Chewbacca Santa

Merry Christmas!!!

Taking a science fiction literature class this semester was the coolest for many reasons. As I mentioned when the class first began, I did not know very much, and was interested in learning more, about this genre of literature. Or so I thought. Upon reading the very first set of stories by Chiang, I was a little confused. I had always imagined science fiction as books (I didn't know we would read so many short stories, which I particularly liked) involving a futuristic setting or some otherwise advanced technology. But not all of Chiang's stories were so very futuristic, nor were some of them all about computers and other things I had preconceived they would be. As the semester continued, I became more aware of the richness and variety of what actually is science fiction. Now that the class has come to a close, I feel much more confident in my knowledge of science fiction literature. Hey, I might now  be able to hold a conversation with someone about many of the great science fiction books/stories I have read. And they were great. The books and short stories assigned for this class were all a joy to read. Some of them may have been more difficult to understand, but I can't think of a single one that I really didn't like at least part of. I'm also looking forward to reading many other works of science fiction that I've heard many of you mention in class. Thanks for being such a cool, interesting, fun group of people to work with this semester, and I wish all of you the best! Rock all of your finals, and have a great break!

Outcast: Episode 3

This may be the last episode I post up here, or I might do a couple more.  I figured I have to at least get Mahtek out of his current mess.

Mahtek ran to the end of the alleyway.  He peered out and saw people looking around and talking in loud, confused voices.  Soon they would realize that he had to be nearby.  He stopped to think for a moment.  Looking back, he saw the patrolman running at him.  No time to think.  He threw the cloak on and did the only thing he could: he ran.

He barreled into the street, knocking aside anyone standing in his way.  People stared at him, the realization dawning that here was the man all the commotion was about.  They began to shout.  Mahtek kept running, glancing side to side for somewhere, anywhere he could hide.  He ducked into an alleyway, out into the opposite street, trying to avoid his pursuit.

Spotting a merchant with some stock hanging from a large pack bolg, he jumped atop the beast.  It grunted and began to rear back.  As the merchant protested, Mahtek leapt upward onto the low roof of a building.  He began to scramble across the rooftops.  The entire city seemed to be in uproar now, and he realized that atop the buildings he was an easily visible target.  In the distance, he could see a few soldiers beginning to move in his direction.  They would be here soon, and he did not trust in his ability to escape an organized search.  He had to get out of the city quickly.

Now in a residential portion of the city, Mahtek easily jumped across houses of uniform two-story height.  But he knew he could not stay up there.  He swung down into a window of one house instead of onto its roof and found himself in a bedroom.  “Nu let there be no one home,” He prayed.  He needed a moment to catch his breath and consider his options.  The soldiers would search the city until they either found him or gave up.  And he would not be safe in a strange house for long.  He breathed deeply and meditated for a few minutes.

*            *            *

          After sneaking carefully downstairs in the empty house, Mahtek opened the front door to see the state of the pursuit.  All around, people were talking hurriedly, worried looks on their faces.  He stepped out into the street, keeping his face hidden.  “What’s the problem?” He asked a young girl, disguising his voice with a gravelly tone.

“Mahtek Reyin the outcast is back in the city!” came the frightened response.

“Oh dear,” He replied, “You should go home where it’s safe.”

“That’s what I’m doing!” she said as she dashed into the door Mahtek had just left.  He blinked, then hurried about like everyone else, his manner apparently nervous.  With his hood drawn, he yet again appeared little different than anyone else, as long as they did not study his face.

He carefully maneuvered his way towards the city’s western gate, all the while staying anonymous within the crowd.  The soldiers there were turning away people trying to escape a panic they did not understand.  They pleaded, but the soldiers would not risk letting their quarry escape.  Mahtek’s hopes sank; the guards would recognize him instantly if he approached them, and he could not climb the city’s walls without being noticed.

 Unexpectedly, another cloaked man ran by, his face shrouded.  He ran with purpose, not seeming to flee or pursue.  Grasping at a slim chance, Mahtek cried, “There goes the outcast!” pointing at the runner.  “Look, he’s hiding his face!”  The runner turned to Mahtek, his entire face shrouded but his eyes somehow visible, and winked, never slowing down.

The crowd screamed and scattered.  The soldiers at the gate ran after the man, shouting to get the attention of the rest of the guard.  A few of the nearby civilians dashed out the gate.  Once again noting the guards’ lack of discipline, Mahtek moved along with the crowd, finally making his escape.  Who was that shrouded man?  Did he know me?  Why would he help me?  Mahtek shook his head.  Those questions could wait for a more convenient time.

