showintale's blog

Genesis

2012-01-29T05:35:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-21T05:30:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-14T05:21:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-06T02:01:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-30T02:03:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-20T05:15:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-10T04:50:00.000-08:00

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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The Defenders, Philip K. Dick

2011-11-30T06:53:00.000-08:00

I picked up a free copy of The Defenders for my Kindle. I am really glad the book is offered in this format, and that I got my hands on it and got to read the story.

The Defenders is a thought-provoking piece about the human-robot and human-human (interracial, international, etc.) relationships. It's got a classic sci-fi feel to it, with themes that are common in the genre. But, as always, Dick's writing is what is special. He is masterful.

If you have a Kindle, this is a good free piece to pick up. I enjoyed it, and can recommend it wholeheartedly.

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The Place of the Lion

2011-11-20T06:48:00.000-08:00

The Place of the Lion, by Charles Williams, is one wild ride of a book. It's heady stuff, addressing ideas of classical philosophy in a fantastic setting.

I have read several Charles Williams novels over the years (and hope to finish the rest that I have on my shelf before much longer). He's always fairly heavy in the ideas department. The Place of the Lion is all about Ideas, too — in the Platonic sense. It made for quite an engaging read, as Williams puts the stories together well.

I am not sure if it is just because of my preconceived ideas about Williams (and his work on Authurian romance), but I'm always struck by an element of romance in his fiction. This is especially true of The Place of the Lion, and it makes for quite an uplifting (and challenging) read.

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Unbelievable

2011-11-15T06:45:00.000-08:00

It's unbelievable to me that in all of my reading/viewing from October, I didn't get to read/view a single work of sci-fi or fantasy. That's a rare occurrence for me.

I did get a few big projects wrapped up. And I've been overloaded with "the real world" for weeks now. I am ready to get into some real out-of-this-worldly writing and movies. I hope to be back on track with reviews of speculative fiction, poetry, and movies in the upcoming weeks.

...'cos it's kinda scary in "the real world"!

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Library Thing

2011-10-10T07:37:00.000-07:00

I just came across Library Thing recently when I found that one of my books was listed there. I don't know yet how much I will like it in the long run, but for now, it seems like a really nice website. Think of it as social networking that is all about books. In that sense, it is the only sort of social networking that really appeals to me at all!

You can check out my Library Thing profile here, and while you're there, see if it's someplace you'd like to join too.

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Inkheart

2011-09-30T01:58:00.000-07:00

I recently finished reading Cornelia Funke's Inkheart, one of the titles on my Fill in the Gaps list. It took me a little longer to get into the book than I expected, but once I did, I couldn't put it down. It was a fun read overall, though the beginning didn't suck me in quite like I expected it to do.

The writing is good, the story is a fun one, and it is well set into a specific tradition (fantasy world for bibliophiles). The main character, Meggie, becomes a little more lovable over the course of the read, though she didn't grab me right away. Having finished the book, Fenoglio, Farid, and Dustfinger actually remain my favorite characters, and perhaps Elinor.

I have not seen the movie, and been told by several people that I would not like it as much as you normally would expect me to like a fantasy/bibliophile movie. I guess that is part of why I didn't run out to see it, and part of why it took me so long to get around to reading the book. I am glad I read it, even though I'm not exactly running out to buy the next book in the series. Not that it was bad, just that it I'm satisfied with this one.

I did think there were some fairly interesting parts, and that it probes into some fun concepts for exploration.

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Apexology

2011-09-20T19:34:00.000-07:00

I received this announcement from Apex Books recently, and thought I'd pass the word along to other science fiction/fantasy readers here:

APEXOLOGY:Science Fiction and Fantasy
1. The study of literature-based artifacts left by the authors and editors of Apex Publications, particularly of science fiction and fantastical nature
2. An anthology of science fiction and fantasy containing mind-bending, entertaining ideas.

Contained within are eighteen stories to showcase the unique talents that Apex has published and employed in the past six years. Apexology: Science Fiction and Fantasy contains work from award winners, legends, and New York Time bestsellers.

Apexology: Science Fiction and Fantasy is available now in ePub, Mobi (i.e. Kindle) and PDF formats for one low price at DriveThruFantasy.com!

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Voices of the Elders

2011-09-10T19:08:00.000-07:00

My third poetry collection is due out in February 2012 from Sam's Dot Publishing. Entitled Voices of the Elders, it is the second in the series that began with Under the Ash earlier this year.

Both of my earlier poetry collections, Under the Ash and Cyborg Chimera, were also published with Sam's Dot. You can order them online at the Sam's Dot book store.

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New Blu-rays

2011-08-25T19:08:00.000-07:00

The new Blu-rays of the entire Star Wars saga are coming out soon, with some nice changes/updates to them.

AND... there will be about 40 hours' worth of bonus material! yipeeeeeeeeeeeee!

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One of Our Thursdays is Missing

2011-07-15T22:30:00.000-07:00

I can't remember exactly when I first came across Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series, but I do remember that I read it out of order, reading Lost in a Good Book before I came across The Eyre Affair. I immediately fell in love with the series, and have read every one of the books almost upon their release since I got started on it.

I didn't do a good job keeping up with things over the last few months, though, and only knew of the release of One of Our Thursdays is Missing when a friend (one whom I introduced to the series) pointed it out to me in the library. We borrowed it and 3 of us made our way through it before the due date.

The first two books in the series are still my favorite (and I really liked his first in what seems to be another series, Shades of Grey), but this one is a good read too. There are some really funny sections, and I really liked the character Sprockett. I thought the little commentary on the RealWorld at the end of the book was nicely done too.

Overall, it's hard to beat a good Jasper Fforde read... at least, in my book.

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X-Men: First Class

2011-06-26T09:40:00.000-07:00

I just got back from a rather late showing of X-Men: First Class. It was not my favorite of the X-Men movies, but that's OK, because I like the X-Men movies a whole lot better than a lot of the other stuff that is out there for viewing.

It was fun to see the beginnings of the Xavier and Magneto characters. Seeing the development of the various characters and their powers has always been one of the most fun aspects of the X-Men movies. I liked the character of Charles, and thought Erik interesting. I didn't quite like seeing the young Mystique because, well, she lost her mystique. Instead, she was all just teenage angst and insecurities. Ugh. I like the full-grown Mystique of the earlier movies.

The very brief appearance by Wolverine was fun, but of course, I missed him greatly in the rest of the movie. Even so, it was a fun show to catch.

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Batman Begins

2011-06-17T08:13:00.000-07:00

I caught Batman Begins on TV the other day. It seems that it's one that I missed when it was in the cinema. It was not too bad, though I liked The Dark Knight better. (It was on after Batman Begins, actually, but it was getting late and I didn't want to stay up and watch it again.) It was, however, better than some of the earlier Batman films that kind of turned me off of the series for a while. I thought Liam Neeson was a pretty good choice for casting, and enjoyed watching his character.

