THE LEFT HAND OF DARKNESS

                THE FICTION OF IDEAS



As I began to read this book, I realized that it definitely was not a space adventure.  My first impression was that it featured a different way of thinking about sex, gender, and it featured male dominance.  The Gethenians, even though they are men/women, acted too much like men.  One of the mind experiments presented was a society with men or women who share the biological and emotional makeup of both sexes.  The idea of once a month a person could develop into a female or male with sexual characteristics was totally mind blowing to me.  The idea of one time being a male and the next time being a female is just weird.  I do think that the idea that both male and female should take part in the raising of children was good.  This idea became reality in today's world because the responsibility of raising children with both parents having jobs is now shared.  The burden is no longer left to one parent.  This mind experiment also presented the idea of same sex partners which is currently happening, even in marriages.

Secondly, the theme of religion was also prominent with two different types.  These forms of religion to me represented a form of Christianity (Yomeshta) and Taoism/Buddhism (Handdara).  Taoism seemed to follow a more spiritual rhythm of nature in the sense of adaption rather than conquering.  More of a sense of unity and peace.  Whereas, Yomesh Cult focused on enlightenment and darkness and the idea of absolute knowledge by one leader.  In my opinion, this created a cultural distinction between societies.  Even today, religion plays a huge role in some of the world's problems.

In conclusion, some of the ideas presented in this book reminded me of the song "Imagine" by John Lennon.  Imagine a society without war and without sexuality playing a factor in social relationships. Imagine a society where prominent people are really interested in different cultures and are motivated to preserve rather than conquer them.  A world where rape, guns, and seduction are absent from society.  A society based on loyalty and integrity without betrayal.  I feel society is straying further and further away from these ideas.  This book introduced me to a different way of thinking about society.

THE STARS MY DESTINATION / SERENITY

           
                                               SPACE OPERA AND THE NEW FRONTIER
                                                                                                                         
This book by Alfred Bester expresses the theme of the power of imagination and shows how inner beliefs and feelings can become reality. Gully, the main character in the book, reminds me of Bilbo Baggins in the Hobbit. Gully had very little ambition, no dreams, no imagination, and very little confidence. These characters were very similar to Bilbo. As the story progresses, Gully just like Bilbo, finds a purpose in life, strength, and courage.  Both characters are on a heroic journey with Bilbo and his quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom and Gully with his obsession to pursue the crew of a ship that left him to die and marooned in space.

Gully's quest turns into an adventure story through space. I see him as someone who went from being a hero to a villain. He transforms into a totally different character by being abandoned and betrayed. I believe Gully becomes a bad guy because he was wronged and motivated by revenge. He puts himself in the position of being the most wanted man in the galaxy. I see him as a person warped on revenge who eventually finds his way back and develops a conscience.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
                     
On the Spiritual Level, Gully continues to see a mysterious "Burning Man" image which flickers in and out of existence like a candle flame.  This image I believe represents him and his temper and desire for revenge.  The story also reveals a cult who tattooed Gully's face with a mask of a tiger.  At one point, a love story aspect with Gully emerges.  He falls in love with someone who he really can't have, Olivia, because she is the daughter of his arch nemisis.

This story seems to be a predecessor to the genre of Cyberpunk because the setting was in the future and it focused on high tech and the low life aspects of society.  It explored jaunting which was a personal teleportation across miles.  It also revealed a dark, unfriendly world.  This book had a little of several genres, Heroic Journey, Adventure Story, Spiritual Encounter, and Cyberpunk.  I liked this book very much.  It had a lot of action, suspense, and futuristic vision.  Space Opera is my favorite genre of Science Fiction.

Movie:  SERENITY (2005)

This movie focuses on the genre of action, and adventure, fantasy and space opera.  The movie time frame is set in the year 2517.  Serenity is a spaceship whose crew live their lives smuggling and cargo-running.  This group of renegades are on the run in outer space.  The action and adventure build in this movie as the crew faces a league of rebels, the Reavers who have violent behavior and the work they obtain from criminal activities like smuggling and stealing to offer transport to travelers.  The ship's captain, Mal, reminds me of Han Solo, but with a little less cynical attitude.

One of the parts of the movie that I found interesting was the list of passengers aboard the Serenity.  The professional companion was understandable, but the holy man and the teenage girl who has psychic powers seemed to conflict.  It becomes quite interesting when the Alliance forces become hot on the track of the Serenity in order to recapture the young psychic girl.  The characters in the movie act like cowboys from the old west and their fight against the bad guys.  This movie represents Space Opera because it was set far in the future, the adventure is mainly set in space, and involves conflict between opponents possessing powerful abilities.  Serenity, in my opinion, was a combination of Star Trek and Star Wars, but with a slightly renegade twist.  I enjoyed watching this movie.






