J.K. Ullrich's Blog, page 27

Recent Reads: “We” by Yevgeny Zamyatin

1984 is often regarded as the original dystopia, but Orwell himself acknowledged that the novel was somewhat derivative. His inspiration? Yevgeny Zamyatin’s 1921 novel We, evolutionary ancestor of the totalitarian sci-fi stories so popular today. It’s easy to dismiss the book as cliched until one places it on the continuum of speculative fiction and remembers that it probably pioneered many of the now-common tropes it contains. Aside from being a fascinating exercise in literary archaeology, We is a solid novel in its own right.

In Zamyatin’s future, a “United State” has taken control of civilization and tuned its functions to clocklike precision. Citizens, identified by numbers rather than names, behave more like machine parts than human beings. Each hour is meticulously scheduled; permits issued for sexual visitation eliminate lust and jealousy; everyone resides in glass-walled apartments, fully aware they are under constant surveillance. But conquering the world isn’t enough: the State is building a spaceship to spread its power to the stars. The project’s chief engineer, D-503, begins keeping a journal to send with the ship as a record for alien readers. He starts out extolling the virtues of his tightly ordered society. Then he meets I-330, a woman who challenges all his accepted beliefs. Initial revulsion turns to fascination as D-503 discovers I-330’s association with Mephi, a group plotting to overthrow the State. The journal becomes a chronicle of revolution, and of D-503’s private struggle between I-330’s influence and his commitment to the status quo.

It’s been awhile since I read 1984, but We struck me as a more complex story in many ways. D-503’s vacillating loyalties make him a more psychologically compelling protagonist than Winston, who opposed Big Brother right from the beginning. It’s interesting to compare the function of language in the two dystopias. Both control it to maintain order, but in opposite ways. In Orwell’s vision, “newspeak” prided itself on limiting vocabularies and, consequently, forms of expression. Zamyatin’s United State, conversely, harnesses language for its own glorification, employing poets to sing the State’s praises or compose odes to the beauty of mathematical equations. Regarding the prose of the books themselves, even in translation Zamyatin’s writing is elegant and evocative.

We falls a bit short in some areas. Other than D-503, there’s not a lot of character development. Readers never learn how I-330 first became affiliated with Mephi or how the group itself originated. The narrative thread frays as the story progresses and the sequence of events becomes a little hard to follow. However, it delivers a satisfying twist at the conclusion, evoking one of the book’s many memorable quotes: “A man is like a novel: until the very last page you don’t know how it will end. Otherwise it wouldn’t be worth reading.” I won’t reveal how D-503 “ends”, but the novel is definitely worth reading.

Author Interview on Reading7Mandy Book Blog

After she reviewed Blue Karma, Mandy of the reading7mandy book blog asked me to do an author interview for her page. Her questions made me think critically about some of my writing choices and habits: for example, why I chose to write YA fiction. Having to discuss favorite books was agonizing, though–I have so many! All in all it was a fun experience. Thanks, Mandy, for featuring me! Check out the interview and be sure to browse some of the book reviews as well.

Top 5 Wednesday: Favorite Character Tropes

Okay, technically it’s Thursday (I’ve been traveling, so I’m running late this week, sorry)! But I still wanted to share in the fun of comparing favorite character tropes.

Bickering Romance

My favorite character trope dates back to at least 1599, exemplified by Beatrice and Benedick in Shakespeare’s brilliant comedy Much Ado About Nothing. These couples can’t keep their words off each other: endless banter, teasing, and petty rows escalate until the mutual attraction can no longer be denied. It’s also a great way to string readers along in eager anticipation of the eventual union (I know I’m not the only one who spent a decade rooting shamelessly for Ron and Hermione)!

The Warrior Woman

Like every small child of my generation, I loved Disney movies, but the “princess” I idolized from toddlerhood rocked a laser gun. I spend hours play-acting as Princess Leia from Star Wars. Why settle for a ball gown and a pony when I could have a metal bikini and a spaceship? My parents, wonderful human beings that they are, encouraged this trend. They spent years scouring bookstores for stories with strong heroines to ensure I grew up with an endless supply of clever, brave, butt-kicking role models. My fondness for this trope endures today.

The Misguided Villain

Bad guy motivated by greed or malice? Meh. Bad guy who thinks he’s acting for the greater good, but from a warped perspective? Now that’s dynamic. The ethical grey area this trope introduces can add a whole new dimension to a story.

