Jacob Foxx's Blog, page 61

It’s not Paranormal Romance, It’s Urban Fantasy!: Arguments about Genres

When people discuss speculative fiction, it often devolves into an argument about putting books or movies into their proper genres. At conventions, literary panels will begin with the panelists trying to define genres, subgenres, then eventually getting around to talking about the books themselves. Book clubs use up some of their time trying to agree on which subgenre their book of month belongs in. Is it paranormal romance? Is it urban fantasy? Is it dark fantasy? Is it horror?

Before we can discuss something, we need to agree on what it is. When guys see an awesome car, they need to determine what make, model, and year it is; everything else can wait. Of course, cars are a little different. A car is either a ’95 Chevy Impala or it isn’t. Classifying a book is not so clear cut.

We organize things into categories and subcategories to make large amounts of information easier to think about, recall, and analyze. We like to group things all the time. Other times we put them in ranks, forming top 10s or top 100s, all in an effort to put things or information in their proper place.

The problem is, categorizing literary works is subjective. Authors and publishers will sometimes identify a work as this or that, but more often than not it is the readers and retailers that do it. It gets more complicated when English professors and literary experts will invoke their expertise and actually classify a work differently than the author herself, or the publisher, or most of the readers. How can so many that read the same thing and disagree on a label?

In my opinion, the reason is that the categories themselves are subjectively formed and defined.

Here are a few examples: Some people put all books about zombies into a subgenre called zombie literature or simply zombie fiction. If it has zombies in it, it goes here. So Serpent and the Rainbow, The Walking Dead, Night of the Living Dead, Zombieland, 28 Days Later, and World War Z are all here. But if you read these books or see the movies or shows, they can be very different. The fact that there are zombies in it, only gives you a partial picture of what the literary or movie experience will be.

Zombieland is a comedy, while most zombie movies are horror. Some books use zombies as a parody, rather than a horror monster. World War Z and 28 Days Later are more science fiction than horror, referring to the zombie as a virus, not supernatural monsters. The zombie of Serpent and the Rainbow has very little to do with the zombies of these other works.

There can be so many important differences, it doesn’t tell us much to refer to something as a zombie book or zombie literature. We need to know a bit more.

Another example: epic fantasy. The definition of epic is: noting or pertaining to a long poetic composition, usually centered upon a hero, in which a series of great achievements or events is narrated in elevated style.

So if we use the word epic, it means a long work, usually with a hero or something with great achievements or events. First problem: the term “usually.” This expands the definition, meaning the story doesn’t need to be centered on a hero. So we throw that out, no need to have a hero. So epic fantasy is something that takes place in an imaginary land, that is long, in which great achievements or events are involved. Here, great means something positive, i.e. evil queen dethroned, nasty dragon killed, peace, prosperity.

Is George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire Series epic fantasy? It is certainly long, but there are no great achievements or events. The only achievements are the securing of power, hardly great. Yet some would define it as an epic fantasy series.

If it isn’t epic, what is it? Dark fantasy? Most books in this category are horror books. A Song of Ice and Fire is not a horror series. It certainly isn’t urban fantasy either. It isn’t Arthurian or heroic. There are three heroic characters in the series (thru 3 books): Eduard Stark, Robb Stark, and Daenerys Targareyn. Two are dead, and the third wants the throne, IOW she wants power. Sure she frees slaves and is generally compassionate, but she’s also killed many in often brutal ways.

Other epic or high fantasies don’t have scenes of rape, children being murdered or pushed from towers, desecration of bodies, incest, or pillaging.

Here I’ve used Wikipedia and dictionary definitions to make my point. I’m not saying people are wrong to put A Song of Ice and Fire in he epic fantasy category. What I’m saying is they are using their own tailored definition of epic fantasy. In reality, most people use genre and subgenre terms their own way.

