Criticult.Com

Labels: Playlists, TylerDFC

In an instant, the world changes. The power goes out, planes fall from the sky, and most frightening of all, gunpowder and gasoline stop igniting. Humanity is sent back to the dark ages in an instant. Welcome to The Change.

Dies the Fire by S.M Stirling follow 2 groups of characters in Oregon that spend much of the narrative apart but their stories run parallel. First we meet ex-Marine and private pilot Mike Havel. He is ferrying the wealthy Larsen family to their mountain home outside of Salem when the Change occurs. All instruments on his plane cease to function and he crashes into a river. Mike rallies the Larsens and they make their way across the wilderness to try and reach civilization.

In Corvallis we meet Juniper McKenzie, folk singer and Wiccan, her daughter Eliir, and bar owner Dennis. She is playing a gig when the lights go out and before confusion really sets in, a boom sounds from downtown as a 747 smashes to the ground and sets fire to the town. People quickly learn it’s not just the lights that are out, but all electronic and electric devices have ceased to function, battery operated or not. As looters smash in a nearby electronic store a cop pulls his gun to dissuade them and fires a warning shot only to be met with a dull click. The thugs see this, pull their own guns and fire and theirs fail to go off as well.

Sensing that it’s time to get out of dodge, Juniper, Eliir, and Dennis head for Juniper’s cabin in the woods outside of town, picking up friends and stragglers along the way.

As the story progresses Mike and Juniper’s groups fight for survivival and attempt to adapt to a world where sword and chainmail have once again become cutting edge technology.

Dies the Fire is the first part in a 9 book (and counting) series called The Emberverse. The series is divided into 3 self contained trilogies. It is tied to Sterling ’s previous series “Island in the Sea of Time ” which dealt with the island of Nantucket being enveloped in a mysterious storm and being transported back to the Stone Age. The Emberverse series is about what happened to everyone left behind.

The strength of the novel comes from Stirling’s detailed descriptions and logical progression of events in the post Change world. Apocalyptic fiction is one of my favorite genres and Dies the Fire stands with the best just on premise alone. Whether or not it is ever explained in the series, it is a stroke of genius to eliminate gunpowder, electronics, and explosives from the equation. This alone is enough to set the novel apart from typical apocalyptic stories. Where it really shines is in the recounting of how Mike and Juniper’s groups grow from a handful of scared survivors to hundreds of battle hardened warriors fighting together in alliance.

The story is detailed without being particularly dense but there are times where the action slips out of control from the narrative. In a couple of instances I had to re-read a couple of pages to catch what happened to a secondary character. Also, the ending seems to arrive with little run up as the heroes join forces in a joint assault on a mutual enemy.

Speaking of the enemy, very little text is given to Professor Norman Arminger, the self proclaimed Protector of Portland and the Willamette Valley . When the change occurs he uses his knowledge of medieval warfare and gang society to convince the criminal element of Portland to join forces with him in order to rule this new world. His building of a fort to try and control the Valley where Mike and Juniper’s groups make their home is the impetus for the final battle. The second book in the series is called The Protector’s War so I am guessing it will go into more detail on Arminger and his plans.

As the first in a series Dies the Fire sets the stage for epic battles to come.

Labels: Cannonball Read, TylerDFC

In honor of the stellar (yes, stellar) ending to Battlestar Galactica this past Friday I have dug up and re-posted my original review of the mini series when it first aired back in 2003. Because really, why not?



"Life here, began out there..."

Lieutenant Starbuck. Captain Apollo. Commander Adama.
If you are in your early 30's then these names should
bring to mind two words: Battlestar Galactica. It
was a cult hit that lasted 2 seasons (actually a
season and a half) on ABC in 1978 and 1979. It told
the story of a "rag tag fugitive fleet", the last few
thousand humans left, desperately trying to outrun the
metallic menace of the Cylon race and reach a mythical
planet called Earth. In the original pilot movie, the
Cylons attack their home worlds called the Twelve
Colonies and force these remaining ships to go on the
run. Led by the warship Galactica and defended by
their fleet of fighters called Vipers, the survivors
tried to maintain order and to use all of their
resources just to survive. Each episode they would
encounter trouble and over come crisis in the form of
supply shortages or one of the many Cylon attacks but ultimately
they would keep on trucking. At least until ABC pulled
the plug midway through the second season.

