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Book Review: The Quiet Pools by Michael P. Kube-McDowell about Fans and Opponents of Humans in Space

Continuing with my reviews from 15-25 years ago of little-known science fiction from that time, here's my 1990 review, published in the Journal of Social and Evolutionary Systems, of The Quiet Pools by Michael P. Kube-McDowell (Ace, 1990),  not yet available on Kindle but it should be.  It explores a question that has long vexed me:  why are some people, like me, so excited about humans going out into space, while others view our excursions beyond our planet as a waste of time and money?

Michael Kube-McDowell has written a book about the ultimate predicament and opportunity of the human species. In view of the scarcity of serious books on this theme, Kube-McDowell's work would be important whatever the style and craft of its writing. But the book is a pleasure to read. I should also mention that it is a science fiction novel.

The theme of  The Quiet Pools  is the relationship of human beings, our planet Earth, and the universe that beckons beyond - more particularly, why this universe beckons to some of us but not to others - why, indeed, even bare consideration of this beckoning arouses immediate feelings in some of us about the necessity of our destiny in the greater cosmos, and equally powerful urges in others to protect our home planet from diversions of energy and focus on the stars.

Anyone who has been party to this debate for any length of time knows that it is beyond settlement by appeals to economic dividends, military advantage, or even scientific progress expected to result from human involvement in space. This is why the many books and studies that attempt to evaluate the meaning of humans in space from these quantifiable perspectives are unsatisfying. Shortly after the Challenger disaster in 1986, I participated in a small, high-level seminar at M.I.T. on how to keep the public enthusiastic about the space program. Scientists, bankers, and political scientists presented an impressive array of reasons; my own paper, wrapping up the session, was a discussion of missed technological opportunities in history, and how these failures to climb a ladder at hand often led to the slow dissolution of the civilization below.[1]  A reporter from The New York Times, generally friendly to our cause, remarked that these presentations had been logically convincing but emotionally unmoving. She was right. What can we tell the guy in the street to make him really want to spend his tax dollars on space, she asked. Tell him that until we go beyond our planet, we'll never really have a chance of knowing who we are and what we're doing here, I answered. She laughed - that answer sounded right to her, but she doubted it would have much impact on those who were already against the space program. She was right again.

Kube-McDowell offers an hypothesis for this schism in the human community, for the differences between those who aspire to and those who scoff at space, regardless of the evidence they present. His book is significant because it moves our consideration of space to this fundamental level, whatever we may think of the specific hypothesis he lays out. But his hypothesis is worthy of attention: he suggests that the champions and critics of human movement into the cosmos are expressing a genetic difference - the presence of a complex DNA factor in the champions, the absence of this in the critics - which runs back through all humanity and the origins of life on this planet. Wanderlust, Leonardo da Vinci vision, Phoenecian-Viking-Portuguese-Spanish-British sailing to ends of the Earth are all renderings of this trait which - deep in the 21st century in this novel - at last finds its ultimate goal kindled in the possibility of interstellar human diaspora.  But for those who lack this trait, the stellar kindling and inspiration is an affliction that will result in the final depletion and enervation of Earth - the relaxation of the planet into the "quiet pools" inhabited by salmon on their death bed, after they have released their eggs - and therefore must be opposed.

Kube-McDowell gives us much more than a mechanistic sociobiology as a tableau to consider this possibility. The expression of this genetic trait and its variants and absence in a tangle of rivetting social structures is as much the story he tells as the DNA code itself. A hundred years from now, a huge multi-national corporation works feverishly to launch what is hoped to be the second of five city-sized starships to Tau Ceti. The corporation is the successor to today's multinationals -- some of whose destructions of the environment are all too real and wellknown -- but this corporation of the future has somehow become more humanized, and when its director says she is doing the diaspora work not to the Earth but  for the Earth, she is telling the truth. The work is feverish because it has brought into being a "Homeworld" group of eco-terrorists whose leader will do almost anything to stop the diaspora, and the Earth from turning into a quiet pool, and whose followers are gripped by an inchoate, primal rage that boils forth onto the "star-heads" in ways that the leader never intended nor can control.

These, then, are the cheers and jeers, the keen yearnings and hot dismissals, of our own fledgling space travel era writ large and somewhat clarified by the end of the 21st century. This is the proper task of the novelist. In addition, we find in The Quiet Pools a myriad teeming of speculation on electronic publishing, artificial intelligence, three-sided marriages, surrogate motherhood (our hero is born of an ovum harvested from his mother after her death by her own hand - perhaps an attempt to escape this very motherhood), and similar technical and social detail that flesh out the story. But is the fundamental premise of the story, that differences in human response to existence beyond Earth are genetically based, correct?