Heroic Heritage

“Yer a wizard, Harry.” With these words, or ones like it, the protagonist discovers they possess some previously unknown gift that changes their life forever. (They’re probably destined to save the world, too, but that’s another trope). It may not be the most imaginative story starter, but it’s the basis for some of our favorite tales.

The Extraordinarily Ordinary Hero

The Richard Mayhews and Arthur Dents of literature don’t have the advantage of latent powers when they get dragged off into adventure. They’re just regular joes, flung into a brave new world that makes them question their sanity. Without any special skills or even a clue, they must rely on whatever courage they can summon. Plucky and relatable, they make excellent avatars for readers plunging into fictional universe.

Top 5 Wednesday is the creation of Lainey over at Goodreads. Check out the group and join the other “Wednesday-ers“!

Reader Reactions: Book Bloggers discuss Blue Karma, Pt 3

The following is the final installment of a collaborative guest post from book bloggers Emma (emdoesbookreviews) and Mallory (The Leaning Tower of Tomes), discussing their impressions of my novel, Blue Karma. Part 3 focuses on the story’s plot. And don’t worry, it’s author-certified spoiler free!

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MALLORY: Plot-wise, what did you think? Did you see the political development coming or were you surprised like I was? I didn’t expect what was revealed at the book’s climax, but it actually all made sense once explained. I knew there fishy things going on but never connected them. I love books that weave in political conspiracies that are done well, and I was pleasantly surprised at how subtle yet obvious this one was.

EMMA: I wasn’t completely surprised plot-wise, but there were loads of little elements that I just didn’t see coming! Everything tied in perfectly at the end, and there were no loose ends, which was great! The political aspects were all written very well, and I agree that the book managed to be both subtle and obvious in the best possible way. As the book tied up so well, I found that I didn’t have many unanswered questions by the end. Was there anything you wanted to know yet didn’t get an answer to?

MALLORY: I don’t think so! J.K. really wrapped everything up well with the plot and the characters. Most everything got resolved, and I was very happy with the ending. Blue Karma made me completely invested in Amaya, Logan, and, eventually, Paul’s journeys. I felt like I was right there with them, experiencing their world and their trials. I came out of this book with so much to think about, about climate change, about the future of our world, and about how people are resilient and resourceful. Any last words to add? Looks like we’ve covered a good many aspects of the book.

EMMA: I think that’s covered all I wanted to mention! I had great fun discussing the book with you!

MALLORY: Great! What a lovely conversation we’ve had about Blue Karma. Thanks, Emma! And thank you, J.K., from the both of us, for writing such a terrific story and giving us so much to talk about.

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Thanks to you too, Mallory and Emma, for taking the time to share your thoughtful conversation about the book. I’m so glad you both enjoyed Blue Karma. Here’s hoping my next novel is worthy of another good discussion! If you’ve enjoyed hearing from these two astute readers, be sure to visit their blogs and see what they have to say about other titles.

Reader Reactions: Book Bloggers discuss Blue Karma, Pt 2

The following is the second installment of a collaborative guest post from book bloggers Emma (emdoesbookreviews) and Mallory (The Leaning Tower of Tomes), discussing their impressions of my novel, Blue Karma. Part 2 focuses on the book’s characters.

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MALLORY: I think the best part of the book, for me, were the characters. I really liked Amaya and Logan, and came to like Paul, although I didn’t start off really liking them all. They all began with emotional walls around them, and had personal flaws, but what was great was that they grew over the course of the story. They learned from their actions, took risks, and struggled through everything together. I found Blue Karma to be a very character driven book, although it did have a great plot threaded throughout. It’s a book about survival, but I thought it focused more on the characters’ personal struggles: Amaya was taking care of her sister, Logan was trying to find his family, and Paul was trying to prove himself. Their goals were easy to understand. I really liked it when their narratives finally intertwined and the three of them began to interact and bounce off one another. Their personalities differed but they, especially Amaya and Logan, made one another stronger.

EMMA: I also adored the characters, mainly because J.K. did such a great job in making them all seem realistically flawed; I was interested reading about these characters as they felt human, in that they made mistakes that I felt were understandable in the circumstances, and yet overcame their issues and had truly developed by the end of the book. The character of Paul managed to do something which is very rare for me: he made me change my mind. To begin with, I was adamant that I loathed him, what with his lounging in pools with no care about others’ situations, and yet J.K. did a fantastic job at crafting a believable story to explain (but not justify) his behaviour, before changing him for the better. When the three came together, it did create a dynamic that was very entertaining.

