Ender’s Game

I have finally read Orson Scott Card’s brilliant novel Ender’s Game which is the first book in the Ender’s series.  This was originally a shorter novelette but was reworked into a full length novel by Card.  It is about a young boy named Ender who is a long hoped for military genius on a future Earth.  He is force trained to become the tool that will save mankind from an alien menace.  But Ender is, in the end, his own man or boy.  A product of his handlers but not them; the book has an incredibly surprising finish. 
I enjoyed it very much. It is intensely psychological and, like many of the best examples of fiction writers, Card dwells strongly in the territory of human relationships. That’s what makes Ender so interesting. In the end, Ender is more important than even Earth leaders think. The fate of more than just human’s is involved.
I definitely want to read more in the series.
Highly recommended.

The Outlander

This film starring Jim Kaviezel (Kainan) was a pleasant surprise. Although it involves Earth’s past, Vikings, an alien, his space craft, and a pissed off alien dragon it isn’t as ridiculous as it sounds.  The writer explains these so well that they didn’t remind me overly much of the rash of Beowulf movies lately. The back story (that humans had been seeded on Earth by Kainan’s people) and that Kainan crash landed with an imprisoned alien dragon was an explanation for his human appearance. It certainly seemed reasonable as I watched, anyway.  I liked the special effects for the Moorwen or dragon. It is a good adventure film and, I think, worth a couple of hours of precious time if you like good action sci-fi films.

Saturn’s children

Charles Stross‘ Saturn’s children: a Space Opera (Ace Books, 2008) is not what I’d call opera. Told from the perspective of Freya Nakamichi 47, designed as a sex bot for human pleasure, I would call it a good hard science fiction story. Freya’s trouble begins when she takes a job as a ‘courier’ for a secretive organization. On her voyages from Venus to Mercury, to Mars, to Callisto (a moon of Jupiter) and then finally to Eris (a dwarf planet bigger than Pluto and way out there) Stross explores various forms of interplanetary transport. Realistically. And, along the way, fills in an interesting history of the final era of humans to beyond their extinction in the 23rd century. What happens to the servants, slaves and helpers of humanity after they are gone is an interesting story line.
I picked this book up as it was being advertised heavily at World Con this summer and, at one of the Con parties, one of his fans told me that he was envious when I told him I hadn’t read any of Stross’ work. He said that I was in for a treat when I did.
I liked Saturn’s Children but I didn’t find it spectacular. But there’s no way I’ll give up on Stross (we have computer programming in both our backgrounds), I think I’d like to try Accelerando when I next try one of his books. It sounds like a cool idea.

The Final Cut

As I’ve indicated before I’m a big fan of Robin Williams so it’s no surprise that when Karen brought home The Final Cut, a 2004 sci-fi movie, I was very interested. Like One Hour Photo, this is a serious Robin performance. He plays a Cutter (Alan Hakman), a man who cuts people’s life memory implant footage to create a flattering portrayal of their lives.
This Zoe implant may sound like a gimmick but the ideal is well fleshed out and then dissected as the plot progresses. There is a group who actively oppose the implant and the ex-Cutter Fletcher (Jim Caviezel) re-enters Alan’s life trying to get the implant of an Eye-Tech lawyer (the producers of the Zoe implant) to try to discredit the company.
It’s an unusual science fiction film as there are so few special effects running the show.  They’re there but only to subtly provide authenticity. I have to give Omar Naim full marks as writer and Director for bravely letting the story sit in the driver’s seat to allow such an interesting film. Such a different tack for an American sci-fi movie. This is thrilling and psychological and feels realistic. The plot is complicated (like a good science fiction book) but worth it. It is extremely well acted, too.
The last scene (which I won’t describe as it would be a spoiler) is beautifully done.  So Brecht!
Very highly recommended.

Post Worldcon 2009 Impressions

OK. So I went. I saw. And I lurked. Worldcon 2009 was an incredibly rich set of awesomenesses.

Here are the sessions I sat in on from Thursday through to Sunday:

• Open Science – Workable Goal or Idealistic Fantasy?
• the last part of Bio-Ethics
• What is Consciousness?
• Re-reading
• First Contact: Worldbuilding
• How to Respond to a Critique of your Writing
• part of the Opening Ceremonies
• How to Get to Alpha Centauri
• Writing Workshop L
• Private Passions: Writing
• Friends Without Benefits?
• The Goldilocks Alien
• David Clements
• What Makes A Good Story?
• Mosquitos and Laser Beams
• How to Pitch Your Novel… and how not to
• Driven by Character; Starting with a Character
• Gaiman reads Doctorow
• Brewing and Distilling in Extreme Environments
• English-Canada Small-Press SF Publishers
• Lots of Planets have a North
• Private Passions: The Many Interests of Neil Gaiman
• Economics of the Star Traders
• The Herschel Space Telescope
• Hugo Awards Ceremony

There was also the Dealers and Artist Hall which was fascinating to stroll through.  And, in the evenings, there were the parties on the top (28th) and the 5th floors of the Delta.  I bumped into David Clements at one of these and picked his brain about low-metal planets.   During the many sessions I attended I learned a great deal: it will take a while to absorb it all. I would have attended more on Monday but I had to catch the Greyhound bus to return home with my bike on Monday morning at 5:30AM.

