Invaders - John Kessel

Okay so I get that this is a three part story dealing with the conquest of the Inca, a 21st century alien invasion and the author's writing of the story. 'What I don't get, however, is the point. I don't know .. it just didn't really do it for me.

So, I decided to read about the author instead of focusing on this particular story. It turns out he wrote a great number of short science fiction stories and was inspired by H.G. Wells who, interestingly enough I am talking about in my paper.

Here is a link to John Kessel's homepage:

http://www4.ncsu.edu/~tenshi/index2.html

He seems to be a pretty interesting guy who made quite a great deal of input to the science fiction genre. He didn't start publishing until 1985 and was first at American Literature and science fiction professor at North Carolina State University, where, interestingly enough my dad recently went for a conference!

Hm .. seems kind of funny that the first time that I decide to focus on an author in my blog, I find all of these coincidences. It makes me wonder what I've been missing out on ...

Aunt Parnetta's Electric Blisters - Diane Glancy

This one made me chuckle at times. I love this: "We bought that ferge back twenty yars. And it nerked since then." Poor Parnetta feels out of place in the world because she is an Indian. The story emphasizes everything that is white, even the "ferge".

The story put an interesting spin on racial issues. Not my favorite read of the week, though ..

We See Things Differently - Bruce Sterling

This is a story written from the perspective of an Arab visitor to a future run-down America. Sayyid comes to America to report on what's going on and presents a pretty bleak looking story.

While this is not a pick me up kind of story, it does represent today's reality. We really do send reporters around the world to sites of misfortune so that we can have the juicy details reported back to us. The second that there is word of a murder, a horrible accident, war or any other sort of catastrophe - we have someone on the scene. Then, we all run to our televisions and eat dinner while listening to someone's horror story. I guess I'm a little off topic now, but it's something I've always thought about. Yes it's important to keep up on world issues, but is it important to know the details of the murder of a 5 year old girl in Florida? Is it necessary to see live video streams of war zones? I don't think it is .. and I think we are all a little bit too caught up in everyone else's business.

But that's just me!!

Kirinyaga - Mike Resnick

I didn't mind this story .. but it certainly didn't interest me as much as the previous two readings of the week. The Kirinyaga, placed on an artificial habitat, are trying to maintain their cultural norms. Koriba yearns for a time before the European invaded Kenya and went to extreme measures to fight for their inherent way of life.

The story seems to be talking about a loss of cultural identity. The Kirinyaga are trying to hang onto whatever is left of their origins; origins that are becoming increasingly obliterated.

I suppose it is reminiscent of present-day world issues in the sense that several cultures are fighting for recognition and survival under the powerful wing of the more powerful.

America - Orson Scott Card

This story made me think about how people can become blind to the very thing that they are waiting for. Anamari, who provides medical care to the sick, has become hardened to the fact that she has not received help or support in the past. The people of Brazil have never shown compassion for what she does. So when Sam Monson comes along, who truly wants to help her, she can't see it. She actually says to him, "Lady hands. You'd scrape your knuckles on the wash-board and bleed all over the sheet". Ridiculous comments such as this are common coming from somebody who has become so rigid. She is truly incapable of recognizing a genuine offer of help .. the very thing that she has been longing for.

The story doesn't seem entirely sci-fi-ish to me .. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed it. It came at a funny time, as I have recently dealt with a similar problem of somebody becoming so bitter that they have rendered themselves unable to see what's right in front of them. This was a good read!!

The New Atlantis - Ursula K. Le Guin

Belle and Simon, an illegally married couple, are reunited after his year and a half long stay at a rehabilitation camp. With the illegality of their marriage stemming from the fact that they are both rebels in their own respects, their chance for a "normal" life is dismal. Belle, an artist, and Simon, a mathematician are far from your typical couple of the day.

During the twelve days that the two were reunited, they spent time trying to devise a way of preserving the sun's energy. The thing that really grabbed me from the beginning of this story is its preoccupation with earth preservation. As someone who is very environmentally conscious, the mere mention of the rising polar melt was enough to interest me. I have never considered the possibility of a science fiction story from the 70's incorporating something like this into its core. For me, it represents hope. Even today, with the vast amounts of information that are available at the touch of a button, we see sky-high pollution rates, littering and fast depletion of resources. It's encouraging to know that at least somebody, ie. Ursula Leguin recognized this early on.