                                                                
                                               

ANANSI BOYS / LADY IN THE WATER

                                                 CONTEMPORARY URBAN FANTASY


This book by Neil Gaiman contains dark predictions, mystical trickery, family dysfunction, and of course, killer birds.  The story deals with Animism and Witchcraft.  Animism is a type of religion that comes from Africa.  It consists of dealing with the real world and the world of the spirits filled with ghosts, demons, and magic.

The story describes two brothers, Charlie A/K/A Fat Charlie and Spider, who are completely opposite from each other and their dad who recently died.  Their dad wasn't a normal dad.  He was Anansi, the spider god of Africa.  He represented the archetype from which all tricksters were created.  Anansi was known as the spirit of rebellion who was very capable of creating turmoil/chaos and even confusing the devil.  This family was very dysfunctional.  Charlie never knew who his father really was or that he had a brother until his father died.  Charlie is mild mannered and Spider, his brother, steps into Charlie's life and takes over even to the point that he shows interest in Charlie's fiancee, Rosie.  Spider brings chaos into Fat Charlie's life.  This is an example of what happens when things in life are turned around.  Even though Spider causes problems for Charlie, he still cares for his brother.

Anansi represents a physical reality found everywhere in nature.  Another animistic apparition who appears is the Bird Woman.  She is an evil goddess who brings hordes of dead flamingos down from the sky as a curse on Charlie's brother, Spider.  These represent the myth and mythological figures in the story.  Lastly, this story shows how even gods can be as petty for revenge as humans and how mythology and modern times can impact life.

Movie:  LADY IN THE WATER (2006)

This movie begins with an apartment superintendent named Cleveland Heep who discovers a girl named Story swimming in the pool.  Story represents a Narf who is a character from a bedtime story that is being hunted by a creature called a Scrunt.  Story comes from the Blue World.  This story represents a real world situation combined with mythological characters.

Story's purpose for coming to the real world is to motivate a great writer to complete his work that will create a positive effect on the future.  The writer is Cleveland.  Scrunt is determined to stop her and prevent her from returning to her world and helping Cleveland.  The only one to stop him is the guardian.  The characters are all part of a bedtime story that is being played out.  At the end, an eagle appears and takes Story back to her Blue World.  Heep realizes that she has saved him from hiding himself away and continues to write.  Cleveland is able to overcome his sadness and sorrow from the death of his family with the help of the spiritual world.

In this movie, a suburb was inhabited by mythical creatures.  The message is that the creatures are desperate to communicate warnings to Man, but Man has forgotten how to listen.  The movie was about storytelling and it taught a good lesson at the end.

NIGHT CIRCUS / TIME BANDITS

                             
                                                  THE TAIL OF SPIRITUAL EDUCATION


Erin Morgenstein's novel is very imaginative, magical, and dark.  There were many themes about making choices and following dreams.  The Night Circus is unusual because it never begins its performances before sundown.  The circus seems magical, but serves a darker purpose.  It is the battle between two illusionists bound to each other in a life altering game.  The circus is the setting for a contest between two illusionists, Marco and Celia.

At first, neither character knows who their opponent will be or exactly what the challenge is going to be.  The extreme competition results in some sinister events.  As Marco and Celia get to know each other, a magical love  connection happens.  They feel conflicting responsibilities to themselves and the circus.  The consequences of the game becomes clearer with death.  Their spiritual and moral issues become challenged.  They must decide whether to pursue their love for each other without destroying themselves or the circus.

The circus represents the stage for the battle of imagination and will.  Celia and Marco are in love which seems to be a real love.  The game has to continue and play out with its fate.  Its is important for the game to continue until one of the participants is dead.  Tsakiko, a magician, agrees to help Marco and Celia stop the contest, and proclaim a winner.  Celia realizes the plan and rushes to save Marco.  By doing this, Celia sacrifices herself for love and they both become spirits bound to the circus.  The circus begins to fall apart after their deaths, but Celia and Marco spiritually are tied to the circus and bring back the spirit of the circus.  The couple are now ghosts who haunt the circus together forever.