With Green Lantern and X-Men out this summer, this channel on StarHub is showing a lot of "comic book movies" over the next few weeks. I don't know if I'll have much time to catch many more of them, but I did enjoy this one.

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Super 8

2011-06-09T07:08:00.000-07:00

I saw Super 8 today, the first sci-fi movie I've gotten to see in a while. Funny thing was that, though I liked it, it wasn't so much for the sci-fi elements that I enjoyed it. I liked the picture it presented of small town USA in the late 70s. It was fun watching that, getting transported back to my childhood, I guess you could say — well, except for the alien who invaded that small town, of course.

Still, it was a fun way to spend a couple of hours this afternoon. I was pretty amused by it all. I thought it tapped into something about that time and place in history and, for what it's worth, I think the alien and zombies formed an important part of tapping into it.

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Bionic Man

2011-05-26T16:57:00.000-07:00

Oh wow. The first bionic man to become so as the result of voluntary amputation. Amazing stuff!

And, on another note, three new impressive hires for The Hobbit.

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Existential Star Wars

2011-05-14T18:08:00.000-07:00

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Xenia 2011

2011-05-02T19:18:00.000-07:00

Imprint

slivers of you

mirror

pieces of me

impressions

imperfectly made

of faces

not clearly seen

Watch for Xenia in Shanghai this summer....

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Chinese Science Fiction and Fantasy Writing

2011-04-23T23:01:00.001-07:00

I found a site with a nice run-down of the science fiction and fantasy scene in China here. It's good to see the English-language introduction to the Chinese science fiction scene. I'm not sure why I've never come across this site before!

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Atlas Shrugged

2011-04-14T08:41:00.000-07:00

I just got home from a long train trip. I was thinking during part of the ride on the express rail service about Atlas Shrugged, especially thinking about it from the perspective of science fiction. When I got home, I searched and found this article on the same topic. It's a pretty good read, so I thought it worth linking here.

I like the comments there about Rand's own views on sci-fi, and the idea of considering her masterpiece as a work within the genre. Fun stuff.

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Splice

2011-03-27T05:28:00.000-07:00

I recently picked up a cheap DVD of the movie Splice. It's not amongst the greatest shows I've ever seen, but still, it made for an interesting way to pass an evening, and left me with some things to think about.

The film is that sci-fi/horror mix that seems to work well for provoking some thought, especially when it comes to questions surrounding the ethical issues of contemporary technology. If you think Frankenstein, you'll not be far off here. A whole lot of the elements in Splice will bring that old classic to mind — everything from the idea of hubris to the parent-child relationship that develops between a scientist and his/her "creation." And of course, central to both tales, there's the whole horrible situation of men creating monsters, not only by their tampering with science, but through their not knowing how to properly nurture the beings brought to life.

If you like engaging these kind of issues, you'll probably like Splice. It's a little cheesy in some parts, and I'm not crazy about the ending, but there's enough there to provoke thought to make it worth the couple of hours it takes to watch.

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A Couple of Short Stories

2011-03-18T11:23:00.000-07:00

Over at my China-related blog, Tai Shan, I've recently posted some thoughts on a couple of Chinese sci-fi short stories. You can take a look at my responses to Yang Ping's "Wizard World" and Han Song's "The Wheel of Samsara."

The two pieces are quite different from one another, but they give you a bit of an idea of the sort of work coming out of China's growing sci-fi scene today. Both stories are available online — links to them can be found at the posts linked above.

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Tomorrow When the War Began

2011-03-12T05:08:00.000-08:00

While not exactly the sort of speculative book that I usually review here, John Marsden's Tomorrow When the War Began does address a sort of interesting "what if" question that somehow mirrors the possibilities for what the world could become in the foreseeable future, even as it reflects on the hard questions that we should be asking ourselves today.

Set in Australia, the tale of the teenagers who find themselves in very unexpected, very unpleasant circumstances after a week camping in the bush is one that is pretty engaging. The characters are, for the most part, fairly believable young adults. There were places here and there where I thought the young female narrator didn't quite sound like a girl of her age, but it wasn't as troubling as it is in some books. Instead, it made me feel that she was an extraordinary girl — or, more appropriately, a pretty normal girl who rose to the challenges of the extraordinary circumstances in which she found herself.

The book is pretty much a page-turner. I read through it much more quickly than I expected too, and found myself thinking about it when I had to put it down and go to attend to real life. I liked the way some hard questions were addressed by Ellie. The narrative style drew me in almost from the beginning.

It's easy to see why Tomorrow When the War Began won so many awards over the years. I've not read any of the subsequent books in the series, but it seems they have garnered their share of recognition too. Makes me think it's probably worth picking them up as well, when I see them.

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Use the Force

2011-02-27T16:20:00.000-08:00

Funny stuff...

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ChemICKal Reactions

2011-02-17T16:42:00.000-08:00

Karen L. Newman is a chemist and a poet. In her poetry, she specializes in the writing of horror poetry. ChemICKal Reactions brings these two roles together, presenting a whole alphabet of chemistry gone wrong.

The poems are fun to read through. I found myself smiling at the gruesomeness of some of the possibilities presented, and cringing at others. To get both reactions within a book that has a fairly narrow range to the premises of each poem is quite a feat. When I started reading, I first thought, "Isn't this going to get monotonous, dealing with one chemical after another?" So I was pleasantly surprised to find that the book didn't generate that feel at all. It's a good indicator of the extent of Newman's imagination that she can make the device work over and over in the collection without it getting into something of a rut. I am impressed.

As a sort of a side note, I read the volume in its Kindle edition. Sometimes poetry doesn't look very nice on the Kindle, but ChemICKal Reactions is formatted to handle the device pretty well. It is one of the better jobs I've seen done with poetry books formatted for the device. I'm pleased to see it, and hope it means good things are coming in poetry for the ebook reader.

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2011-02-07T16:26:00.000-08:00

What do you get if you mix a little of On the Road with The Dictionary of Mythology, Folklore and Symbols? I think American Gods does a pretty good job of exploring that possibility.

It took me a while to get into the reading of American Gods, but that might have had more to do with me than with Gaiman's writing. Gaiman always tells a good tale, and he is always funny and entertaining. American Gods is certainly no exception.

The story is fairly convoluted, and you never seem to be able to be 100% sure that you know quite what's going on. In that way, the book allows you to sympathize with the protagonist, Shadow, because he's forever being led to places and into situations that he can't be quite sure he gets. He just does what he has to do anyway, and things sort of fall into place in his mind as he goes along. That's something of a metaphor for the reading experience with this book. Do things seem a little confusing? Well, just keep on reading and it will fall into place.

I really enjoyed Gaiman's telling of travels across the US. The way the travels were woven into the narrative, and the sense of place was built up, was a fun way to make the story work.