Is Freud's notion of id, ego, and superego a literally real description of what goes on inside of our heads? Most psychologists think not, yet few deny that Freud's focus created an environment in which understanding of own psyches grew by leaps and bounds over what was known before. Kube-McDowell's book should result not in a mad-scramble search for a space-travel genetic code (it is but a sketch of a theory in a novel, not a full-blown study in any case), but in an awareness that human feelings about the stars and the future of our planet may run far deeper than is usually recognized. Many of us, for reasons we find difficult to explicate even with the best of language and facts, do indeed see our involvement in the universe as a matter of life and death for our species - as a matter far more profound than what most people expect to find in science fiction.

But the discovery of human factors presupposing logic and science has long been the business of philosophy and science fiction, with or without specific genetic backing. Such factors are the stuff of Kant's insistence that cognitive processing must come prior to experience if we are to make any sense of this world (or others); such factors figure in Chomsky's claim that the mechanism of language is elicited rather than learned; and these factors are tackled head on by Russell, Popper, and others who saw that rationality cannot justify its own existence - something else must happen first. Kube-McDowell is not unfamiliar with these complexities -  the hero of this novel recognizes that he has "an unreasonable faith in reason" - and his placement of the pain of the space debate and tomorrow's first migration to the stars in the pre-logical protein of our existence moves our consideration of these issues in the right direction. Which is not to say that we ought not be rational in assessment of our future in the universe - we must be - but that a rational assessment may well show that the roots of this difficult calling are far more ancient than reason.

Note 1. The conference was "Space Agenda: Context and Opportunity," sponsored by the Program in Science and Technology for International Security, M.I.T., convened by Russell Schweickart and Kosta Tsipis, April 3-6, 1986. My paper was "Cosmos Helps Those Who Help Themselves: Historical Patterns of Technological Fulfillment, and their Applicability to the Human Development of Space," later published in _Research in Philosophy and Technology_, vol. 9, ed. C. Mitcham (Greenwich, CT: JAI Press, 1989), pp. 91-100.


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The Knick: Sneak Preview Review 1.8: Good Loving, the Fix, and Typhoid Mary

I just saw The Knick 1.8 - courtesy of an advance screener provided by Cinemax and Starpulse - so herewith a brief review, certified specific-spoiler free.  As with all preview reviews, I'll discuss generalities, to give you an idea of the episode.  If you prefer not getting even an inkling of the story ahead, you probably should not read any further.

The main themes of this fine episode - a lot calmer than last week's - include:


Good loving, for two couples, picking up where the ending of last week's episode left off, and with some explicitness in depiction.  We leave one couple thoroughly happy.  As for the other, well ...  Thackery's addiction plays an even more central role than usual, a state which was inevitable given his reliance on drugs and the state of the world - back then, as of now, in a constant series of wars, ever on the verge of disrupting all commerce, and sometimes doing so.  We also see Thackery in the grip of more than one powerful drug.We're treated to yet another example of prejudice, in this age in which targeting of groups different from the mainstream was so rampant.The Typhoid Mary story moves along, with a memorable denunciation of Mary by NY Health Inspector Speight.   This part of The Knick has taken on a special relevance, I think, given the arrival Ebola in America this week.Another medical toy - aka an instrument that could be a big help in surgery - is demonstrated. These Edwardian antique devices, high tech for their day, are one my favorite parts of this series.And so The Knick continues as one of most enjoyably played scientific histories to come along a television screen in a long time - actually, maybe the very first.  And I'll be back here next week with another sneak preview review, a day or two before the actual airing of the episode on Cinema.

See also The Knick: Paean to Scientific Method

 
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Bones 10.2: J. Edgar and the DNA Confession

A good mystery solved in Bones 10.2, as our friends at the Jeffersonian come to terms with Sweets' death and seek to find his killers.

At the root of the conspiracy which took Sweets' life in the last episode and nearly Bones and Booth at the end of last season is none other than J. Edgar Hoover, last seen in a television series as a young hotshot at the beginning of his career in Boardwalk Empire.  It's actually his files that are the basis of this conspiracy, or an attempt to make sure they don't fall into the wrong hands, and instead stay with the self-style patriots who use the files to blackmail big officials to get their way - much as Hoover apparently did during his long tenure at the FBI.

The solution to the mystery of who specifically is doing this - including who murdered Sweets' murderer to keep the killer beyond questioning - resides in an unusual use of DNA.   The ultimate killer - Durant - murdered someone else, years ago, in his capacity as a doctor, by injected his victim to keep him permanently quiet.   But the doctor was scratched in the fight, and some of his DNA was inadvertently injected into the victim, which resulted in a tumor that the Jeffersonian team was able to analyze.   Booth gets some of Durant's DNA - courtesy of a bloody punch in the nose - and when this DNA turns out to be same as the DNA in the tumor, we have our killer nabbed.  A novel, ingenious use of DNA - or, a "DNA confession," as one of our people notes.

