerning the genre.)
Best Graphic Story:
(No nominations here because I haven't had the time or resources to read many comics or graphic novels.)
Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form:
"WALL-E"
"The Dark Knight"
"Cloverfield"
"Iron Man"
(No nomination in the last slot - again, nothing was good or really stuck out.)
Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form:
"BSG: Revelations"
"Reaper: Unseen"
(Nothing else really sticks out)
Best Editor, Short Form:
(Again, no-one really comes to mind from this year.)
Best Editor, Long Form:
(Same as above.)
Best Professional Artist:
(As I mentioned in my previous post, I don't follow the art scene in the genre that closely.)
Best Semiprozine:
(I don't follow this end of things much.)
Best Fanzine:
"SF Signal"
(Assuming, of course, that websites count as 'zines, the boys at SF Signal deserve a nomination!)
Best Fan Writer:
(No-one really jumps out.)
Best Fan Artist:
(Same as above.)
John W. Campbell Award:
(I'm not sure I can think of a new writer who would qualify, so unfortunately, I've got to pass on this one too. Pity, because if I could think of an eligible new writer I'd like to give them a boost.)
Now it's a matter of waiting until voting time.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
My Nominations for the Aurora Awards
I've been putting off my nominations for this year's Aurora Awards (Canada's highest honour for literary speculative fiction) for a while now. Partly because I was still mulling over which works to nominate, and, admittedly, partly because I just didn't make any time for it. But the deadline's looming (February 28th, for those of you who have been procrastinating like me), so it's gotta be done now.
I don't claim to have read everything published by every Canadian author in 2008, but I've read enough that's good, mediocre and down right sloppy to be comfortable nominating the ones I have encountered that I consider to be the best.
The rules allow for three nominations (each given equal value) in each category. Voting for takes place shortly after the nomination period ends and the Awards will be given out at Anticipation/Worldcon in Montreal this August.
And so, my nominations for the Auroras:
Best Long-Form Work in English:
"Very Hard Choices" by Spider Robinson
(This is my only nomination in this category because I haven't read any other novels that were eligible)
Best Long-Form Work in French:
(No nominations because I haven't read any novels published in French)
Best Short-Form Work in English:
"The Devil's in the Details" by Kevin Cockle - in On Spec, Summer 2008 issue
"Ancients of the Earth" by Derryl Murphy - in Tesseracts Twelve
"Wylde's Kingdom" by David Nickle - in Tesseracts Twelve
(This category was a real tough one to make choices - there were a lot of other really good stories this year, but ultimately, you've got to go with the ones that are not only top notch, but stick out in your memory)
Best Short-Form Work in French:
(Again, no nominations here, not having read any French language publications)
Best Work in English (Other):
"Tesseracts Twelve" edited by Claude Lalumiere
"Identity Theft and other stories" by Robert J Sawyer
On Spec magazine
Best Work in French (Other):
(Same as previous - didn't read anything in French, so no nominations)
Best Artistic Achievement:
(As much as I hate to say it, there wasn't any art this year that really blew me away. Admittedly, I don't tend to nominate art at all though.)
Fan Achievement (Fanzine):
Fan Achievement (Organizational):
Fan Achievement (Other):
(No nominations for any of these final categories because nothing I've come across relating to them this year really stands out. I won't be nominating my own blogs, "bloginhood" and "Not A Planet Anymore" in the fanzine category because I kind of think it's in poor taste to nominate yourself for awards, especially ones of this stature.)
Stay tuned for my Hugo Award nominations tomorrow.
I don't claim to have read everything published by every Canadian author in 2008, but I've read enough that's good, mediocre and down right sloppy to be comfortable nominating the ones I have encountered that I consider to be the best.
The rules allow for three nominations (each given equal value) in each category. Voting for takes place shortly after the nomination period ends and the Awards will be given out at Anticipation/Worldcon in Montreal this August.
And so, my nominations for the Auroras:
Best Long-Form Work in English:
"Very Hard Choices" by Spider Robinson
(This is my only nomination in this category because I haven't read any other novels that were eligible)
Best Long-Form Work in French:
(No nominations because I haven't read any novels published in French)
Best Short-Form Work in English:
"The Devil's in the Details" by Kevin Cockle - in On Spec, Summer 2008 issue
"Ancients of the Earth" by Derryl Murphy - in Tesseracts Twelve
"Wylde's Kingdom" by David Nickle - in Tesseracts Twelve
(This category was a real tough one to make choices - there were a lot of other really good stories this year, but ultimately, you've got to go with the ones that are not only top notch, but stick out in your memory)
Best Short-Form Work in French:
(Again, no nominations here, not having read any French language publications)
Best Work in English (Other):
"Tesseracts Twelve" edited by Claude Lalumiere
"Identity Theft and other stories" by Robert J Sawyer
On Spec magazine
Best Work in French (Other):
(Same as previous - didn't read anything in French, so no nominations)
Best Artistic Achievement:
(As much as I hate to say it, there wasn't any art this year that really blew me away. Admittedly, I don't tend to nominate art at all though.)
Fan Achievement (Fanzine):
Fan Achievement (Organizational):
Fan Achievement (Other):
(No nominations for any of these final categories because nothing I've come across relating to them this year really stands out. I won't be nominating my own blogs, "bloginhood" and "Not A Planet Anymore" in the fanzine category because I kind of think it's in poor taste to nominate yourself for awards, especially ones of this stature.)
Stay tuned for my Hugo Award nominations tomorrow.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Dollhouse Made of Plastic
Warning: Spoilers
(spoilage factor: about the same as an apple that's fallen down a flight of stairs)
Two episodes down and I'm still less than impressed with Whedon's new show "Dollhouse". No interesting dialogue, cliched characters, and this week's story was about as unoriginal as it gets.
How many times have we seen or read about a manhunt where our plucky protagonist is told, "Okay, skippy, you've got --- minutes/seconds/whatever headstart, then I'm comin' after ya!" Chalk one more up to "Dollhouse", and what's really disappointing (especially from a storyteller of Whedon's calibre) is that there's no new angle to it.
With all of the plot possibilities that "Dollhouse" has open to it, why would they retread old ground like this? Granted, the point is that our hero plays a diverse set of roles as she goes from one assignment to another, and not all of them can be new or cool. But at least if there's no way to avoid old hat like this, if no new angles can be found, there should be some sense of tension - and there is none, 'cause it's only episode 2 and we can't kill-off the lead character; or maybe some good banter, but again, none.
Episode 3 of "Dollhouse" hits the air this Friday, and it's going to have to wow me, otherwise it's strike 3. I've got better things to do on a Friday night than waste time on a show that's boring me as much as this one.
