Matthew S. Williams's Blog, page 188

Whiskey Delta – Chapter 10

“No one can confidently say that he will still be living tomorrow.”

-Euripides

The footsteps coming up from behind were like a distant echo. The voices in the background a subtle murmur. The only thing Dezba was truly aware of was the hot gun in his hand. The smoke billowing out the top, the smell of burning gun shot residue invading his nostrils.

“Sarge? Sarge?!” the voice in the background said. It grew louder a second later, more proximate.

“Sarge, the LT’s coming up!”

Dezba looked to his right. Whitman was staring at him and had the small of his arm in his hand. He had an uncharacteristic look on his face. His green eyes seemed steeped in fear, but not for himself.

“Sarge, you okay?”

“Fine,” Dezba heard himself say. “I’m fine Private. How are you?”

Whitman released the hold on his arm and nodded warily. He took a step or two back and motioned with his gun down the hallway to their rear.

“The LT is coming up, Sarge. He’s gonna be looking for his SitRep.”

Dezba nodded and holstered his weapon. In his other hand, he became aware of his M4 which was resting against his leg. He hoisted it up and held it in both hands, turned around to see Braun as he was making his way up the hallway. Second Squad was running behind him, all of them looking itchy and fear-stricken that they’d missed all the fun.

“Sergeant!” Braun yelled when he saw them.

“Lieutenant,” Dezba replied, switching his weapon to his left hand and snapping out a quick salute.

“Sergeant, what’s your status? I’ve been trying to raise you for the last minute.”

Dezba looked around at the mess of bodies. He shrugged.

“Situation has been resolved, sir. All Whiskeys accounted for.”

The LT looked at the mess once he was inside. The men of Second moved forward and began to comb the room, inspecting each and every body for movement and any other telltale signs that they might still be undead. Several of the men emitted low whistles of surprise as they went. Giving it a quick scan himself, the LT looked at Dezba for any sign of injuries.

“Sergeant, can you account for the health and welfare of your men?”

Standard procedure, Dezba knew. First order of business was to make sure all the bastards were dead. The second was make sure they didn’t infect anybody in the process, thus laying the ground for more of them later.

“Yes, sir,” he said confidently. “We caught em straight in a crossfire, not one of them managed to touch us.”

Braun nodded and took another look around. He must have been surprised too, Dezba reasoned. Such a large host, and they didn’t know about them until they were all the way through the first building. Not exactly standard Whiskey behavior. Usually, they were to be found wandering about or congregating in random places, just looking for the next thing to bite.

He could also tell the LT would have some questions for him later, like how he had managed to flush them out. Dezba was a little fuzzy on that himself right now…

“Alright, let’s move. Sergeant Fitzgibbon,” he called over to Second’s NCO . “Take your Squad up ahead and clear down below. First and me are headed up top. Once you’ve cleared it down there, radio in. We might need you to cover our exit once we procure the civies. Understood?”

“Yes sir,” replied the Sergeant, and began to bark orders to his own men. They moved out of the seminar room and began to make their way to the stairwell at the end of the hall. Braun fell in beside Dezba as he turned to his grunts and issued his own commands.

“First Squad, on the LT. We’re Oscar Mike.”

And they were off. At the stairwell, the two squads split, one going up, the other going down. Everyone kept their rifles aimed upwards, checking every corner as they ascended. Floor by floor, they cleared the way up and encountered no resistance. At each landing, they got a quick peak at another level, noting that they all had been through the same carnage as those down below. Still, nothing appeared to be lying in wait for them anymore.

And things felt immensely different this time around. Dezba could still feel a terrible intensity, but it was as if the driving force behind it was now gone. Only a lingering echo remained, the haunting trace of something terrible having gone down here. He began to wonder if maybe his grandpa had been right about all that spirit shit. Maybe their really was such a thing as ghosts and specters, the souls of the departed inhabiting a place long after they had died.

“Hold up,” the LT ordered when they reached the fifth landing. His finger pressed against his ear piece as Second notified him they had reached bottom.