Anyway, great story. Unfortunately Simon gets taken away again and Ursula gives up on life. It seems that she decided that a life without her husband wasn't a life at all. Although it is dismal, at least it paints a picture of true love!

Tauf Aleph - Phyllis Gotlieb

This story seems to be a little more in depth than the last, but still enjoyable! Although it has to do with the Jewish religion and uses quite a few words that I am unfamiliar with, I got the feeling that the story pointed back to the origins of language. It talks often about assigning names and there is much deliberation in choosing them appropriately. I would assume that this goes back to early times, before we had language as we know it today. At some point in time, someone had to look up and decide to call those white things in the sky "clouds" and someone else even decided to call our planet "Earth". If we didn't have these words of reference, communication would be near impossible!

For The Sake of Grace - Suzette Haden Elgin

Well I have to say that this story is definitely soft sci-fi. Although it did have sc-fi elements, it had a very earthly feel to it. These creatures were easy to relate to humanity and I was able to very easily visualize the setting. Elements of sci fi that stuck out to me: The com-systems, the fact that it took the father ten months to travel through space to reach home, and the sort of work that he does on another planet.) However, these do not seem to be the focal points in the story. It is more about familial relations and a woman's place in the world. The ideas and ways of thinking portrayed in the story remind me of something that would have been written 50 or 100 years ago. The belief that a woman's place is in the home and that she could not possibly succeed at something such as a poetry competition at age 12 when "even I didn't succeed at age 16" (The Khadilha) is very prominent throughout the tale. I liked the ending because it brought forth the truth that males or females are equal beings. It makes males, the Khadilha in this case, look foolish for assuming their superiority especially in matters of intelligance. Jacinth wins and makes sure that this is known by exerting a sort of powerfulness in her words. I liked this story alot!

Half-Life - Paul Preuss

Although it wasn't one of my favorites of the semester, I think this was my favorite this week. It didn't seem to be sci-fi-ish in my opinion, though. I liked the idea of following Curie throughout her life and learning about her through the experiences that were brought back to life. It was a pretty good read overall, though not something I would set out to read for fun ...

Schwarzschild Radius - Connie Willis

The story is about a theory having to do with black holes .. I didn't mind this one, because I've always found the mystery behind black holes to be very interesting. They seem to actually be inside the Schwarzschild Radius trying to figure it all out. Once again, as in the last story their efforts end in diaster. The theory seems to have been based on little or no actual knowledge ..

I'm feeling very confused this week. The story's aren''t grabbing my attention like they normally do so I apologize for my boring and probably un-insightful (Is that a word?) posts. I don't know if it's just me or if the stories are just extremely dry ....

The World As We Know "T" - Howard Waldrop

Okay so basically what I got out of this story was that there are a bunch of guys from the "Lunatick Society" (They spelled Lunatic wrong) arguging over various scientific matters. Noone seems to be very satisified and after some deliberation they decide to go out to a field to do the Great Experiment. This resulted in the end of the Earth. Maybe this story is essentially about what could happen when we take Science and exploration too far, or become overly curious!

Schrodinger's Plague - Greg Bear

This was an interesting little story! Again, I don't have too much to say but it was definitely a step up from "Exposures." Different concept .. although Im not up on physics, this guy seemed to be angered that people spent so much time worrying about foolish things. The end of the story was pretty ambiguous but it got me thinking anyway.

Exposures - Gregory Benford

This will most definitely be my shortest blog posting yet for the simple reason that I have nothing to say. I dont understand this story for the life of me .. he's looking at pictures (I think?) of some planet that has alot of blue and red jets. He talks about his son at one point, another planet called Sagittarius A and that he'll never have final answers to his questions. As far as the meaning of this story? No idea .. I tried to look it up online but apparently noone else in the world has read it. Or they just didn't care to write anything about it .. yeah, I would assume that's what happened.

(Learning About) Machine Sex - Candas Jane Dorsey

This is an interesting concept, about the notion of sex being better with machines because they don't have all the baggage that comes along with human partners. They don't have emotions or moods and they don't expect much else from their partner. Humans on the other hand, have feelings and complex thought processes. Furthermore, it is not uncommon for at least one party of a relationship to be in it for sex and nothing more.