The thing that always struck me abou t the show was the link to
Egyptian mythology. In the late 70's there was a
revival in all manner of Mysteries of the Earth shows.
Numerous "documentaries" were created about the likes
of the Bermuda Triangle, Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot,
and of course the possibility that Egyptians, Mayans,
and the like were aided by extraterrestrials in the
construction of their most magnificent temples and
monuments. The names of ships and characters on the
show were straight out of mythology: Apollo, Cassiopeia,
Pegasus, etc. The helmet that Vipers pilots wore bore a striking resemblance to the headpiece of
an Egyptian pharaoh, specifically the worldwide tour in the late 70's of the mummy of King
Tutankhamen.

I bring this up to show the differences between the
old version, and the new mini-series that just aired
on Sci-Fi. The Egyptian motif is gone. The hippy
sensibility of the fleet and its leaders is gone. The
humor is gone. This is 9/11 set in space on a grand
scale.

The movie begins with spare text overlapped on shots of
a ship docking at a lone space station. No music. The
starkness and quiet is reminiscent of "2001"

THE CYLONS WERE CREATED BY MAN.

THEY WERE CREATED TO MAKE LIFE EASIER ON THE TWELVE
COLONIES.

AND THEN THE DAY CAME WHEN THE CYLONS DECIDED TO KILL
THEIR MASTERS.

It continues in this vein and ends with:

NO ONE HAS SEEN OR HEARD FROM THE CYLONS IN 40 YEARS.

That is really all the background that is given through
the course of the next 4 hours. This is a human story
and very little is given to explaining how things
work. Some ships have warp drives that allow them to
"jump" to pre-calculated spots in space. Others do
not. The ships seem to fire some kind of bullet, as
opposed to a laser, but little explanation is given.
Radio transmissions suffer from time lag due to
distance, and there is no "future look" to any of the
proceedings. They dress like us, talk like us, have
morning news programs, cancer, nuclear weapons, and a
department of education. Then on the day that the last
remaining warship from the Cylon War is being
decommissioned and turned into a museum, their world
comes to an end.

The Galactica was designed to function with computer
components that were not networked together. The
Cylons had the ability, since they are machines, to
disrupt networks and control them. So the Battlestars
were created where many things are done manually and
non interlaced. Acute fear of technology is one theme
that is prevalent throughout the movie. It is a fear
that is validated early on when the Cylons, fresh from
unleashing hundreds of 50 megaton warheads on the
twelve planets, render powerless the Colonial fleet.

The "how" is explained, the why never really is. In
numerous scenes the Cylons make reference to "God",
and seem to believe they are on a crusade from Him to
wipe out humanity. The religious zeal of Al Qaida
seems to be the metaphor here. Since the Cylons have
twelve models that look and act human, the theme of
"the enemy is us" becomes clearer. When the main
characters, Captain Lee "Apollo" Adama, Commander
Adama, Lieutenant Kara "Starbuck" Thrace, and others
learn of what has happened to their worlds the
reactions are varied and powerful. Some react with
disbelief, others anger, some with panic. Over time,
when the number of humans left is around 50,000, those
emotions coalesce into dread and hopelessness.

This is powerful stuff and I was surprised by how well
it was done. The camera work is primarily handheld and
gives the drama an immediacy much like NYPD: Blue
and The Shield. Early on a space station is
destroyed by a Cylon attack and a large piece of
degree rushes toward the camera. At the point when you
think it will fill the screen and face to black (as we
have seen numerous times before) the camera's view is
wildly shifted, as if the debris smashed into the
camera. It could be dismissed as a gimmick if that
"reality" aspect was not carried through the entire
show.