“All clear down here, sir. Nothing but the stench of rotten meat and Whiskey shit.”

“Roger that, Viper Two. Continue sweep and head back to the first floor atrium. Viper Actual out.”

They paused for just a second until the LT ordered them to move again. Whitman was sure to ask the obvious before they really started moving.

“Christ, man. Do Whiskeys even take shits?”

*               *               *

“Sergeant. Clear that door.”

“Yes, sir. Jones!”

Dezba waved the FNG forward. He came running up the door with his shotgun. Dezba motioned at the lock and the Private aimed his weapon squarely. One shot blew apart the metal casing. A second was placed up top to clear any locking mechanisms in the frame. Jones stepped back and Dezba moved forward again, bringing his boot up and sending it into the door’s frame. It broke open easily, letting the outside light and air in.

They moved forward again, pouring out onto the hot, gravel-covered roof. The smell of tar rose up to meet them, and for the first time since entering the building, their noses were spared the terrible odor of rot and decay. There was even a cool breeze coming in from their side.

In the distance, the bundled mass of colorful shirts and shorts could be seen. They were still waving their arms, calling out to the convoy below. They looked rail thin, even up close, and Dezba was beginning to suspect they didn’t smell too nice either.

They were about ten meters away when one of the civies turned and noticed them coming. He quickly rapped the man next to him on the shoulder and he turned. His eyes nearly popped out of his skull.

“Hey! HEY!” he yelled, waving frantically even though they were only a stones throw away.

Everyone else in the party turned to look and began to get equally as frantic. Up close, they got a good assessment of who they were. Students clearly, most of them in their twenties, one or two senior looking students. Fifteen, all told, men and women. From the looks of them, they had been up here for days.

When they were close enough to touch, they all started shouting out a confused mess of thanks and gratuity. Some of them even tried to grab a hold of them and give them hugs.

“Oh my God! OH MY GOD!”

“We saw you! We didn’t think you saw us!”

“Oh my God! Thank you! We thought we were dead!”

“Jesus Christ, did you see those things?! We thought they were going to eat us!”

“Oh, thank God you came!”

“People,” the LT shouted over them. “You’re safe now, but we’ve got to get you to ground quickly. An escort will arrive to take you away, but you’ve got to follow us in an orderly fashion.”

Shouts of agreement all around, then renewed statements of thanks and blessings. A few tried to try the embrace them again and had to be gently pushed away. Whitman, however, seemed to find a grateful young woman whom he just couldn’t tell to back off.

“Oh thank you. You’ve saved us, I’ll never forget it.”

“Oh… that’s okay,” he said with a shit-eating grin. “Just doing my job.”

That only made her hug him harder. Dezba looked over at him and shook his head. Whitman just smiled and gave him the thumbs up.

“Alright,” Braun cut in, hoping to restore some calm. “Can you tell me what happened? How did you folks get up here in the first place?”

Half of them tried to shout out at once. Braun raised his hands for a silence and tried another tack.

“Okay, you,” he said, pointing to the oldest amongst them, a man who appeared to be of about forty, though it was hard to tell right now.

“We were inside when the call came in, said their was a city-wide emergency.”

“Yeah, and these people were watching the news on their iPods! There were fires and these things coming out of everwhere!”

“Ma’am!” Dezba raised his hand to one of the young ones. “You’ll get your turn. Just please wait.”

She looked a little guiled, but nodded. The older man went on.

“Well… we were told to remain inside, let the authorities deal with it. But next thing we know, they tell us there’s a bunch of them moving around outside, and that people can’t leave or they be killed.”

“Yeah, and that’s when we heard broken glass,” said the young woman. Neither LT or Dezba bothered to stop her. She seemed to have the floor now. “People started running up the hallway, they were falling all over each other. Some tried to shut themselves in rooms and lock the door. We were in study hall and we tried to get out…” she paused, not so much for breath but because of what she remembered next. “That’s when we saw them.”