The version of the book that I read is Gaiman's preferred version of the text, as per an author's note at the beginning of the book. I don't know how it compares to other versions out there, but I think you can see signs in the one I read of a sort of careful — maybe even obsessive — attention to the little things that bring the land and the characters to life. I don't know if I would've been quite as aware of it without that note at the beginning, but the effect of that careful plotting out of all the little things is a good one.

As with any Gaiman novel, this one is worth getting your hands on.

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Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

2010-12-27T17:32:00.000-08:00

I went to see Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader when it opened here. It was not bad as a movie, and I guess I liked it better than the others in the series so far. But... I sure didn't like the changes that were made to the original story. The book is so good, and I really hated seeing the departure from that story line.

I can't imagine what they're going to do to The Last Battle.

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part 1)

2010-12-17T15:59:00.000-08:00

I finally got to see the first half of the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows film, and thought i was pretty good. Not only did it follow the book pretty closely, but it did a great job of adapting the tale to the medium of film. Not all of the movies in the series have been as nicely adapted as this one. But, generally speaking, I thought the later films have been better than the earlier ones.

I'm really looking forward to the last installment of the films. I would've preferred that this one not be split into two sections, but then, it seems the only way to fit everything in. They did a pretty nice job of splitting it up, and if the final piece turns out as good as this one, then I think it will be a big success.

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The Last Hope

2010-12-07T06:17:00.000-08:00

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At the Back of the North Wind

2010-11-27T12:28:00.000-08:00

I finished reading George MacDonald's classic tale At the Back of the North Wind earlier this week, and reviewed it at the Christian Fiction website. For those less interested in the Christian perspective in the novel, I thought a note here might be warranted.

George MacDonald is a great story-teller. He can be really funny, and he draws up a past age through his writing. In his day, children's literature was really just coming into its own, and MacDonald was a big part of that process.

At the Back of the North Wind is addressed to the child reader, but I think it certainly has a much broader appeal than that. It is a well-constructed piece, fully of whimsy and imagination. The places the novel takes us are well put together, with images that draw you in to want to read more.

There are many people who might like to lay claim to the title of father of the modern fantasy genre, but I think it is arguable that MacDonald forms at least a good bit of the root system of that whole branch of literature. At the Back of the North Wind is one of the classic pieces that establishes him in the genre, written back in the days when no one really thought of such a genre existing at all. He was admired by many writers who came after him, and his fiction left an indelible mark on this whole field of writing that has grown to be so huge in today's book market.

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Atlantis

2010-11-17T12:25:00.000-08:00

I just finished reading Greg Donegan's Atlantis today, something I finished pretty much in two evenings this week. It is a fast-paced, fun action tale with lots of sci-fi, adventure, and spy novel elements all mixed in.

Browsing through Amazon, I found the book is the first of a series. The whole Atlantis Collection - Set of 6 titles - Atlantis, Assault on Atlantis, Atlantis Gate, Atlantis Bermuda Triangle, Atlantis Devil's Sea, Battle for Atlantis is available at Amazon. I think reading them all could be pretty fun, and this first one made me at least willing to keep an eye out for the others.

The story moves along quickly, following the unfolding of an intriguing plot in the company of some memorable characters. If you're looking for a way to while away a lazy weekend, you could do a lot worse than Atlantis. I'm not sure about the rest of the series, but I think I'll find out before long.

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How to Train Your Dragon

2010-10-31T05:58:00.000-07:00

Over the summer, I picked up a copy of How to Train Your Dragon off of a Bookcrossing shelf in Singapore. It was a quick, easy, and enjoyable read that I finished in one evening. One of those sorts — fun and relaxing.

My friends who are moving in a few days recently gave me a copy of the DVD of How to Train Your Dragon. I thought it would be fun to watch, since I enjoyed the book so much. I was surprised to see how different the movie was from the book, but really had fun with it too. I am glad my friends gave it to me, as I probably wouldn't have picked it up on my own. But with the difference between the two stories, it's fun to have experienced both versions.

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The Book of Eli

2010-10-24T05:55:00.000-07:00

After we watched Inception together this summer, my oldest nephew recommended that I watch Denzel Washington in The Book of Eli. Since he mentioned it, I was looking around for it, but having some trouble finding it. After mentioning that to some friends, they kindly watched out for the DVD until they found it and bought it for me. It took a while still after that, but tonight I finally got to sit down and watch the show.

My nephew's recommendation was a good one. I liked the movie, thought the acting was pretty good, and very much enjoyed the premise of the show. The whole notion of the relationship between language and power has long been one of my main interests. This movie nicely captures that idea and puts it into a story that makes good sense. The way that we use words, the power they have over us, and the way we too often try to use them to obtain power over others are matters all nicely explored in the film.

The movie reminds me some of Fahrenheit 451. Maybe that's partly because it's a book that I recommended to my nephew this summer as well, and so was kind of mindful of the connections we'd shared this summer through the things we watched, read, and talked about. I love those moments of connection, and especially enjoyed that part of watching The Book of Eli tonight — connecting with my nephew even when we are on opposite sides of the world at the moment.

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Testament of Andros

2010-10-05T18:32:00.000-07:00

I am haunted.

I read James Blish's short cycle The Testament of Andros yesterday, and I can think of nothing else. The way the cycle spirals around and around the three characters, the world's end, the sun.... it seems to be spiraling around and around in my brain in just the same way.

It's been some time since I last read anything by Blish, but as soon as I read this, I downloaded several more stories for my Kindle. And I am planning on reading more of his longer works when I get back to Singapore, since they are on my shelf there. I had almost forgotten just how good a writer he is.

If you've not read Testament of Andros, it is well worth picking up. It can be read in a very brief time, but will linger in the mind long after the reading, swirling round and round in an eery sort of way. Just like the story itself does in the telling. It makes for a wonderful reading effect, and reading after effect.

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Vampire Haiku

2010-09-07T07:07:00.000-07:00

Ryan Mecum's Vampire Haiku (2009) sounds like just the sort of thing I should love, doesn't it? Being a speculative poet myself — one who loves haiku for both reading and writing — and having a... er, special interest in vampires, you'd think the book would be just my thing. And, well, I did enjoy reading it. But I also can't help noting some shortcomings.

Firstly, the work is not really much about haiku. It's more sentences with line breaks based on a 5-7-5 syllable count. Some of the sentences are clever, but very few of them are what I would call haiku. My favorite piece in the book is this one:

I have felt no joy
since the night she murdered me —
nor have I missed it.

That's nice, even poignant, but it isn't really a haiku. The syntax is, well, just a sentence. And there's an absence of seasonal reference. I do think there is one real haiku-like feature that some haiku tend to miss out on, and that is the twist. Unfortunately, though, this collection focuses on the syllable count aspect of haiku, which is probably the least important aspect. Many good haiku don't follow a 5-7-5 syllable count at all, and strict adherence to it often spoils what could be a nice poem otherwise.