          He headed down the gentle rise toward the small wood outside Iandrid's east gate, and made his way towards the nearby temple of Nu.  He had friends there who knew him better than the easily frightened common people.  Friends who would help him uncover the plot against him.

Favorite thing we read this year?

Hey y'all- can't believe the semester's over already! I just wanted to ask everybody, what's your favorite thing that we read this semester? For me it's hard to pick, but I really enjoyed all of the Ted Chiang.

Good luck on finals, and have a great break!

End of the year

Hey ya'll! I just wanted to note that this has been a great class and I've really enjoyed the discussions! Honestly I'm a little sad it's over.  Anyways everyone have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! :)

Outcast: Episode 2

By popular request, here is episode two of Aldernia: Outcast.

          Now inside the building, Mahtek paused for a moment.  The warmth from the fire reminded him how cold it was outside.  His cloak provided secrecy, but was not designed for warmth.  He closed his eyes and enjoyed the heat for just a moment.

          Remembering where he was, Mahtek opened his eyes and kept one on the guard, who currently faced away from him.  He tiptoed down the hallway.  Now out of sight, he took his cloak off again to reveal his furry face and limbs and simple studded armor jerkin.

          Mahtek was a makir, one of the many humanoid races of the world, Aldernia.  And, like most makirs, he had thin white fur covering his body, retractable claws on his hands and feet, blood-red eyes, and the ability to move with great quickness and agility.  He stood just taller than an average human, and his face bore a few lines of age.  A scar from a battle long ago left a fur-less line just beneath his left eye; eyes that rarely brooked any mirth.  He had had little to laugh about since the war began.

He knew his cloak would not hide him inside these close corridors, and he didn’t want to remind anyone about the stone-colored side of it.  He put it back on, black side out.  He continued on his way, encountering no one.  To the king of Imnos, the war with Gilneyad was far more important than this building.  Most of the army was needed at the front lines, accounting for the sparse guard here and elsewhere in the city.  Navigating the familiar corridors, Mahtek found his way to the room he was looking for.

          He looked at the door.  “Hopefully it’s been fixed,” he muttered to himself.  He began to open it slowly.  It creaked loudly.  Mahtek winced and looked around.  Nothing had changed in the empty hallway.  He slipped inside, leaving the door open behind him.  There it was: a chest marked “evidence”.

He opened the chest and found what he was looking for: a small sword with an unfamiliar insignia on the hilt.  It bore what looked like the bright sun of Gilneyad, Imnos’s enemy, but without the lines of radiance, and with a small dagger and drop of blood.  Mahtek knew that this insignia was the key to the plot against him.  He tucked it into his belt, and stepped out of the room.

And froze.  There, just a few feet away, was the guard from the window.  A young ferric, sinewy and with reptilian scales, he looked just as surprised as Mahtek.  He stuttered for a moment, then shouted, “You!  How did – how did you get in here?”  He began to reach for his sword.

Shaking off his momentary paralysis, Mahtek drew the blade he had just stolen, roared, and charged the guard at full speed.  Panic in his eyes, the guard fumbled for his blade, stumbling backward.  Mahtek tucked his shoulder down and crashed into him.  The guard fell to the ground, blade still sheathed.  As Mahtek ran on, he put away his sword and rubbed his shoulder.

He ran through the hallways quickly, no longer concerned with stealth.  Dashing around the tight turns, he soon reached the window where he had entered.  Looking back, he could hear quick footsteps.  The inexperienced guard did not know this building as well as Mahtek had when he was on duty here long ago, but he would catch up soon.

He removed his cloak and stood on the high sill.  Taking one end of cloth in each hand, he took a deep breath to focus himself, then jumped.  The cloak above him did not slow his descent at all.  He managed to hook it over the corner of a lower building’s roof, hoping to transfer his momentum through an arc.  But just before the bottom of his swing, the cloak slipped off the corner.  Mahtek crashed to the ground and struggled back to his feet.

He looked around.  He was back in the alley where he first climbed to the window, but closer to the street on the back side.  He looked back up at the window.  The guard had just reached it, and saw him below.  “The outcast is in the city!” He shouted loudly enough for anyone nearby to hear.  “Mahtek Reyin is in the city!”  The patrolling guard on the other street heard the shouts, and shot a plume of flame from his hand into the sky.

“Dierz!” Mahtek cursed, “Now the whole city knows I’m here!”

End of the Semester

It seems like the end of the semester sneaks up on me every time. Good luck to everyone on the paper and finals. Hope you all have a wonderful break for the holidays!

