Genesis

Frederick Turner's Genesis is something we just don't see enough of these days: a well-thought-out and well-written epic poem.

Genesis is a tale of the beginnings of life on Mars. It is written in verse, and is about 300 pages long. The poetry, however, is not difficult, and it makes for the perfect form for this particular narrative (which might surprise a lot of readers who think poetry is hard to understand).

The story is complex, the ideas are rich, and the unfolding of the story is managed well. I got my copy secondhand from Amazon, and before I'd even finished reading it, I ordered Turner's other epic poem, The New World, for my Kindle.

If you can get your hands on a copy of Genesis, it's definitely worth the read.

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The Last Dragonslayer

I am a big Jasper Fforde fan, and have enjoyed all of his books. When I saw, in Dec. 2010, that he'd written a book for kids called The Last Dragonslayer, I immediately picked it up. With a series of events that happened on the personal front, I was left without much reading time, and ended up not getting to read the book until about a year after I'd purchased it. I am very glad I finally found the time to do read it, despite being later than I'd like.

Something about it had a feel that was a bit like another of my favorite authors, Diana Wynne Jones. I was glad to see that Fforde's use of magic The Last Dragonslayer had a flavor that was much like that found in DWJ's books. But the humor was firmly Fforde's (Ffordian?), and the humor is always a big part of what I love about his work.

The Last Dragonslayer is a wonderful quest story, raising questions of fate, magic, and the world in which we live. I highly recommend it for readers of all ages.


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On Metallic Wings

What a fantastic poetry collection!

I actually picked up my copy of On Metallic Wings in 2010, and put it on my Reading Agenda for 2011. It took me until the year was almost over before I finally got to Angel Favazza's little gem, and what a treasure it was.

On Metallic Wings explores many of my favorite themes, including technology and how it fits into our future. The blurb on the back cover compares it to 1984, and that's a good starting point for thinking about whether or not you might like to read this volume.

I really enjoyed not only the themes and ideas examined in the book, but also the variety of forms Favazza employs. I'll be keeping an eye out for more of her work, and hoping to see much more of it in years to come.



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Ancient Robots

I recently came across this video, which shows a robot designed after the robots made in ancient Greece. While there were no electronics involved, these "robots" were automated objects that were mostly used to impress people with the operator's "magical" abilities.

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Sometimes While Dreaming

Marcie Lynn Tentchoff's Sometimes While Dreaming is a poetry collection that explores dreamworlds through fantasy, science fiction, and some horror.  The volume is a delightful one, with some thought-provoking pieces, and numerous amusing ones as well.  I especially enjoyed the recurring images of sea and the use of selkies.  

In Tentchoff's collection, dreamscapes rub up against our world, and much of what is of most interest to me is the space in between the two — which she explores masterfully in Sometimes While Dreaming.


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Sucker Punch

I watched Sucker Punch on the plane on the way back from Australia earlier this month.  That's not the ideal format for the film, I think, as it looks like something more suited to a bigger screen.  That didn't really matter much, as it's not normally the sort of movie I'd like, being a lot like watching a video game being played out for parts of the action.  I'm not much of a gamer myself, and get especially bored watching others play.  If I have to be involved with a video game, I'd rather be the player.  So, movies that look like video games don't generally appeal to me much.

That said, Sucker Punch had something to its story that I kind of liked.  I really enjoyed the ending, with the realization that came over Baby about what she needed to do to make the story work out.  It made the film more worth watching for me.  And, I did like the story embedded in a story, with yet one more layer embedded in that.  This sort of structure is usually a fun one for me.

I did think the little blurb, however, was a bit overflown, referring to the film as "epic fantasy."  It's more gaming and fantasy, I'd say.  If it had been labeled such, I probably wouldn't have watched it.  But overall, it was a good enough film to pass the time on the long flight.  (Not something I'd want to pay to watch, though.)



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Magazines and Journals

Since I've been back from Shanghai, I've gotten to catch up on some magazines and journals that were delivered to my house in Singapore while I was away.  It's been great — a lot of good reading comes in the mail when I am gone for three months!

I've gotten to catch up on Scifaikuest (Aug 2011 — Nov should be coming soon), Illumen (Autumn 2011), Sounds of the Night, Star*Line, Psychic Meatloaf, Aofie's Kiss, and Beyond Centauri.  I'm starting on some back issues now.

I really miss these 'zines while I am away.  I think I might have to stock up on some back issues to take with me on my next 3-month stint.



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