I think the story, which I loved by the way, is talking about love and relationships in general. It seems to point out that sometimes people feel used for sex. While it's true that the majority of committed relationships are probably bred out of genuine care, there are some bad apples out there! Angel, to me, represents the women who have been or who feel they have been duped by men. No matter what she does, her encounters with them end in disaster. They don't want her for her personality, they simply want her because she's a woman.

While the story did end kind of somberly, it didn't seem overly sad to me. Its a representation of how the world really is at times. That said, it can go the other way. Men aren't always the ones who just want a piece!! And, as Angel's friend points out - love does exist out there somewhere, it's just a matter of finding it.

Rat - James Patrick Kelly

I enjoyed this story! To me, it brings to life alot of real-life issues. Although it did have elements of science fiction, the underlying concepts were very realistic. Drug problems truly are a major concern in today's society. As Rat sells his "dust" the destruction that drugs can cause becomes more and more clear. When the "dead" people try and attack him, it made me think of all of the addicts who would do just about anything to get their fix.

Great story. It grabbed me from the very beginning and I really liked the message that it drove home. SAY NO TO DRUGS!!!! Haha.

The Gernsback Continuum - William Gibson

Well I can't really say that I enjoyed the story. I was confused throughout most of it. The photographer, from what I can gather, is trying to see what the 80's will be like as he is living in the 30's. Then he seems to decide that the 80's are much too ideal and wants to get back to his own world or reality. This is what I got from the story. I'm not too sure of a point, other than the grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence. Maybe the author is telling us to be happy with what we have and to stop being so wishful for something else.

2064, Or Thereabouts - David R. Bunch

This story is about a cyber person who is searching for the meaning of life. It's strange that such an un-human creature is having such human-like thought processes. The cyber person is searching for the true meaning of life but seems unable to come up with any answers. Everybody wonders this at some point, so perhaps the author is making the point that there is not necessarily an answer to this difficult question. Your life is what you make of it, and no matter who you are or "what you're made of" you may never stumble upon the answer. It was a sad story for me. It reminded me that I personally don't know the meaning of life and made me wonder if anyone really does. Good story, but it certainly wasn't uplifting ...

Damon Knight & "The Handler" - Presentation

Since I am unable to upload the PDF for our presentation I am linking it from Amanda's blog.
Please click here.

Alpha Ralpha Boulevard - Cordwainer Smith

This story grabbed my attention from the very beginning. I would like to meet the Instrumentality to see why they chose to do certain things, such as have Paul and Virginia come out French following the Rediscovery of Man. I think there was more to it, since Smith put such an emphasis on the language and the fact that they were indeed French. Im not sure though if it was meant to be a negative or a positive spin ...

I think the story functions on two levels. It seems to point out the pros and the cons of both living in a world where real danger exists and in a world where there is no fear and everything is pre-determined. It put an interesting spin on things and strangley enough, despite the bad things that happens at the Alpha-Dingo, made me appreciate that I live in a free world that has not already decided my fate.

Good News From The Vatican - Robert Silverberg

I enjoyed this story alot. I took it to be an extreme indication of what could become of us if we continue to have such a reliance on computers and other types of machinery. It made me think of all the things that we, as humans, used to do manually and now have done for us by machines. We have machines to cook our food, machines to transport us around the world and machines that clean our clothes. And that, obviously, is just to name a few. Although the idea of a robotic pope is a little far fetched, who knows what technological advances will cook up next ..

I found it interesting that half of the characters were against the idea of having a robotic pope while the other half were all for it. It seems to be symbolic of the hesitation of some people, even today, to rely on technology to help complete their everyday tasks. Some people worry that we are losing touch with what it is to be human and are moving into a world goverend by computers and machinery.

Plus, the idea of a pope that will never die doesn't sound all that great to me. I mean not that you would want him to die anytime soon, but it's nice to change things up every once in awhile ...

Making It All The Way Into The Future On Gaxton Falls Of The Red Planet - Barry N. Malzberg

Well I wouldn't want to live on this Mars! Although the Bastille Day festivities sound fun. I don't have too much to say about the story. While I didn't dislike it, I also didn't find it overly appealing. I do like that the author gave the story a kind of ironic ending. It made me chuckle ... but not very hard.