Meanwhile, Aubrey, the young, new FBI guy, puts in a good performance.  He's a keen shot - "I don't miss" - has a sharp mind, and a good sense of humor.  All of which adds up to a good addition to our cast of characters.

And so, with Sweets' murder solved, our people can say goodbye to him, which they do in a tender, beautiful scene.  Bones shows, once again, that beneath of her cool scientific exterior beats a heart of gold, and a soul as much or more in touch with the deepest things in the universe as the most devout believer.

See also Bones 10.1: The Fulcrum Changes
And see also Bones 9.1: The Sweet Misery of Love ... Bones 9.2: Bobcat, Identity Theft, and Sweets ... Bones 9.3 and NCIS 11.2: Sweets and Ziva ... Bones 9.4: Metaphysics of Death in a Television Series ... Bones 9.5: Val and Deep Blue ... Bones 9.6: The Wedding ... Bones 9.7: Watch Out, Buenos Aires ...Bones 9.8: The Bug in the Neck ... Bones 9.9: Friday Night Bones in the Courtroom ... Bones 9.10: Horse Pucky ... Bones 9.11: Angels in Equations ... Bones 9.12: Fingernails ... Bones 9.13: Meets Nashville, and Wendell ... Bones 9.14: "You Cannot Drink Your Glass Away" ... Bones 9.15: Hodgins' Brother and the Ripped Off Toe ... Bones 9.16: Lampreys, Professors, and Insurance Companies ... Bones 9.17: Spartacus in the Kitchen ... Bones 9.18: Meets Day of the Triffids ... Bones 9.19: The Cornucopic Urn ... Bones 9.20: Above the Law ... Bones 9.21: Freezing and Thawing ... Bones 9.22: Promotion ... Bones 9.23: The New Intern ... Bones Season 9 Finale: Upping the Ante

And see also Bones 8.1: Walk Like an Egyptian ... Bones 8.2 of Contention ... Bones 8.3: Not Rotting Behind a Desk  ... Bones 8.4: Slashing Tiger and Donald Trump ... Bones 8.5: Applesauce on Election Eve ... Bones 8.6: Election Day ... Bones 8.7: Dollops in the Sky with Diamonds ...Bones 8.8: The Talking Remains ... Bones 8.9: I Am A Camera ... Bones 8.10-11: Double Bones ...Bones 8.12: Face of Enigmatic Evil ... Bones 8.13: Two for the Price of One ... Bones 8.14: Real Life ... Bones 8.15: The Magic Bullet and the Be-Spontaneous Paradox ... Bones 8.16: Bitter-Sweet Sweets and Honest Finn ... Bones 8.17: "Not Time Share, Time Travel" ... Bones 8.18: Couples ... Bones 8.19: The Head in the Toilet ... Bones 8.20: On Camera ... Bones 8.21: Christine, Hot Sauce, and the Judge ... Bones 8.22: Musical-Chair Parents ... Bones 8.23: The Bluff ... Bones Season 8 Finale: Can't Buy the Last Few Minutes

And see also Bones 7.1: Almost Home Sweet Home ... Bones 7.2: The New Kid and the Fluke ...Bones 7.3: Lance Bond and Prince Charmington ... Bones 7.4: The Tush on the Xerox ... Bones 7.5: Sexy Vehicle ... Bones 7.6: The Reassembler ... Bones 7.7: Baby! ... Bones 7.8: Parents ...Bones 7.9: Tabitha's Salon ... Bones 7.10: Mobile ... Bones 7.11: Truffles and Max ... Bones 7.12: The Corpse is Hanson ... Bones Season 7 Finale: Suspect Bones

And see also Bones 6.1: The Linchpin ... Bones 6.2: Hannah and her Prospects ... Bones 6.3 at the Jersey Shore, Yo, and Plymouth Rock ... Bones 6.4 Sans Hannah ... Bones 6.5: Shot and Pretty ... Bones 6.6: Accidental Relations ... Bones 6.7:  Newman and "Death by Chocolate" ...Bones 6.8: Melted Bones ... Bones 6.9: Adelbert Ames, Jr. ... Bones 6.10: Reflections ... Bones 6.11: The End and the Beginning of a Mystery ... Bones 6.12 Meets Big Love ... Bones 6.13: The Marrying Kind ... Bones 6.14: Bones' Acting Ability ... Bones 6.15: "Lunch for the Palin Family" ...Bones 6.16: Stuck in an Elevator, Stuck in Times ... Bones 6.17: The 8th Pair of Feet ... Bones 6.18: The Wile E. Chupacabra ... Bones 6.19 Test Runs The Finder ... Bones 6.20: This Very Statement is a Lie ... Bones 6.21: Sensitive Bones ... Bones 6.22: Phoenix Love ... Bones Season 6 Finale: Beautiful

