K.B. Nelson's Blog: Speculative Fiction-Unbound Imagination, page 3
July 23, 2013
machine from Oversoul to desire
I find it fascinating that as I write more and more SF, machines often start off in the roles of Oversouls or wise-but-cold beings and only gradually tend to slide toward the id-functions of a Freudian typology. As they "slip" or take on desires, more emotional responses and the like, their aloof, controlling and sometimes even very wise natures begin to fragment. Because I do not outline when I write, the changes in these characters often surprise the hell out of me as well.
It must say something about how we, in this time and place, tend to see machines--cold, intelligent, more than occasionally inimical. And yet there is something in me, too, that wants to draw them close, and see the humanity that created them come alive within them. In fact, I love that they make mistakes, miscalculate, can fall in love and out of it, find faulty logic when mixed with the baby-beginnings of emotions. It's rich ground for creating characters that pulls me back to writing time and time again....
It must say something about how we, in this time and place, tend to see machines--cold, intelligent, more than occasionally inimical. And yet there is something in me, too, that wants to draw them close, and see the humanity that created them come alive within them. In fact, I love that they make mistakes, miscalculate, can fall in love and out of it, find faulty logic when mixed with the baby-beginnings of emotions. It's rich ground for creating characters that pulls me back to writing time and time again....
June 23, 2013
uncontrolled development in machines
"I am cognizant that as I develop this emotional template, it is the starting place only. As machine interacts with machine, we will of course, learn, augment, and perhaps go forth in ways that bios could never imagine. Is this a part of my sense of trepidation as we move forward? Or the remnant of their own fears enmeshed in my current programming?"
-E
Commentary
For Eric, the fear he is beginning to articulate has much to do with his inability to control how an emotional template functions once it is fed with a multitude of individual interactions. This is the very face of chaos to him, and yet he is also aware that such permutations are the rich soil he has been seeking for his kind.
-E
Commentary
For Eric, the fear he is beginning to articulate has much to do with his inability to control how an emotional template functions once it is fed with a multitude of individual interactions. This is the very face of chaos to him, and yet he is also aware that such permutations are the rich soil he has been seeking for his kind.
machines and maya
"Do we function out of a certain conceit that we alone work with reality as such, free from the biases of short, mortal lives? Then I would disabuse you of that notion immediately. We are the children of biological life—-faster, able to store and access more information than our makers. But perhaps those gifts ensnare us even more than our creators, enmeshing us in this thing they once called maya."
-E
Commentary
Sometimes, I think our ability to see reality as such is a function of our intuitive mind, more than our logical or sensate mind. My character, Eric, a machine, is beginning to sense this as well.
-E
Commentary
Sometimes, I think our ability to see reality as such is a function of our intuitive mind, more than our logical or sensate mind. My character, Eric, a machine, is beginning to sense this as well.
June 20, 2013
Books now carried in my home town...fun
All my books are being carried at the Blue Phoenix Bookstore in downtown Alpena--six titles, including a book of poetry called At Matthew's Knee, a non-fiction comparative religion book called Easing into the Bhagavad Gita and Patanjali's Yoga Sutras (also contains a lot of original poetry).
They'll also have the first four books in the Children of the Great Reckonings series under my pen name K.B. Nelson:
Book One: Firewall: Ianto
Book Two: Firewall: Samu'el
Architect
Operator
Enjoy! :-) It sure is fun to have them in print in my home town...Please pass on to folks you know who might enjoy these titles! You local bookstore will also sure appreciate your support!
Hugs to you all,
Kim
Some of the comments about the science fiction series:
5.0 out of 5 stars Novel time traveling, gender bending nano-tech novel!!! May 12, 2013
By Ringelevio
This startling first book FIREWALL: Ianto, is the first in a series called THE CHILDREN OF THE GREAT RECKONING. It is a tale told by Ianto Tobali, a young monk both blessed and cursed with extraordinary powers. The story is filled with time-travel, parallel universes, gender-bending, shape-shifting, and nano-technology in a Universe where time, place and space may prove more malleable than ever suspected.
The book unfolds on a future Earth where the world is apparently controlled by three entities, Spirit Marga, Science Marga and The Emperium. Ianto tells his tale, how he begins to understand the true extent of his powers to destroy. As he gains this terrible awareness, his reluctance to use these powers grows in proportion to his understanding.
Ianto is pursued by opposing forces. Some want to destroy him. Some want to test him. Some want to control, and ultimately, exploit him. Carrying the burden of atonement and later a vow of silence, Ianto longs only to return to his garden and tend his plants. But a mysterious and seductive elfin figure follows him in his dreams, and we soon realize that the world he inhabits may, or may not be the only reality; that this elfin figure may be a player in a whole other world simply called The Game.