Frozen Journey - Philip K. Dick

I found this to be a very entertaining little story! As a psychology major, the story's focus on the unconscious, neuroticism and extreme guilt were of great interest to me. It's almost like Dick had an Introduction to Psychology text-book sitting beside him while he wrote this one!

The idea of a ship thinking as a person would was new to me. It's unfortunate that Victor wasn't able to realize that Martine arriving to planet LR4 was, for the first time in ten years, complete reality. It's almost as if he had become entirely numbed to anything but the memories fed to him by the ship.

It's interesting to note that no matter what pleasant memories the ship tried to put into his mind, Victor always brought forth some kind of negative twist. His neurotic and anxiety-ridden tendencies were so prevalent that he was unable to relive a positive memory without tarnishing it in some way....

I've decided to read the list backwards this week. Therefore, this is my first "machine story". Although I'm fine with the fact that my car can't speak to me as I drive (I like my music just fine) it's a pretty interesting concept and made for a good read!

Midnight News - Lisa Goldstein

It's an interesting concept that the author decided to give Helena, a nursing home resident who would normally have almost zero say in decision making, the power to save the world. Helena was "noticed" for the first time when given this power. She was no longer just another old, useless and bothersome lady. She was finally receiving attention, people were listening to her stories and the public was doting on her every wish.

I enjoyed the story. It made me think about all of the people that have come before me. Maybe we don't give them the time and the credit that they deserve.

Out Of All Them Bright Stars - Nancy Kress

I thought this was a heart-warming story about the difference between being a biological human and having humane thoughts and ideals. It seems to me that apart from Sally, the humans in the story have been dumbed down by the college in regards to what they should think of the polite blue aliens. It's ironic that the old couple that comes in every Friday night has never left a tip, but the blue alien treats Sally with respect and dignity.

The story made me think of people that I have encountered in my own life who would fit into the "Charlie and Kathy" category while others are more of a "Sally". There are so many people in this world who lose themselves in ideas and beliefs that are pounded into them by the media, the government or other institutes. They stop thinking for themselves and allow the opinions of other to become opinions of their own.

Sally, for what seems like the first time in some time, was treated well and given attention by an alien. John, who doesn't seem to have a racist bone in his body, feels that he doesn't make a difference. I think he is misled. .. he seems to have made a big difference in Sally's life. He gave her an idea of what humans could be like if they weren't so prejudiced and unable to accept differences in others. Unfortunately, that probably won't be happening any time soon and Sally knows that she will continue to live in the world represented by Charlie and Kathy.

Interlocking Pieces - Molly Gloss

I enjoyed this story alot. Interesting topic - a cerebellum transplant. I also found it interesting that Teo found Dhavir doing a puzzle, such an intricate task and something that she could no longer do with her limited motor capabilities. Maybe this was used to bring forth the idea that pieces by themselves are not very useful, but when put together they form the full picture. Sort of how Dhavir's cerebellum will complete Teo as a human being ...

Im not sure that I see how this fits into the category of Science Fiction though. There didn't seem to be anything sci-fi ish about it to me unless I missed something !

A Few Things I Know About Whileaway - Joanna Russ

Hm .. a plague that wiped out all men. Banning words such as "he". Women that cut their hair with clamshells. Children that are created from two ovum. (One body mother & one other mother). Interesting.

These children of Whileaway obliterate their instructors with bombs?! Sheesh .. they must have some pretty bad instructors on that planet. And this country, of total female inhabitance, does not practice monogamy at all. Again, interesting.

Well this story was very different. Im not sure that I really enjoyed it, but it had some interesting concepts. Genetic surgeons, for example. The idea of middle-dignity, three quarters dignity and full dignity was a different take on the journey from childhood to adulthood.

I particularly liked the beginning of the last paragraph: "I am a liar. I have never been to Whileaway." It made me think "Well then why did you go to the trouble of making all of this nonsense up?!" I'm also wondering what kind of influence the author was under while writing the story ... it's definitely original!

The Women Men Don't See - James Tiptree Jr.

I think this story is a very interesting take on discrimination against women! Don can't understand for the life of him how these two women, Ruth & Althea Parsons, could be so calm. It doesn't seem to alarm them that they are stranded in the middle of nowhere with no guarantee of a rescue. But Ruth & Althea Parsons had a plan of their own.

