Literature of Horror, Fantasy & Sci-Fi Spring 2011

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake is kind of the strangest book yet. I have a fear of children and the Craken kids freak me out! I loved Snowman's adventure though. This is a book about a true quest for humanity and relations. I have to say that I think that the part of the book after the storm where Margaret describes stale cigarettes, chocolate, and the things we take for granted in so much detail as though the reader would't even know what they were was fantastic. I love book that make you re-think what thinks you have to an extent that they do not even exist anymore as a common day object. The problem is, when reading things like this, it seems so true. It seems as though every step we take could led this fantasy to become reality. Besides that I am glad for the prostitution, the strangeness of a simple hat, and a love triangle. CHILD PORNOGRAPHY IS BAD!... heehee ^///^
Anyways this book in the end confused me and had way too many references to the bible, Frankenstein and other things that confuse me. The end.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

If this were a virus you would be dead right now.

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
Let me start by saying this has been my absolute favorite book this entire semester. 
Snow Crash was the perfect genre for me because it is in a way, the way I live my life.
I live in the metaverse, I look through the eyes of my computer. I store data via the internet, I am myself a Shadowrunner. This book is a huge Shadowrun champaign, change pizza 'delivery' to 'run', change 'snow crash' for 'beetles', and change 'Y.T." to 'Yue' and you have last weeks game. :D
^Yue is my character... who actually has a new alias... "Y.T." and her team member's new alias "Hiro". 
Yes I got my entire nerd group reading if they hadn't already. 
I loved the speed, I love the interpersonal relations, and I love the hyperemic needle. 
My absolute favorite part though was when Hiro is chasing Raven through the Street and the scrolls are about to fall, and I'm screaming shit he didn't make it in time and there it is, these two Brandies holding out the scrolls and all you see... "If this were a virus, you would be dead right now. Fortunately, its not." I died. I laughed for hours. Then I re-read the book again. :D



Wednesday, April 6, 2011

... ew?

Dawn is probably the most diverse book I have ever read as well as disturbing.  And I have read sex novels about dinosaurs and humans! The book put fear into me about a possible future. What if there were no humans to reproduce? We can just recreate them!
The theory of recreating humanity as a host species and parasite changes my view of our humanity and where we are heading. I feel closely attacked to these ideas of gender confusion and communal family.

Questions

Tan Tan:
-What is the damn setting?! Seriously fail to set up this story.
-What language are we speaking here? 
-What the hell is a Robber Queen?

-Is it just enough to help one person and leave them behind?
-Is slavery overcome by passion?

Bloodchild:
-Why is there no sex scene?
-Where can I get an egg?
-So are men impregnated by worms or eggs?
-Where the hell are these names from?

-Can you put yourself in harm to save another?
-Is our fate chosen when we are birthed?
-If an alien race came to our planet, would you buy a gun, then live off of them, and then sell your don to be a microwave?

-Really this only make me wonder about the sex and names more?

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Ubik

While talking in class I realized I should have read babel 17.  Being in a lifestyle much like what you are referring to in Babel I think I would understand the story more than I did Ubik. Ubik is great because its based off beer. The story line is confusing. It seems like the majority of the story focused on this afterlife feeling. What we can do beyond the line of death and how the alive handle this. It shows how we as humans want to hold on too tight to what is gone and can never return, if even for another moment. This appeals to me because I myself am a pack-rat. I am certain if given the choice with death I would choose to hold on as long as possible.

Starship Troopers

So it has taken me a while to write up this semester's blog posts. I enjoyed all of the books but haven't had the time to write up these. Anyways, Starship Troopers, funny movie and even better as a book. I re watched the movie after reading this week's book and I have to think that the movie is a satire now.  The book was serious, less equal in sexes, and more of a story about one persons effect on his environment than the movie. 

The book was well written but tended to focus on more smaller details than necessary. I really want to hear more about these alien creatures, his relationships with females, and how he moves forward from his seemingly meaningless life.
My favorite part was when they got the crazy attack from these spider creatures and ended up going underground and being separated.  It was really a test to see if he had what no one else had. And to start the book with his normalcy to change into this unacknowledged hero was something I really enjoyed.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

suggestions

Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
I am just about to start A Wise Man's Fear durning spring break.
I also believe some readings out of Shadowrun 20th ed would be awesome.
I think a tournament of Magic:The Gathering would rock too.
Also, field trip to B&N and Books A Million.
You should try adding more "Warning Sexual Content" 
Thanks a bunch!
Jessi