Literature of Horror, Sci Fi, and Fantasy

In a fun short story, Stanislav Lern comments on the utility of relying on other people, particularly those in government you might elect to represent your interests. In The Seventh Voyage , other beings claiming to represent himself and his own interests actually end up delaying his salvation far longer than needed be. Every individual in the story thought that he knew better than his counterparts and would actively try to oppose them to prove it. Seniority never mattered to the younger versions, and the older versions seemed too preoccupied with their claimed superiority to want to cooperate with the demands of the younger versions. At one point, two characters looked at a door, expecting the other to open it. Neither of them did. You would think that having lived through it, he would see the flaw in what was about to happen in interacting with his past self, as he had already seen it from the other end. And yet, each time he tries, and each time he fails. He resorts to lying and...

Parable of the Sower is wise beyond it's years and contains striking commentary on religion and why we practice it. I adore this book, and would love to read more by this author. Rich with symbolism, Parable of the Sower introduces you into an apocalyptic world in a beautiful, almost poetic way: by telling us that we can see the stars. It sounds so normal, doesn't it? But if we can see the stars, what must we not be seeing? City lights. In a world after city lights, we delve into a landscape where civilization has dissolved and the true horrors of humanity can be seen in the real light of nature. As someone who adores the concept of an uncaring "God" or an uncaring universe, I found that Parable of the Sower reached me very well, and put to words many of the thoughts I'd had myself. Though her religious ideology differs from mine slightly, I still found her point of view highly respectable and very critically thought-out given to the world around her. Lau...

Neuromancer takes place in a futuristic neo-Japan that explores the effects of technological and urban sprawl on humanity. It offers a quick paced noir writing style that you'd half expect to see inside a detective's report. Only key details are mentioned, with very little fluff or pause for reflection. This suits the purpose of the novel quite well as it speaks to the nature of the changes of humanity in this new world. Much of Neuromancer feels like a commentary on human nature. While it is a sci fi novel, like most sci fi that I've experienced, uses technology as a tool rather than the subject. As well, the use of placing this novel in the future is a literary element used to believably exaggerate human nature. In this world, people are seen with much less individuality than we know today. Case spends his days and nights in small pod-like rooms called "coffins" that he rents every night. Very little mention of houses or individual residences are made, so ...

1) What is your reaction to the text you just read? I am equal parts disgusted and interested. While the specifics of this text were gorey and gross, the premise of it is very interesting. The social dynamic between Gan and T'Gatoi is unique and forms a relationship I feel there is so much more to than the short text allows. Meaning, their relationship is hinted as being far more complex than it is shown to be on the surface. I am also fascinated by the relationship between humans and the Tlic. It was said that humans or "Terrans" were fleeing from their homeworld to avoid enslavement, and found salvation as hosts for the Tlic. I'm interested in the fate of humanity on Earth. How did humans evolve to be compatible hosts for these creatures? What is Tlic society like? How do they truly see humans? What is outside of the Preserve? These questions posed by the short story leave me curious about the world created by it. 2) What connection did you make with the stor...

The Left Hand of Darkness was the first book I've read this semester that I've had very mixed feelings about. For a number of reasons, I found this book to be successful, but to an equal degree, found it lacking. One thing that I do adore about this book is the bold exploration of gender and sexuality. Written during a time where anyone not straight and cisgender was likely to be ostracized, The Left Hand of Darkness stands in contrast. To allow even closed minded readers to undestand, Le Guin places you into another planet, as a foreigner. You are a human from Earth, dropped in the middle of a new world and struggle to interact with other beings that are entirely new to you. She does this purposefully, to place you into an entirely new frame of mind and rid you of your preconceptions about what a person is and what their gender and sexuality might be. In many ways, this was very successful, but in some ways I found this to falter. While I adore that the creatures are ase...

The degree of worldbuilding exhibited in The Stars, My Destination by Alfred Bester was astounding. From my perspective, it seems like the author decided to implant a few drastic changes to our current reality, and simply let the rest of the universe fall into place around it. In The Stars, those changes were the setting, and the ability of humans to teleport. He considered every possible way that our reality would be affected by these two changes. Everything from planetary systems as a whole to the individual man or women would be affected by these changes. How would we go to work? Without a need for public transportation, people in The Stars have created platforms with black and white symbols for easier memorization to aid their daily "jaunte". But, then, what happens to manual forms of transportation? You would think that cars and bikes would become extinct. However, ever more appropriate is the conclusion that Bester came to: in a world where everything moves in a...