And see also Bones: Hilarity and Crime and Bones is Back For Season 5: What Is Love? and 5.2: Anonymous Donors and Pipes and 5.3: Bones in Amish Country and 5.4: Bones Meets Peyton Place and Desperate Housewives and Ancient Bones 5.5 and Bones 5.6: A Chicken in Every Viewer's Pot and Psychological Bones 5.7 and Bones 5.8: Booth's "Pops" and Bones 5.9 Meets Avatar and Videogamers ... Bad Santa, Heart-Warming Bones 5.10 ... Bones 5.11: Of UFOs, Bloggers, and Triangles ... Bones 5.12: A Famous Skeleton and Angela's Baby ... Love with Teeth on Bones 5.13 ... Faith vs. Science vs. Psychology in Bones 5.14 ... Page 187 in Bones 5.15 ...Bones 100: Two Deep Kisses and One Wild Relationship ... Bones 5.17: The Deadly Stars ...Bones Under Water in 5.18 ... Bones 5.19: Ergo Together ...  Bones 5.20: Ergo Together ... Bones 5.21: The Rarity of Happy Endings ... Bones Season 5 Finale: Eye and Evolution

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The Knick: Paean to Scientific Method

I've been watching and much enjoying The Knick, now in the 7th episode of its premiere season on Cinemax.  Like Banshee and Strike Force on that network, The Knick has a style, pace, and storyline all its own, like nothing I've seen any place else on television or the Internet.

The pace literally percolates, as the backing music before and during the show brings home.  The beginning of the 20th century was a pivotal time in our scientific and cultural history, the last stance of the sheer Victorian optimism in the power of rationality and science to better our lives - an optimism that would soon be irretrievably doused by the First World War, and the ensuing horrors of the next half of the century.   Our current digital age has brought back some of that optimism, and the hope of attaining the global village foreseen by Marshall McLuhan, but we're still far below where Dr. Thackery is in faith in the future.

Medical treatment was beginning to fully emerge out of the Dark Ages, when patients were treated with herbs, later chemicals and drugs, and little was done to directly intervene in their bodies by surgery.  Thackery sees things differently - willing, always, to try to a surgical technique that either makes sense to him, or he's read about in some journal, or both.   As such, this part of the narrative makes The Knick a paean to the scientific method in medicine.

There's an excellent treatment of social illnesses of the time, as well - in particular the racism which sadly afflicts us to this very day, and was always beyond the power of science and surgery to cure.   Thackery at first resists the addition to Dr. Edwards, an African-American, as second in command on his staff.   Edwards is called the worst racist names you can imagine, and by other doctors in the hospital, not just the white trash in the street.   But Thackery can't help but be impressed by Edwards' talent and genius, and comes to be Edwards' champion.

The physical ills that the two and their associates try to get on top of - i.e., cure or provide lasting assistance for - range from difficult pregnancies to aneurysms.   And, true to the newness of the procedures Thackery and Edwards are attempting, they not always succeed.

Clive Owen is just wonderful as Thackery, Andre Holland puts in a memorable performace as Edwards, and the rest of the cast is as much a pleasure to watch as the series.  Highly recommended!

 
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Boardwalk Empire 5.4: Margaret and Nucky

Margaret and Nucky were back together again in Boardwalk Empire 5.4 - at least, partially - and it made for one of most endearing episodes in years.   There's been a vacuum on the show and in Nucky's life since the two split several seasons ago, and it was good to finally have an episode that featured the two of them, and what is left of their relationship.

On the one hand, it's not much.  Nucky declines Margaret's subtly delivered offer to spend the night together.   Why?  Whether it's because Nucky doesn't fully trust Margaret, or he's being loyal to Sally - who, unbeknownst to Nucky, is being shot to death in Cuba that very night - or he's just not interested in sex this evening is not clear.  But it does suggest that this is the end of the story, given that we're already half-way through this final season.

On the other hand, the two of them together, even at this late juncture, veritably light up the screen. Nucky was and still is Margaret's great educator in the ways of successful life.  And Margaret is the love of Nucky's life, the mother of Nucky's only children, though they're not Nucky's.  If his heart is still too broken to take her back now, even for one night, that just shows how deeply he cared and still cares for her.

