The Wise

This was a nice read and fairly satisfying as it played out. Right from the start, I could feel how Qfwfq is influenced by his family to think that land animals are more superior to fish. At some point, I would have to say that I was in agreement, but after a few minutes of reading and some internal dialogue, I came to the conclusion that this perspective could easily be wrong. As humans I can totally understand this point of view. We definitely are more superior on land than in the water. And this is due to many factors, that is not to say we cannot be just as superior on land as on water, however, we would suffer without our technology.

I was actually really surprised to see the Uncle win over Lll. It was obvious to me that the Uncle's point of view made more sense and he was definitely wiser than this nephew, but the act was a little jarring. I felt bad for Qfwfq. Then I realized the it was probably the best thing that could have happened to him at that moment in his life. I would imagine, after that situation, he took on a different perspective and began to mature at an increasing rate in many aspects of his life.

Bloodchild

My reaction to this is more or less complete confusion. I had alot of trouble understanding the setting the the names at first. They were throwing me off. I began mixing reality of normal people and insects or perhaps cockroaches. I did read this fairly fast and I was distracted. It was very interesting the read the behavior of..I dont even know what they are..creatures, insects, part human? I understand the creature from the government who is an official. But its just extremely odd. I have trouble with the setting. But i was able to see that the humans are somewhat farmed? or preserved to be sold off of some sorts?

I was able to connect on the weird fact that the characters can consume these eggs to prolong life and that ...these eggs come from the Tilc government and the official in the household is the one providing these connections? Perhaps like a caretaker of the family? The family keeps referring to the muli limbed creature as something they are grateful to have in the household. But then again, it explains that they are being sold or parceled out?  Its as if this is a take on slavery or perhaps a form of genocide?

I can see many adaptations to this story. One that I would relate this too is the genocide and slavery of the Native American population in the North American continent. The medium would be a graphic novel.  T'Gatoi would be a missionary of sort that was accepted by the tribes and also an educator or medium to communicate with the government that was being constructed at the time. The age altering aspects of the story that come from eating these eggs could be adapted into the mind altering herbal medicines that some of the tribes used for ceremonial purposes in finding themselves spiritually, and this could be used as something revealing visions of the future or peoples past etc.

The stupid psychopath - Cabal

This was the second time I have read the book Cabal by Clive Barker. The first time I experienced this journey, I was in my teens and strongly immersed in this world. Now, I have a different perspective on life and how I perceive the things I read.

The main characters Decker and Boone battle each other throughout this story, both psychologically and physically. I was taken back after my second run of this book by the character Decker. He is a psychologist that manipulates Boone into thinking that he is murdering people while he sleeps, when in fact it is Decker the whole time. Decker is extremely sadistic and leads his role towards Boone extremely well. Boone is 100% innocent until he finds the Necropolis which is a safe haven for criminals etc. Boone is not welcomed because they can tell he is innocent. But after he is accepted, he gets a taste of the murder etc and becomes engulfed with it. His transformation works out for the better because he is able to take revenge on Decker who is also in the midst of trying to murder Boones woman. Boones tranformation is not only psychological but also physical. He takes on traits that are un-human and extremely evil.

I feel like these transformations are a reflectance of Boones inner demon. They are what Boone was manipulated to believe he was during his innocence, and now they have been manifested into reality. He is able to use this manifestation to get revenge on Decker who has ruined his life and also use these transformation to find his true self. Before these transformtions, Boone was a rather un-intelligent being wandering the lands without reason and with much confusion. It is as if Decker helped Boone in the end to find his true self amongst all the chaos that developed out of Decker's selfish motivations.