Movie:  TIME BANDITS

This movie is a fantasy which addresses the theme of ordered society and how it functions.  Kevin is a young boy fascinated with history.  His parents are materialistic and too busy to pay attention to him.  This creates a sad situation.  The solution for escaping this situation for Kevin is through his imagination.  As his journey begins, he encounters a set of time bandits dwarves who have stolen a map belonging to the Supreme Being.  Their intention is to rob history from its greatest treasures.  Kevin experiences evil and danger as he meets legend through different periods of time.  The entire imagination journey is observed by the magical powers of a sorcerer who wanted to put the map to a test.  This is an example of how free will is the reason why evil still exists.  At the end of the movie, Kevin wakes up to find his house on fire and that he was rescued by a firefighter who looks like one of his history legends.  Kevin tries again to explain things to his parents and again they ignore him.  As he watches, his parents are blown up and he is left by himself to face life all alone.  This movie showed both factual and mythological aspects of history.      

THE HOBBIT / THE COLOR OF MAGIC

                                                                  HEROIC JOURNEY

The Hobbit is an epic that reflects elements of the classic hero journey.  It is a story filled with action, magic, and surprise.  Bilbo goes into the crazy world and discovers himself as he travels on his journey.  His journey becomes more difficult with risks and challenges.  Bilbo's daring rescue of the Dwarves teaches him that he does have a strength within himself.  He faces the worst of his fears, conquers them, and confronts deadly creatures.  Bilbo overcomes his fears and at that point, he transforms from who he was into who he was meant to be.  Bilbo faces many dangers such as the three hungry trolls, a group of goblins, Gollum, and a sly dragon named Smaug.

His heroic deeds throughout the story are all the more remarkable because they do not change him.  He discovers capabilities that he did not know he had, yet he never becomes arrogant or never changes his values.  Bilbo had an inner strength that needed to come out.  As his journey continued, he built confidence, became resourceful, and a true hero.  He returned to Bag End where the "new" Bilbo Baggins provided many benefits to others and himself.


Bilbo's personality at the beginning of the story is quiet, meek, and he is afraid of danger.  A classic hero starts out brave and strong right from the beginning.  Bilbo is not willing to participate in an adventure that might be dangerous.  It is only until later that he decides to join the quest.  A classic hero would have accepted the journey right away.  Bilbo longs for home when he is in danger or afraid.  He is not courageous or strong when a problem emerges at the beginning.  Bilbo does not have heroic qualities and always seems unsure of himself until he changes.  Bilbo Baggins likes being a quiet Hobbit, however Bilbo shares some features of the classic hero.  He has the drive to join the quest and his bravery gradually increases.  Bilbo is very intelligent which is a trait of a hero.  He thinks and reacts fast which helps him get out of situations.  Luck and chance are always protecting him.  At the end of the story, Bilbo is a true hero. This book is very good and I recommend reading it.

Movie:  THE COLOR OF MAGIC (2008)

The Color of Magic was fun to watch.  It contains fantasy and comedy that starts with a so-called planet made up from a great turtle with four elephants standing on the back and on their backs rest Discworld.  Discworld contains the greatest college of Wizardry.  At this point, we are introduced to Rincewind who has the reputation of being the worst wizard in the school and therefore he gets evicted.  He meets Twoflower who is rich and happens to be the first tourist in Discworld.  Rincewind becomes the guide and guardian of Twoflower.

As the movie continues, Rincewind and Twoflower begin a journey across the Disc.  The two of them face threats like dodging thieves, assassins, and the inhumanity of man.  They also become involved with trolls, enchanted swords, and dragons.  The two characters really want opposite lives.  Rincewind wants a quiet life and Twoflower wants all the thrills of a dangerous adventure without the risk of death or injury.  These two save the Discworld by their heroic actions.  This becomes a hero journey in a comical way.  This movie mixes an imagined world with great characters in a humorous style.  It is great to watch.                                                            

AUNT MARIA / SUSPIRIA

WITCHES AND WOMEN IN GENRE

Aunt Maria by Diana Wynne Jones is not a typical story about stereotype witches.  Aunt Maria is a sweet, helpless little old lady who likes to talk a lot or so you think as the story begins.  Within her sweetness on the outside, she is an evil witch on the inside.  She has the power of manipulation by appearing to be helpless in her old and crippled age while making everyone feel guilty so that they do as she wishes.  The town of Cranbury-on-Sea, where Aunt Maria lives, is ruled with an iron-hand by Aunt Maria.  She controls all the women, men, and children.  Aunt Maria's power borders more from phycology than direct magic or potions.  Although, she does have the power to cast spells.