Before any argument can end, the sides need to agree on a definition, but usually cannot. Therefore, it is pointless to argue about genre classifications. Define your own but don’t expect anyone else to use the same definitions or categories.

As for retailers, I for one do not like the categories that Amazon and Barnes & Noble uses. One category is “high-tech” and another is “adventure.” There are plenty of books that can be both. So which category will I find them in? Probably both! Then there’s separate categories for Star Wars, Star Trek, and space opera on B&N.

In their system, a book should be in as many categories as possible so it can be sold, which is why you can find A Game of Thrones in the science fiction section of Amazon! Their categories are driven by sales, not definitional accuracy. So, they are no help.

A few weeks ago I decided to give this whole genre/subgenre organization thing a shot. This is just my system, I don’t expect anyone to use it or agree with it. So why blog about it? I guess maybe just to give people something to think about when they are reading books or thinking about books they’ve already read. Speculative fiction has become a big and diverse universe, and it is getting a little too easy for great ideas and great stories to fall through the cracks simply because they weren’t correctly categorized or described to prospective readers.

My definitions are based on the main speculative theme or concept of the book. If you were to describe a book in a few words, which part would you focus on first? Some books have elements of multiple categories, but some elements are just background or tertiary elements, not the focus. For example, Ender’s Game is set in the future, but the war and military service is the core theme of the novel, not the world of tomorrow.

So here it is: my genre organization for science fiction

Utopian - A story about an ideal society, often used as a direct critique of our current society or our current world. It can be set in the future, past, present, alternate reality, and have any kind of story structure, so long as the main focus is the superiority or perfection of the society itself. Examples: Thomas More’s Utopia, Erewhon, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, certain episodes of Star Trek.

Dystopian - A story about a flawed society that can be used as an indirect critique of contemporary society, a warning of where our current path will lead, or to identify a specific issue in a speculative fashion. It can be any setting or structure, as long as the main theme is the dysfunction of society. Examples: The Hunger Games, 1984, A Brave New World.

Post-Apocalyptic – A story about a major cataclysm: the causes, the effects, and life afterward. These are often critiques of the pre-apocalypse society, but more often about survival, adaptation, and recovery. It is about regaining something after the fall. Examples: The Walking Dead, A Canticle for Leibowitz, City of Ember, Wool, Earth Abides, Oryx and Crake, I am Legend, The Matrix.

Contemporary Innovation – this is about a scientific breakthrough in the present. We see it in our our time and world as it changes everything. This is distinct in that the story revolves around the innovation, not the setting. Examples: Jurassic Park, The Andromeda Strain, Stargate.

Alternate Realities - This covers time travel, alternate history, steampunk, and virtual reality. If the story takes place in a reality unlike our own but has science and technology, it belongs here. Examples: Back to the Future, The Difference Engine, The Time Machine, Dr. Who, 1633, The Man in the High Castle.

Futurist (World of Tomorrow) - This is the biggest category in science fiction. It is about the future. It might have weapons, dystopian societies, hard-tech, soft-tech, but the story generally is about the future of humanity and what it will look like. This covers space exploration. Examples: Star Trek, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Foundation, 2312, Serenity, Firefly, Dune, Leviathan Wakes, Gateway.

Military - obviously war and combat, normally in the future, is the focus. Weapons technology, new combat tactics, new wars, political intrigue, or the experiences of an individual soldier can play out here. David Weber, John Ringo, and other Baen Books authors make their living here. Other examples include: The Forever War, Ender’s Game, Old Man’s War, Starship Troopers, Halo.

Superhuman - this covers all superheroes, where they are the focus of the story. Most comic books fall under this category. Examples:… well you shouldn’t need any.

There is some overlap if you merely list the elements in each book. I understand that. And there is sometimes disagreement over what the central theme of a novel really was, which could create some arguments, but I think this organization minimizes those controversies.

Next up, I’ll try fantasy but am not nearly as confident in that. I don’t read much fantasy and don’t particularly enjoy it.