“Yeah,” another girl said. “They were coming through the front doors. They were coming up the stairs. We didn’t know what to do. Campus security tried to barricade some of the bigger rooms with chains -”

Another jumped in. “-but most of them just ran away.”

“Yeah, we started to as well, but people just kept bunching up in places and telling everyone else to hide somewhere else.”

“And they just kept getting closer -”

“-we could hear the screams!”

“The sounds of them biting, moaning!”

It went on like this for a few minutes, no one person talking alone anymore. All accounts agreed though, pandemonium had ensued and everywhere, people were running, hiding, and dying. Pretty much what they had determined after taking one look around the place.

“Campus security,” Braun said finally, “were they armed? Were they able to take out any of them?”

“Fuck no! Those guys don’t get to have guns. They’re like mall cops!” said one of the younger men. Just about everyone scoffed in agreement.

“But s0me of them did try fighting them off with their flashlights. But that didn’t work too well.” It was the older lady saying this. She looked around at their group, particularly the young man. “They were brave… those boys. They died protecting us.”

Everyone else hung their heads for a second. Dezba looked at the older lady approvingly. Her reminder had shamed them, but rightfully so. From the sound of things, those “mall cops” had taken their duty seriously and made the greatest sacrifice to ensure some people made it out.

And here they were.

Finally, the LT cleared his throat and began issuing orders.

“Alright folks, let’s get you out of here. Sergeant, form up around them with your squad. People, stay between us and just try to keep moving. We’ve cleared this place of a whole mess of Whiskeys, but there’s no telling if there are more still lurking inside. You copy?”

Nods all around. Poor folks looked so freaked out and grateful, Dezba guessed they’d agree to just about anything. He could have told them to drop their pants and follow them out penguin-style they would have obliged.

Braun nodded to Dezba and he looked at Whitman.

“Billy, you on point with me!”

“Uh… Sarge?” he said, motioning ever so subtly with his head at the young girl who had thrown herself at him a moment before.

“On-point-Private. Now!”

Whitman grumbled, but fell in alongside him. He was sure to share a few words with him once they moved back into the stairwell in advance of the others.

“Sarge, how the hell am I supposed to hook up with that sweet piece of ass if you’ve got me up here. Any one of those guys could be macking on her right now.”

Dezba shook his head. “One, Billy, don’t use words like macking, it’s disgraceful. Two, you already looked like you impressed the hell out of that girl. And three,” he looked back, made sure the rest were still following. “You being up front makes you look good. You’re leading the way while the others hang back. Trust me, chicks eat that shit up.”

Whitman seemed to perk up at that. The rest of the way, he moved with a newfound sense of grace.

Remembering Neil Armstrong

“That’s one small step for man… one giant leap for mankind.”

-Neil Armstrong, July 20th, 1969

This iconic statement is the most famous to ever be uttered by a human being and still serve to inspire hope and fire the imagination, even after 43 years. Today, the world has lost one of the greatest historical figures of the 20th century, the man who was the first to walk on the moon and speak the words that signaled the beginning of a new era.

Yes, after decades of living large and inspiring countless people all over the world, Neil Armstrong passed away at the age of 82. According to statements made by the Armstrong family earlier today, Neil died following complications from heart-bypass surgery he underwent earlier this month, just two days after his 82nd birthday on August 5.

Best known for being the commander of Apollo 11, the NASA mission that sent a manned spacecraft to the moon, Neil will forever be remembered for doing what countless people have dreamed of doing since the dawn of time. After years of training, planning, development and testing, he and astronaut Edward “Buzz” Aldrin became the first to not only slip the bonds of Earth’s gravity, but the first to walk on a celestial body that was not Earth.

This achievement, great in its own right, was also of extreme historical significance. Taking place during the height of the Cold War, only six years after the Cuban Missile Crisis, Armstrong’s first steps on the moon provided a generation beguiled by arms races and fear with a sense of accomplishment and pride. His words, which were spoken on behalf of, and directed to, all of mankind even helped bridge the gap between East and West. Though there was a race on to see who could reach the Moon first, all of humanity shared in the celebration that a man, any man, had actually attained what many thought was unattainable.