(spoilage factor: about the same as an apple that's fallen down a flight of stairs)
Two episodes down and I'm still less than impressed with Whedon's new show "Dollhouse". No interesting dialogue, cliched characters, and this week's story was about as unoriginal as it gets.
How many times have we seen or read about a manhunt where our plucky protagonist is told, "Okay, skippy, you've got --- minutes/seconds/whatever headstart, then I'm comin' after ya!" Chalk one more up to "Dollhouse", and what's really disappointing (especially from a storyteller of Whedon's calibre) is that there's no new angle to it.
With all of the plot possibilities that "Dollhouse" has open to it, why would they retread old ground like this? Granted, the point is that our hero plays a diverse set of roles as she goes from one assignment to another, and not all of them can be new or cool. But at least if there's no way to avoid old hat like this, if no new angles can be found, there should be some sense of tension - and there is none, 'cause it's only episode 2 and we can't kill-off the lead character; or maybe some good banter, but again, none.
Episode 3 of "Dollhouse" hits the air this Friday, and it's going to have to wow me, otherwise it's strike 3. I've got better things to do on a Friday night than waste time on a show that's boring me as much as this one.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Time to Cut the Puppet Strings
"Star Fleet" is back - and I don't mean a revamp of James T. Kirk's employers. A week or two ago, my friend Steve (a fellow fanboy at the office) brought to my attention news that the old marionation series is being re-issued on DVD.
Apparently the show had a big British following. I remember it from when I was a kid back in the early 80's in Ontario... my parents had bought the family's first VCR (wisely: a VHS) and the department store that sold it had its own rental section. After renting "Star Wars" a couple of times and going quickly through the Disney collection, we decided to give "Star Fleet" a try. I mean, it had a blatant SF name - it had to be cool, right? Right? Ugh.
I've never been a fan of marionation to begin with. There's something vaguely creepy about it, especially when it tries to be detailed and real. Amidst the scale furniture and intricate clothing there are these strange big-headed figures that either move in bobbing, syrupy slowness or quick, clumsy jerks. As much as I enjoyed parts of it when I was little, I always found the Christmas classic "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" and similar holiday productions to be vaguely unsettling. Worse still was "The New Adventures of Pinochio" on Sunday mornings, followed by some other show that was kind of like the "Addams Family" except in marionation. To this day I don't like that style, which is one of the main reasons why "Team America: World Police" didn't work for me.
"Star Fleet" was worse. It was a science fiction show with lots of scenes of space flight and space battles, but every shot of the cruisers and planets out there in the void felt cramped and clausterphobic. The ship itself looked like a hand-vac with the engine block and foils of an X-Wing fighter lashed on to its aft section. The giant robot didn't do anything for me either. Admittedly, I remember very little of the plot, except that it felt disappointingly like the anime "Battle of the Planets" that had been a staple of my TV watching in the late 70's.
Funny thing though: I hadn't given "Star Fleet" any thought since I'd last seen it as a kid, but as soon as Steve mentioned it, the theme music from the opening title sequence and even the song from the closing credits came back with crystal clarity. I wish they hadn't.
Leave the puppets to biodegrade on the compost heap of the past.
Apparently the show had a big British following. I remember it from when I was a kid back in the early 80's in Ontario... my parents had bought the family's first VCR (wisely: a VHS) and the department store that sold it had its own rental section. After renting "Star Wars" a couple of times and going quickly through the Disney collection, we decided to give "Star Fleet" a try. I mean, it had a blatant SF name - it had to be cool, right? Right? Ugh.
I've never been a fan of marionation to begin with. There's something vaguely creepy about it, especially when it tries to be detailed and real. Amidst the scale furniture and intricate clothing there are these strange big-headed figures that either move in bobbing, syrupy slowness or quick, clumsy jerks. As much as I enjoyed parts of it when I was little, I always found the Christmas classic "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" and similar holiday productions to be vaguely unsettling. Worse still was "The New Adventures of Pinochio" on Sunday mornings, followed by some other show that was kind of like the "Addams Family" except in marionation. To this day I don't like that style, which is one of the main reasons why "Team America: World Police" didn't work for me.
"Star Fleet" was worse. It was a science fiction show with lots of scenes of space flight and space battles, but every shot of the cruisers and planets out there in the void felt cramped and clausterphobic. The ship itself looked like a hand-vac with the engine block and foils of an X-Wing fighter lashed on to its aft section. The giant robot didn't do anything for me either. Admittedly, I remember very little of the plot, except that it felt disappointingly like the anime "Battle of the Planets" that had been a staple of my TV watching in the late 70's.
Funny thing though: I hadn't given "Star Fleet" any thought since I'd last seen it as a kid, but as soon as Steve mentioned it, the theme music from the opening title sequence and even the song from the closing credits came back with crystal clarity. I wish they hadn't.
Leave the puppets to biodegrade on the compost heap of the past.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
All of This Has Happened Before...
Warning: spoilers
(spoilage factor: about the same as the fruit Tyrol was looking at just as the nukes fell)
Watching the final season of BSG these past couple of weeks has frequently left me with the same kind of feeling of deja vu that the Final Five Cylons seem to experience on a regular basis. No, that doesn't mean that when I go for a walk along the shore at Boundary Bay that I get the impression I'm in a street market on another world - far from it. Rather, it's the case that some moments in recent episodes seem to have been lifted from other SF productions.
Take last Friday's episode for example. Sam's bullet-wound to the head allows him to see the Final Five's past as well as the big picture, and he's just dying to tell the others. Kara eventually has to decide to allow the doctors to perform the operation that will save his life, but could cause him to lose his newly-acquired memories and awareness. This felt an aweful lot like the episode of "Star Trek: Deep Space 9" where Sisko is endowed with prophetic abilities during his search for a lost Bajoran city, but faces death because of the strain on his body. His son decides to allow the operation that saves him, but costs him his visions. Now, BSG co-creator Ron Moore had a solid history working with DS9, and while I don't know if Moore was around during that particular episode, I wonder if he and his writers aren't drawing from it.
Also last week, the episode's final confrontation between Cavil (or "Jonathan" if you prefer) and Ellen felt familiar. She tries to tell him that it's okay to be who and what he is, and Cavil responds by assuring her he'll open her brain. The whole thing felt distinctly Blade Runner-ish to me. Reminded me a lot of Roy coming for a reckoning with Tyrrel and using his thumbs like egg-beaters in the doctor's eyesockets when he's told that it's fine that he's an android who won't get to live any longer.
Lastly, on the episode two weeks ago, there was Gaeta's last second of life in front of the firing squad. Just before the order to fire is given, he remarks that the pain from his amputation has finally stopped. This cease of pain in the moment before death is one that's been used a few times in other stories, but the one that comes most quickly to mind for me is the death of The Master at the end of "Doctor Who" series 3 where he notes that the drums he's been hearing all his life have finally stopped.
Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining about BSG doing a little borrowing or being inspired by other SF. The adaptations to BSG circumstances have certainly been done well. And yes, BSG has on many previous occasions made allusions both to its predecessor and other shows. But these examples seemed different in a way... perhaps more overt because they had something to do with the plot rather than being merely asides? I'm still trying to figure that out.
(spoilage factor: about the same as the fruit Tyrol was looking at just as the nukes fell)
Watching the final season of BSG these past couple of weeks has frequently left me with the same kind of feeling of deja vu that the Final Five Cylons seem to experience on a regular basis. No, that doesn't mean that when I go for a walk along the shore at Boundary Bay that I get the impression I'm in a street market on another world - far from it. Rather, it's the case that some moments in recent episodes seem to have been lifted from other SF productions.
Take last Friday's episode for example. Sam's bullet-wound to the head allows him to see the Final Five's past as well as the big picture, and he's just dying to tell the others. Kara eventually has to decide to allow the doctors to perform the operation that will save his life, but could cause him to lose his newly-acquired memories and awareness. This felt an aweful lot like the episode of "Star Trek: Deep Space 9" where Sisko is endowed with prophetic abilities during his search for a lost Bajoran city, but faces death because of the strain on his body. His son decides to allow the operation that saves him, but costs him his visions. Now, BSG co-creator Ron Moore had a solid history working with DS9, and while I don't know if Moore was around during that particular episode, I wonder if he and his writers aren't drawing from it.
Also last week, the episode's final confrontation between Cavil (or "Jonathan" if you prefer) and Ellen felt familiar. She tries to tell him that it's okay to be who and what he is, and Cavil responds by assuring her he'll open her brain. The whole thing felt distinctly Blade Runner-ish to me. Reminded me a lot of Roy coming for a reckoning with Tyrrel and using his thumbs like egg-beaters in the doctor's eyesockets when he's told that it's fine that he's an android who won't get to live any longer.
Lastly, on the episode two weeks ago, there was Gaeta's last second of life in front of the firing squad. Just before the order to fire is given, he remarks that the pain from his amputation has finally stopped. This cease of pain in the moment before death is one that's been used a few times in other stories, but the one that comes most quickly to mind for me is the death of The Master at the end of "Doctor Who" series 3 where he notes that the drums he's been hearing all his life have finally stopped.
Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining about BSG doing a little borrowing or being inspired by other SF. The adaptations to BSG circumstances have certainly been done well. And yes, BSG has on many previous occasions made allusions both to its predecessor and other shows. But these examples seemed different in a way... perhaps more overt because they had something to do with the plot rather than being merely asides? I'm still trying to figure that out.
Dollhouse Needs A Reno
I'm waiting for Joss Whedon's new series "Dollhouse" to prove it's more than just plastic.
Sure there was an action sequence, and yeah it tried to create a couple of dramatic moments with confrontations with dangerous people and painful memories (sort of) and intense debates about morality, but, as odd as it sounds (especially with a Whedon series), there just didn't seem to be any life in it. All of the actors looked like they were trying to act their parts, as opposed to giving engaging performances where they were their characters. And characters that have a life of their own are crucial to a series like this that isn't giving the audience anything especially new in terms of concepts (we've seen artifically-implanted personalities many times over the years, most recently with Christian Slater's Jekyll & Hyde remake "My Own Worst Enemy" - and if you're looking for an example of people having multiple personality reprogramming sessions, think back to that episode of "Star Trek: Voyager" when the Hirogen turned the ship into a hunting preserve). In fact, it's characters and dialogue that make a Whedon series enjoyable, intelligent and memorable, but so far, nothing's at the level it should be.
Now you may argue that "Dollhouse" is a different type of show than Buffy, "Angel" or "Firefly", and that's true, and so the same types of dialect and terms of reference can't be rehashed. But creating a different mood, world and set of problems doesn't negate the need for characters who make the audience want to pay attention. And the characters in the premier didn't feel authentic enough and didn't say anything compelling enough to really make me care.
To be fair though, it was only the pilot. A lot of great SF shows are pretty wobbly for the first few episodes, or even the first season or two (the first season of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" is absolutely unwatchable, as far as I'm concerned). Maybe "Dollhouse" will get stronger once it gets a few more episodes under its belt. If it lasts that long (and the guessing game about Fox and the awful Friday night slot is a whole different discussion).
I didn't hate Friday's premier, but I didn't love it either. I'll give it another week or two to see if it gets stronger.
Sure there was an action sequence, and yeah it tried to create a couple of dramatic moments with confrontations with dangerous people and painful memories (sort of) and intense debates about morality, but, as odd as it sounds (especially with a Whedon series), there just didn't seem to be any life in it. All of the actors looked like they were trying to act their parts, as opposed to giving engaging performances where they were their characters. And characters that have a life of their own are crucial to a series like this that isn't giving the audience anything especially new in terms of concepts (we've seen artifically-implanted personalities many times over the years, most recently with Christian Slater's Jekyll & Hyde remake "My Own Worst Enemy" - and if you're looking for an example of people having multiple personality reprogramming sessions, think back to that episode of "Star Trek: Voyager" when the Hirogen turned the ship into a hunting preserve). In fact, it's characters and dialogue that make a Whedon series enjoyable, intelligent and memorable, but so far, nothing's at the level it should be.
Now you may argue that "Dollhouse" is a different type of show than Buffy, "Angel" or "Firefly", and that's true, and so the same types of dialect and terms of reference can't be rehashed. But creating a different mood, world and set of problems doesn't negate the need for characters who make the audience want to pay attention. And the characters in the premier didn't feel authentic enough and didn't say anything compelling enough to really make me care.
To be fair though, it was only the pilot. A lot of great SF shows are pretty wobbly for the first few episodes, or even the first season or two (the first season of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" is absolutely unwatchable, as far as I'm concerned). Maybe "Dollhouse" will get stronger once it gets a few more episodes under its belt. If it lasts that long (and the guessing game about Fox and the awful Friday night slot is a whole different discussion).
I didn't hate Friday's premier, but I didn't love it either. I'll give it another week or two to see if it gets stronger.
Sunday, February 08, 2009
No Room for Fanboys at the Cinema
It looks like on BC's Lower Mainland at least, the movie theatres want geeks to come and spend money on films and popcorn and the like, just as long as the films aren't about geeks themselves. It's pissed me off to no end that in the entire Metro Vancouver region this weekend, not one cinema is devoting a single screen to "Fanboys". Not one!