That’s all for now. Feel free disagree, rearrange, or just go with your own definitions and classifications.

J

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Movie Review: Ender’s Game

For some, Ender’s Game was the most highly anticipated sci-fi movie of the year. Based on Orson Scott Card’s classic, it had high expectations among fans. I wish I could say it delivered but the bar was set too high. The movie captures large portions of the book but fails to capture all of it. Still, sci-fans should definitely see it!

Ender Wiggin is a child prodigy being groomed for command. The human race faces a threat from the Formics, a buglike species that invaded Earth decades before but lost. Most believe they will be back. The military learned that children make the best tactical thinkers due to their  flexible thinking. Ender is considered the most promising. His two older siblings, Peter and Valentine, were also promising but washed out of the program. Peter has borderline personality disorder and torments Ender. Valentine is highly compassionate and is the most important person in Ender’s life. His family life is part of what shapes him into a great leader later in the movie.

Colonel Graff recruits Ender for Battle School, the next step in the program. It is a space station where children fight combat simulations in a zero-g gymnasium. All the while the military closely monitors his progress.

The book is the clash of military training and managing the psychological development of a child. While damage is being done, the military justifies it as necessary to win a war. What does it matter if a few children are psychologically scarred for life? From a civilian perspective, what they do to Ender is just plain cruel.

Asa Butterfield does an excellent job as Ender. The movie captures Ender’s stoicism and intelligence, as well as his sensitive nature just beneath the surface. Harrison Ford is brilliant as Colonel Graff. The producers had to find several quality child actors for this movie and did a fairly good job. Ben Kingsley was an excellent choice as the legendary commander Mazer Rackham.

Unfortunately, the movie only gives a brief glimpse of Ender’s complicated childhood, as both a prodigy, and the more typical experiences. In particular it gives only a fleeting glimpse of the abuse he endured from Peter. His vicious older brother plays a major role in his later development. Valentine should’ve had more lines as well. Both are very important in the book.

Ender’s progression through the school is interesting but a little quick. The movie could’ve used the montage or some other method to speed through this but opted not to. The Mindgame is also not explained well in the movie.

The battles and later combat simulations are all extremely well done. The graphics, layout, and execution is all delivered perfectly. It is pretty close to what I imagined when I was reading the book.

The ending honors the book for the most part, but Ender’s exploration of the Mindgame is short and so his final act as commander may not make sense to someone who didn’t read the book.

Overall, this movie could’ve benefited from another two or three scenes, maybe fifteen minutes. Usually I complain movies are too long but this is one that should’ve been longer. It’s running time was 1:54, which is about average. If there is an extended version I would love to see it.

The movie stands above most of the summer blockbusters but I think it could’ve been a tiny bit better. I don’t like doing decimals or fractions, so I’m gonna go ahead and give it 5 stars.

J

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Book Review: Turing Evolved

I haven’t come across a solid sci-fi or fantasy novel lately. Finally, this week I found a decent one. Turing Evolved, by David Kitson, is a self-published ebook and the first from Mr. Kitson from what I can tell. For 2014, I want to make a real effort to find small press, independent, and self-published novels to read rather than the big names from big publishers. As an author publishing under a start-up publishing house, I want help contribute to my industry and decided to make a start of it with Mr. Kitson’s novel.

As with many self-published works, the writing was raw and needed additional editing but it wasn’t a serious problem for me. There were some confusing paragraphs and sections, but I got the general gist of what Kitson was trying to convey. Still, I think the book would be much stronger with another round of editing.

That aside, I liked the idea behind this story. A war vet, honorably discharged, finds himself helping people disconnect from virtual reality, a place called Mindspace. The vet, Jon Carlson, is a former demon pilot. Demons are powered suits with devastating firepower, operated through a neural link. This part is very cool. There are also angels, advanced AI non-combat units designed to help people. Carlson saves one of these angels and soon the robot is smitten with him. However, his intervention to save its/her life along with a man he disconnected from Mindspace leads him to an adventure through reality and Mindspace. It is part love story, part action.