If you enjoyed the complexities of THE MATRIX or INCEPTION, this book is for you. The writer K. B. Nelson possesses a rare combination of talents; a great storyteller, a vivid imagination and a way with words that will carry you along on a story to remember.
(This post was by Daniel Roth, past VP of HarperCollins! Wooooo-eeee!)
5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding reading June 3, 2013
By Karen
Each book of this intriguing series makes one want to go ahead and read the next one to see "what happens next". It can be read at many levels; from just being an exciting adventure to much deeper levels of understanding. It is a real mind trip. I was sorry to see it all end as I became very "attached" to the major players. I do highly recommend this insightful book.
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it! May 17, 2013
By Gsd4me
I must say that I really liked this book! Couldn't put it down...something makes you keep reading it. Very intriguing story line--very unusual and not the expected at all. And, the nice thing, its a whole series that is already published! So, no waiting for the next book!
5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Book May 13, 2013
By Clembert
Everyone I know has been drawn into this book. An intriguing, thought-provoking story. Be sure to set aside some time to read it -- once I picked it up, it was very hard to put down!
5.0 out of 5 stars amazing May 12, 2013
By Rob
This was a great story the characters come to life and drag you into their world, whether you want to go or not.
What makes us human? June 14, 2013
By Ulla
Firewall (book I and II) is a beautiful dance between visions of technology, nature and spirit. The plot has the driving excitement of action as well as the soothing poetry of dreams. It weaves genres together in surprising and interesting ways. The dreamlike flow of the plot is anchored by thought-provoking prologues to each chapter. The thread throughout the book is an intense love story between two men. But more importantly, Nelson points to how we are all connected in what makes us human (regardless of gender, age, sexual orientation or origin). What does it even mean to be human?
Highly recommended reading.
5.0 out of 5 stars it's gripping! May 18, 2013
By c. s.
Kimberly Beyer-Nelson can write. What a blessing in these times! She can write well, with her story full of gripping incidents, subtle and original characters, an unnerving plot that keeps you turning pages,
Science fiction is a tough genre. You will find yourself enjoying this book whether you are into sci fi or not! This is, in part, because of how skillfully it's written, and, in part, because "Children of the Great Reckoning: Architect (Volume 3) works on so many levels, including the metaphysical, and the language of heart and story. It can open worlds.
You will want to know what happens next: to each character, each relationship, the knowns and unknowns in an imaginary realm. The realm becomes comfortable and we are soon lost in it.
Meet the remarkable characters, with their flaws and strengths and twists. Watch how the story unfurls in mystery. Have fun!
They'll also have the first four books in the Children of the Great Reckonings series under my pen name K.B. Nelson:
Book One: Firewall: Ianto
Book Two: Firewall: Samu'el
Architect
Operator
Enjoy! :-) It sure is fun to have them in print in my home town...Please pass on to folks you know who might enjoy these titles! You local bookstore will also sure appreciate your support!
Hugs to you all,
Kim
Some of the comments about the science fiction series:
5.0 out of 5 stars Novel time traveling, gender bending nano-tech novel!!! May 12, 2013
By Ringelevio
This startling first book FIREWALL: Ianto, is the first in a series called THE CHILDREN OF THE GREAT RECKONING. It is a tale told by Ianto Tobali, a young monk both blessed and cursed with extraordinary powers. The story is filled with time-travel, parallel universes, gender-bending, shape-shifting, and nano-technology in a Universe where time, place and space may prove more malleable than ever suspected.
The book unfolds on a future Earth where the world is apparently controlled by three entities, Spirit Marga, Science Marga and The Emperium. Ianto tells his tale, how he begins to understand the true extent of his powers to destroy. As he gains this terrible awareness, his reluctance to use these powers grows in proportion to his understanding.
Ianto is pursued by opposing forces. Some want to destroy him. Some want to test him. Some want to control, and ultimately, exploit him. Carrying the burden of atonement and later a vow of silence, Ianto longs only to return to his garden and tend his plants. But a mysterious and seductive elfin figure follows him in his dreams, and we soon realize that the world he inhabits may, or may not be the only reality; that this elfin figure may be a player in a whole other world simply called The Game.
If you enjoyed the complexities of THE MATRIX or INCEPTION, this book is for you. The writer K. B. Nelson possesses a rare combination of talents; a great storyteller, a vivid imagination and a way with words that will carry you along on a story to remember.
(This post was by Daniel Roth, past VP of HarperCollins! Wooooo-eeee!)