Judging by her preparatory actions, Ruth had a pretty good idea that they were likely to encounter aliens in that part of Mexico. The story mentions that her and Althea were taking a pretty round-about way to get to their destination, leading one to believe that there was an ulterior motive. It also mentions that she worked for the government, so perhaps she had gained some sort of intellect in regards to alien sightings in the area.

Ruth and Althea were awfully adament in their belief that females will forever be unequal to men. Adament enough to risk venturing into the unknown in the hope of finding something better than life on Earth as a woman.

Im wondering about the intended message of the story. My thought is that it's implying that although we have come a long way, gender equality will never be 100% present. These two women in particular felt it necessary to take their chances on leaving this earth for a planet that may be more geared towards equal opportunities for all genders.

And The Angels Sing - Kate Wilhelm

I think this week's reading list has been the most enjoyable yet. For me anyway. There has only been one story that I haven't loved (Kyrie) but all of the others have really grabbed my attention. I thought that this one was great as well. I like that something alien happens in the life of a human-being. Instead of being sci-fi like from the very beginning, this one starts off as any other story may.

I found it funny that Eddie was so inclined to refer to this genderless alien as a "she". It is explained that it is definitely not female, as it had nothing in the way of genitalia. It made me think that Eddie was desperate for this alien to be a girl. He doesn't seem to be well liked, mainly on account of his weak character. People don't know how to take a man who does them so many favors but will not allow for any sort of repayment. It is implied that his wife left him and he moved to the middle of nowhere to get away from the busy New York life. Because he is without a lover and without any close companions, the idea of this alien being a "she" would have been very inviting for a man like Eddie.

This is definitely an interesting take on women as aliens. For what seems like the first time, women are not being portrayed at all in a negative view. If anything, Eddie - the male, is the weak character throughout the story. Because Eddie refers to the alien as being a "she", I came to think of her as being female as well. Therefore it seems to me that women aliens in this story are being represented in a postive, take-charge light.

His Vegetable Wife - Pat Murphy

While I really enjoyed the story, it was sad to read about this woman (Who is not actually even a woman) and the abuse that she endures from Fynn. For some reason, even though she is most definitely not human, I envisioned her as one. It seems to me that Fynn is the real alien or monster-like figure while the man-made wife encompasses much more human qualities. This seems very ironic to me!

I was glad that she killed him. Not that Im in favor of murder or anything, but hey - she got him back. And planted him - haha!!

Good story!

After The Days Of Dead-Eye 'Dee - Pat Cadigan

This story really drew out my sympathy for Merridee Percy. She encompasses your typical objectified woman who is treated as a total un-equal by her husband. He wouldn't take her camping because she would be a bother on account of her rheumatism problems. When it says, "...and she was safely at home, no rheumatism acting up, watching this shadow", my heart really ached for her. It made me think about all of the women in this world who are watching their lives pass them by as their husbands dictate what they can and cannot do. Although conditions have improved, I can think of several women who are trapped in relationships such as this. I've gotten a little bit off track but this is a topic that I have given a lot of thought to in the past. I guess it saddens me to think about how it would feel to have your life controlled by somebody else's hands .. it sort of makes me nauseous .. Merridee talks about living in her house with Brett for the past 500,000 years which really drives home the idea that her life is nothing but a serious of monotonous days that bleed aimlessly into one another.

Anyway, when Merridee wakes up on the morning after her first encounter with the alien, she convinces herself that it didn't actually happen. She is in a state of denial. She's constantly trying to convince herself of this, by focusing on things such as the idea that a "monster" like that could not exist in a world with sweepstakes and cut-rate magazine subscriptions! But of course, she really did see the alien. I think it's really symbolic that she blows the alien to pieces. It, just like Brett, wanted her to remain confined to her home while having knowledge of what she was missing in the outside world. Merridee wasn't having it! She blew the alien AND that idea to pieces, called it a son of a bitch and walked away.

The Start Of The End Of It All - Carol Emshwiller

Wow I loved this story! Definitely my favorite so far. It struck me as odd that the old woman did not describe her experience in such a way that conveyed shock and disbelief to the reader. Either the aliens have been there for a really long time or the lady has been severely drugged and/or brainwashed. It's funny because it almost made me less shocked to find out that these invading aliens had impregnated the woman with minnow-like spawn.