EMMA: I was dreading a love triangle, what with two male characters and one female, especially as I began to enjoy Amaya and Logan’s interactions and feared Paul being shoe-horned in unnecessarily as another potential love interest (not just because of my hatred for love triangles, but as I feel it would not have worked at all in this context). I was relieved, however, when it became apparent that that was not the case. None of the characters were forced into romances that didn’t seem plausible, and having a male character (Paul) who did not need to have a romance-driven plot throughout the whole novel was refreshing, as it is rare in young adult novels at the moment — everyone has to be in a relationship, or else worrying about love all of the time! These characters had much more life-threatening priorities, and making a love triangle a crucial aspect would have cheapened the importance of the plot.

MALLORY: You’re right, the three of them did seem very human and made understandable mistakes in their given situations. I also completely agree with what you said about how a love triangle could have cheapened the importance of the plot. There really wasn’t much time to get all lovey-dovey because of the life-threatening priorities, like you said. Amaya and Logan’s relationship evolved naturally through the story, and Paul’s crush, thankfully, never got any deeper when he realized he had more important things to concentrate on, and that Amaya wasn’t interested. Love triangles are so cliche now and have been for years. Hooray for nothing of the sort here, despite there being two guys and a girl.

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Check back tomorrow for the final part of Mallory and Emma’s conversation, which discusses the plot of Blue Karma (somehow without spoilers–aren’t these two reviewers great?).

Reader Reactions: Book bloggers discuss Blue Karma, Pt 1

I’m excited to bring you this guest trilogy from the first two independent reviewers to read Blue Karma! Book bloggers Emma (from emdoesbookreviews) and Mallory (from The Leaning Tower of Tomes) kindly agreed to write a collaborative post discussing their thoughts on the book. Rather than abridge their conversation, I’m going to deliver it in installments:

Part 1: Cli-fi genre and expectations for Blue Karma
Part 2: Characters
Part 3: Plot

The ladies took great care to avoid spoilers, so those of you who haven’t yet read Blue Karma can enjoy their commentary without fear. Now, enough from me–let’s hear from Mallory and Emma about the cli-fi genre and what they expected when they first picked up Blue Karma.

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MALLORY: I had high expectations going into Blue Karma because of your review, Emma, and how much I trust your opinion. I’d also never heard of “cli-fi” before and was enthused to try a new genre. In your review you mentioned how this sub-genre “feels both unimaginable and scarily real”, which I completely agree with. I think climate fiction really reflects what the real world could look like not too far in the future. The fresh water situation could eventually become what was portrayed in the book. We could be like Amaya or Logan, fighting to get enough water to survive the week, even doing illegal activities to get enough of it for ourselves and our families. That’s really quite scary, is it not?

EMMA: I’m glad you trust my opinion! Like you, I enjoy dystopian and sci-fi, and part of the beauty of that genre as the fact that it feels as if it is a possibility not too soon in the future; it is in some ways a caution. What with the current global warming crisis, the reality is that something along the lines of Blue Karma could possibly happen in our children’s and grandchildren’s lifetimes. Because of this, cli-fi really has the opportunity to make us think about what we could be doing to the planet, and that is terrifying.

EMMA: You had high expectations going into the book based on my review, but when I read it, I couldn’t find a single review out there — it had only just been released after all. This, and the fact that I hadn’t read cli-fi before, meant I didn’t know what I was getting into. I think that worked in its favour, as I was pleasantly surprised throughout! I had no real expectations, so there wasn’t much opportunity to be disappointed. That was a breath of fresh air, as I often have at least a few expectations going into a book.

MALLORY: In a way that’s actually really cool that you had absolutely no expectations going into the book. You went in with a completely open mind and, luckily, found everything to your liking! That’s totally unlike my experience: I went in expecting it to be really good because of a review I read, so I could have been very disappointed had it not been the kind of book for me.

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Check back tomorrow for the second part of Mallory and Emma’s conversation, which discusses the characters in Blue Karma.

Story Fuel: Bringing SETI Back

Physicist célèbre Stephen Hawking and Russian entrepreneur Yuri Milner today announced a new initiative to seek signals from life beyond Earth. The project, called Breakthrough Listen, will provide USD $100 million in funding to the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). It may be one of the most ambitious projects of its kind to date, intending to cover ten times more sky area than its predecessors and scan five times more of the radio spectrum.