Meanwhile, we got a good Chicago story last night, too.  Al continues his patented mix of criminal savvy, quest for fame as well as power, and point-blank psychopathology.   Van Alden's days are likely numbered now, given the aftermath of his narrow escape from Lucky's outing of him.  Frankly, I won't be sorry to see this guy go - in his own way, he's as much a psycho as Al Capone, but with no sense of humor or sicko joie de vivre.

Boardwalk Empire in its final season has become like a short glass of the finest brandy, in which every drop is to be savored.

See also Boardwalk Empire 5.1: Lucky Rising ... Boardwalk Empire 5.2: Joe Kennedy ... Boardwalk Empire 5.3: Veal Parmagian and Family

And see also Boardwalk Empire 4.1: Sneak Preview Review ... Boardwalk Empire 4.2: Sneak Preview Review ... Boardwalk Empire 4.2: J. Edgar ...Boardwalk Empire Sneak Preview Review 4.3: Honey, Sunny ...Boardwalk Empire 4.3: Nucky, Sunshine, and Heroin ... Boardwalk Empire Sneak Preview Review 4.4: Downfalls ... Boardwalk Empire 4.4: Bullies and Betrayals ... Boardwalk Empire Sneak Preview 4.5: The Gift of Rage ... Boardwalk 4.5: Two Deaths ... Boardwalk Empire Sneak Preview 4.6: Good Lovin' ... Boardwalk Empire 4.6: Sally and Margaret ... Boardwalk Empire Sneak Preview 4.7: Beds, Promotions, Surprises ... Boardwalk Empire 4.7: Family and History ... Boardwalk Empire Sneak Preview 4.8: The Blues ... Boardwalk Empire 4.8: Knives in the Back ... Boardwalk Empire 4.9: The Imbecile ...Boardwalk Empire 4.10 Sneak Preview Review: Unholy Alliances ...Boardwalk Empire 4.10: Family Treachery ... Boardwalk Empire 4.11: Nucky on the Beach

And see also Boardwalk Empire 3.1: Happy News Year 1923  ... Boardwalk Empire 3.2: Gasoline and the White Rock Girl ... Boardwalk Empire 3.3: The Showgirl and The Psycho ... Boardwalk Empire 3.5: "10 L'Chaim" ... Boardwalk Empire 3.7: Deadly Gillian ... Boardwalk Empire 3.8: Andrew Mellon ... Boardwalk Empire 3.9: Impaired Nucky

And see also Boardwalk Empire 2.1: Politics in an Age Before YouTube  ... Boardwalk Empire 2.2: The Woman Behind the Throne ... Boardwalk Empire 2.3: Frankenstein and Victrola ... Boardwalk Empire 2.4: Nearly Flagrante Delicto ... Boardwalk Empire 2.5: Richard's Story ... Boardwalk Empire 2.6: Owen and Other Bad News for Nucky ... Boardwalk Empire 2.7: Shot in the Hand  ...Boardwalk Empire 2.8: Pups with Fangs ... Boardwalk Empire 2.9: Ireland, Radio, Polio ...Boardwalk Empire 2.10: Double Shot ... Boardwalk Empire 2.11: Gillian and Jimmy  ... Boardwalk Empire Season 2 Finale: Stunner!

And see also Boardwalk Emipre on HBO ... Boardwalk Empire 1.2: Lines and Centers Power ...Boardwalk Empire 1.10: Arnold Rothstein, Media Theorist  ... Season One Finale of Boardwalk Empire

 
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Ray Donovan Season 2 Finale: Mostly Happy Endings

Well, we got something we don't usually see in a season finale for a show like Ray Donovan: a bevy of mostly happy endings.   Spoilers galore ahead so don't read if you haven't yet seen this fine finale.

Avi's killing Kate was the right thing to do for Ray, even if he didn't want that.  Ezra was acting not only in his own but Ray's interest, even if Ray didn't see that.  But he may see it in the future, next season - and for Avi, too - and in the meantime Ray's face at the very end of the episode provides the main sorrowful accent to this taking care of business hour.  Ray did love Kate, and her loss hurt deep.

Mickey's winning at the track was a sight for sore eyes.   After losing badly in just about everything he attempted this season, he deserved a big payoff.   Whether this will change the character in next year's season is unknown.  Mickey could easily gamble all the winnings in his possession away.  I hope that doesn't happen, because it would interesting to see Mickey with some real power next year. Jon Voight, as I've been saying all this and last season, is giving the performance of his career (as is Liev Schreiber, for that matter).

Ray's killing Cookie was the right thing to do for his family.  I figured Ray had a gun in the money bag, but it was good to see him shoot Cookie through the money anyway.  And the impact on Abby was satisfying, too.  Let's hope she finally realized that Ray is the only one who can protect her and their kids in this rough world.   That lame detective never had a chance.