Two last things:
Star Trek sequel

Doctor Who Christmas special

Paper Topic Discussion, continued

Hey guys. I have a question concerning my paper. My topic, as I presented in class, is going to be investigating Lemon Sap addiction in Cherie Priest's Clockwork Century Series and its implications on society. I then wish to compare it to contemporary addictions and unhealthy habits that  many people currently struggle with. I was wondering if I should only pick the novels that had most incidence of the drug and its effects on its users or try to find evidence of it in all of the books in the series? Boneshaker is a good book to describe how the drug came about due to the events that took place in Seattle. Also, I thought Dreadnought did a good job of describing what happens to the people who use Sap. I can't really think of many instances where it was brought up in Clementine , and I'll have to go back and look at Ganymede. Should I just stick with the first two, then?

Environmentalism in "The Windup Girl"

After talking about my paper topic in class yesterday, a few of you seemed interested in the environmental implications in Bacigalupi's world of the Expansion and Contraction. I found a really great article called "The Challenge of Imagining Ecological Futures: Paolo's Bacigalupi's The Windup Girl. It's a really great article that makes multiple points and I plan on using it in my paper. If any of you are interested in my paper topic, this is a much better and more literary analysis. If you know how to use the online library provided by the university, you can find it there.

Story Of Your Life Movie!

Hey guys, found a link to an article about the Story Of Your Life movie. Looks like they're starting production next year, so it will be a while. I can't wait!

http://www.deadline.com/2012/11/filmnation-lava-bear-team-for-nic-mathieu-helmed-thriller-story-of-your-life/

Fairy Tales

If anyone is interested here is a link to J. R. R. Tolkien's essay called "On Fairy-Stories." http://bjorn.kiev.ua/librae/Tolkien/Tolkien_On_Fairy_Stories.htm

Also, did anyone else see the zombies on the quad tonight? Apparently they are taking "dead week" to a whole new level.

Three Factions

Hey guys! I'm pretty set on the whole "three factions" trope in science fiction and fantasy entertainment and I was just wondering if any of you had any particularly pertinent examples. I don't really want to miss any really good ones. The main ones I can think of are:



- The Maynard Retainers vs. Minnericht's Posse vs. Zombies in Boneshaker

- Alliance vs. Horde vs. Burning Legion in Warcraft Lore

- Followers of the Seven vs. Followers of the Old Gods vs. Followers of the R'hllor in ASOIAF

- Mal's Crew vs the Alliance vs. The Reavers in Serenity

Paper Topic #2

I spent a large part of the weekend trying to figure out what I wanted to write about in my second paper, and I think I've decided to go with an idea that's been floating around in my head since the beginning of the class. When I had been thinking up topics for my last paper, I had thought about discussing how the Victorian society in Ted Chiang's "Seventy-Two Letters" was both different from and similar to Victorian society as it occurred in our world, and whether or not the technology introduced seriously affected it. Ultimately, I decided that I wouldn't have enough to write about with just one work, and I'm glad that I chose another topic. For my next paper, I have decided to take the same topic- discussing whether or not technology significantly impacted a society- and look at both "Seventy-Two Letters" and Cherie Priest's Clockwork Century series. I may also use other authors as examples if I can think of any, but I'm drawing a blank right now. I'm really excited about this, now I have an excuse to do historical research!

Just a little Christmas spirit to get us through finals

These are my kind of gingerbread houses!

10 SF Gingerbread Creations here http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/154203

Tanglefoot

One thing I thought might not have been obvious in the story was the passing mention of the Battle Creek Sanitarium. In case you didn't know (I wouldn't have except I learned about it last semester), this was a real place. I'm always interested in how authors incorporate real things into works of fiction. Anyway, if you get the chance, you should read about it. I'll add a link to the wikipedia article.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_Creek_Sanitarium

Paper Topic: order and authority

I think I have decided to write my paper on the exploration of authority and the maintenance of order in science fiction.  This is mostly predicated on Cory Doctorow's Little Brother, but also with some supporting examples like Minnericht's control over Seattle and the Union's use of super weapons in The Clockwork Century, the calorie monopolies from The Windup Girl, and possibly the curator from "Restoration."  I also have some sources from outside class such as 1984, Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, the Dominion from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the Republic and the Empire from Star Wars, and Bane's breaking down of authority in "Batman: the Dark Knight Rises."  That may end up being too much, which is okay; I can pare it down.

I intend to talk specifically about the different means of keeping and maintaining power, the relative success of these various means, and why they may or may not fail.  I also plan to discuss the effect that the existence of fictional works like these have on the possibility of power grabs like the ones described actually being carried out.  And, as allowed specifically by science fiction, I intend to talk about the use of technology to take power, or alternately subvert authority.  This is explored very well in Little Brother.