Now, to be fair, with the amount of incessant tinkering and revising that's been done to this little flick, and with all the delays, it does, admittedly, have a reasonable potential for suckage. And yes, I've read one review so far (the film seems to be strangely absent from reviews in big media here, as though they've all turned their backs on it because it's openly nerdy and thus not cool enough to warrant their "Bride Wars"-obsessed critiques). But to not have at least one multiplex show it on one screen? Come on!
I mean, there are still theatres showing "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (a couple of months after its embarrassing debut) and anyone (like me) who made the mistake of seeing that one knows the only thing it's standing in is a pile of shit as deep as Keannu Reeves' inability to act. Never mind the other crappy new flicks that are fresh out and getting plenty of screen time. Don't the theatre chains know that while they're getting mediocre turnouts for the low-quality mainstream stuff, they'd probably get good turnouts for "Fanboys" even if it isn't that good (and I'm not saying whether it is or isn't 'cause I haven't seen it yet and likely won't for a while at this rate) because they'd probably get a ton of geeks turning out to watch it out of curiousity at how it portrays geek culture. Never mind the flood they'd get if the film's any good. In an age where movie theatres are kicked hard in the bottom line by video stores, sales of DVD's for home viewing, and internet downloads, they can't afford not to diversify and bring in any flick that might attract paying customers, especially fanboys, who tend to come out to flicks like this in flocks and spend lots of money on junk food and video games in the lobby while they're waiting. Way to cultivate a profitable market, Cineplex!
Now, to be fair, with the amount of incessant tinkering and revising that's been done to this little flick, and with all the delays, it does, admittedly, have a reasonable potential for suckage. And yes, I've read one review so far (the film seems to be strangely absent from reviews in big media here, as though they've all turned their backs on it because it's openly nerdy and thus not cool enough to warrant their "Bride Wars"-obsessed critiques). But to not have at least one multiplex show it on one screen? Come on!
I mean, there are still theatres showing "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (a couple of months after its embarrassing debut) and anyone (like me) who made the mistake of seeing that one knows the only thing it's standing in is a pile of shit as deep as Keannu Reeves' inability to act. Never mind the other crappy new flicks that are fresh out and getting plenty of screen time. Don't the theatre chains know that while they're getting mediocre turnouts for the low-quality mainstream stuff, they'd probably get good turnouts for "Fanboys" even if it isn't that good (and I'm not saying whether it is or isn't 'cause I haven't seen it yet and likely won't for a while at this rate) because they'd probably get a ton of geeks turning out to watch it out of curiousity at how it portrays geek culture. Never mind the flood they'd get if the film's any good. In an age where movie theatres are kicked hard in the bottom line by video stores, sales of DVD's for home viewing, and internet downloads, they can't afford not to diversify and bring in any flick that might attract paying customers, especially fanboys, who tend to come out to flicks like this in flocks and spend lots of money on junk food and video games in the lobby while they're waiting. Way to cultivate a profitable market, Cineplex!
Seattle Drops Out of Worldcon Race
I was greatly disappointed today when I was reading Rob Sawyer's blog and came across word that Seattle has dropped out of the race to host Worldcon in 2011.
Bid organizers say there were other groups competing for the same facilities in the Emerald City during the same period Worldcon was planned, and these other groups were already able to make financial commitments. Unable to get the top-notch facilities they'd wanted, the bid group decided to pull-out, rather than continue with a second-rate setup.
As a result, Reno wins the Worldcon 2011 bid by default.
Good for the Nevada crowd, certainly. But I think Seattle would have made a good location, especially since it's the home to the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame. Personally, I would have gone to a Worldcon in Seattle in a heartbeat, because it's just two hours down the road from Vancouver (once you've spent the prerequesite 9 years waiting in line to cross the border, that is) and I've always enjoyed day trips there. Reno, on the other hand, is a bit more of a trek and has (no offence to Reno residents) never much interested me. With any luck, Seattle will be able to pull something together again for a bid in the future.
In the meantime, I'm very much anticipating a good time at Worldcon this summer in Montreal.
Bid organizers say there were other groups competing for the same facilities in the Emerald City during the same period Worldcon was planned, and these other groups were already able to make financial commitments. Unable to get the top-notch facilities they'd wanted, the bid group decided to pull-out, rather than continue with a second-rate setup.
As a result, Reno wins the Worldcon 2011 bid by default.
Good for the Nevada crowd, certainly. But I think Seattle would have made a good location, especially since it's the home to the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame. Personally, I would have gone to a Worldcon in Seattle in a heartbeat, because it's just two hours down the road from Vancouver (once you've spent the prerequesite 9 years waiting in line to cross the border, that is) and I've always enjoyed day trips there. Reno, on the other hand, is a bit more of a trek and has (no offence to Reno residents) never much interested me. With any luck, Seattle will be able to pull something together again for a bid in the future.
In the meantime, I'm very much anticipating a good time at Worldcon this summer in Montreal.
Thursday, February 05, 2009
Update on the 365 Short Story Challenge
I admit, I've started to fall behind.
The challenge seemed easy at first, read one short story in the evening before resuming whatever novel was in front of me and I'd be able to keep pace. Problem was I got into a stretch of really, really good novels that I didn't want to put down for even a few minutes to allocate time for something short. I mean, with Gaiman's "American Gods", Dan Simmons' "Muse of Fire" and Moore's "Watchmen" can you blame me?
At any rate, now that I'm done "Watchmen" I'm going to be putting the plan back on track. I'm in the middle of a backissue of On Spec (Winter '99) that I picked up at VCon a couple of years ago, and once that's done I'll crack open one of the anthologies I aquired recently and bring the tally up to where it should be, or even put myself ahead of the game again. I'm thinking either of the Australian collection "Dreaming Again" that wife gave to me for Christmas, or "Gaslight Grimoire" (an anthology of fantasy riffs on Sherlock Holmes) which I got at VCon last fall.
As for thoughts on some of the short stories I read just prior to the recent hiatus, the only one that really sticks out in my mind was Claude Lalumiere's "Njabo" (again from a backissue of On Spec - Fall '03). It's the tale of an artist living in a multi-partner family who struggles to come to grips with dreams where her daughter becomes an elephant and leads other pachyderms on a crusade to rid the world of their human tormentors. The strange situations Lalumiere presents always demand that the reader go hunting for metaphors amongst the brush of the story. Here, the obvious one seems to be of the power of art, or, because of the child, of any creative act, to force us to re-evaluate our perception of the world, and to bring the possibility of radical change. Given the diverse natures of the narrator and her partners, and that dispite their differnces they continue to stay together as a family unit and love one-another, and with their ultimate fate steered by the daughter, I wonder too if Lalumiere is using the family as allegory for a Canada, with its diversity, struggling with changing identity, staying together despite the differences of its components, and perhaps with a large, world-changing destiny (though I would hope for one not nearly as violent as that implied by the child's transformation). Always enjoyable to read his stuff.