It's interesting to note that this woman warmed up to Klimp, whether it was by her own choice or because she was drugged/brainwashed, with the expectation that he would be nothing like her ex-husband. He doesn't leave the toilet seat up and he squeezes the toothpaste from the bottom of the tube. The story also says that these Aliens only pair up with divorcees ....

So it seems like she is out to get revenge at the end of the book when she tells them to go live in the Love Canal. I like that the story is portraying a woman who, in the end, takes charge of a situation by seeking some sort of vengeance for the wrongdoing that she has experienced at the hands of a "man". (Not really a man persay, but man-like)

Overall I thought the story was great. I found it to be a relatively easy read in terms of deriving a point and making sense of the situation. I'd like to read more by Carol Emshwiller if the rest of her work is anything like this!

Kyrie - Poul Anderson

So far this week, this has been by far my most difficult read. It's not that Im not understanding what Im reading, but that I'm having problems in distinguishing how it all fits together to form a story. A story that I understand anyway.

Im trying though .. What I've gotten out of it is that it begins on Luna (The moon), Eloise Waggoner being a Special communications technician on the Supernova Sagitarri expedition. As I continued on with the story, I did get a sense of what goes on as they carry out their expedition, but I have yet to derive a point or theme. I mean it's obvious that Eloise is a very boring, monotone typish person who has embarked on this journey in the hopes of finding some excitement. But beyond that .. I don't see how everything fits.

Im assuming, though, that Poul Anderson wrote the story with some sort of intention. He must have been trying to convey SOMETHING. I have to say Poul, I don't think you did a very good job ....

When I was Miss Dow - Sonya Dorman Hess

I guess the first thing that I should say is that I really loved the way that the story begins ..

"These hungry, mother-haunted people come and find us living in what they like to call crystal palaces, though really we live in glass places, some of them highly ornamented and others plain as paper".

It really made me think "Okay, this opening must be giving a general idea of what this story encompasses". And it really does. The hungry mother haunted people are humans. The humans are exploring a planet that is inhabited by Protean aliens.

This male alien is given the task of transforming into a "she" and going to work for Dr. Arnold Proctor as a way of obtaining money. The Warden of her group transforms "him" into Martha Dow, a thirty-something year old lab assistant.

I think the story is interesting in the sense that it seems to be suggesting that we can only "become someone else" for so long. Then we have to go back to our core identity. As I was reading, I was hoping that Martha would stay Martha. But she didn't, and I think that might be a main point in the story.

All in all, I liked this!

How Beautiful With Banners - James Phish

Well .. this was interesting! I didn't mind reading this story at all, mainly because it was exciting to see what kind of crazy scene was going to unfold next.

I basically took from the story the idea that Dr. Ulla Hillstrom (with a slash through the "o") is entirely consumed with her science career, alotting zero time and/or attention to anything else. Her marriage has ended, she doesn't have much esteem and is avoidant of all things intrusive to her career driven life.

Ulla seems to be romantically tied to her bubble. She almost seems to personify it as she "pushed the cozy bubble away from her breasts and tried to stand up". If you didn't know she was talking about a bubble, you'd think she was talking about her lover!

So while she is outdoors in her virus suit (This being the first time anyone has ever done this for more than five or ten minutes), a flying cloak came to investigate this strange thing. Her bubble couldn't withstand the conditions (or maybe it just couldn't withstand her) and took off.

I think the story suggests that while it's good to have other interests, you should always take some time for yourself. Maybe James Phish is saying that it can be very easy to end up with nothing if we get lost in everything but our own well-being.

I also noted that Phish used a couple of metaphors throughout the story which really made the absurdity of Ulla's situation come to life. Although I think that I understand the main elements of the story, Im definitely looking forward to some further clarification in class!

Homelanding - Margaret Atwood

This story, especially at its description of caverns and prongs, had me laughing for the first page or two. At first, well until the end, I knew that I loved the story but I didn't exactly know how it would be classified as science fiction. But then when I realized that the woman (Shes a cavern, remember) is describing life on earth or maybe life as Canadians to an alien, it all came together.

Then I got thinking about how her description is so very accurate yet seems so odd! It's never occured to me that maybe the life that we take to be so ordinary and natural would be absolutely ridiculous and silly to someone or something from another planet.

I really enjoyed this story. It put life into perspective in a pretty humorous way and allowed for the realization that life as we know it may only be "normal" to us because it's all we know.