It is a solid young adult fiction story about love, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and future warfare. The story is original in some respects and not very predictable (a plus). It has an intriguing love story that is weird at first but you get used to it. The ending is also a surprise and fairly satisfying.

Carlson is likable, but he spends way too much time in hospitals. the book subjects Carlson to enormous amounts of agony, with three trips to the emergency room. It gets a little tiresome. The action scenes were a little over-narrated, slowing it down and giving unnecessary details during battles. There is also a lot of mushy talk of feelings. Carlson, who is ex-military, and his partner at his new job, Jeremy, are unrealistically sensitive.

For young adult fiction, the personal and romantic relationships were okay, but for me it was all too easy. Things just seem to fall into Carlson’s lap, with two human women being attracted to him along with one “female” robot. He’s a good guy and certainly has admirable qualities but this part sort of plays out like a typical sci-fi male fantasy.

For what it was trying to accomplish, Turing Evolved is a good novel, with editing its a solid 3 stars.

J

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Why I Love Ancient Aliens

History Channel has come under criticism for airing the show Ancient Aliens, which isn’t really history at all but pseudoscience. Comedy shows, such as South Park have taken shots at History for doing this, and I sort of agree (their tagline for the channel: “The History Channel. Where the Truth is History!”). It might be on the wrong channel, but I still love the show. It is hard to explain but this show is entertaining, and presses us rationalists to be more careful.

The show is based on the ancient astronaut theory. The theory holds that humanity has been visited by extraterrestrials in the past and that the visitations have influenced our history. This theory stems from the controversial book Chariots of the Gods, by Erich Von Däniken. Däniken claims that when ancient man was talking about gods, those gods were in fact extraterrestrials.

It is wild stuff and provides plenty of great material for science fiction. Numerous movies have used this premise, including Stargate, Prometheus and Alien vs. Predator. The theory and the show really comes up with some great stuff when it comes to ideas. When it comes to proof, they don’t have much to offer.

The scientific method requires knowledge to be based on empirical evidence subject to specific principle and reasoning. Experiments are used to test theories using measurable evidence, etc. The methods also requires a few more things: peer review and replication.

Ancient Aliens provides some evidence and does some testing but almost none of it is conclusive of anything. For the real groundbreaking theories, there is absolutely no way to test them. The theories can only be proven and thus replicated if certain evidence is recovered, but most of it is unrecoverable. The supporters of the theory also reject peer review. In fact, the show stops at “is it possible” basically avoiding any discussion of opposing theories or peer critique. This is what makes it pseudoscience. Pseudoscience rejects peer review as purely political and rarely subject their theories to any kind of critique.

The bulk of it is conjecture. Some can be discounted as implausible, others can survive but are far from conclusive. Their alternative hypotheses are more of an alternative explanation of ancient history and mythology. It requires one to believe that humans have no imagination whatsoever and only wrote or drew about what they actually saw. If they couldn’t explain it, they used terms like gods, angels, spirits, etc. So any mention of supernatural creatures is a placeholder for misunderstood technology.

People think up crazy stuff all the time today and write about it. To argue ancient man didn’t have imagination ignores what we see around us every day. The human brain is capable of incredible feats of imagination. If future archeologists discovered a Star Wars DVD, would they conclude Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader were real people? That the Jedi and the Sith did indeed exist?

Where the show is most compelling is where it details mysteries that are as yet unexplained by mainstream science. For example, Pumapunku, Bolivia is an ancient site with incredible structures that would’ve required a level of skill that we only achieved recently. No explanation has been offered as to how an ancient civilization built it.

Discoveries in India, South America, and Turkey strongly suggest there were human civilizations well before Sumeria, which is regarded as one of the first human civilizations. The theory that human civilization goes beyond 4000 BCE is credible. One example is the site found at Gobekli Tepe in Turkey, which could very well be 10,000 years old!