And, just for good measure, Ray did just what was needed to the sicko who was beating Ashley, too. And Ray made sure Cochran didn't advance to Washington.  Also, Terry's out of jail, and Ray thinks he can fix things to make sure Terry doesn't go back there.  And Bunchy's first attempt at a relationship failed, but he's finally beginning to get on top of his situation.

So, lots of jangling ends tied up, but all's not quite well that ends well.   Ray will get over Kate, but will happen without Ezra in his corner?   But it's a pretty clean slate, and I'm looking forward to lots of new villains on the board next season.

See also Ray Donovan 2.1: Back in Business ... Ray Donovan 2.4: The Bad Guy ... Ray Donovan 2.5: Wool Over Eyes ... Ray Donovan 2.7: The Party from Hell ... Ray Donovan 2.10: Scorching ... Ray Donovan 2.11: Out of Control

And see also Ray Donovan Debuts with Originality and Flair ... Ray Donovan 1.2: His Assistants and his Family ... Ray Donovan 1.3: Mickey ... Ray Donovan 1.7 and Whitey Bulger ... Ray Donovan 1.8: Poetry and Death ... Ray Donovan Season 1 Finale: The Beginning of Redemption


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Outlander 1.8: The Other Side

Outlander served up a powerful and palpable mid-season 1 finale tonight, as brutal at times as last week's episode was tender and beautiful.

The pivotal action was between Frank/Black Jack and Claire.  For the first time this season, we get a look at Frank's desperate and unsuccessful attempt to find Claire in 1945.   And after he listens to a local's advice - which happens to be truth of the stones and their time traveling power - he almost does get to see and hold his Claire again.  He hears her voice, as she hears his, on both sides of the time travel divide. But before they can reunite across time, redcoats pull her back to the two hundred years.

This lack of successful union is the theme of this episode, and it's played out again, totally in the past, when Black Jack is about to rape Claire on the table.  Several important things about this scene. First, why is Black Jack so sexually attracted to Claire - because she's so beautiful, or is there something more?  Surely a rape is not the best way to torture someone, as the fury it could provoke might well make the victim even less likely to talk.   As for Claire, this is a dangerous scene indeed.   She was just this close to reuniting with Frank.  Will she feel nothing but hatred for the man who looks just like Frank, and is on the verge of raping her?

But that doesn't happen, either, because Jamie appears at the opportune moment as the episode ends. There is a nice mirror parallel in the Frank and Black Jack scenes with Claire.  In the first, Claire is prevented from being with Frank by bad Brits of the past.  In the second, Claire won't be raped by Black Jack because the best man in the past - Jamie - arrives on the scene to save her.   When Jamie tells Black Jack to keep his hands and more off his wife, it's almost as if he's also telling that to Frank across time.

I've come to consider Outlander one of the best series on television now, and I'm very much looking forward to its resumption.

See also Outlander 1.1-3: The Hope of Time Travel ... Outlander 1.6:  Outstanding ... Outlander 1.7: Tender Intertemporal Polygamy

 
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Hell on Wheels 4.9: High Noon

One of the best things about Hell on Wheels this - it's 4th - year is the way it has retrieved so much that was great about the classic Western.  The prime example before tonight was the episode that introduced Sidney Snow - or, to be more precise, the brilliant spaghetti Western beginning of that episode.

Tonight's whole episode 4.9 was just as good, and brought back shades of High Noon to the screen.   Cullen is one man against a bunch of tough bad guys, working for the evil Campbell, and led by his new marshall, the same Sydney Snow.  The wise move would be to leave town.  But Cullen is able to put together a stunning counter-strategy that beats Snow and releases the men Cullen needs to move the railroad, including Durant.

Even Louise plays a decisive role, bedding Campbell to distract him while Cullen puts together his plan.  Given that Louise is gay, this a laudable sacrifice, indeed.  Mickey also is fabulous, getting himself nearly beaten to death to smuggle in a key to the prisoners.  Although I figured Mickey was up to something more than getting beaten, the outcome was still satisfying to see.

But I guess my favorite part was the unveiling of the gatling gun, which gave Cullen's forces the decisive and winning edge.  I was glad to see that guy with the beard - one of Campbell's henchmen - get just what he deserved.   Just the sight of his face got my blood boiling.

Season 4 continues to be the best season of Hell on Wheels - best by far, at this point.   And there's more to come, with Sydney still on the loose, and Campbell still in power back in Cheyenne.  This may take U. S. Grant to straighten it out, and I'm looking forward.