Aunt Maria and the women of the town are the only residents with any will of their own.  Their husbands and sons are like zombies and all the children are locked away in an orphanage.  Mig, Chris, and Mom go to take care of poor old Aunt Maria and get pulled into Aunt Maria's emotional manipulation.  Mig is cautious with Aunt Maria, but when Chris rebels, he is changed into a wolf.  Aunt Maria proves that she is at the center of the magic.  A ghost haunts the downstairs bedroom at night and a cat stalks around outside which looks very much like a servant that had been employed by Aunt Maria.  Mig now realizes the situation and is determined to get her brother back and save the town from dear, sweet Aunt Maria.

In conclusion, this book examines the workings of families, family roles, obligations, and the relationship between sexes.  It combines eccentric characters, morals, magic, time traveling, the ability to portray human behavior and the bond between siblings.  Aunt Maria is one of the most hateful and hateable villains.  She is a witch in the archetypes sense.  Every witch in Cranbury-on-Sea had their own aims, views on the gender war and personality.  Aunt Maria talks until her ideas are implanted into someone's head making the victim think she's right.  Aunt Maria is a typical woman with power.  Our culture makes our strong women to be overpowering and domineering.  Aunt Maria fits this description.  One thing that I took away from this story is not to judge a book by its cover or what a person appears to be on the outside is not always what they are on the inside.

Movie:  SUSPIRIA (1977)

This week's movie, Suspiria by Dario Argento, really had me on the edge of my seat.  The movie starts with a young American dancer traveling to Europe to attend a famous ballet school.  This movie has many chilling and gory scenes which start with the taxicab ride.  A flash of lightning reveals a shadowy image of a knife reflected on a tree stump.  A superimposition screaming of a face is reflected on the cab's security divider and this is just the start.  Suzy arrives in Germany only to find that she has entered a witches' coven.

Suspiria is a film where intense colors, mental states, and discordant music blend together into a dream like horror film.  It is strange and unpredictable.  The idea of a palette rich with primary hues and deep blacks was inspired by the Technicolor of Walt Disney's Snow White.  Yet, an abstract daemonic presence haunts this film.  A coven of witches summon an entity beyond their power to control.  I found it strange that Suzy never seems horrified at what goes on around her.  She seems to take it all in visually, but her curiosity seems to come through much stronger than anxiety or fear.  In conclusion, this movie is a fairy-tale of the supernatural with a mixture of childlike wonder and very much adult horror.  If you have a weak stomach and scare easy, I do not suggest this movie. 

THREE MOMENTS OF AN EXPLOSION / FREAKS

                                                                   NEW WEIRD

Three Moments of an Explosion by China Mieville is a book which contains 28 short stories.  The New Weird fiction is different from horror or fantasy fiction.  It mixes the supernatural, mythical, and even scientific themes.  In this book, stories are created in an arrangement of different worlds and settings.  The stories psychologically create panic and demonstrate weirdness of the world.  They represent a world where mystical and dull coexist and feed on each other.  I found some of the stories to be confusing.

An example of weird fiction is presented in the short story Polynia, where the sky over London is taken over by floating icebergs.  It represented a ghostly haunting.  I believe the theme is the destruction of the earthly humans (global warming) by environmental mismanagement.  A second example is a story named Covenhithe, which starts out typically with a man and his daughter walking along a beach in England.  A destroyed oil rig comes to life and crawls out of the ocean.  This is symbolic of the ruins of industry.  Most of the stories use backdrops of surreal images and anti-real strategies.

I believe the future trend in genre of horror will deal more with technology.  The fear of the power of network effects such as computer hacking and the dangers of connectedness.  This will happen as privacy and information security concerns increase.  The need to always be connected by a phone or the internet and the need to check-in shows a fear of isolation or being stranded.  I also believe that issues such as terrorism, the economy, and global warming will generate themes aimed at post apocalypse fiction.

Movie:  FREAKS (1932)

This film by Tod Browning upset many people in 1932.  It is a horror film in which the characters were played by actual carnival sideshow performers that had real deformities.  Freaks provides an opposite view.  The physically deformed individuals "freaks" are really trusting and honorable members of society.  The real monsters are the two normal members of the circus who plan to murder one of the freaks to get his large inheritance.  At the end, they both get punished, one by death and the other becomes a freak herself by loosing her beauty and becoming a bird girl thanks to the sideshow performers.

Freaks tends to horrify the viewers rather than frightening.  In 1932, this film really puts disabilities and differences in people on the screen to the point of being a shocker.  It made people open their eyes and realize the "freaks" were real people and absolutely normal.  Today we do not see these people as being weird or freaks.  There are many birth defects and accidents that have created people with disabilities.  They are accepted and actually helped by many organizations.