Why haven’t we found evidence of older civilizations? I think evidence of civilization has trouble surviving six thousand years, and it is more or less a miracle that we find anything at all past 3000 BCE. Also, we got some of the evidence of ancient civilization from the pieces of it that survive and endure in successive civilizations. Yet, I think it is perfectly reasonable that some civilizations might’ve died out completely, leaving no legacy at all in subsequent cultures.

Did they have contact with aliens? I doubt it, but the show Ancient Aliens sheds light on archeological finds that suggests civilization is indeed older than we think.

Then there are the episodes of the show that are just plain funny. When they discuss extraterrestrials mating with Earth women, that makes me think of Captain Kirk with green alien women. Their discussions of aliens and big foot are simply comical. The episodes on dinosaurs and Nazis are also highly entertaining.

What is particularly ironic is the show’s success disproves its premise. To construct their theories requires a lot of creativity on the part of the ancient astronaut theorists, including the wild-haired Dr. Tsoukalos. They are certainly creative people. They’ve persuaded millions across the world of a set of facts that none of them directly observed or experienced. Yet, they believe it. They seem to think ancient humanity was not capable of such a feat of faith and imagination. Either we are an imaginative species or we aren’t.

In addition, I think the genre of speculative fiction is compelling evidence humanity is naturally imaginative and is perfectly capable of coming up with fascinating myths with no basis in reality.

I understand part of it is the theorists on the show are selling something. Only a few of the theorists utilize anything that resembles the scientific method. The rest are selling books and ancient alien trinkets. They get to be on television and get invited to speak at all sorts of conferences and events. It’s a fun way to make a living and they deserve credit for bringing it this far.

Then there is the classic line from the show: Is it possible, as ancient astronaut theorists believe…

In my opinion, to stay within the mainstream and accept theory as dogma, slows down the process and can obscure truths that are hiding in front of us. All scientific knowledge is subject to scrutiny and can be called into question as long as their is empirical evidence to support the alternative theory. It is up to us as rational beings to use our methods to dismiss the unworthy challenges to theory. It is a worthy exercise, which is why I love the show Ancient Aliens.

I hope they continue with the show, pressing all of us to work a little harder to eliminate possibilities before settling on answers in such a lazy, haphazard way.

J

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Problems with Paperback Version of The Times That Try Men’s Souls

Due to some serious issues with the print-on-demand service provider, the paperback version of The Times That Try Men’s Souls is no longer available online.

For my second novel, my publisher and I decided to work through a new vendor that allowed us to offer the paperback at a larger number of retailers. There were problems from the start. The book was not available on the release date. When it did finally become available, the book was being sold under the wrong author name. After a month, our printer, Lightning Source-Ingram, failed to fix the author name. A number of technical problems emerged as well including use of the wrong summary info and incorrect reviews listed as customer reviews.

Since we couldn’t resolve them and we don’t want the book up with the wrong name, I asked it be taken down. We are now in the process of working with a new print-on-demand service, which will hopefully have the paperback version of the book up soon.

This is deeply disappointing. Without proper sale pages on retail sites, we could not do any advertising or marketing of the book other than what I announce on social media and this author site. It is better than nothing I suppose, but it is fair to say the first month since the release of the book has been a major disappointment.

I’ve learned not all vendors are equal in the e-publishing world. Some are downright incompetent. You hardly notice when a vendor does their job, but the sky is falling when they fail. It makes me more appreciative of my experience with the first book, where I had only minor problems, and we solved them quickly.

Remember, the book is available for all e-readers right now and will be available on paperback soon.

J

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Movie Review: Gravity is a Masterpiece

In a year full of superheroes and post-apocalyptic movies, Gravity stands out for its unique premise, deep suspense, and absolutely stunning 3D effects. A movie about space isn’t exactly a new concept, but I guarantee, you haven’t seen a movie like this. If you can, see this one in IMAX as well, it is just awesome!