See also Hell on Wheels 4.1-2: Rolling Again ... Hell on Wheels 4.5: New Blood ... Hell on Wheels 4.6: Bear and Sanity ... Hell on Wheels 4.7: Why? ... Hell on Wheels 4.8: Aftermath and Rebound

And see also Hell on Wheels 3.1-2: Bohannan in Command ... Hell on Wheels 3.3: Talking and Walking ... Hell on Wheels 3.4: Extreme Lacrosse ... Hell on Wheels 3.5: The Glove ... Hell on Wheels 3.6: The Man in Charge ...Hell on Wheels 3.7: Water, Water ... Hell on Wheels 3.8: Canterbury Tales ...Hell on Wheels 3.9: Shoot-Out and Truths ... Hell on Wheels Season 3 finale: Train Calling in the Distance

And see also  Hell on Wheels: Blood, Sweat, and Tears on the Track, and the Telegraph ... Hell on Wheels 1.6: Horse vs. Rail ... Hell on Wheels 1.8: Multiple Tracks ... Hell on Wheels 1.9: Historical Inevitable and Unknown ... Hell on Wheels Season One Finale: Greek Tragedy, Western Style

 
deeper history

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Chronica - third Sierra Waters novel - now available for Pre-Order

Delighted to announce that Chronica - my third Sierra Waters novel, after The Plot to Save Socrates and Unburning Alexandria - is now available for pre-order as an ebook on Amazon.   (By the way, you don't need a Kindle to read an ebook - you can download a free Kindle app for any computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.)

Here's the first paragraph of Chronica -

Chapter 1
[New York City, 2062 AD]


Sierra and Max didn't have to wait too long to learn the change in the future their time in the past had wrought.   They arrived in New York City on November 20, 2062 – the 120th anniversary of Joe Biden's birth.   It was not yet quite a national holiday, but it was noted in the press on every screen, where it was predicted that Joe Biden's birthday would indeed soon be a national holiday.  He had been the 44th President of the United States, serving two consecutive terms, from 2008 through 2016.  The nation loved him for many reasons, most importantly because he had revolutionized life in the U.S. with the 200 mile-per-hour fast-rail system he had begun to install across America in his second term.
Delighted, too, that world-renowned illustrator Joel Iskowitz did the cover, and small-press JoSara MeDia will be publishing.   These two have been responsible for all the covers and publications of my science fiction novels in the past two years.





guide to the faces of real people in Chronica

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Bones 10.1: The Fulcrum Changes

I just watched the Bones 10th season premier - I was giving a Keynote address at Baylor University last night.  It's the kind of episode that's best to watch at home.

Sweets in many ways was the moral center of Bones, mediating between the science of Bones and the spirituality of Booth, and a lot more between them.  Even in this episode, his advice to Bones and Booth, individually and together, was crucial in the two rediscovering their relationship after Bones' daring move to get Booth released from prison - which was a really fine piece of acting by Emily Deschanel, by the way.

At some point last season, Sweets looked like he was leaving the show.  He broke up with Daisy - which I was sorry to see - and talked increasingly about doing other things in his life.  But then he came back, and even spent a night or two with Daisy.   Good move.

Episode 10.1 pretty quickly establishers that Daisy is very pregnant with Sweets' baby, even better. They were a great couple, and would have made great parents, which Bones attests to when she tells Sweets he will make a great father.

And now that's been taken away from us and the story.   The usual explanation for these sorts of things is that the actor wanted to leave the show.  But that doesn't really matter, because this isn't a question of blame.  It's a question of mourning what could have been had Sweets been able to continue.

There's a new young FBI agent who has style and is even a little reminiscent of Sweets.   But he won't be Sweets.   And so the fulcrum of Bones has now changed, to something different from the perfect mix it's been.   There are still lots of great stories to be told, especially Booth and Bones, who were just outstanding in every scene they were in tonight.  But the show will be missing one central story, which moved everyone, on both sides of the television screen.


See also Bones 9.1: The Sweet Misery of Love ... Bones 9.2: Bobcat, Identity Theft, and Sweets ... Bones 9.3 and NCIS 11.2: Sweets and Ziva ... Bones 9.4: Metaphysics of Death in a Television Series ... Bones 9.5: Val and Deep Blue ... Bones 9.6: The Wedding ... Bones 9.7: Watch Out, Buenos Aires ...Bones 9.8: The Bug in the Neck ... Bones 9.9: Friday Night Bones in the Courtroom ... Bones 9.10: Horse Pucky ... Bones 9.11: Angels in Equations ... Bones 9.12: Fingernails ... Bones 9.13: Meets Nashville, and Wendell ... Bones 9.14: "You Cannot Drink Your Glass Away" ... Bones 9.15: Hodgins' Brother and the Ripped Off Toe ... Bones 9.16: Lampreys, Professors, and Insurance Companies ... Bones 9.17: Spartacus in the Kitchen ... Bones 9.18: Meets Day of the Triffids ... Bones 9.19: The Cornucopic Urn ... Bones 9.20: Above the Law ... Bones 9.21: Freezing and Thawing ... Bones 9.22: Promotion ... Bones 9.23: The New Intern ... Bones Season 9 Finale: Upping the Ante