Now back to the challenge and making up lost ground.
The challenge seemed easy at first, read one short story in the evening before resuming whatever novel was in front of me and I'd be able to keep pace. Problem was I got into a stretch of really, really good novels that I didn't want to put down for even a few minutes to allocate time for something short. I mean, with Gaiman's "American Gods", Dan Simmons' "Muse of Fire" and Moore's "Watchmen" can you blame me?
At any rate, now that I'm done "Watchmen" I'm going to be putting the plan back on track. I'm in the middle of a backissue of On Spec (Winter '99) that I picked up at VCon a couple of years ago, and once that's done I'll crack open one of the anthologies I aquired recently and bring the tally up to where it should be, or even put myself ahead of the game again. I'm thinking either of the Australian collection "Dreaming Again" that wife gave to me for Christmas, or "Gaslight Grimoire" (an anthology of fantasy riffs on Sherlock Holmes) which I got at VCon last fall.
As for thoughts on some of the short stories I read just prior to the recent hiatus, the only one that really sticks out in my mind was Claude Lalumiere's "Njabo" (again from a backissue of On Spec - Fall '03). It's the tale of an artist living in a multi-partner family who struggles to come to grips with dreams where her daughter becomes an elephant and leads other pachyderms on a crusade to rid the world of their human tormentors. The strange situations Lalumiere presents always demand that the reader go hunting for metaphors amongst the brush of the story. Here, the obvious one seems to be of the power of art, or, because of the child, of any creative act, to force us to re-evaluate our perception of the world, and to bring the possibility of radical change. Given the diverse natures of the narrator and her partners, and that dispite their differnces they continue to stay together as a family unit and love one-another, and with their ultimate fate steered by the daughter, I wonder too if Lalumiere is using the family as allegory for a Canada, with its diversity, struggling with changing identity, staying together despite the differences of its components, and perhaps with a large, world-changing destiny (though I would hope for one not nearly as violent as that implied by the child's transformation). Always enjoyable to read his stuff.
Now back to the challenge and making up lost ground.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Happy Chinese New Year
Gung Hei Fat Choy to everyone out there at the beginning of the year of the Ox. My wife's Chinese, so we usually mark the new year with a nice supper centred around a few traditional dishes. But for my part, being an SF fan, the holiday's gotta be celebrated with some good storytelling too.
First and foremost in the tradition, is sitting down to watch John Carpenter's masterpiece: "Big Trouble in Little China". One of my all-time favourite movies. I've enthused about it here before, so I won't got into too many details, but it's a great combination of humour and action as we ride along with John-Wayne-talking (at least when his confidence is up) fish-out-of-water truck driver Jack Burton, perhaps one of the greatest movie sidekicks of all time. Bonus points to Carpenter for being dedicated enough to make sure the insults and threats the Chinese characters fire back and forth at each other in Cantonese actually make sense (I know because my wife often chuckles away when she watches and has translated some of them). And of course, the dialogue in the film is ripe with one-liners that stick in the memory for years. My favourite is from the villain, Lo-Pan: "You were not brought upon this world to 'get it', Mr. Burton!"
The laugh fest was followed-up by Ang Lee's melancholy fantasy "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon". This too is movie that never gets stale. It's easy to get swept up in the golden-age tapestry of flying heroes wielding swords against foes to settle epic grudges. Each viewing unveils a new nuance in the acting or the characters' interactions with one-another, and the lush visuals are always a treat.
Of course, this year New Years eve fell on Robbie Burns night, so the turnip cake was followed up with a double-shot of scotch. Not the most obvious culinary combination in the world, but it worked, and as "Big Trouble in Little China" illustrated, more often than not, East and West work very well together.
First and foremost in the tradition, is sitting down to watch John Carpenter's masterpiece: "Big Trouble in Little China". One of my all-time favourite movies. I've enthused about it here before, so I won't got into too many details, but it's a great combination of humour and action as we ride along with John-Wayne-talking (at least when his confidence is up) fish-out-of-water truck driver Jack Burton, perhaps one of the greatest movie sidekicks of all time. Bonus points to Carpenter for being dedicated enough to make sure the insults and threats the Chinese characters fire back and forth at each other in Cantonese actually make sense (I know because my wife often chuckles away when she watches and has translated some of them). And of course, the dialogue in the film is ripe with one-liners that stick in the memory for years. My favourite is from the villain, Lo-Pan: "You were not brought upon this world to 'get it', Mr. Burton!"
The laugh fest was followed-up by Ang Lee's melancholy fantasy "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon". This too is movie that never gets stale. It's easy to get swept up in the golden-age tapestry of flying heroes wielding swords against foes to settle epic grudges. Each viewing unveils a new nuance in the acting or the characters' interactions with one-another, and the lush visuals are always a treat.
Of course, this year New Years eve fell on Robbie Burns night, so the turnip cake was followed up with a double-shot of scotch. Not the most obvious culinary combination in the world, but it worked, and as "Big Trouble in Little China" illustrated, more often than not, East and West work very well together.
Monday, January 19, 2009
geekTunes
I've been spending quite a few evenings lately crawling around the Apple iTunes store hunting for music that I don't already have on CD to load into the new iPhone I was given for Christmas. In addition to an assortment of rock, blues, jazz and classical pieces, I've been pleasantly surprised at how much in the way of SF-related stuff I've been able to find.
Tonight's geeky acquisition was a historical piece - Orson Welles Mercury Theatre radio play of "The War of the Worlds". That'll be a great one for a road trip sometime.
And yet, I would have been somewhat surprised if the site hadn't had that gem. The real shocker was some of the soundtracks that turned up, from movies that were either old or not well received by the general audience. I mean, I found the main theme for "Krull"! The movie was shit (mostly) but man did Horner write a big, ballsy piece of classically-inspired music. John Barry's score for "The Black Hole" is also there - another craptacular movie (which, I've admitted openly before is one of my guilty pleasures) that you wouldn't expect to find on a site like this ('cause Disney sure as hell doesn't seem to have any memory of it beyond the anniversary DVD that was released a few years ago). There are a couple of renditions of the "Tron" score available too, although with "Tron 2" (or however they're trying to funk-up the spelling now) in the works, it isn't surprising that this old chestnut would get dusted off for playlists. This led my to Journey's "Only Solutions" from the movie's end credits, which I've enjoyed for years but have had a tough time finding until now. Follow that up with a couple of John Carpenter pieces - Snake's Uniform from "Escape from LA" (a badass blues riff on the old "Escape from New York" theme) and The Porkchop Express from my favourite "Big Trouble in Little China" (and no piece of music could be more appropriate right now, what with me living hin the heart of Richmond - the new Little China - and the whole Lower Mainland being socked-in with fog as thick as wet wool that would make San Francisco envious) - and I'm a happy guy.
