A Brief History of SF

One of my main interests, in reading and on screen, is the various sub-genres of Science Fiction. However, it is important to know the past, so my "very brief" history of science fiction is now a short video.

Enjoy!

Not Another Remake!

Recently, I have noticed that many television and films in the science fiction genre are retreads of previous offerings. I’m not just talking about Battlestar Galactica, Flash Gordon and even more Star Trek, which is going to be revived with a prequel film later this year. Actually, I am also talking about middle-of-the-road and blockbuster science fiction on the screen. Recent genre films included I am Legend, which is based on the 1954 horror novel by Richard Matheson, and Beowulf, which is very loosely based on an Anglo-Saxon epic. Later this month, Jumpers will debut in theaters. This film is based on a series of books for young adults which began in 1992, but the plot deals with teleportation, hardly a new science fiction concept. Further out, Universal pictures is remaking The Wolf Man, and Fox is remaking The Day the Earth Stood Still. Warner Brothers’ planned feature film version of Justice League, based on an animated television show, which in turn is based on fifty plus year old comic book heroes, has been delayed due to the writer’s strike. Not long ago, Entertainment Weekly published an article, Is science fiction out of ideas? Maybe.

As a long time genre fan, I have often asked why? Yet, as a teacher of middle and high school students, I do remember that teaching science fiction; a topic I seldom used in the classroom, did not endear me to many students. The excellent ezine, Sci Fi Dimensions ran a pair of commentaries on this topic a couple of years ago. The tone of “Kids and Sci Fi” is quite sarcastic, but the author’s points are well-taken. Students just don’t get science fiction themes, and young people are the future. If they don’t enjoy science fiction stories and films, the genre will die off. Kevin Ahern’s “Meekly Going Nowhere” is a more thoughtful discussion of the lack of new ideas in science fiction.

Yet, a look at the highest grossing films of the past couple of decades would indicate that science fiction is healthy enough on the big screen. Video games often use this genre for settings and plot. Unfortunately, many of those are also retro in theme, and again, there is a dearth of new ideas.

Editors and publishers must look for new and entertaining ideas in the manuscripts which come to them. Serious science fiction has long suffered from a focus on dystopia, which is just not particularly entertaining. Some of the mid-sized publishers such as Baen Books are doing a better job of finding action/adventure genre stories, but Baen loves the “series” writer, and the problem with those is that the same characters and themes naturally repeat.

As I have stated previously, I do think some of the small publishers have picked up some of the more entertaining manuscripts lately. Tigra and The Key were both printed by small publishers, and either of these would make a fabulous film, without resorting to a remake of anything. Now if Hollywood would just take a look at Pam’s Pages, I could steer them away from yet another remake.

8 Things for 08

For 2008, I am offering a quartet of lists eight items long. These are in no certain order, but might make readers think of their own favorite things.

Eight books I have read more than once and will no doubt read again
1. Stranger in a Strange Land, by Robert A. Heinlein
2. The Impossible Virgin, by Peter O’Donnell
3. Friday, by Robert A. Heinlein
4. Touch the Wind, by Janet Dailey
5. Shards of Honor, by Lois McMaster Bujold
6. The Ivy Tree, by Mary Stewart
7. Contact, by Susan Grant
8. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

Eight songs I could listen to over and over again
1. I Won’t Last a Day Without You, by The Carpenters
2. The Phantom of the Opera, by Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman
3. The Music of the Night, by Michael Crawford in The Phantom of the Opera
4. Memory from Cats, by Andrew Lloyd Webber
5. Any Dream will Do, from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat, by Andrew Lloyd Webber
6. My Favorite Things, by Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music
7. Jambalya, by The Carpenters
8. Put Your Hand in the Hand, by Elvis

Eight movies to see again and again
1. Star Wars
2. Gone With the Wind
3. The Sound of Music
4. Galaxy Quest
5. Star Trek, The Wrath of Khan
6. Cat Ballou
7. The Dollmaker
8. Ben Hur

Eight things I am passionate about
1. A great story (mine or other folk’s)
2. My family
3. My church
4. My friends
5. Teaching
6. Decent transportation
7. Never spending all day cooking or cleaning
8. Not wasting money

Playing God

I don’t know why, but some folks seem to be fascinated by the idea that a human can play God, or be mistaken for some deity or other. Recently, I reread one such book, Accidental Goddess by Linnea Sinclair. This science fiction romance was originally published by the now defunct LTD books using the pen name, Megan Sybil Baker, but it has been re-released in mass market paperback by Bantam. The story begins in a traditional science fiction manner, using the time travel theme. Readers will enjoy her winning characterizations and sufficient intrigue to keep the pages turning. Fans of fantasy will really enjoy the last half of the book, as Gillie has to reveal her powers, layer by layer, to save the Fifth Fleet, her new found love, and be true to her mission and herself. This novel has much to like, including an examination of what folks worship and why. Since the deity involved isn’t really a deity at all, it is just an accident in time and space, this exploration of humanity’s need for a god-figure shouldn’t offend anyone. Instead, it added a thoughtful aspect to a book which might otherwise be just another romantic comedy.

Author P.C. Cast takes a similar premise, but puts a classical spin on it in her debut novel, Goddess by Mistake. I understand that she rewrote this yarn for mass market publication, including a new title, but I read it in the original small press edition. Cast, an English teacher by trade, now has several books out with one of the larger publishers. I also read her novel, Goddess of the Sea, but I enjoyed the quirky and often quite humorous small press book more. For some readers, saying a book different isn’t a compliment, but for me it is, and Goddess by Mistake is quite different. As an English teacher who’d like to have a publishing career, I see Cast as having accomplished the goals I once set before myself, so bravo Ms. Cast!

Sarah Zettel is writing fantasy romance for the Luna line of books these days, no doubt due to a desire to get paid more for her writing, but her she began her career producing harder sci fi. Indeed, her third novel, Playing God, is infused with strong writing, terrific world-building, complex characterizations, and unique aliens. Zettel has a technical writing background, which lends authenticity to her science fiction. Her sophomore novel, Fool’s War, also examines religious concepts, and I liked it more than Playing God. The main premise of Fool’s War has more to do with Artificial Intelligence than being deified, but Zettel is a remarkable writer who makes me think, and I enjoy that.

Some video games are called “God Games” since the player gets to control just about everything. My hubby is inordinately fond of such games. His all time favorite is "Civilization." I am not sure what he does while playing it, but the game seems addictive. Daughter prefers to rule the lives of some artificial people known as the “Sims,” but being all powerful can keep her entertained for hours on end.

Of course, being a deity has been played for laughs on the big screen more than once. Remember George Burns in “Oh, God”? More recently, my children and I also enjoyed “Bruce Almighty” wherein one of the downsides of being deified is having to either grant or not grant all those prayer requests. I really can’t imagine having all that pouring in, which is why I never want to play God.

Reading about it is rather fun and sometimes even thought provoking, however....