And see also Bones 8.1: Walk Like an Egyptian ... Bones 8.2 of Contention ... Bones 8.3: Not Rotting Behind a Desk  ... Bones 8.4: Slashing Tiger and Donald Trump ... Bones 8.5: Applesauce on Election Eve ... Bones 8.6: Election Day ... Bones 8.7: Dollops in the Sky with Diamonds ...Bones 8.8: The Talking Remains ... Bones 8.9: I Am A Camera ... Bones 8.10-11: Double Bones ...Bones 8.12: Face of Enigmatic Evil ... Bones 8.13: Two for the Price of One ... Bones 8.14: Real Life ... Bones 8.15: The Magic Bullet and the Be-Spontaneous Paradox ... Bones 8.16: Bitter-Sweet Sweets and Honest Finn ... Bones 8.17: "Not Time Share, Time Travel" ... Bones 8.18: Couples ... Bones 8.19: The Head in the Toilet ... Bones 8.20: On Camera ... Bones 8.21: Christine, Hot Sauce, and the Judge ... Bones 8.22: Musical-Chair Parents ... Bones 8.23: The Bluff ... Bones Season 8 Finale: Can't Buy the Last Few Minutes

And see also Bones 7.1: Almost Home Sweet Home ... Bones 7.2: The New Kid and the Fluke ...Bones 7.3: Lance Bond and Prince Charmington ... Bones 7.4: The Tush on the Xerox ... Bones 7.5: Sexy Vehicle ... Bones 7.6: The Reassembler ... Bones 7.7: Baby! ... Bones 7.8: Parents ...Bones 7.9: Tabitha's Salon ... Bones 7.10: Mobile ... Bones 7.11: Truffles and Max ... Bones 7.12: The Corpse is Hanson ... Bones Season 7 Finale: Suspect Bones

And see also Bones 6.1: The Linchpin ... Bones 6.2: Hannah and her Prospects ... Bones 6.3 at the Jersey Shore, Yo, and Plymouth Rock ... Bones 6.4 Sans Hannah ... Bones 6.5: Shot and Pretty ... Bones 6.6: Accidental Relations ... Bones 6.7:  Newman and "Death by Chocolate" ...Bones 6.8: Melted Bones ... Bones 6.9: Adelbert Ames, Jr. ... Bones 6.10: Reflections ... Bones 6.11: The End and the Beginning of a Mystery ... Bones 6.12 Meets Big Love ... Bones 6.13: The Marrying Kind ... Bones 6.14: Bones' Acting Ability ... Bones 6.15: "Lunch for the Palin Family" ...Bones 6.16: Stuck in an Elevator, Stuck in Times ... Bones 6.17: The 8th Pair of Feet ... Bones 6.18: The Wile E. Chupacabra ... Bones 6.19 Test Runs The Finder ... Bones 6.20: This Very Statement is a Lie ... Bones 6.21: Sensitive Bones ... Bones 6.22: Phoenix Love ... Bones Season 6 Finale: Beautiful

And see also Bones: Hilarity and Crime and Bones is Back For Season 5: What Is Love? and 5.2: Anonymous Donors and Pipes and 5.3: Bones in Amish Country and 5.4: Bones Meets Peyton Place and Desperate Housewives and Ancient Bones 5.5 and Bones 5.6: A Chicken in Every Viewer's Pot and Psychological Bones 5.7 and Bones 5.8: Booth's "Pops" and Bones 5.9 Meets Avatar and Videogamers ... Bad Santa, Heart-Warming Bones 5.10 ... Bones 5.11: Of UFOs, Bloggers, and Triangles ... Bones 5.12: A Famous Skeleton and Angela's Baby ... Love with Teeth on Bones 5.13 ... Faith vs. Science vs. Psychology in Bones 5.14 ... Page 187 in Bones 5.15 ...Bones 100: Two Deep Kisses and One Wild Relationship ... Bones 5.17: The Deadly Stars ...Bones Under Water in 5.18 ... Bones 5.19: Ergo Together ...  Bones 5.20: Ergo Together ... Bones 5.21: The Rarity of Happy Endings ... Bones Season 5 Finale: Eye and Evolution

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