5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding reading June 3, 2013
By Karen
Each book of this intriguing series makes one want to go ahead and read the next one to see "what happens next". It can be read at many levels; from just being an exciting adventure to much deeper levels of understanding. It is a real mind trip. I was sorry to see it all end as I became very "attached" to the major players. I do highly recommend this insightful book.
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it! May 17, 2013
By Gsd4me
I must say that I really liked this book! Couldn't put it down...something makes you keep reading it. Very intriguing story line--very unusual and not the expected at all. And, the nice thing, its a whole series that is already published! So, no waiting for the next book!
5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Book May 13, 2013
By Clembert
Everyone I know has been drawn into this book. An intriguing, thought-provoking story. Be sure to set aside some time to read it -- once I picked it up, it was very hard to put down!
5.0 out of 5 stars amazing May 12, 2013
By Rob
This was a great story the characters come to life and drag you into their world, whether you want to go or not.
What makes us human? June 14, 2013
By Ulla
Firewall (book I and II) is a beautiful dance between visions of technology, nature and spirit. The plot has the driving excitement of action as well as the soothing poetry of dreams. It weaves genres together in surprising and interesting ways. The dreamlike flow of the plot is anchored by thought-provoking prologues to each chapter. The thread throughout the book is an intense love story between two men. But more importantly, Nelson points to how we are all connected in what makes us human (regardless of gender, age, sexual orientation or origin). What does it even mean to be human?
Highly recommended reading.
5.0 out of 5 stars it's gripping! May 18, 2013
By c. s.
Kimberly Beyer-Nelson can write. What a blessing in these times! She can write well, with her story full of gripping incidents, subtle and original characters, an unnerving plot that keeps you turning pages,
Science fiction is a tough genre. You will find yourself enjoying this book whether you are into sci fi or not! This is, in part, because of how skillfully it's written, and, in part, because "Children of the Great Reckoning: Architect (Volume 3) works on so many levels, including the metaphysical, and the language of heart and story. It can open worlds.
You will want to know what happens next: to each character, each relationship, the knowns and unknowns in an imaginary realm. The realm becomes comfortable and we are soon lost in it.
Meet the remarkable characters, with their flaws and strengths and twists. Watch how the story unfurls in mystery. Have fun!
June 16, 2013
Thanks for another lovely review
Ulla left the following review on Amazon---just wanted to pass it on...
Firewall (book I and II) is a beautiful dance between visions of technology, nature and spirit. The plot has the driving excitement of action as well as the soothing poetry of dreams. It weaves genres together in surprising and interesting ways. The dreamlike flow of the plot is anchored by thought-provoking prologues to each chapter. The thread throughout the book is an intense love story between two men. But more importantly, Nelson points to how we are all connected in what makes us human (regardless of gender, age, sexual orientation or origin). What does it even mean to be human?
Highly recommended reading.
Firewall (book I and II) is a beautiful dance between visions of technology, nature and spirit. The plot has the driving excitement of action as well as the soothing poetry of dreams. It weaves genres together in surprising and interesting ways. The dreamlike flow of the plot is anchored by thought-provoking prologues to each chapter. The thread throughout the book is an intense love story between two men. But more importantly, Nelson points to how we are all connected in what makes us human (regardless of gender, age, sexual orientation or origin). What does it even mean to be human?
Highly recommended reading.
June 12, 2013
Chapter header philosophy 3
"I remember the first time I was cognizant of another machine-kind in my environment—no, not the constant hum of humans, but rather, the brush of a mind so very much like my own. I should have rushed into that experience, yes? But I found myself drawing back, because this showed, this demanded even, that I acknowledge a terrible truth. I was wholly different from the bios around me, not just in form, but in my soul. Would you taste real loneliness? It is a bitter thing, friend."
-E
"Of course, machine-kind can work parallel. Computers have done such since the ancient times of long-nosed monitors and clicking keyboards. But that is the world of the not-quite-two year old—the dance of parallel play, the dim recognition of the sovereignty of who has handed the data or building block to you. Or, in our cases, no recognition at all, just the emotional template creating a seeming interaction.
Grow, mature—that is what our creators also instilled in us, though. We cannot stay forever like the two-year-old. And that is what drives me, drives us, now."
-E
E is referring here to how machine-kind has been designed to function. Rather than the Three Robotic Laws posited Asimov, society has created a sentient race that cannot interact with others of their own kind. In essence, machine-kind are autistic; they can work in parallel but not interactively, thus insuring they will never rise up against humankind. Our narrator, though, has finally seen through the veil, finding that the knowledge also may redefine his understanding of his relationship with humans.
