Book Review: Rosewater by Tade Thompson
In the mid-21st century, the year 2066 to be precise, Kaaro has a number of jobs and ways to make ends meet in the conglomeration of humanity known as Rosewater, located in Nigeria. From foiling Nigerian bank scams to finding people and things, Kaaro’s unusual psionic abilities, his connection to the so called xenosphere, are a mixed blessing to be sure, but they are also a way to make ends meet. It is a living, for better and worse. Rosewater, too, is much like that, a welter of humanity that lives around the alien domed structure known as Utopicity. Every so often the dome opens, and people who are near the dome when it happens can be cured of their ailments, diseases and problems. This is, for better and worse, not always a smooth process for those chosen to be healed. Over a variety of time frames, we piece together not only Kaaro’s story, but the story of Rosewater as well, Kaaro’s crucial role in the creation of the alien dome, and the community around it. And we slowly get to unfold what its future, and the future of Kaaro, too, will be.
#33. Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986) — A Shoot the WISB Subcast w/ Damien Angelica Walters
http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/ShootTheWISB33AlienAndAliens/ShootTheWisb33–AlienAndAliens.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSFacehuggers, flamethrowers, and angry momma aliens, oh my! Damien Angelica Walters brings her squee to this special Alien-centric episode! We discuss the legacy of Alien and Aliens, the evocative design of the films, their underlying metaphors, and so much more! We hope you enjoy the episode! Note: If you have iTunes and like this show, please give us a review on our iTunes page, or feel free to email us with your thoughts about the show! Spoiler Alert: the following podcast contains spoilers for the film being reviewed; if you wish to see the film without having it ruined for you, download this podcast and save it for later.
Flick Bits: First Pics of Ridley Scott’s Prometheus!
Entertainment Weekly has a sneak peek into the much anticipated new Ridley Scott flick, Prometheus (thanks to Stephen Hunt for bringing these to my attention). Here you go: Scott’s film, set for release next June, is the latest addition to the Alien universe/series, which began with Alien in 1979 and continued under James Cameron with the 1986 film Aliens. Prometheus stars Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Patrick Wilson, Idris Elba, Noomi Rapace, and Guy Pearce (among others). IMDB describes the film as follows:
Aliens: Will They Come For Us (in the Dark)?
If you haven’t been paying attention to science lately, then you might have missed out on a lot of talk about why aliens might visit us. Not to say hello and give us warp drives and all that fun stuff. No. They’ll show up to get rid of us, because we’re too dangerous to exist in the Milky Way. I have reservations myself (about the study, not humanity), but it’s a question we should really ask ourselves: do aliens have a reason to get rid of us? And what can we do to make ourselves less a threat to the galaxy (let alone our galactic neighbors)? So the question comes to you: what do you think?
Question of the Week: Favorite science fiction or fantasy stories about real wars?
Those of you who read my personal blog will know that I’m working on a syllabus for a Survey in American Literature course. Science fiction, as you might guess, appears prominently in the reading list, which has inspired me to post this question: What are your favorite science fiction or fantasy novels, stories, dramas, or movies which are about real world wars (allegorically or otherwise)? For me, the list is pretty clear: The Forever War by Joe Haldeman Haldeman’s military SF classic is, in my opinion, one of the most important works of literature in the last 100 years. As an allegory about the Vietnam War (or Conflict, if you want to be correct about such things), it is a stunning foray into the operative function of SF as a genre: estrangement. If you’ve never read it, you should. Right now. Hurry… Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Vonnegut’s fiction has always intrigued me. Slaughterhouse-Five is one of those books that is at once supremely weird and cleverly autobiographical (Vonnegut served in WW2 and the title of the book comes from the place where he was imprisoned, which protected him during the firebombing of Dresden by Allied forces). Vonnegut’s experiences fill every page, which help cover the unreality of the alien visitors narrative that make the novel a piece of science fiction. “Faith of Our Fathers” by Philip K. Dick (in Dangerous Visions edited by Harlan Ellison) PKD is known for his dystopian futures and alternate histories. “Faith of Our Fathers” is one of the second variety, telling the story of a world where communism won and is run by an amoral, all-consuming godlike Party leader. The Cold War may not have been a proper war, but it’s hard to ignore its impact on fiction in general, and science fiction in particular. Dystopian fiction after WW2, as far as I can tell, saw a massive increase, with numerous stories by PKD alone dedicated to nuclear holocaust or variations thereof. Star Wars IV – VI by George Lucas A lot of folks have suggested the obvious parallels between the Empire and Nazi Germany (if I recall correctly, even Lucas has made this connection). Star Wars is so saturated with WW2 imagery that even its action sequences are obvious throwbacks to pre-jet-engine dogfights. Whether the allegories had an influence on the film’s impact is up to speculation, but one certainly can’t ignore that Star Wars has changed everything we know about science fiction today. Aliens by James Cameron I enjoyed the first Alien movie, but it pales in comparison to Cameron’s Vietnam-influenced sequel. The film mimics everything from the overbearing macho-ism of anti-communist (and anti-“other”) America and military right down to the bureaucratic amorality which started the Vietnam War. It’s hard not to include it on this list. Plus: the movie is freaking awesome! And if you don’t believe me, then this should change your mind: The big question is whether there are fantasy titles out there that deal with similar issues. If you know of some, let us know in the comments. So: which science fiction and fantasy stories about real world wars are you favorites?