During the sessions mention was made, often in passing, of significant stories that influenced session leaders or audience. For example, They’re Made of Meat by Terry Bisson came up twice. Try the link above and you’ll see it’s a short read. Also, the short SF story writer Ted Chiang’s name was mentioned at least three times. I found the novelette Understand online and took the time to read it. Wow!

As a fan I saw many people whose work I’ve admired for years including Julie Czerneda, Cory Doctorow, Neil Gaiman, James Alan Gardner, Nancy Kress, Larry Niven, Robert J. Sawyer, Robert Silverburg and Bill Willingham.

Scientists (also fans and some are writers too) attended Worldcon and participated too. The following impressed me: David Clements, Geoff Hart, Jordin Kane, G. David Nordley and Peter Watts.

I had volunteered to help with the Registration desk and did over 25 hours worth. That was fun, actually, as it gave me a chance to practice my Francaise and gave me a ‘home’ to return to after absorbing all the stuff! And if that was home then Lea was Mom, Dave was Dad, Elayne and Sandy were the live-in relatives who made things work and everyone else were siblings (including John whose family I know well from Guelph – small world!)

On a more personal note, two chapters of my novel “The Relater” were critiqued (along with offerings from two other aspirants) during a workshop lead by writers Laura Anne Gilman and Margaret Ronald. This was enlightening and useful: I intend to do some editing. I also met with the Publisher to whom I originally submitted back in April and discussed my intent to withdraw my submission until I can make changes. Luckily she hadn’t looked at it yet and agreed to wait until I resubmit. I want it to be the best it can be.

The Day the Earth Stood Still

In anticipation of seeing this new remake directed by Scott Derrickson I showed the original 1951 version to the kids. For all the money and special effects, the new movie had very little of the impact of Robert Wise’s classic film. It was merely an interesting effects vehicle and not worth the price of admission. You can buy the DVD if you must but be sure you get the one that includes the original film even though it doesn’t have many special features. I’m glad I waited for the library to get it before seeing it.
Keanu Reeves as Klaatu, Jennifer Connelly as Dr. Helen Benson along with Kathy Bates as the Secretary of Defense (Regina Jackson) and John Cleese as Professor Barnhardt were all good but the sum of the parts now just wasn’t gripping or revolutionary. One obvious lack was the whole relationship developed between Klaatu and the boy Bobby. This is, I believe, how Klaatu is originally won over. And the heroism of Helen, his mother, when she tries to save the alien and the world in the end. Just completely absent. And for those poor people who haven’t seen the original, I doubt the meaning behind the title is even remotely possible to make out.
So see the original which, though over 50 years old, I still say is very highly recommended. And if you must watch the remake be sure you don’t pay too much for the sad thing.

The future of computers

I listened to CBC radio today and heard an interview with Daniel H. Wilson who is the author of “Where’s My Jetpack?: A Guide to the Amazing Science Fiction Future that Never Arrived“. The point that Wilson made was that some of the scientific breakthroughs we keep waiting for may have already been made. The jetpack, for example, was invented long ago but just isn’t of practical use today. On the other hand we’re surrounded by objects that few predicted but would have boggled our imaginations a handful of years before their invention like the microwave oven, the iPod or the netbook computer.
But what about the computer? What’s in its future?
Obviously the trend is for more powerful computing to be crammed into tinier and tinier packages. This will eventually mean, I think, that we will be attaching our computing devices to ourselves at some point. People already don’t want to be parted from their cell phone, iPod and other computational devices. Perhaps there will come a time when these are embedded in our forearms.
Provide networking and we suddenly remove the need for the cell phone. Add in voice activation (which Google is creating huge databases to support already) and the keyboard and mouse goes. Of course some researchers are working on using brain waves for input so we may be able to bypass voice altogether.