Some Politics? Left hand of Darkness

So basically Genry is a stranger, he doesnt know the cultural requirements/expectations in Karhide or Orgoreyn. However, as a diplomate, it requires him to live with  the highest levels of government and experience these potent forms of each culture's thought patterns. Karhide for example, which is an established monarchy, the population are direct about what they are thinking. It is the government which is allowing Ai to live freely as an alien from another planet, and also broadcast news regarding his arrival transmitted on the radio. While Genry feels that Estraven, who is the Prime Minister of Karhidian, was for the most part, open with him, its later discovered that Etraven was only being polite, not for his own gain. Its odd because the country is so dominated by one man's will, there isnt really much to benefit from slimy political moves. Comparatively, in Orgoreyn, much is to be gained through deception, the balance of power can drastically change in the blink of an eye. Being surrounded by enemies is motivation for the friendliness that Ai received from Orgota, which is think is necessary, and the Commensals are forever in a state of war with each other. The entire part of Ai being dragged away naked int he night and everyone else is told he is dead heavily falls under political espionage. He isnt even publicly exiled. All due because the faction that opposes Ai comes to power.

Extremities - Snow Crash

I enjoyed how every demographic portrayed in the novel is played up to the extreme. Like the burbclaves and bimbo boxes in suburbia, the orderly and tech-savvy Mr. Lee's Greater Hong Kong, the rednecks from New South Africa, and the south Asian boat people on the Raft. The larger than life personas like the Texas billionaire Bob Rife and even Hiro himself being a hack with a virtual persona that is larger than it is in reality. The ethnic groups tend to stick together, such as the Tajeek taxi drivers, due to ethnic mistrust. This, I feel, makes the characters of Hiro and Y.T. stand out from the masses; Hiro because he is bi-racial, and Y.T. because she is willing to associate with people like Hiro or Raven who are outside her ethnic origin, but rather by quality of technology.

The kids who buy cheap generic avatars at Walmart are looked down upon by people who can afford custom-built and intricately-detailed avatars. This reminds me alot of PC gaming, not so much anymore, but in the mid to late 90's and early 2000's. It was not as drastic as this sounds, but it was due to competitive play where performance gave you an extreme advantage especially when coupled with DSL or Cable vs dial-up (56k) or even 14.4.

Complete Control? - Sirens of Titan

A re-occuring question of whether we are in complete control of our own destinies has been a topic for many philosophers and thinkers for quite some time. Free will seems to run through this novel as several characters battle against what they see to be their destinies.

Early on in the story, the character Beatrice is told what her fate will be and she rebels against this prophecy, but continues to be assured about the events that will take place are unchangeable. She tries to do everything she can to avoid this fate, but in doing so she fulfills the prophecy. The same goes for Malachi as he tries to avoid his destiny.

It is as if every character is imaging that they have the capacity to transcend their destiny by making decisions they feel they are in control of.

This begins to ask many questions in the novel dealing with "God" and religion. One of which is how the Constant's came about their luck. Noel Constant using the initials from the first words of the Bible to determine which companies to invest in is pretty crazy, but this brings up the question of it being blind luck or the strength of some higher power. If it being blind luck, it can still be considered fate and would make for a great story. If this is the power of God, then what does this mean? Or is fate just another part of "Gods" plan to give people flexibility in believing what the wish?

The style of science fiction that is introduced by the author when we arrive on Mars is somewhat humorous. The antennas that are described to be installed in the soldiers heads is amusing. They definitely call back to the iconic "Martians" that have antennas. Especially how they are all marching in unison, taking orders, and acting very robotically without any outside emotions. One aspect that I like is how they are able to question there actions internally for brief moments before they feel pain from the antennas.

Triumphs and animism - Anansi Boys

This story is interwoven with numerous examples of good and or innocence, winning out over evil. A good example is in romantic relationships with Fat Charlie and his brother Spider. A somewhat shy and unassertive youth, Fat charlie worships his fiancee Rosie and plays along with her game of no sex before marriage. Then Spider appears on the scene and promptly starts sleeping with Rosie, breaking his brother's heart and revealing Rosie as somewhat of a phoney. But by the end of the story Fat Charlie has married Daisy, the cop, and is raising a son. I sense that this is a better match for Fat Charlie and that his goodness and honesty have amply rewarded him.

The author summons the dark beliefs of animism, showing how they work in peoples' lives, then banishes those beliefs by showing how they are powerless to overcome the innate goodness of most people. By dragging these animistic beliefs and characters into the sunlight, they lose their power which is based upon manipulation of human beings through fear.