That said, I did enjoy the story of Mecum's book. It was a fun read, and I'm glad I picked it up recently and was able to read it.

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The Matrix revisited

2010-07-24T07:12:00.000-07:00

My nephew and his best friend are here from the US visiting me right now. Last week we watched the Matrix movies together — the first time my nephew had seen any of them, and the first time his friend had seen the whole series to the end. We had a really great time.

We were inspired to view the films again when we saw Inception the week before. I think we all 3 liked it too, but feel the Matrix is more profound and complex.

Either way, it's been loads of fun watching these movies with the guys, and discussing the ideas raised by them. I'm looking forward to sharing lots more with them in the years to come too.

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Inception

2010-07-20T08:02:00.000-07:00

On the day of its release, I got to see Inception with my nephew and his friend who are here visiting me. We all really enjoyed the movie, and had a long discussion afterward about issues the show had raised — the nature of reality, human's ability to perceive, programming, and so forth. It was loads of fun talking to these 17-year-olds about some heavy ideas and seeing the way they think about it.

Fun stuff!

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What do you think?

2010-07-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

Using on a recent post here, I pasted the text in at I Write Like, a site that analyzes your writing and tells you which famous author it is most like. Here's the result....

I write like
David Foster Wallace

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

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Fahrenheit 451

2010-07-12T05:02:00.000-07:00

I don't know why it took me so long to get around to reading Fahrenheit 451. It's the sort of book I always love, with some favorite themes (an imagined future, censorship, the value of the written word, etc.). But somehow or another, it kept getting pushed further and further down my to-be-read list. Until recently, at least.

I finished the short novel last week and really, really enjoyed it. It is a compelling read, well-written, and very thought-provoking. It is about more than just censorship — it is about thought-control, though with a little more optimistic point of view than, say, 1984.

I put Fahrenheit 451 on my Fill in the Gaps list when I started it last year, and I'm really glad I did. It "forced" me to get around to reading something that is very much a book I wanted to read and intended to read for a long time. I'm glad that I put the list up and have been plugging away at some fun titles so far. Fahrenheit 451 is one of the best I've read from my list yet.

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Can You Imagine?

2010-07-08T14:31:00.000-07:00

Can you imagine what the seas must have been like way back when?
And I don't just mean in the days before the whaling industry depleted the seas of some of its giants. I mean in the days when the Leviathan melvillei and the Carcharodon megalodon were swimming about. Can you just imagine the fear that such beasts would have inspired? And that's not even talking about Predator X yet, the most fearsome of them all.

It is hard to guess what such animals would have even looked like —- the sort of thing that seems to fit right into a sci-fi underwater scene. But one way or another, I'm glad to see the newest find named for Melville. That's pretty cool stuff there, seeing your legacy carried on in the name of a creature like one of your own creations. Wow! Congratulations, Herman.

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Classic Upgrade?

2010-07-04T16:56:00.000-07:00

Do the old classics really need an upgrade?

Take a look at Android Karenina to see what I'm talking about. By the same publishers who brought us Sense and Sensibility and Seamonsters and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Quirk Classics, Android Karenina takes brings cyberpunk to Tolstoy.

But some are bothered by this sort of attempt to "upgrade" the classics. Why would they need the upgrade? And who are we to think we can improve on them anyway?

I take something of a different view of it. I don't know that the idea behind Quirk Classics is to upgrade or improve on the older works. Their stated aim is to create "mash ups" of literary classics crossed with genre fiction. Not because it's better, but because it is different, and it allows us to explore the areas where the literature of today and yesterday might overlap.

Recontextualizing older tales has always been a part of the literary scene. How many of Shakespeare's plays have original story lines, after all? And how "faithful to the original material" were his retellings? We might think that this is something different. Shakespeare, after all, was Shakespeare, so of course he might think he could improve on the older stuff. But that's getting it backwards. He didn't get to do that because he was already the "institution" of Shakespeare, but he became this grand pillar of our literary world because of how amazingly he brought a new view to old works.

That's not to suggest that the Quirk Classics are destined to be in the canon of tomorrow what Hamlet is today. Rather, it's to say that explorations of familiar tales are always OK, and some can even be fairly well-done. And, while these that Quirk Classics have produced are getting a fair bit of attention, they aren't really the first to do such things. Adaptations to comic book, film (even cartoon), TV, and so forth have been going on for a long time. And in more the more "highbrow" world of literature, works like Heiner Müller's Hamletmachine consider the classics in a new light that seems more reflective of our new era.

I haven't read Android Karenina, and I don't know when (or even if) I will. But I can say that the idea behind it doesn't bother me at all. The way I see it, there's always room for another quirky take on an old favorite.

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The Gawgon and the Boy

2010-06-30T07:32:00.000-07:00

I recently finished reading Lloyd Alexander's The Gawgon and the Boy, and really enjoyed making my way through the short novel. It is a pleasant, funny read, poking sometimes into serious issues, but mostly just taking the reader along for a heart-warming ride.

The book is not really a fantasy tale, at least... no more so than that which exists in the mind of any pre-teen boy. Which is to say that everything in it is fantastic, but it is completely of this primary world that we live in.

Anyway... the relationship that develops between the Gawgon and The Boy is great. I loved both characters, and loved watching them work on one another. And The Boy's fantasy world was a delight to travel through. It was sort of like Bill & Ted, only younger and even sillier, in many ways. Oh, and with a lot of mythology thrown in with the history — more of a general classics education than a mere history project.

It's a fun book, one that I've loaned to a couple of friends for them to read. I think they'll all enjoy it as much as I did. It seems to me a difficult book not to enjoy.

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The Sword or the Ring?

2010-06-26T00:51:00.000-07:00

I just read Michael Moorcock's verdict, in which he states that Poul Anderson's The Broken Sword is a better novel than Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring. I am afraid it is an opinion I can't quite share, though. Granted, Anderson's book is much bloodier and more violent, and it is closer to the myths of the Norsemen, but I don't think that makes it a better work than Tolkien's. For me, the chase scene when the Hobbits try to escape across the river with the Black Riders right on their tail.... that's one of my favorite reading memories for the way it sucked me into the fear and agony of the fleeing band.

I have to admit, though, that I am not the most impartial judge. I read The Fellowship of the Ring when I was young, but only got around to reading The Broken Sword this past week. There's no fair way to compare the reading experience of my younger self with that of my older self. So, I have to try to look at the books as texts, rather than simply evaluating my reading experiences with each story. And that is something that is really hard to do (and which I have not yet had sufficient time to do anyway, considering that I've only recently read The Broken Sword). Because the thing that is so great about both books is the way that they suck you right in and make you feel a part of the secondary worlds they create.

For me, and for now, Tolkien's Ring still wins out over Anderson's Sword. But reading Moorcock's opinion made me wonder what the general thought is — which do you prefer? The sword or the ring?