Strange Wine - Harlan Ellison

Again, I really liked this story. The phrase "The grass is always greener on the other side" is what really jumps out at me after reading this. Willis Kaw is aware that he was not to born to the planet Earth and is convinced that he comes from a much better place. A place with a bright green sky and birds that do not fly, but instead skim surfaces. He thinks that he comes from a planet that does not have to deal with "bodies that decay and smell bad and run down and die (pg.353). He is sure that the anguish and the torment that comes along with being a human being is a punishment that he has been given for an unknown crime that he committed on his home planet.

While he is on earth, he dreams of going home to his planet. He has lost his daughter, his son has been crippled and he's in a loveless marriage. Once he succeeds in returning to his home planet, he realizes that life on earth was a gift to him. Life on his planet is actually much worse than on earth and Plydo falls asleep dreaming of his life as Willis Kaw on the planet Earth.

This just goes to show that we should be thankful for what we have. While it's true that life is not perfect, life could be worse. This seems to be the underlying message that the story drives home.

I do have one question though. Why "Strange Wine" ? It doesn't seem to fit in at all ..

The Mountains of Sunset, The Mountains of Dawn - Vonda N. Mcintyre

Although parts of it were gross (ie. when it describes "the old one" ripping apart the animal and crunching its bones for marrow and brains), I feel like this is essentially a beautiful story. It deals with real-life concerns such as the transformation from child to adult, dealing with death, and how to or if we should pass on values and traditions to the younger generation before we die.

I think it is interesting that these aliens were depicted in such an un-human physical way but with distinctly human thoughts and ideas. When I think of these creatures, I think of a furry bat/human/bird. Almost like an extremely furry bat with a humanish face that has the flying capacity and wingspan of a bird.

The fact that the old one speaks in old English, saying things such as "Wouldst thou have me .." while the young one speaks as we would today reinforces the generational difference between the two aliens. The way in which the old one helps to turn the young one into a man is a little bit disturbing from a human point of view, but the fact is that these aliens are not human. Maybe sex to them is differernt than our sex and so it wouldn't be gross or disturbing at all. Just a thought ..

I picked out a lot of common human concerns, such as how to deal with the loss of a loved one. Just like the young one, we often don't know how we are going to go on without this person in our lives. I drew similarities between the old one and our elderly population today. Most of them, by the time they reach the end of their lives, are no longer interested in progressing further into this rapidly advancing world. They want to retreat back into their own versions of how the world used to be.

I really enjoyed the story. I think it's wel written and put in such a way that the ideas are really driven into us through the personalities of the characters. I think that there is a little bit of these aliens in all of us !

Feather Tigers - Gene Wolfe

I found this to be a very interesting little story! Little blue childsized rabbits flying around in a skyacht studying the extinction of life as we know it. Hm .. that is a little bit scary.

The aliens don't seem to have a very accurate idea of how the world and the people that lived in it had been. They don't seem to understand how it all came to be, and/or how it worked.

Its interesting that the aliens are limited by the skyacht which was created to increase their capabilites and understanding. That applies to life as we know it as well. We keep creating things to make life "easier" but at the same time we are setting up even more boundaries. Technological advances have made things such as trans-continental communication much more affordable and quick. But at the same time, this same advancement has greatly diminished the occurence of face-to-face relations, physical activity and enjoyment of the simple things in life. Sometimes we are too caught up in the glitz to take a step back to smell the roses ....

Thats what this story made me think of .. the intrinsic parts of life that seem to go un-noticed in the face of "advancement"

High Weir - Samuel R. Delany

After coming to class and listening to the discussion, I went home and gave this story another chance. I really liked it! I took it to be an analogy to a common struggle in the search for identity. I think the fact the Rimkin is on Mars and that he is a linguist who seems to have an awful lot of communication problems, strengthens the idea that words cannot always be an adequate expression of our experiences. I think Samuel Delaney is trying to imply that humans do not have the necessary skills to vocalize many of the important things that we encounter. Maybe this is suggesting that we cannot always rely on language. Í'm assuming that this is why Rimkin went insane. It must have driven him crazy to think that language, of all things, had failed him so horribly on Mars. It seemed, as Hodges pointed out, that he was left feeling useless to the expedition.