And although he never retired from the public eye after that momentous achievement, Neil was nevertheless a very private man compared to his peers. Whereas Edward Aldrin and astronauts like John Glenn and Harrison Schmitt went on to become public figures, doing guest appearances on TV shows and running for political office, Neil did very little to draw attention to himself. This was, according to his closest friends and family, because of his intensely private nature.

In fact, according to James Hansen, author of “First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong,” Neil was often confounded by all the attention and accolades he received as a result of his historic accomplishments. As Hansen stated in an interview with CBS, “All of the attention that … the public put on stepping down that ladder onto the surface itself, Neil never could really understand why there was so much focus on that.” Wow. Humility on top of everything else, that’s the way to go!

Apparently, attempts were even made to try and coax Armstrong into running for public, but he repeatedly refused. Instead, Neil spent his post-Apollo 11 career committed to furthering the fields of aviation and space explorations from behind the scenes and never once tried to exploit his fame. In fact, his last known public appearance was in November of 2011 when he appeared before Congress to received the the Congressional Gold Medal (pictured above).

I think I speak for us all when I say he will be missed, and definitely not forgotten. I think I speak for us all when I say that the remembrance ceremonies and honors conferred on his name will be tremendous! Ironic, considering Neil probably would have refused them all RIP Neil Armstrong. May you forever walk amongst the stars!

***As a side note, I would also like to say that I hope the various conspiracy theorist of the world, the people who insist that this historic achievement was a hoax, or that it was actually filmed in a studio, take the time to bow their heads and hold their tongues. We are all entitled to our opinions, but such conspiracy theories are not only an insult to history and the intelligence of people who witnessed the event, its also an insult to this man’s memory. Please take this day to focus on something else, like the conspiracy behind putting fluoride in the water, Area 51, or 9/11 being an inside job, k? Many thanks, weirdos!***

Seth Green’s New Star Wars Show!

George Lucas would surely fume over this, were it not for the fact that he’s probably getting massive royalties! And as they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. So I suppose he is taking the news that Seth McFarlane, creator of Robot Chicken and the voice of Chris in Family Guy, will soon be releasing another Star Wars parody.

That’s the premise behind Star Wars: Detours, a new animated show that takes the Star Wars universe and does pretty much what Robot Chicken did. Mock it, celebrate it, and just have a lot of fun playing with the characters and storyline. And much like its predecessor, anyone who grey up in the 80′s and loves having their retro/nostalgia sense played to will love it!

However, unlike its predecessor, this one isn’t likely to get all raunchy and gross. Whereas RC appeared on Adult Swim, this is one will be premiering on the Cartoon Network, meaning mainstream audiences will be watching it. Meh, I guess it pays to hedge your bets! No indication on when it will be premiering, but that news is sure to follow! In the meantime, check out the trailer for this new show.

Source: g4tv

“Our Favorite Cimenatic Robots”

Just came across this article in the Globe and Mail today and I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. It’s funny when a respectable publication like this one chooses to release something that I myself would have done, or did do, in small increments. In fact, many of the contenders on this list call to mind my little listing on Robots, Cyborgs and AIs which I did awhile back.

But dammit, they left out HAL and Robocop. That’s just plain wrong! Sure, they were trying to keep it to top 10 and felt the need to exclude cyborgs and supercomputers, and did have the good nature to apologize in advance for this, but still…

Here is the list as it appears in the article:

T he Terminator
Droids from Star Wars (R2D2 and C3P0)
Wall-E
Replicants from Blade Runner
Maria (Metropolis)
Ash (Alien)
The Iron Giant
Gigolo (AI)
The Stepford Wives
Robby the Robot

Check out the full article here, complete with a gallery and some explanations of why these constitute “our” favorites

 

The Reboot Grid

Well, here is something that puts a lot of my griping into perspective! Recently, during one my usual visits to Blastr, I came upon this helpful infographic that really captures our collective sense of angst with this whole reboot trend. Anybody who actually follows this site knows that this is a subject which I am pretty passionate about (translation: won’t shut up about!)