A Small and Remarkable Life

The short (231 pp.) science fiction novel A Small and Remarkable Life is by Nick DiChario and printed by Robert J. Sawyer Books. This is the first DiChario story I’ve read and I certainly want to read more. He is a very unusual writer and approaches first contact with an alien in a completely original way. He manages to tackle religion, becoming human and the difficulties of being different in the xenophobic Adirondack Mountains of the mid 1800’s in a truly engaging read.
Tink Puddah is born prematurely as a result of the death of his parents on the day they arrive from a different planet called Wetspace. He has 3 strikes against him when dealing with humans: he’s malformed and diminutive, he’s definitely a foreigner and, well, he’s blue. But he is gifted with a oneness with the land and its creatures that allows him to survive.
The pace and the irregular shifting from the past to the present were a little difficult to get used to at the beginning but it is entirely worth the effort: Tink Puddah is someone any open minded person would like to know.
Very highly recommended.

Made out of awesome

I finished Wake, the first in Robert J. Sawyer’s trilogy called WWW last night … well actually early this morning. I didn’t get to bed until late: it was Em’s prom night and she and her friends had the party light on downstairs. I was on the verge of an asthma attack from the sultry (Justin had Throw Mamma from the Train on last night) air and all the dust from cleaning so, though exhausted, I had a hard time sleeping. But around 12:30 I could have done it: in fact I was fighting to stay awake and it was Rob Sawyer’s fricking fault. He, to borrow Caitlin’s (the main character in Wake) expression, is ‘made out of awesome’ and so I didn’t get to sleep until after 2.
The downside, of course, is that now my pacing of reading it is over (I couldn’t help it) and I have to wait for Watch next year. And then the last one: Wonder.  Back to the anxiousness I had to experience with his amazing Neanderthal Parallax.
Sawyer has done nothing less than explore what it is to be aware in humans. And, then, credibly (even realistically) he applies that to artificial intelligence on the World Wide Web. He says it took him longer to write this novel than with any previous and I really think it was worth it. He really nails it and in a package that is, like others of Rob’s works, very approachable and enjoyable to read.
Caitlin Decter is a blind teenage mathematician (and computer geek) who has just moved to Waterloo as her physicist father has just accepted a job at the Perimeter Institute. She is a wonderfully sympathetic and engaging protagonist who becomes a guide for the birth of the awareness of the World Wide Web. Sawyer does a wonderful job linking this to and educating us again about the miracles Annie Sullivan did with Helen Keller along the way.
I only have one question. Is Caitlin using Linux?

Extremely and Awesomely Recommended!

Want more? Here are some links:

• The first three chapters are available online if you’d like a taste of this book
• An excellent podcast interview with Robert J. Sawyer that covers this book, the pilot for Flashforward and the TV series “Supernatural Investigator” he hosts on Vision
• Sawyer has even set up The Calculass Zone on LiveJournal where you can read 3 entries (which will presumably grow at the trilogy continues
• Or you can become Caitlin Decter’s friend on Facebook

Seed to Harvest

Anything written by Octavia E. Butler is science fiction gold IMHO. I just finished the quadrology entitled Seed to Harvest which contains the following novels in story chronological order:

• Wild Seed
• Mind of My Mind
• Clay’s Ark
• Patternmaster

The first two books tell the story of mutations in the human species that produce telepathic, telekinetic, shape changing and healing humans and the third; the birth of a new hybrid human through mixing with a microscopic but incredibly aggressive alien species. The last book describes when these two forms of human clash.
Butler was a visionary and her stories really bring you into a completely new and, I think, entirely possible and plausible future. It’s great and hard science fiction. But what makes her so interesting is that her focus is on more than just new gadgets and technology, she really explores social issues like slavery and race, religion, sex and politics. And through it all, she provides strong female role models but also develops strong male characters as well. Another interesting focus of hers is extending biology into the future: that is something (as a trained biologist myself) I often see done very simplistically in SF. Butler does it in a realistic and yet imaginative way. You can see this especially in Wild Seed with the character Anyanwu and in Clay’s Ark with the doctor Blake Maslin.
The actual books in the Patternist collection, her first series, were released as a set of five over an eight year period in this order:

1. 1976 Patternmaster
2. 1977 Mind of My Mind
3. 1978 Survivor
4. 1980 Wild Seed
5. 1984 Clay’s Ark

so Butler actually expanded her original idea into four other books by writing prequels. And yet, when assembled in the proper order in Seed to Harvest they read very well.  Survivor, in story time, should come between Clay’s Ark and Patternmaster; it wasn’t reprinted like the four others – possibly because Butler didn’t like it afterward. And so it’s the only Patternist novel I haven’t read yet. It may be hard to find (I know my library doesn’t have it) but I’ll look anyway.
Also, during this eight year period, she had time to write Kindred too.  This shows how prolific an imagination and writing ability this author was gifted with.
Very Highly Recommended!