As mentioned above, the premise isn’t really revolutionary. Two astronauts working on the Hubble Telescope are caught in a debris shower which tears apart the satellite and the space shuttle. They are left floating through space just above the Earth’s surface and must find a way to survive.

Sandra Bullock is amazing as Astronaut Ryan Stone (she’s named Ryan because her father wanted a boy and apparently wasn’t creative enough to come up with a second name). George Clooney plays his fairly typical charismatic, confident, playful jock-type in astronaut Matt Kowalski. He is a little too-good-to-be-true but provides a relief to Bullock’s dead serious Ryan Stone.

The visuals: Gravity is in a class by itself. It is how 3D should be done. There is no frantic shifts in perspective, or liberal use of explosions and flashes. The camera perspective remains stable and consistent while still generating a high level of suspense. It is reminiscent of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Some of the sequences are truly breathtaking, watching things unfold right in front of your eyes as if you’re floating up there with them.

The sound: incredibly powerful. The sound effects have such impact because there aren’t much. Sound doesn’t carry in space. So while all sorts of action is happening, you hear nothing except the actors! It is very eerie. Sounds all come through when they travel through on object like the shuttle or a space station. Compared to other movies like Iron Man 3 or Pacific Rim, Gravity uses sound and music masterfully rather than just bashing you over the head with booms, bangs, and heavy instrumentals.

It is really the careful balance of visuals and sound that make this movie special. It doesn’t have any more of either compared to others, it just uses them better.

It is a movie that does more with less, in terms of plot, characters, and setting. I love that this movie doesn’t use superheroes, aliens, robots, or vampires to get your attention. Everything that happens in the movie could’ve happened or may happen in the near future.

Then there’s the human element: the figurative death and rebirth of Ryan Stone. Stone is haunted by the loss of her daughter, choosing to immerse herself in her work in order to avoid confronting the pain. At one point, she says all she does is work and drive. It makes for a highly accomplished and driven professional but also a pretty sad, hollow human being. She has no friends or family. In the isolation of space she is forced to deal with herself away from work. The trials of space press on her will to survive.

The movie has only five speaking parts, two actors, and one narrative. Ed Harris is mission control, which I didn’t realize until later. I thought that was a cool addition due to his role as Mission Control director Gene Kranz in Apollo 13.

It is in real-time, for the most part, which might sound unappealing but visionary director Alfonso Cuarón pulls it off. There is a constant level of suspense that keeps you engaged without wearing you down. The calm points aren’t really all that calm.

It will get Oscar consideration I am sure, making it one of those rare movies that is both awesome and highly regarded among the award-giving elites. 5 Stars and the best of the year so far.

J

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Latest Update

The Fifth World: The Times That Try Men’s Souls is now available in paperback at Barnesandnoble.com. It is also available on the Nook and Kobo eReaders. An Apple version for the iPad should be out any day now.

I apologize for the delay. I wanted the book available in all formats on Sept. 9th but couldn’t make it happen.

The book should be available at Amazon.com any day now in paperback as well. For now, it is available for the Kindle.

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Update

If you’ve looked online for my new book, The Times That Try Men’s Souls, you’ve found that many online retailers aren’t carrying it yet. As of now, only Amazon and Smashwords are carrying it. I tried to make it available on all retailer sites on Monday but things have changed in the ebook arena. Retailers and distributors are taking longer to process new submissions. They now recommend authors and publishers submit weeks in advance rather than a few days.

For my first book, it took less than a day for Amazon to carry the ebook, and a few days for most the others. Apple took two weeks. This time around, Amazon again was the quickest but we are now at day 6 and the others still haven’t been able to put it live. This is my fault for not checking on the time tables for new ebooks, which are significantly longer than last year.