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Small Press Magazines, speculative poetry

2010-06-20T07:53:00.000-07:00

I've had a good time this past week catching up on some of the recent issues of several small press speculative poetry magazines that I've let pile up recently. Besides the most recent issue of Illumen that I enjoyed reading tonight, I've also caught up on some recent issues of Scifaikuest, Aoife's Kiss, Star*Line, and have Not One of Us stowed away in my bag to read next.

It's been a good week, and over the next week, I hope to make a little more progress on the pile of magazines I've let build over the past few months.

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Lighting Your Home

2010-06-18T17:37:00.000-07:00

Home lighting is one of the most important decisions when renovating the house. A few years ago, when I did my place, I thought long and hard about the lighting I wanted. I settled on ceiling fans throughout the house, and have been very happy with the choice. We never have to turn on the air-conditioning, which results in huge savings on the electricity bill each month.

At Lighting the Web, you can find great deals on Hunter ceiling fans, as well as lots of other home lighting products. Now is the perfect time to have a look at Lighting the Web to address all of your home lighting needs.

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Another Star Wars note

2010-06-13T13:56:00.001-07:00

Have you heard the news?

Darth Vader just might be suffering from psychosis

At least, so say the French psychologists....

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Funny Video

2010-06-09T17:05:00.001-07:00

I came across a funny Star Wars Rap on YouTube.

Enjoy!!

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Iron Man 2 in China

2010-05-09T08:24:00.001-07:00

I haven't gotten to see the film yet, but found this post interesting...

Censorship of Iron Man 2 in China

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Robotics in India

2010-05-02T07:59:00.000-07:00

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Favorite Science Fiction Films

2010-04-28T03:57:00.000-07:00

I just came across a hub by bloggerdollar in which he gives his 10 favorite sci-fi films. I don't have mine listed quite so neatly, but really enjoyed reading his list. I thought readers here might also enjoy having a look at 10 Science Fiction Movies Every Sci-Fi Fan Should Watch.

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Mystery Science Theater

2010-04-24T01:08:00.000-07:00

I've lived in Asia so long that I don't miss much from my younger days in the States anymore. But sometimes I stumble across something like this that reminds me that there are things that I do miss....

Lyrics | - Mystery Science Theater 3000 lyrics

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A Modern Retelling

2010-04-17T06:12:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, a friend loaned me a copy of Beauty, Robin McKinley's modern retelling of the story of Beauty and the Beast. It took me a while to get to it (I was in the middle of Le Morte D'Arthur at the time), but I started earlier this week, and finished it today.

The story of Beauty and the Beast isn't a particular favorite with me, but I really enjoyed McKinley's version. I liked the twist on Beauty's character. She was likable, and that made her story move along nicely. The Beast was sympathetic from the beginning, and that made the story kind of fun too.

I enjoyed several things about the book, but probably what I liked best was that it was more about Beauty's transformation as much as it was about the Beast's, and I thought that added an important dimension to the tale.

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Princess of Mars, the movie

2010-04-09T08:25:00.000-07:00

I borrowed Princess of Mars, along with a pile of other DVDs, from a friend over the weekend. I hadn't heard anything about the movie, but like the Burroughs book, so thought it would be fun to watch.

Man, was I ever wrong.

This is not a fun movie. The adaptation is bad, and the acting is pretty atrocious. The sets are not good, and everything about it just pretty much screams "bad."

I am usually a big fan of seeing how a text from an earlier period can be adapted to suit our modern sensibilities. This is especially true for sci-fi flicks, as the science can be dated pretty quickly. That was, of course, the case with this story. That was the one thing that was perhaps done reasonably well, in that the explanation for why we find life on Mars like that depicted in the film was reasonable enough (well, relatively speaking). But the handling of it took the mythopoeic vision completely out of the story, and left us with... well, nothing, really.

It's sad, because I have a pretty high tolerance level for attempts at re-imagining a text into a context more suitable for modern audiences. But this one just doesn't cut it, and was not an enjoyable film on any level, for me.

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Star Trek

2010-04-05T06:17:00.000-07:00

I finally watched the newest Star Trek movie over the weekend. I know, I know... it isn't very new, is it? I heard from a number of friends that it was really good, but somehow wasn't very motivated to watch it a the time. I am glad, though, that someone loaned me the DVD this past weekend and I finally caught this one.

The movie was actually much better than I expected. I liked the games the film played with time, with our cultural memories of the whole Star Trek tradition — the whole works. I don't think this one is as good as some of the earliest Star Trek movies, but it was still lots of fun. Really, I shouldn't have waited this long to see it.

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The Door

2010-04-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

I recently stumbled across an old short story by E. B. White, entitled "The Door," in an anthology I was reading. I was impressed by the piece for its clever use of language, and the complexity of the ideas addressed in a very short space.

The story is basically a set of musings on a lab rat, entertained by an individual who finds himself frightfully similar to said rat. It is really masterfully handled, and touches on a myriad of interconnected ideas in a very short space. What an amazing piece of writing.

You can read the full text here. It will only take a few minutes, and I think you'll find it very worth your time.

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Marco Polo Sings a Solo

2010-03-28T08:55:00.000-07:00

I recently finished reading John Guare's 1973 play Marco Polo Sings a Solo, and really loved it! It is set in 1999, a future imagined from the 1973 context. It is a very funny, heavily ironic piece.

Guare sets up a nice set of expectations in the play, and really delivers on them. I like the premise that he explores — the idea that there is such an overwhelming desire to explore the self that we forget to let the world "out there" shape us, as we fail to engage with it. I was amazed by the way the play worked with this problem, bringing up such outlandish, crazy scenarios to explore it all.

The future imagined in the text is now, of course, a decade in the past. And the real world 1999 wasn't anything like the 1999 of the play.... at least, not on the surface of it.

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Music for the Cyborg

2010-03-24T01:01:00.000-07:00

Remember how scared we were of robots back in the 1980s?

Lyrics | Dennis DeYoung - Mr. Roboto lyrics

At least things have changed... we aren't as scared of the Japanese as we used to be.

(even though robotophobia is still around)

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Movies so Bad They're Good

2010-03-19T00:07:00.000-07:00

I was just listening to a podcast (look up resources@uen.org) about camp movies — things so outlandishly bad that they somehow work. The standard example is, of course, The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The ridiculous nature of these films makes them able to be so removed from our experience of life (via the fictional world of good film?) that they garner a following, somehow managing to speak to wide segment of the population.

A lot of these campy shows fall in the sci-fi genre. I think that there is something to the genre that makes unbelievability acceptable. The nature of sci-fi is that it is not true to our contemporary living. Instead, it explores the idea of "it's not this way, but what if it was?"

The removal from our daily experience of life distances us from the situation of the story. When this setting is used to explore issues that are, perhaps, too close for comfort, we somehow manage to accept the exploration, whereas we might resist the same exploration in a more "realistic" setting.