I was most pleased to see this because, not only did it make me laugh, it let me know that this trend is occupying the attention of people who work for websites far more respectable than mine! And as you can see, they aren’t too crazy about the nature of recent reboots either. Whereas there are plenty of good reasons to do one, and plenty of worthy candidates, it does seem like Hollywood is still letting the lowest common denominator inform their decision making.

Click to enlarge, then enjoy a good laugh at Hollywood’s expense. I did

 

 

How TDKR Should Have Ended…

HISHE has done it again, this time with the latest in the Dark Knight franchise. I rather approved of what they did with the last one, not to mention Superman, Prometheus and just about any other movie that, while awesome, had a plot hole or two! Check it out, funny as hell!

What Else Is On…

Well, that was helpful. And by that, I mean making an extensive reading list. However, my lists don’t end there. Neither does my affliction, known as literary ADD. In addition to the books I need to finish, there’s also quite the list of stories I need to finish writing. It seemed only fitting and appropriate that I make a separate list pertaining to them.

You see, when it comes to writing projects for myself, there are two categories. First, there are the short-term projects, the stuff that needs to be generated right now and finished in the not-too-distant future. Then there are the long-term projects, the things that have been ongoing. These projects can take years to reach completion, assuming they don’t lose my interest and fall into the inbox dustbin. Of the former category, I can think of four things that need to get done:

Winston Agonistes: My submission for the Yuva anthology novel. This story is told from the point of view of a synthetic human (i.e. an AI) who is responsible for assisting with the day to day functions of the Yuva planetary council. His gift is a social science known as Ethical Calculus, a means of calculating the values of decisions based on their practical and ethical implications. In time, he comes to learn the truth about the settlement of Yuva and just what implications their long-term plans will have for the native life.
Whiskey Delta: This is my ongoing web story involving the Zombie Apocalypse and the men who are fighting hard to beat it back in New Mexico in the near future. Told from several points of view,  , the story tells the tale of the Counterattack, the assault led by the enigmatic Major General Thur (“The Mage”) to retake the country and beat back the undead hordes.
Crashland: Another ongoing web serial where audiences get to vote on the outcomes they want to see. So far, the story involves the unleashing of infopocalypse on the world, the path of former CEO William Holden as he found his way to the Exigencies special operatives, and their culminating efforts to rebuild civilization.
Data Miners: And of course, my ongoing efforts to finish editing my full-length novel about hackers, cryptology, security and surveillance in the age of the internet. For months now, this story has been burning a hole on my desk, consuming many hours of re-reading and editing time, but always seeming to require more. Dangit, I hate editing my own work. It’s like a hole into which creative energy and time disappear!

As for long term stuff, well you’re better off only hearing about the more immediate ones. The rest can just sit there until I get bored! Too many ideas to occupy my short-term/long-term plans as it is.

Fortress: The sequel to Source, the story of overpopulation, survival and the fight against extinction in the distant future. In this installment, things begin to go truly awry as humanity finds itself united between two disparate factions that are forced to come together to fight an even greater extra-terrestrial threat known as the Beast. However, as the war drags on and conditions worsen at home, people begin to turn against each other in the name of something just as important as survival. This story has been in the works for awhile and is nearing completion, but then again, Source has been out in paperback for some time too. It’s not going anywhere, so this is something I feel I can return to every now and then and not worry too much about.