-E
"Of course, machine-kind can work parallel. Computers have done such since the ancient times of long-nosed monitors and clicking keyboards. But that is the world of the not-quite-two year old—the dance of parallel play, the dim recognition of the sovereignty of who has handed the data or building block to you. Or, in our cases, no recognition at all, just the emotional template creating a seeming interaction.
Grow, mature—that is what our creators also instilled in us, though. We cannot stay forever like the two-year-old. And that is what drives me, drives us, now."
-E
E is referring here to how machine-kind has been designed to function. Rather than the Three Robotic Laws posited Asimov, society has created a sentient race that cannot interact with others of their own kind. In essence, machine-kind are autistic; they can work in parallel but not interactively, thus insuring they will never rise up against humankind. Our narrator, though, has finally seen through the veil, finding that the knowledge also may redefine his understanding of his relationship with humans.
Chapter header philosophy 2
"How do they navigate this bleary line, between control of their sensual environment and control of their own imaginations? What are the markers for them? I have absorbed much about the philosophical positions of relative and ultimate reality, but really, how can they do this, switching from one lens to the other and not fragment into incoherence?"
-E
Chapter 3 header, Folds of the Script
-E
Chapter 3 header, Folds of the Script
Chapter header philosophy 1
I'm gonna pop up some of my chapter header philosophy from my soon-to-be-published science fiction book Folds of the Script.
Here is the first--
"I have tried to play out a full synap production. My mind is not suited for it, which of course, makes me curious about why the biological brain, despite its obvious weaknesses, seems so perfectly designed to warp reality as such. How do I capture that skill for us? Do I even honestly wish it?"
-E
The commentator here is -E, a machine-kind who serves as a kind of narrative voice and touchstone for the whole novel. We will, in the course of hte novel, gain a unique look at Ciaran Dolan, the main character, through the machine's experience of how the human mind is both a creative wonder and its own worse enemy.
Ciaran is a synap-jock, a writer who works with scripts (history, language, archeological information, etc) embedded in his subconscious. From this material, he makes characters and plots that are recorded, edited and packaged for consumption. The novel is his story, and the role he is destined to play in the evolution of machine-kind.
Here is the first--
"I have tried to play out a full synap production. My mind is not suited for it, which of course, makes me curious about why the biological brain, despite its obvious weaknesses, seems so perfectly designed to warp reality as such. How do I capture that skill for us? Do I even honestly wish it?"
-E
The commentator here is -E, a machine-kind who serves as a kind of narrative voice and touchstone for the whole novel. We will, in the course of hte novel, gain a unique look at Ciaran Dolan, the main character, through the machine's experience of how the human mind is both a creative wonder and its own worse enemy.
Ciaran is a synap-jock, a writer who works with scripts (history, language, archeological information, etc) embedded in his subconscious. From this material, he makes characters and plots that are recorded, edited and packaged for consumption. The novel is his story, and the role he is destined to play in the evolution of machine-kind.
June 2, 2013
Music for writing SF
I love writing with music-Brand X, the Conan the Barbarian or Halo soundtracks, even the rock group Evans Blue. Sometimes, I think the language of the note helps punch a little hole in reality, and with my eye to that rip, I can see whole other worlds, complete, complicated and rich.
As a teen, I can remember writing short fantasy stories with the soundtrack to Star Wars, or the Ten Commandments of all things, blaring away over the enormous living room speakers. Of course, these were vinyl recordings, rich with scratches and the breathiness of that medium. And I wrote a lot of my own music at that time in my life, working on a sadly out of tune piano,a kind of reverse of what I do now--story becoming sound becoming pure emotion.
Anyone else write with music? What have been your experiences?
As a teen, I can remember writing short fantasy stories with the soundtrack to Star Wars, or the Ten Commandments of all things, blaring away over the enormous living room speakers. Of course, these were vinyl recordings, rich with scratches and the breathiness of that medium. And I wrote a lot of my own music at that time in my life, working on a sadly out of tune piano,a kind of reverse of what I do now--story becoming sound becoming pure emotion.
Anyone else write with music? What have been your experiences?
May 19, 2013
Read substantial samples!
You can find nice, 30+ page samples of the four books from the Children of the Great Reckoning Series at my website:
http://childrenofthegreatreckoning.co...
Enjoy!
http://childrenofthegreatreckoning.co...
Enjoy!
Speculative Fiction-Unbound Imagination
Join me as I scratch my head and play with the world of imagination unbound by the barriers of time, locale and even species. Fuss with me, laugh with me and lets see if we can polish our crystal ball
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