And bonus points for stocking comedian Sean Cullen's "Food of Choice" song. Not SF per se, but it's the kind of thing a mad scientist or wannabe Bond villain might hum under his breath while preparing to proceed with his nefarious and science-fictionally-inspired scheme, so it's worth mentioning here.
Say what you will about how loyal geeks are in buying up stuff related to their favourite cult classics, I hadn't expected to find this stuff because, let's face it, the site is about making money and you'd figure they wouldn't be devoting storage space to music that the largest percentage of the population wasn't clamouring for. Makes me wonder what the purchase stats are for some of this stuff - whether, in fact the geeks are logging-on in droves, or whether the site's geeky creators added this music as part of their own little sub-culture corner.
At any rate, good on Apple for picking a nice bushell of geek tunes!
Tonight's geeky acquisition was a historical piece - Orson Welles Mercury Theatre radio play of "The War of the Worlds". That'll be a great one for a road trip sometime.
And yet, I would have been somewhat surprised if the site hadn't had that gem. The real shocker was some of the soundtracks that turned up, from movies that were either old or not well received by the general audience. I mean, I found the main theme for "Krull"! The movie was shit (mostly) but man did Horner write a big, ballsy piece of classically-inspired music. John Barry's score for "The Black Hole" is also there - another craptacular movie (which, I've admitted openly before is one of my guilty pleasures) that you wouldn't expect to find on a site like this ('cause Disney sure as hell doesn't seem to have any memory of it beyond the anniversary DVD that was released a few years ago). There are a couple of renditions of the "Tron" score available too, although with "Tron 2" (or however they're trying to funk-up the spelling now) in the works, it isn't surprising that this old chestnut would get dusted off for playlists. This led my to Journey's "Only Solutions" from the movie's end credits, which I've enjoyed for years but have had a tough time finding until now. Follow that up with a couple of John Carpenter pieces - Snake's Uniform from "Escape from LA" (a badass blues riff on the old "Escape from New York" theme) and The Porkchop Express from my favourite "Big Trouble in Little China" (and no piece of music could be more appropriate right now, what with me living hin the heart of Richmond - the new Little China - and the whole Lower Mainland being socked-in with fog as thick as wet wool that would make San Francisco envious) - and I'm a happy guy.
And bonus points for stocking comedian Sean Cullen's "Food of Choice" song. Not SF per se, but it's the kind of thing a mad scientist or wannabe Bond villain might hum under his breath while preparing to proceed with his nefarious and science-fictionally-inspired scheme, so it's worth mentioning here.
Say what you will about how loyal geeks are in buying up stuff related to their favourite cult classics, I hadn't expected to find this stuff because, let's face it, the site is about making money and you'd figure they wouldn't be devoting storage space to music that the largest percentage of the population wasn't clamouring for. Makes me wonder what the purchase stats are for some of this stuff - whether, in fact the geeks are logging-on in droves, or whether the site's geeky creators added this music as part of their own little sub-culture corner.
At any rate, good on Apple for picking a nice bushell of geek tunes!
Saturday, January 17, 2009
BSG Resumes
Warning: Spoilers!
(spoilage factor: take a trip down to your local dump - any ol' day will do)
Frak me!
What a crushing way to open a new - and the last - season! (I've said it before and I'll say it again, as much as they want to call this 4.5, as far as I'm concerned, if it's kicking off a year after the season initially began, then this isn't just a hiatus and this isn't 4.5 - this is season 5, fellow toaster-lovers)
D's suicide was a shocking moment. But only for a moment. I then began to reflect on the fact that Dualla's survived the near total annihilation of her species, lived in a pretty much constant state of siege for several years, has seen her marriage crumble and then, when she finally arrives at Earth, humanity's last hope, it's a somewhat radioactive cemetery. Seen in that light, her depression and feelings of hopelessness are not surprising. Sure, she appeared to pick up at the end, but it's not uncommon for those who are suicidal to display an apparent change in outward attitude once they've made their decision to end their life - her last date with Apollo could be seen as putting her affairs in order and allowing herself to be happy knowing she would not be allowing her self to continue in a bleak tomorrow. A very sad end for a likable, and very human character.
And then there's the Earth issue. Yeah, they're calling it Earth, but is this 13th Colony really Earth? Our Earth? I suspect the answer is no. Bear with me here... At the close of the season last spring, when the Fleet finally arrived in orbit, there was a suspicious little part of my mind that doubted this planet was the real deal. Not just because that would be too fortunate for a group of people beset by every turn of ill luck imaginable short of alien anal-probing (unlike the old series - I mean, come on, what do you think was really going on in that glowing white ship in the "War of the Gods" episode?). No, part of me was doubting because the space scenes showed no shots of the moon, nor was there any sign of it in the ever-cloudy sky. Nor did we see any other pix of recognizable real estate from the home system.
Now, you might point out that the Fleet was in pretty close orbit, and the moon's kinda out there, so it wouldn't necessarily be visible in the space scenes. And you might note that because the jump drives bring the ships instantaneously to where they want to go (usually), of course we wouldn't see any shots of the Tharsis volcanoes rearing up from Mars, or Jupiter's great red spot, or Saturn's rings, because there would be no need for a leisurely tour through the solar system in a long sunward orbit, and no direct flights in, and no aerobraking maneuvers in the Oort Cloud or some gas giant's atmosphere. And you'd be right on both accounts.
And yet, if we don't see any of the other familiar land (er, space) marks of our solar system, how can we really know that this is Earth and not some other little blue wet rock zipping around a cheery little yellow star in any ol' corner of the galaxy? We can't.
Here's my theory, for what little it's worth: During the exodus in the wake of whatever mysterious disaster befell Kobol (now green and quiet and probably a perfect home if anyone thought of doing the unexpected and turning around and deking around Cavil and his cabal and making the long trek back towards where they started, but I digress), the last-cycle Cylons went west and set up the 13th Colony on "Earth". A millenium or two of relative peace and prosperity passes, then there's some trouble and some nukes and history repeats itself. Refugees leave the 13th Colony and head out some unknown distance across the stars where they find another reasonably hospitable little blue planet and set up shop. Fondly remembering the home they left behind, they probably named the new planet Earth or New Earth or something to that effect - just as the homesick colonials named their first attempt to settle down "New Caprica". In short, I don't think the ruined "Earth" we've just been shown is the real deal - the final stop, the actual Earth - our Earth, is probably a little way down the road and will likely be found and fought over in the coming episodes. This would allow for a nod towards the old series (as the writers like to do from time to time) where the real Earth would be ours as it is now - except, in the vein of the new series, we would be the descendants of the 13th Colony Cylons. And my theory can't be that out to lunch, because Adama suggests as much at the end of this first episode where he says the people of the 13th Colony would have set out to find a new home, just as the new-era Colonials have over the past five years. That's my two bits. Make of it what you will.