Last time, the paperback version of my book was available the minute I approved the proof. I used Createspace, but decided to go with a different Print-on-Demand (POD) service that could place it with more retailers, besides Amazon. My new POD service informed me it may take several weeks. Again, Amazon will be the quickest, with the new title likely being available next week.

I will try to let everyone know the minute the ebook is available at Barnes & Noble, iBookstore, and the others. For now, the ebook is downloadable at Smashwords. The file is compatible with nearly all e-readers, including the NOOK and iPad. I will also announce exactly when the paperback becomes available.

I apologize for the delay as this process is still fairly new to me, and very new in terms of the technology. Self-publishing ebooks was impossible just a few years back. The industry is still working out some of the bugs.

For now, it is available on Amazon and Smashwords for $3.99.

J

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Book Review: Starship Troopers

 

Robert Heinlein has been a significant influence on me the past two years. In fact, I’ve found that many of the things I’ve been looking for in science fiction, he has already written. My fictional timeline has an off world rebellion and a political system where suffrage was no longer universal. Little did I know that Heinlein had already written two masterpieces based on those ideas.

Starship Troopers is the second Heinlein novel I’ve read. The first, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, was amazing and is one of my top ten favorites of all time. I didn’t expect as much from Troopers, mostly because of the movie. It is awful. After reading the novel, I know regard the movie with greater disdain.

By itself, it is a great military sci-fi novel, but even better if you consider the timing of its publication. It was published in 1959. America was less than a generation removed from World War II and barely six years from the Korean War. The Cold War was reaching its height and Vietnam lingered in the background. Most Americans had been touched by war directly, but the Peace Movement was still a few years off. The military draft was stripped down thanks to all sorts of new deferments. People were very sensitive towards war, fascism, communism, and discrimination. The Civil Rights Movement was reaching its peak at the time as well.

Then this novel comes along: glorifying military service, portraying a future war against an alien species, and illustrating a future without democracy or universal suffrage. Not exactly mainstream ideas.

In Starship Troopers, the world is governed by a world order called the Terran Federation. In this new society, citizenship, and with it suffrage, is no longer universal. One way to gain citizenship is to volunteer for the Federal Service. Young Juan Rico decides, in a split-moment decision, to join the Federal Service, specifically the Mobile Infantry, the grunts of the new army, which use powered suits that give soldiers incredible firepower and mobility. They can jump dozens of feet into the air and are equipped with small atomic weapons and flame throwers. Very cool stuff.

This is the exo-skeleton or e-frame weapon system, a smaller version of the battle mech.

At every turn the officials and his family are telling Rico not to enlist. Voting is seen as a nominal civil right, not worth the sacrifice (almost 40% of Americans agree). There is also the risk and threats of service in the Mobile Infantry. There is the tough experience of basic training of course, and also the risk of war.

The story follows Rico through basic training, where he experiences something that only veterans would know. Civilians, like me, cannot relate to this part of the book. It is a tough experience meant to screen out those unfit but also unserious about serving. Rico finds himself going through the motions not believing in the ideals behind why volunteers are meant to serve. I still don’t understand why Rico stayed in, or decided to go career.

War breaks out during basic, putting Rico in a situation where he will indeed see combat on distant worlds. The enemy is an arachnid species, most people just call bugs. They are an advanced hive society with space travel and some weaponry but are like termites or ants, in that only a few do the thinking while the rest serve.

During Rico’s term, he is constantly taking courses in numerous subjects, learning not only martial skills but philosophy and ethics. This is where the book is strongest, even if a little dull.

One great lesson is the one on moral behavior. The question stems from the law that grants suffrage only to those who serve. The idea is only those demonstrating civic virtue, or exhibit morally upright behaviors, may participate. This illiberal concept was probably pretty offensive in the 1960s. Yet, in an era where many Americans can’t name a single Supreme Court Justice, can’t locate Mexico on a map, don’t know how their tax dollars are spent, and can’t identify a single Constitutional amendment, it is easy to wonder whether their should be some sort of test for enfranchisement.