“In an infinite universe, there must be other occurrences of life,” said Hawking at the news conference announcing the initiative. “…There is no bigger question. It’s time to commit to finding the answer – to search for life beyond Earth.”

Financial backer Milner made his fortune in tech start-ups, but uses his billions to patronize the sciences through his Breakthrough Prize Foundation. For this latest venture, he recruited the support of scientific luminaries including Hawking, Lord Martin Rees, Peter Worden, and Ann Druyan. The project intends to begin observations in 2016.

The Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia is one of two powerful telescopes slated for use in Breakthrough Listen.

You don’t need to crunch the Drake equation to appreciate just how many worlds are out there, and how unthinkable it is that we’re alone. Reinvigorating SETI—which has operated on a shoestring budget since its establishment in 1960—raises exciting possibilities. The sheer existence of another species across the stars would change our society forever, not to mention what we might learn if we could communicate. Any civilization sufficiently advanced to receive or send signals into space probably matches or rivals our own in technological sophistication. Sure, it could instigate a classic sci-fi horror scenario where alien overlords realize the backwater Milky Way is inhabited and arrive to conquer Earth, but the human race didn’t reach its present (dubious) heights by shying from exploration. It’s just as likely our planetary neighbors are, like us, only fledglings in space. And how cool would it be to have an intergalactic pen pal?

Read more on this story from Scientific American and the BBC.

Pluto: Planet of the Nerds?

NASA’s New Horizons mission completed its historic flyby of Pluto yesterday, giving us our first close-up look at the dwarf planet that marks the exit ramp from our solar system into the galaxy beyond. Earth began receiving images today (yes, a day later; it’s a very long-distance call). The pictures will give us our closet glimpse yet of Pluto and its satellites, revealing previously unknown features. The New Horizons team, in collaboration with the SETI Institute, crowdsourced names for the planet’s topography with the Our Pluto project. Judging from the suggested names, recently demoted Pluto may regain some status as the Planet of the Nerds.

In case you’re not up on your mythology, Pluto is not just Mickey Mouse’s dog: he’s originally the Roman god of the underworld. This inspired Our Pluto participants to pay homage to their favorite troglodytes. Some honored other dark deities, such as fellow underworld lords Krun and Ala; Mayan death gods Vucub-Came and Hun-Came; and Meng-p’o, the Buddhist goddess of forgetfulness and oblivion. After paying due diligence to mythology, however, things got geeky.

Future maps of Pluto may look something like this.

A dark area near Pluto’s south pole has been dubbed Cthulhu, after H.P. Lovecraft’s tentacled monster-god. Cthulhu won the “Underworld Beings” category by a landslide with 39 percent of the vote (perhaps he should announce his candidacy for the 2016 US presidential election with all the other slimy creatures). Tolkien’s balrog would be a great choice for running mate: the scourge of Moria earned a close second with 34 percent of votes.

The fan convention doesn’t stop on Pluto. Its five moons—Charon, Styx, Nix, Kerberos, and Hydra—offer a wealth of unnamed features begging for nerdy nicknames. Proposed monikers include obvious candidates like Spock and Vader, names of great science fiction writers like Ursula LeGuin and Douglas Adams, and even a bid to commemorate Laika, the first dog in space.

None of these names are official yet, but they may eventually be presented to the International Astronomical Union for formal designation. What better way to celebrate the stories that inspired us to explore the stars than inscribing them on maps of alien worlds? Perhaps when our spacefaring descendants walk on Mount Spock or Bradbury Crater, those names will seem as mythological as Pluto and Charon: tales from an ancient civilization that dreamed of a grander universe.

What names would you choose for features on Pluto and its moons? Share ideas in the comments!

Read more about the geeky geography of Pluto from

Blue Karma in emojis

Sarah K. (@sarahplusbook) at the GirlPlusBook blog continues to make my day. She just tweeted this fantastic emoji version of Blue Karma (author-certified spoiler free):

Never thought I’d see one of my books turned into a fan-made graphic novel! I especially love the first line–it captures the prologue with such perfect, hilarious accuracy. Have you read Blue Karma? What’s your favorite emoji rendering in this image? Share it in the comments!

Review of Blue Karma on eBook Review Gal

Check out the latest review of Blue Karma–this one comes from eBook Review Gal. Thanks, Gals, for the review! The website is much more than reviews; it also features a lot of great resources for indie authors, so be sure to check it out if you’ve got a book of your own to launch.