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Robotics in Shanghai

2010-03-13T11:53:00.000-08:00

I recently stumbled across the Robotics Society of Shanghai. Meetings of the group are pretty irregular, apparently, but it looks like it could be lots of fun!

My oldest godson signed up for robotics as his extracurricular activity at school. It looks like fun! I have several friends in the field, and it is so interesting to hear about the things they are working on. One of my favorites was the study of robots performing dramatic texts onstage. Can you imagine....?

(Actually, I guess if you've, say, seen Abraham Lincoln deliver speeches at Disneyland, you don't have to imagine.)

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a funny thing happened

2010-03-10T23:42:00.000-08:00

My friend sent me this link to a showing of King Lear in Shanghai. I know, I know... this site is where I talk about science fiction, not Shakespeare, and this isn't exactly Hamletmachine (Heiner Müller, in case you're wondering). But still... scroll down a little. Did you see it?

"Han Lei Solo"

I have been learning Chinese for nearly 20 years, but my childhood baptized in Star Wars still has me reading that "Han & Leia Solo." I have to look twice to remember that Han Lei is a Chinese name.

Christina Sng

2010-03-07T19:53:00.000-08:00

It was great to get to meet speculative poet Christina Sng a week or so ago. I've not met another speculative poet in person before, and really enjoyed getting to know Christina.

Sng also gave me a copy of her book, The Darkside of Eden. I read it and was very impressed. This is the second of Sng's book I've read, the other being Angelflesh, which was also a great read.

The field of speculative poetry is an exciting, growing one, and I am thrilled to meet Singapore's pioneer poet in the field last weekend.

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Yoshimi going to battle

2010-02-24T01:00:00.001-08:00

Lyrics | Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots lyrics

Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots

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Launch of Cyborg Chimera in Singapore

2010-02-17T07:12:00.001-08:00

My book Cyborg Chimera will soon be available in bookstores in Singapore. To launch the sell of my poetry collection here, we'll be hosting a book launch here over the last weekend in February. I'll post some pictures when it's done. For now, I'm looking forward to the event, especially because my family from the US will be here to celebrate with me!

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Looks Promising: Plasma Rocket

2010-02-09T06:11:00.000-08:00

This looks promising....

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Tron Legacy coming soon...

2010-02-06T16:40:00.000-08:00

I can hardly wait for the release of Tron Legacy. Just look at these billboards. It's going to be so fun!

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Good News

2010-02-03T01:02:00.000-08:00

I got some exciting news yesterday about my poem "Manipulation," which was first published in the May 2009 online edition of Scifaikuest. The poem, a haibun, was nominated for a 2010 Rhysling Award in the long poem category.

The Rhysling is awarded by the Science Fiction Poetry Association each year for best poem published in the previous year, as voted by members of the association. There are two categories for the poetry award, short (under 50 lines) and long (over 50 lines). It is the biggest award for speculative poetry.

You can read the full text of "Manipulation" at the readers' page set up by Malcolm Deeley, where he is kindly showcasing some of the poems eligible for nomination for this year's award. (You'll have to scroll down to find it.)

This is my first Rhysling nomination, and I'm very excited about it.

Check out the The 2009 Rhysling Anthology at Amazon

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Interview with John J. Dunphy

2010-01-31T03:48:00.000-08:00

Interview with speculative poet John J. Dunphy

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Poetry Coach Online

2010-01-28T05:38:00.000-08:00

I've recently begun offering a new coaching service for writers and poets.

You can have a look at my website to see how it works and what services are offered. I hope to add a series of online poetry courses in the next few weeks as well.

And now I'll let this particular blog go back to its normal work of discussing science factoids and science fiction.....

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Kinetic Wind-Powered Robot

2010-01-25T10:27:00.000-08:00

I saw a little clip on the news recently about some wind-powered kinetic robots put together by a Dutch designer. I came across some more designed by Dutch artist Theo Jansen when browsing this blog. Really beautiful work! The video clips I saw on the news were amazing.

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The Attack of the Two-Headed Poetry Monster

2010-01-22T01:03:00.000-08:00

I recently finished reading Attack of the Two-Headed Poetry Monster. It's a pretty funny collection, with lots of spoofs, warped humor, and all the things that can make reading poetry fun.

It's the first collaboration between Mark McLaughlin and Michael McCarty I've read, but I really enjoyed it, and would happily delve into anything else they put together.

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Seeing Double?

2010-01-19T05:03:00.000-08:00

If you think a robot girlfriend is weird, what about someone who puts the real object of his affections into robot form — himself! The robot doppleganger is now available for retail in Japan.

What would you do if you had a robot who looked just like you? Do you think you'd try to be in two places at once? Would it be better or worse than a clone?

I can't imagine how I'd manage my day if I had a doppleganger. I have enough trouble keeping track of everything now.

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What's a Nice Girl Like You Doing in a Place Like This?

2010-01-16T04:53:00.000-08:00

I knew the day would eventually come, but it's still kind of funny to see it arrive. RoXXXy is now on the scene, offering a very specific service for lonely men. Yes, you guessed it — she's a sex machine. Literally.

Roxxxy was recently unveiled, um... I mean, introduced at the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas. She's 1.52 cm, and weighs 54 kg. And more importantly, has a full C-cup. She is programmed with artificial intelligence, and covered with flesh-like synthetic skin. And participants at the expo in Las Vegas were completely enamored.

Roxxxy is just one of the names of the robot, which is more accurately branded TrueCompanion. She comes equipped with 5 different personalities. Douglas Hines is her inventor.

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Voices

2010-01-13T00:26:00.000-08:00

A friend loaned me Urusula Le Guin's Voices recently. I picked it up over the weekend and finished it in just a couple of days. As soon as I'd read the first chapter, I knew I was going to read it straight through in a relatively short time, and that feeling of being firmly in the grip of a good story didn't let up. It's been a while since I last read a Le Guin novel (at least 3-4 years), and I'd almost forgotten how good she can be.

Voices is a book about healing, and about being broken. It is both profound and moving. If ever there has been a tale to make me believe the pen is mightier than the sword, this is it. Never have I seen diplomacy presented in such active terms, making the tale seem action-packed, even though there is surprisingly little fighting in it. The violence we see is not romanticized into some heroic act, but presented in the stark realities of the suffering inflicted by violent acts — suffering that can damage generation after generation, if allowed.