Of course, the whole issue of mega disasters and refugee migrations across the stars makes me wonder about something... What's happening back on the 12 Colonies? We haven't seen anything of life there since Starbuck rescued Anders and the other survivors. At the time, the Cylons were definitely working hard to restore the Colonial worlds so they could live there themselves. Then we don't hear anything else from them except for the ones aboard the basestars chasing the Fleet across the galaxy and subsequently engaging in civil war. But all of the Cylons didn't just pack up and leave the Colonies to help with the extermination efforts, did they? There's gotta be some still behind on the Colonies continuing the home-renos, right? If so, would they have been embroiled in the civil war, or would that have only been their space-bound brethren? Would they spawn a human-like civilization on the 12 Colonies, now that the Resurrection Hub has been destroyed? (And how stupid would a machine mind have to be to think that it was safe putting all of its reincarnation eggs in one basket? Wouldn't there be other hubs? What about the Cylon homeworld that they used as their base of operations between the end of the last war and the attack on the Colonies? No spare parts or Ikea-style blueprints there?) Is the idea behind this series that there would ultimately be human and Cylon-as-close-to-human-as-makes-no-difference civilizations existing in isolation (but sometimes simultaneously) all over the galaxy - humanity and its children accidentally seeding the cosmos with life one disaster and war at a time? But if so, over time, it might get to be a crowded place if every disaster spawned an exodus as well as stay-at-homes (whether conquerors or survivors who never made it off-world and began to rebuild). Granted though, there's no evidence that the culture lasted on Kobol too long after the Colonials left thousands of years previous (unless they did something really cool and became post-human). But I digress...
The other big question this season-opener presents is who the frak is the final Cylon? For a big chunk of the episode, it sure looked to be Starbuck, especially with the discovery of the downed Viper and the blond-haired pilot's body with a wedding band and Kara Thrace dogtags. And yet, if nothing else, this series has repeatedly slapped audiences around with the hard lesson that appearances can be deceiving. So was it Starbuck, and is she the final Cylon? But things get complicated at the end where Tigh has his regressed vision/repressed memory, where his dead wife Helen is a part of his old life on the 13th Colony. Could she be the final member of the Final Five?
Last year, I was leaning towards Gaeta being most likely to be the last Cylon. But tonight's revelations throw that into question.
I now have a new theory: the final Cylon isn't a person/character per se, it's a artificially-designed, possibly quasi-intelligent piece of deliberately self-replicating genetic code. I'm thinking the final Cylon is an organic program of sorts, created who-knows-how-long-ago to periodically rebuild a group of the original Cylons. They're born, they live their lives, they have children and thus pass the code along, then die, and every so often, possibly every lifetime, somewhere among the population, this genetic program cobbles together a new copy of one of the original Cylons to resume the life cycle and continue to spread the genetic program throughout the gene pool so it can continue to replicate over time. Included in the program might be memories of the original (perhaps several of) former lives/incarnations/models that might be either time-released or dormant (possible for several generations/versions) until triggered by specific circumstances. In a sense, at some point in the deep past, the proto-Cylons/last-cycle Cylons figured out that they didn't need a huge Resurrection Hub ship in space that could be blown to pieces, if they just tricked biology into doing what they wanted they could still have immortality and without putting all their eggs in one basket. Sounds like a wacky idea, I know, but it would certainly explain why Saul Tigh (for example) has always been Saul Tigh, but doesn't remember living for 2,000 years, but suddenly dimly remembers a life with Helen (who might also have been from the Cylon gene pool and thus occasionally reprogrammed and relaunched every few generations) on the 13th Colony.
So what's your take on the big BSG questions? Is this Earth or will they find a true Earth elsewhere? What's your guess for the final Cylon? What's going on with Starbuck (the million dollar question of the entire series)? And are there any other mysteries that are nagging you?
(spoilage factor: take a trip down to your local dump - any ol' day will do)
Frak me!
What a crushing way to open a new - and the last - season! (I've said it before and I'll say it again, as much as they want to call this 4.5, as far as I'm concerned, if it's kicking off a year after the season initially began, then this isn't just a hiatus and this isn't 4.5 - this is season 5, fellow toaster-lovers)
D's suicide was a shocking moment. But only for a moment. I then began to reflect on the fact that Dualla's survived the near total annihilation of her species, lived in a pretty much constant state of siege for several years, has seen her marriage crumble and then, when she finally arrives at Earth, humanity's last hope, it's a somewhat radioactive cemetery. Seen in that light, her depression and feelings of hopelessness are not surprising. Sure, she appeared to pick up at the end, but it's not uncommon for those who are suicidal to display an apparent change in outward attitude once they've made their decision to end their life - her last date with Apollo could be seen as putting her affairs in order and allowing herself to be happy knowing she would not be allowing her self to continue in a bleak tomorrow. A very sad end for a likable, and very human character.
And then there's the Earth issue. Yeah, they're calling it Earth, but is this 13th Colony really Earth? Our Earth? I suspect the answer is no. Bear with me here... At the close of the season last spring, when the Fleet finally arrived in orbit, there was a suspicious little part of my mind that doubted this planet was the real deal. Not just because that would be too fortunate for a group of people beset by every turn of ill luck imaginable short of alien anal-probing (unlike the old series - I mean, come on, what do you think was really going on in that glowing white ship in the "War of the Gods" episode?). No, part of me was doubting because the space scenes showed no shots of the moon, nor was there any sign of it in the ever-cloudy sky. Nor did we see any other pix of recognizable real estate from the home system.
Now, you might point out that the Fleet was in pretty close orbit, and the moon's kinda out there, so it wouldn't necessarily be visible in the space scenes. And you might note that because the jump drives bring the ships instantaneously to where they want to go (usually), of course we wouldn't see any shots of the Tharsis volcanoes rearing up from Mars, or Jupiter's great red spot, or Saturn's rings, because there would be no need for a leisurely tour through the solar system in a long sunward orbit, and no direct flights in, and no aerobraking maneuvers in the Oort Cloud or some gas giant's atmosphere. And you'd be right on both accounts.
And yet, if we don't see any of the other familiar land (er, space) marks of our solar system, how can we really know that this is Earth and not some other little blue wet rock zipping around a cheery little yellow star in any ol' corner of the galaxy? We can't.