Apocrypha: Here’s an idea several years old which still kicks around in my mind from time to time. Basically, this book combined two thematic elements which I’ve been obsessed with in the last few years. One is the concept of democratic anarchy, and how technology may very well be bringing up into an age where that is feasible. The second is the Technological Singularity, and how humanity reaching a threshold of consciousness scares some to the point where they would want to forcibly regress. I’ve written at least half of this book, trashed it, and then began rewriting it. Soon enough, I hope to resurrect it and redo it in full, since much of the same concepts are at work in Crashlands and seems to be working there.
Legacies: Now this is the oldest of the old! This is my first full-length novel to never be published. Way back when, before I knew what self-publishing was, I created the manuscript to classically inspired sci-fi novel set in the distant future and paid a company to print copies. Then… nothing happened! Yes, for years, the copies floated around and were circulated to my friends, but not one saw the light of day outside my family and friendship circle. It remains a project which I have yet to commit to the public for reading, mainly because I feel I’ve matured to the point that it needs a big rewrite. I still love the idea of it, just not the way I went about writing it. Huxley called this the “chronic remorse” of writer’s, but to me, it’s too symbolic of all my rookie mistakes a writer, things I’ve since learned to do without. We’ll see if it ever pops up again.

Wow, seen back to back, this list is actually a lot more daunting than my reading list. Maybe putting things into list form isn’t such a good idea, just reminds you of all the stuff you need to do. Ah, what can you do? Not thinking about them doesn’t make them go away. And frankly, if I organized myself along these lines sooner, I might not have so much stuff in my inbox. But of course, any time it seems overwhelming, I just have to remind myself that no one is paying me to do this. That always make me feel… a million times worse!

Ray Bradbury's Birthday

Reblogged from MythRider:

August 22, 2012 would have been Ray Bradbury’s 92 birthday. In 2000, he spoke at the down town Minneapolis Library. In honor of his birthday, Minnesota Public Radio rebroadcast his talk, which you can listen to here. The late Ray Bradbury’s Pen Pals lecture about his life and work

The photo comes from the MPR page. (STEVE CASTILLO/ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Well isn't this a coinky-dink? Here's to ya, Mr. Bradbury!

Eh Tu, Disney?

Oh dear. It seems that Disney, not content to let other movie magnates have all the fun, will be launching (no pun) a reboot of its own. Yes, The Rocketeer, that kitsch, feel good movie about a guy who finds a rocket pack and becomes a super-hero, is getting remade for a new generation.

Personally, I got nothing against the original. Families had to have some kind of inoffensive option for super-hero movies back when Spiderman didn’t exist and Batman was still a bit Gothic for children to watch. But why does it need to be remade? Wasn’t the last one enough?

But then again, that’s a can of worms which myself and many smarter people besides have already opened. If you pull one thread in this giant tapestry known as reboot/remake/relaunch fever, it all comes tumbling down!

Luckily, some of the folks over at Vimeo made this hilarious video of what The Rocketeer would look like if it had been made into a Pixar movie. I can’t help but wonder if they have the right idea here. Seriously, when was the last time Disney ever did anything great that was live action?

http://vimeo.com/user4835392/rocketeer-pilote

And just to poke fun at Disney, here’s a musical clip from Family Guy where The Rocketeer didn’t do so well (at 1:24), not to mention Michael Jackson. Geez, MacFarlane, talk about kicking a dead horse!

[image error]

What’s On…

If you’re like me, and suffer from what I assume is a form of literary ADD – where you can’t seem to commit to reading, or writing, one thing at a time – then it helps to take stock once in a while and make a list. At other times, its disconcerting, like whenever I check out my Goodreads account and see that a book I cracked over a year ago is still on my “Currently Reading” list.

But today I thought I’d combine that list with my list of upcoming reviews. As I’m sure I mentioned in a previous post or two, this vacay has been pretty good for scoring new books. I got some long 0verdue ones and managed to find at least one that has come highly recommended. To ensure that they don’t wind up in my pile, partially read and collecting dust, I thought I’d make a definitive list. That oughta help my ADD!

Editor’s Note: The author of this article is not a physician or psychiatrist and has no medical credentials whatsoever. He is thus in no position to diagnose, either in himself or others, any form of ADD or its hyperactive cousin, ADHD.