Here are a couple of things to whet the appetite, quoting from the book:

"I'm sorry, now, for that girl of fifteen who wasn't as brave as the child of six, although she longed as much as ever for courage, strength, power against what she feared. Fear breeds silence, and then the silence breeds fear, and I let it rule me. Even there, in that room, the only place in the world where I knew who I was, I wouldn't let myself guess who I might become." (page 32)

"I get along with animals and they get along with me. The gift is called calling, but it's more like hearing, actually." (page 73)

"'Heathen,' they called us. A word we learned from them. If it meant anything, it meant people who don't know what's sacred. Are there any such people? 'Heathen' is merely a word for somebody who knows a different sacredness than you know." (page 126)

"We've sung your poem 'Liberty' for ten years now here in Ansul, in hiding, behind doors. How did that song get here, who brought it? From voice to voice, from soul to soul, from land to land. When we sing it aloud at last, in the face of the enemy, do you think you'll be silent?" (page 169)

"Love of country, or honor, or freedom, then, may be names that give that pleasure to justify it to the gods and to the people who suffer and kill and die in the game. So those words — love, honor, freedom — are degraded from their true sense. The people may come to hold them in contempt as meaningless, and poets must struggle to give them back their truth." (page 296)

There's plenty more like that — moving passages couched in the middle of a good story. I'll just quote these few parts, though, and hopefully that will be enough to let the book jump out and begin to work its magic on you too.

After all, what could I say about the book that would better recommend it than that it overflows with lines like these?

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House of Many Ways

2010-01-09T16:48:00.000-08:00

I managed to pick up a copy of the Diana Wynne Jones novel, House of Many Ways when I was in Shanghai recently. I had been keeping an eye out for the book, but certainly hadn't expected to find it in Shanghai. Anyway, I am happy I did spot it there, and really enjoyed reading it. Not surprising, as Diana Wynne Jones is always one of my favorites.

The book features Howl and Sophie, but they are not the main characters. Instead, Charmain and the little dog who adopts her, Waif, are the main stars of the show. It is a nice way to continue to feature Howl and Sophie, the pair in Howl's Moving Castle, as they make a very fun couple to follow. And Calcifer is, of course, as charming as ever.

It is always hard to beat a Diana Wynne Jones fantasy tale. She knows how to weave stories in such a way as to make the reader want to know what is going to happen next. She is incredibly creative, making use of all sorts of strange and funny magic to get the tale moving along. Her use of space and time is, as always, entertaining in House of Many Ways.

Charmain is like most of the characters you expect to find in a Diana Wynne Jones book — whether it be a part of the Chrestomanci series, the Dalemark series, the Spellcoats series, the Howl books, or any of the many stand-alone volumes she's written. Charmain, like the rest, is simultaneously lovable and infuriating. Her faults aren't hidden from us, but are rather made an object for amusement and bemusement all at the same time. You wonder, while reading, how someone could continue to be so bad-tempered... and yet, you can't help but smile, perhaps recognizing it as a very typical, very human mode of behavior. (Maybe even something you might have seen in yourself from time to time.)

For me, it is this combination of innovative magic, good humor, lovable/infuriating characters, and good plots that makes every Diana Wynne Jones story so much fun. And House of Many Ways doesn't disappoint.

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If Star Wars had Facebook...

2010-01-06T01:18:00.000-08:00

I came across a really funny post here.

Hope you get a laugh out of it.

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Fun Viewing

2010-01-03T02:27:00.000-08:00

It was fun yesterday, on the second day of the new year, to see the 1984 film 2010 showing on TV. I enjoyed watching it again, just like I did 26 years ago. (Wait... 26 years??? Ouch!)

And right after watching 2010, the 1968 movie 2001: A Space Odyssey was aired. It's been some time since I last saw that old classic as well, and so I really enjoyed catching up with both films yesterday.

The old movies are obviously a little dated when you look at some of the technologies pictured in them, but it doesn't matter much. They are still good movies. The ideas in the series, both about space exploration and the interaction between humans and the technology they create, are really fun to consider. The Bowman-HAL connection is a little creepy still — in fact, it might be even more so today, when such things seem to really capture the imagination of serious women and men of science.

I'm glad both films were shown — especially together — and getting to see them right in the middle of the era they depicted and predicted. It's interesting to think about the different directions our technology and space exploration has taken us since the making of the movies (and the writing of the books on which they are based), and also the ways in which the stories still hold certain ideas that are, even today, worth exploring further.

I read 3001 several months ago, and also read a book entitled Flesh and Machines, which makes mention of HAL and his (its?) interaction with humanity. Seeing these films again after having recently enjoyed both of those books was extra fun. I'm glad I caught them on TV and got to experience them all over again.

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Happy New Year

2009-12-31T16:12:00.000-08:00

Have a safe and happy new year, and a wonderful 2010!

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A Look Back

2009-12-28T16:13:00.000-08:00

A quick look back at 2009 shows me it has been a good year for my writing. My first book was released, along with a line of collectible art pieces built on 30 of my haiku.

The book is science fiction poetry, while the art pieces are not. (An online gallery of the art pieces is available at Sloth Jockey.)

You can have a look here if you are interested in seeing a list of all of my published work. There are links to those that are available online.

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Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T16:11:00.001-08:00

Hope you have a wonderful holiday with your friends and family!

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Avatar

2009-12-21T18:15:00.000-08:00

I saw Avatar last night, and really enjoyed it. It might be the best new film I saw this year.

The technologies of the future presented in the film were lots of fun. I liked the ideas explored, and loved the new world created on Pandora. The use of all the old tropes was good, especially mixed in with the idea of a true global network. That concept reminded me of a lot of sci-fi books I've read (including Asimov's later installments to the Foundation series), but the whole biological explanation of it was very nicely done in the film. I liked how it was presented on the screen too, with the various creatures able to connect (literally) to the world around them in a special way.

I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, and might even see it one more time while it is still on the big screen. Fun stuff!

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Edwin Morgan, my introduction to speculative poetry

2009-12-19T16:05:00.000-08:00

It's no secret that speculative poetry (including sci-fi, fantasy, horror, the surreal, slipstream, etc.) is very much my thing. But long before I knew that genre poetry had such a big market these days, with loads of new reading material being published within the genre all the time, I first stumbled across it in the work of Scottish poet Edwin Morgan. Morgan quickly became one of my favorite poets, as I devoured everything I could get my hands on.

I moved from there to other "mainstream" poets who had done a good deal of exploring of sci-fi themes in their work. It was only years later that I found places like Sam's Dot Publishing, Dreams & Nightmares, and the Science Fiction Poetry Association — all of which directed me on to more and more magazines, small publishers, and so forth that are producing quality work in the field of genre poetry all the time.

And it felt like finding home.

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Cyborg Chimera — it's here

2009-12-14T16:02:00.000-08:00

I've received my copies of Cyborg Chimera at last. (That's the down side of living in a different country than your publisher — many readers may receive your book before it can make it over the sea to you!) I'm handing out copies to friends and loved ones, and hoping it has a warm reception with them.

If you purchase your copy from The Genre Mall now, it should arrive just in time for Christmas.

Enjoy!

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Online Again

2009-12-10T19:16:00.001-08:00

My blog poetically challenged has been offline for a while due to some difficulties I had accessing the site for a while. I think the issues are now resolved, and I will be updating it regularly again.