I think it's interesting to note that although the story is essentially about human aliens, we never actually encounter one. Rimkin is lost in the search for himself. This concept makes me think of myself, someone who is still trying to find her way in the world. I'm not entirely sure what I want to do, where I want to go or where I fit into the grand scheme of things on this planet. So perhaps Rimkin is meant to be an exaggerated version of humankind in general.

Although Im not entirely sure of its significance, I think that it's important to note how often "eyes" are mentioned. Im leaning towards the idea that the "eye" is brought in as a replacement for verbal communication. Much of what is learned, pretty much everything actually, is done in a visual way throughout the story. This seems to be yet another indication that language is no longer sufficient.

The Winter Flies - Fritz Leiber

I don't even know where to begin with this story other than to say that it took my mind to a whole new level. I've never read anything so ... weird? I understood parts of it, but other parts I found to be impossible to follow. Why did the furniture and the appliances talk to Jane, and how does it fit in with the rest of the story? And what is with Heinie? He totally threw me for a loop .. I've never met a kid like that. And then there is Gott and his imagination. To be honest, I'm not entirely sure of the point or direction of the story. Im thinking that his created images might represent what the world would become if we did not have control over our minds. Reality seemed to win him over at the end of the story ..

Although it was very different, I found the story to be entertaining! I am left with quite a few questions though .. hopefull our class discussion will help to answer them!

I am about halfway through the introduction to the Anthology. It's interesting to see how much work goes into choosing what gets published in the book. I had no idea that there is such a vast array of Science Fiction material. It will be interesting to think about why each particular story was chosen as we move through the course !

The Chrysalids - My Thoughts & Opinions

I have to say that The Chrysalids is very different than anything else I have read. I found the concept of throwing "misfits" aside as mere trash to be very shocking and sad! I couldn't imagine living with the fear of losing my child should he or she be born with some kind of physical or mental deformity. It almost seemed as if even the women in the novel (with the exception of Sophie's mother) had become hardened to the Waknuk way of thinking.

The book really made me think about the way that society operates today. Although John Wyndham took it to an extreme level, ignorance toward people with physical and/or mental problems is still seen today. Society as a whole should be helping these people. We should be offering them our friendship, our support and our understanding. While this kind of support does exist, I think that we have a long way to go when it comes to treating these people as equals.

Getting back on track, I love that John Wyndham took the time to really develop his characters, David in particular. His vivid descriptions of David's thoughts and feelings give the reader a true sense of the horror of being a "blasphemy" in Waknuk. I was happy with David, Rosalind and Petra's escape from the community. It seemed to me that anywhere, even the Fringes, would be better than Waknuk.

Although they were rescued, it was a selfish rescue on the part of the Sealanders. The woman who arrived to pick them up did not seem to be very interested in their well-being and was not at all resistant to Michael's staying behind to go fetch Rachel. She must have known that it would be next to impossible for Michael and Rachel to make their way to Sealand on their own. She was only interested in Petra's extreme telepathic capabilities. She was not rescuing the group as a whole, but she was simply bringing a girl of high talent to live in her community.

Overall, I thought that this was a fantastic read! It kept me interested, entertained and reflective. It is very well written with a developed and interesting plot-line. I do wish that it had extended on for another chapter or so. I think it would be interesting to get a glimpse into their new life. Even still, I hope that the rest of the readings for this class are this great!

Speculative Fiction - My Latest Adventure!

As I said on Thursday, speculative fiction is a genre that I have left unexplored until now. For whatever reason, I have always purposely strayed away from anything sci-fi. Í've always assumed that I wouldn't enjoy the genre and have therefore stuck with real-life stories involving perfectly plausible scenarios.

Although I have not yet finished, I am about halfway through The Chrysalids and I have to say that I am thoroughly enjoying it. It's a miracle! On Thursday evening I decided that I would start the book. Due to my apprehension about the nature of the story, I found myself reading a page or two and then tuning into "Gossip Girl" or picking up Lullabies for Little Criminals instead (also very awesome!). However, this did not last much past the second chapter of John Wyndham's novel. I'm a bit ashamed to say that I feel as if I have been prejudiced towards speculative fiction. I'm enjoying The Chrysalids just as much as I would enjoy any other book. If the rest of the genre is anything like this, I am afraid that I've been missing out! My brother, the sci-fi guru, is thrilled. I'm thrilled too. Not only did I discover a new realm of literature, but I think I will be able to survive this course!