Here's my theory, for what little it's worth: During the exodus in the wake of whatever mysterious disaster befell Kobol (now green and quiet and probably a perfect home if anyone thought of doing the unexpected and turning around and deking around Cavil and his cabal and making the long trek back towards where they started, but I digress), the last-cycle Cylons went west and set up the 13th Colony on "Earth". A millenium or two of relative peace and prosperity passes, then there's some trouble and some nukes and history repeats itself. Refugees leave the 13th Colony and head out some unknown distance across the stars where they find another reasonably hospitable little blue planet and set up shop. Fondly remembering the home they left behind, they probably named the new planet Earth or New Earth or something to that effect - just as the homesick colonials named their first attempt to settle down "New Caprica". In short, I don't think the ruined "Earth" we've just been shown is the real deal - the final stop, the actual Earth - our Earth, is probably a little way down the road and will likely be found and fought over in the coming episodes. This would allow for a nod towards the old series (as the writers like to do from time to time) where the real Earth would be ours as it is now - except, in the vein of the new series, we would be the descendants of the 13th Colony Cylons. And my theory can't be that out to lunch, because Adama suggests as much at the end of this first episode where he says the people of the 13th Colony would have set out to find a new home, just as the new-era Colonials have over the past five years. That's my two bits. Make of it what you will.
Of course, the whole issue of mega disasters and refugee migrations across the stars makes me wonder about something... What's happening back on the 12 Colonies? We haven't seen anything of life there since Starbuck rescued Anders and the other survivors. At the time, the Cylons were definitely working hard to restore the Colonial worlds so they could live there themselves. Then we don't hear anything else from them except for the ones aboard the basestars chasing the Fleet across the galaxy and subsequently engaging in civil war. But all of the Cylons didn't just pack up and leave the Colonies to help with the extermination efforts, did they? There's gotta be some still behind on the Colonies continuing the home-renos, right? If so, would they have been embroiled in the civil war, or would that have only been their space-bound brethren? Would they spawn a human-like civilization on the 12 Colonies, now that the Resurrection Hub has been destroyed? (And how stupid would a machine mind have to be to think that it was safe putting all of its reincarnation eggs in one basket? Wouldn't there be other hubs? What about the Cylon homeworld that they used as their base of operations between the end of the last war and the attack on the Colonies? No spare parts or Ikea-style blueprints there?) Is the idea behind this series that there would ultimately be human and Cylon-as-close-to-human-as-makes-no-difference civilizations existing in isolation (but sometimes simultaneously) all over the galaxy - humanity and its children accidentally seeding the cosmos with life one disaster and war at a time? But if so, over time, it might get to be a crowded place if every disaster spawned an exodus as well as stay-at-homes (whether conquerors or survivors who never made it off-world and began to rebuild). Granted though, there's no evidence that the culture lasted on Kobol too long after the Colonials left thousands of years previous (unless they did something really cool and became post-human). But I digress...
The other big question this season-opener presents is who the frak is the final Cylon? For a big chunk of the episode, it sure looked to be Starbuck, especially with the discovery of the downed Viper and the blond-haired pilot's body with a wedding band and Kara Thrace dogtags. And yet, if nothing else, this series has repeatedly slapped audiences around with the hard lesson that appearances can be deceiving. So was it Starbuck, and is she the final Cylon? But things get complicated at the end where Tigh has his regressed vision/repressed memory, where his dead wife Helen is a part of his old life on the 13th Colony. Could she be the final member of the Final Five?
Last year, I was leaning towards Gaeta being most likely to be the last Cylon. But tonight's revelations throw that into question.
I now have a new theory: the final Cylon isn't a person/character per se, it's a artificially-designed, possibly quasi-intelligent piece of deliberately self-replicating genetic code. I'm thinking the final Cylon is an organic program of sorts, created who-knows-how-long-ago to periodically rebuild a group of the original Cylons. They're born, they live their lives, they have children and thus pass the code along, then die, and every so often, possibly every lifetime, somewhere among the population, this genetic program cobbles together a new copy of one of the original Cylons to resume the life cycle and continue to spread the genetic program throughout the gene pool so it can continue to replicate over time. Included in the program might be memories of the original (perhaps several of) former lives/incarnations/models that might be either time-released or dormant (possible for several generations/versions) until triggered by specific circumstances. In a sense, at some point in the deep past, the proto-Cylons/last-cycle Cylons figured out that they didn't need a huge Resurrection Hub ship in space that could be blown to pieces, if they just tricked biology into doing what they wanted they could still have immortality and without putting all their eggs in one basket. Sounds like a wacky idea, I know, but it would certainly explain why Saul Tigh (for example) has always been Saul Tigh, but doesn't remember living for 2,000 years, but suddenly dimly remembers a life with Helen (who might also have been from the Cylon gene pool and thus occasionally reprogrammed and relaunched every few generations) on the 13th Colony.
So what's your take on the big BSG questions? Is this Earth or will they find a true Earth elsewhere? What's your guess for the final Cylon? What's going on with Starbuck (the million dollar question of the entire series)? And are there any other mysteries that are nagging you?
Friday, January 16, 2009
The Best of BSG So Far
Just hours away from the resumption of "Battlestar Galactica" and the beginning of the series' end.
All this anticipation got my faithful sidekick harrysaxon and I in a bit of a reflective mood, so over at Not A Planet Anymore we cooked-up a Top 10 List of the Best BSG Episodes so far.
Must get some sleep now so I'll be able to fully appreciate the new episode tomorrow after a full day of work.
All this anticipation got my faithful sidekick harrysaxon and I in a bit of a reflective mood, so over at Not A Planet Anymore we cooked-up a Top 10 List of the Best BSG Episodes so far.
Must get some sleep now so I'll be able to fully appreciate the new episode tomorrow after a full day of work.
Monday, January 12, 2009
The Countdown to BSG - Boob Tube Groove
Only a few days left until season 4 (let's call a spade a spade: after this humongous delay, it's really season 5!) of Battlestar Galactica resumes.
To get everyone in the mood, here's the recent Fandom Forum from Space (Canada's science fiction specialty channel). Unlike most home-grown programming on Space, this show was actually pretty good. Lots of interesting speculation around how the series will end and who the 5th Cylon is.
Bonus: It was extremely cool to see comic and author Sean Cullen (the dementedly funny genius behind the song "Food of Choice") is a BSG fan and was on the panel.
To get everyone in the mood, here's the recent Fandom Forum from Space (Canada's science fiction specialty channel). Unlike most home-grown programming on Space, this show was actually pretty good. Lots of interesting speculation around how the series will end and who the 5th Cylon is.
Bonus: It was extremely cool to see comic and author Sean Cullen (the dementedly funny genius behind the song "Food of Choice") is a BSG fan and was on the panel.
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