The instructor, who is Heinlein I’m guessing, claims humans develop moral behavior as an extension of the innate survival instinct. In other words, morality isn’t nature, its from nurture or from one’s upbringing. It needs to be developed. Only those that prove they have such civic virtue should have a say in a society’s governance.

Heinlein’s instructor argues only survival instincts are innate. A primitive barbarian only has the natural instincts for self-preservation. At some point people formed clan, tribal, or societal bonds to improve the chances of everyone’s survival through cooperation. Certain behaviors had to be learned, taught, and regulated in each new generation. It requires some to sacrifice themselves for others, such as when men fight to the death to defend women and children.

Moral behavior is developed in youth and adolescence through training, similar to the training of a dog. Negative behaviors are punished, minimizing selfishness and encouraging responsibility. This flies in the face of today’s coddled child-raising philosophy: no punishment, everyone gets a trophy, self-esteem is more important than achievement, and constant positive reinforcement. All to appeal to a child’s “better nature.”

The problem is, as the instructor sees it, this doesn’t cultivate moral behavior. A human is not naturally good, and doesn’t have an innate “better nature.” It is learned, not innate. A few possess it naturally but they are the exception, not the rule.

Hard to disagree when one sees the reckless, and often violent behavior of America’s youth today. They do not seem to behave or operate with any greater morality, productivity, or wisdom than any previous generation.

I was once a child, and remember that in the rare times I thought I had no boundaries or wouldn’t be punished, I felt like all that free space belonged to me and became upset when it was taken away. For spoiled children it can be upsetting when society starts taking it back. Adulthood can be a rude awakening.  To them, “pleasure and success must be ‘moral’”. Responsibility or duty to others is foreign, or thought of as a silly, backward, or oppressively strict way of living.

It’s all great stuff until Heinlein takes a shot at natural rights and freedom. Here he gets into a murky area of straw man arguments in favor of natural rights and revisionist history.

The theory most at odds with Heinlein’s Terran Federation is the theory of natural rights. It is an enlightenment theory that holds that individuals possess certain inherent rights, bestowed to them by their Creator, that government cannot infringe upon. These rights supersede any law of man, no matter how that law came to be enacted. Heinlein’s instructor seems to think these inherent rights are meaningless without individuals having superior civic virtue, or engage in moral behavior; a government can deny certain basic civil liberties until you’ve proven you are worthy.

The problem is the instructor goes on to bash things that aren’t really natural rights at all. It is not so much straw man as a complete misrepresentation of the concept of natural rights. (ADD MORE HERE)

As for the story itself, it is good but not great. Rico and the other characters are all pretty similar (they’re all soldiers or former soldiers). I liked Rico for the most part but didn’t become particularly attached. The book has only a little action. The few battle sequences are difficult to follow too. The military jargon is confusing and clouds the action.

I liked Rico but his thinking for enlisting, then deciding to become an officer after a walk on an alien planet, is totally spontaneous. Who makes decisions that way?

Aside from that, a pretty good book. It makes the movie look REALLY bad. The ideas carry the day for a less than captivating story. The powered suits are also very cool and innovative for 1959.

J

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The Times That Try Men’s Souls, Available on Kindle

The Fifth World: The Times That Try Men’s Souls, is officially on sale for the Amazon Kindle. It will be available on the Apple iPad, Barnes & Noble Nook, and Sony E-Reader shortly. I was hoping it’d be there for all four e-readers at once but the internet just couldn’t make it happen.

For the Kindle, you can buy it at:

http://www.amazon.com/Fifth-World-Times-Oraibi-ebook/dp/B00F23WSFA/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1378761208&sr=1-3&keywords=jacob+foxx

The paperback edition will be available next week at certain retailers. By the end of the month the book should be available everywhere.

The lesson: set release dates far in advance so all the editions are available at once.

J

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