Mona Lisa Overdrive – the final book in the Sprawl Trilogy by William Gibson. Due to diversions in reading The Hunger Games, Second Foundation and a slew of others, this book has remained opened far longer than it had to have been. I hope to finish it this or next week.
Second Foundation – the third installment in the Foundation series, which I have been meaning to read for some time. As the (sort of) conclusion to the Foundation saga, and after reviewing the first two, it was only fitting that I find and tackle the third book. I say sort of because decades after finishing this third novel in the series, Asimov would finally cave to demands that he return to the series with three more books. Fans and publishers, what can you do?
Martian Chronicles – this book I just picked up last week. After years of hearing great things and wanting to get into it, I finally procured a copy and began devouring it. I got half way through before the wife and I got back to civilization and it was forced to take its place in the queue. It’s a testament to Bradbury’s old school, accessible, yet still high-minded style that you can read through his works quickly and still feel like you’ve digested a lot. I look forward to finishing this one and borrowing freely from it
A Feast for Crows - my reading of this fourth installment in the Game of Thrones series has stalled for a few reasons. One, I got a little tired after the first three books, especially since all the main characters keep dying! Second, after three books of excitement and climactic battles, George RR Martin seemed to think that was needed was a book that contained all the scraps. Not a bad read by any measure, but it’s kind of like a serving of leftovers after three sumptuous banquets.
We – the classic of classic by Yevgeny Zamyatin. Again, I cracked this book a long time ago and haven’t been able to get into it due to the myriad of books that have entered and left my reading pile in the interim.  I want nothing more than to finish it and give it its long overdue due! For crying out loud, this man practically invented the dystopian satire and inspired my heroes – Orwell and Huxley. If that doesn’t warrant a read, I don’t know what does!
The Giver – here’s a book that my wife has been recommending for ages! Considered to be a classic of YA fiction, this novel is certainly a must-read for those looking to stay current on the genre. Having found a copy at my local Coles, right next to City of Ember, I decided it was time to have a looky-loo so that I knew what I was talking about next time I chose to include it in a review of current utopian/dystopian lit.
Red Mars – holy crap has this one been on my shelf for a long time! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve picked it up and put it down. Which is really too bad. It’s definitely one of the more profound sci-fi books that I’ve ever read, but somehow, the style lends itself to a certain inaccessibility for me. I do enjoy reading it, but find that it doesn’t quite happen easily or organically. In that respect, Kim Stanley Robinson is not unlike William Gibson for me. I know I want to hear from them, and I do get through their books, but not with the ease and grace that I would something by Bradbury or Asimov.
Ready Player One – this one I bought alongside The Giver because I thought it was time to invest in something new. I tend to be reserved about buying the works of new authors, mainly because I don’t invest time and money in something which might prove to be disappointing or a flavor of the month kind of thing. However, I said ‘screw it’ this time around and picked this one up. And lo and behold, I discovered that it is actually a quite famous read, with the entire back of the dust jacket dedicated to the heaps of accolades that have been piled on it. Not only was it a manager’s pick at the Coles, it also comes recommended by my peeps over Io9.com. Them folks know their sci-fi, so I’m glad I went with my gut and checked this one out!
Starfire – this hard sci-fi novel, by Charles Sheffield, is actually one I picked up in a laundry room at the park where my wife and I were staying in Lund. We had just returned from camping, were in the process of returning to civility (with showers and other amenities) and realized we still didn’t have anything to read! So I took a gander at this one, and after seeing that it was endorsed by Kim Stanley Robinson, I gave it a chance. I only got about 70 pages in before we had to leave and I chose not to take it (having nothing to exchange), but I was wrapped up enough in the plot that I decided I’d get a copy as soon as I could. Still looking, might have to go Amazon or Kindle on this bad boy, but I don’t intend to let it slip. The plot, which involves the creation of a massive orbital shield after A/B Centauri goes supernova, is quite interesting, and constructed using the latest in astronomical data. Check it out if you can!

Well, that about does it for me. Nine books in the reading list, not so bad. I could think of some more but… seriously, who the hell wants that kind of responsibility