The blog focuses on publication opportunities for poets. I hope you'll find something useful there.

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Aliens Among Us

2009-12-08T06:06:00.000-08:00

The theory that there are aliens among us has recently gained a little more credibility. Well, at least it has gained a proponent who is more credible than the cranks often associated with such theories.

Bulgarian astrophysicist Latchezar Filipov believes that there are aliens living on our planet, though they are (somehow) invisible to us. That doesn't mean we can't see their effects, though, he claims. Crop circles are one way they communicate with us. And what they are saying is that they aren't happy with us, particularly for the issue of global warming.

It's interesting when theories like this begin to be more accepted by mainstream thinkers. If it becomes accepted as fact, I guess science fiction writers will have one less "what if" to treat. Though, I am sure that means it will open up plenty more options to take its place.

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Time Travel: The Most Ridiculous Theory In Science

2009-12-04T02:21:00.000-08:00

I came across an interesting hub at HubPages the other day, Jon E. Royeca's Time Travel: The Most Ridiculous Theory In Science. In it, Royeca outlines the main ideas proposed by those who say that time travel is bound to happen sooner or later, and tells why he is sure that this is just not possible.

A fun read for anyone interested in science fiction, so I thought I'd put a link up here.

dark 'til dawn, video catalog

2009-11-29T09:00:00.000-08:00

Just in case you haven't seen it yet (I've been posting it everywhere)....
the dark 'til dawn video catalog

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2012

2009-11-20T08:54:00.000-08:00

I just got back from watching 2012. It isn't the greatest movie I've ever seen — not even the best end-of-the-world story — but it was still pretty fun. Woody Harrelson was a riot, and, well, I always like John Cusack.

There were several touching moments in the movie, and a few spots that would make you think. I liked the weaving in of the Noah story, and how that old tale came back to life. There were a lot of completely unbelievable plot devices, but hey... it was still a fun night at the movies.

Overall, I would say the film doesn't offer a lot of depth, but it is entertaining. And the special effects are pretty cool too.

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Cyborg Chimera

2009-10-30T04:55:00.000-07:00

Cyborg Chimera, my first poetry collection, is out now. I've written a little HubPage on it, for those who are interested. It is a work of speculative poetry.

If you'd like to order a copy, you can find it at The Genre Mall.

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Book Review Website Aimed at Christian Ficiton

2009-10-28T21:51:00.000-07:00

I have started to build a new website with Christian fiction book reviews. The site has reviews of all sorts of titles, whether they be books marketed specifically as Christian fiction, or books that seem like things Christian readers might be interested in. I want to eventually have all kinds of books, old or new, and really aim to feature a breadth of titles, authors, and genres.

I am listing titles by author, title, and genre. I hope over time to feature a lot more science fiction and fantasy that is geared to the Christian market. I'll be posting reviews of my own, but I also hope to get some new reviewers to send thoughts over. I don't mind what your own beliefs are, and would actually like thoughts coming from all different perspectives. But the site is aimed at Christian readers, and reviews should be geared to that market.

At any rate, do feel free to send any reviews my way that you'd like to see posted at the site.

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The Story of Light

2009-03-22T21:09:00.001-07:00

I've recently been reading Ben Bova's The Story of Light. It is not science fiction, but more of an ambling through science history, discussing the development of humans' interaction with light. It is a very interesting read, including a lot of science and research history, and also the importance of light in humankind's mythology, including the various mythologies of science fiction.

It's a good read, even though it has taken me some time to get through it due to a recent busy schedule. It is about 400 pages, and while some of it is concerned with technical things, it is not an overly technical read.

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Uh-oh....

2009-03-16T22:44:00.000-07:00

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a promising start

2009-03-14T21:54:00.000-07:00

I just visited a new blog and saw this post.

Oh..... this is going to be FUN!!! I thought it looked like the sort of thing that needed a plug here.

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Reliving it all again

2009-03-10T11:44:00.000-07:00

I've recently sat down to watch all of the 6 Star Wars episodes again. I have to admit that this is, no matter how you look at it, a really amazing series. Sometimes I fall into the trap of thinking that my love for it is all about the sentimental attachment of someone who grew up on the series. I am wrong to think like that. My evaluation that it is a great series is because... it is really a great series.

Lucas is an amazing artist, with an incredible vision. I love how he views his world, how he put it together, unfolding it in the perfect sequence. He was so wise, not only in the construction of the films, but in the release of them in Episodes 4, 5, 6, only to be followed by 1, 2, 3 two decades later. What genius! He won over a whole new generation because of his patience.

I'm glad to have taken the time to watch the series again. I'm wrapping up a couple of essays on Star Wars, and hope that they will be accepted for publication eventually. But the emotional enjoyment I get from these films just has to overflow after having relived them over the past 10 days or so.

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Mary Reilly

2009-02-28T21:36:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I popped the DVD of Mary Reilly in, on a friend's recommendation. I am not easily spooked, but I picked a bad night to start the movie — a cold, rainy night... and late.

I turned it off after about a half hour.

It isn't so much that the film is exactly scary. It is more... disturbing, rather than scary.

I finished watching the next morning, and really enjoyed the film. I've passed it on to another friend, and don't know if she got spooked out by it or not.

I thought John Malkovich was brilliant in the movie, in his roles as both Jekyll and Hyde. Julia Roberts got a lot of criticism about her accent, but I found it to be a minor distraction over all. She acts her part well, and I thought the film well executed.

It is worth picking up the DVD, if you haven't seen it.
....But don't watch it on a dark and stormy night.

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Unintended Break

2009-02-13T00:58:00.000-08:00

I did not mean to take such a long break from reading the Chinese magazine, Science Fiction World, but it has just sort of worked out that way. I intend to get back at it over the next few days, though, and will have more updates then.

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Bill and Ted

2009-01-30T20:15:00.000-08:00

I recently caught a showing of Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey on cable. This movie isn't nearly as good as the first Bill & Ted installment, but it was a lot of fun watching it again and laughing at the old, lame jokes. They are lame as ever, and still crack me up. (Does that make my sense of humor lame?)

One of the things I like about these movies is how they explore a very silly sort of sci-fi film. In the Bill & Ted movies, there is an appreciation of the genre that underlies the silliness, I think. It seems to me that someone who doesn't understand how sci-fi films work probably couldn't make or appreciate the humor of Bill & Ted, even for as much as sci-fi comes in for a bit of mockery in the movies.

One aspect that is easily missed in the films is how well-rounded their targets for mockery are. While there seems to be a base in rock music and pop culture, the films also take us back to important historical figures (or in the case of the second, mythological figures), and expect the audience to know something about each of them. Without a well-rounded knowledge, the films aren't funny, really.

It's funny, when I look back, how even these sorts of cheesy, pseudo-sci-fi movies can capture so much. It reminds me why I like the genre so much.

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