I know I have mentioned little about the characters,
acting, dialogue, effects, or even the plot. The
acting ranges from understated and intense to over the
top. Some of the dialogue is hammy, but most of it
hits the mark. Edward James Olmos is incredible as
Adama. In his early scenes he portrays Adama as a well
respected and revered father figure to the crew
of the Galactica. As the crisis ensues he transforms
into a battle hardened veteran and is forced to make
decisions that will ultimately take the lives of his
crew and those that depend on him for the good of the
fleet. From the moment the Cylon attack begins he is
desperate to enter the war. His realization at the
end, that the war is already over and they are now in
a battle against extinction, is profound and handled
with nuance.

The special effects are understated and very good.
Ships move as you would assume spaceships should. The
only sound they make is a retro jet firing to turn and
rotate, and a muffle thump from their weapons. The
almost silent battles are eerie and underline the
desperation and futility of what they are doing. The
ship design is all well done, and the "new" Vipers are
sleek and powerful, while looking exactly as you
remember from the original show. The producers pulled
off a neat trick to feature new designs as well as the
ones that fans of the series will remember.

I could keep going on but I would rather leave it to
you to discover. I'm sure it will be on DVD in the
next few months. Do not pass up the chance to see it.
The movie is left with several loose ends and one
large twist in the final frame that leads one to think
that the intention is for the story to continue. Even
if it does not, these four hours are well worth any
science-fiction fan's time. Think of it as the
anti-Star Trek; Humans above technology.

For anyone that has yet to watch the best science fiction series of all time, here is how it all began:

Labels: Battlestar Galactica, TV

I'm a big fan of Wicked, and I'm happy to say that A Lion Among Men gets the series back on track after the meandering and unsatisfying Son of a Witch. This time around Gregory Maguire is focusing on Brr, known to us as the Cowardly Lion.

As Oz prepares for war, Brr is sent on a mission from the Emerald City to gather information from an old nun named Yackle. In order to interview the nearly dead maunt Brr must travel to the Cloister of Saint Glinda, a convent that unfortunately lies directly between the approaching army of the Emerald City and the resistance fighters of Munchkinland. Also caught in the middle is the mysterious fortune-telling Clock of the Time Dragon and its' keepers.

Some background: When Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West) and her sister Nessarose (killed by Dorothy's house) were killed, their half brother Shell became Emperor of Oz. He has taken that mantle (after Glinda and the Scarecrow took a turn) and is now obsessed with bringing the sececed nation of Munchkinland directly under Emerald City control.

Brr is trying to gather information on the whereabouts of Liir, Elphaba's son and rightful heir to the throne, but the reasons why and how he came to be a civil servant to Emerald City is all part of the journey. Like every other Maguire book, it isn't so much about plot as it is about the characters.

This is book 3 in the Wicked series and newcomers will be lost if they have not read the earlier books. While much of the story functions as a stand alone tale about the Lion, the ending can only be appreciated fully by those that have been on the journey from the beginning. Questions are answered, but this in turn reveals other questions. The "action" in A Lion Among Men takes place in one night, making this the most urgent of the series so far. The middle chapter always suffers a bit in an epic, and this one definitely is The Empire Strikes Back of the Wicked books. It starts with things going poorly and ends with a declaration to join forces and find/rescue another character.

If you are already a fan of the Wicked series there is a lot to like here. Brr is a fascinating anti-hero, not so much cowardly as he is opportunistic. While I never grew to positively like the character, by the end I at least understood him. His interactions with Yackle supply the most entertaining sections as the Lion attempts to draw information from the old maunt while she in turn is searching for something from him. The final 30 pages or so pack a lot in and several revelations are unveiled one after the other.

I've liked all of Maguire's re-imaginings of old tales, but the Wicked series is my favorite. Something about taking the structure of The Wizard of Oz, turning the whole narrative on its' ear and keeping the tone deadly serious works for me. When A Lion Among Men ended I was already thinking ahead to the next chapter and who it might focus on next time. I have my suspicions but I'm even more intrigued by one of the final lines of dialogue:

"Don't you understand? She's coming back..."

Looking forward to Book 4 already.

Labels: Cannonball Read, TylerDFC

Sometimes I become interested in a book based on title alone. I think it was a blurb in EW that I first read of Say You're One Of Them and I became intrigued by the premise and found the title to be wonderfully evocative and frightening at the same time. So I tried to get the book from my local library but it was on order with no release date. After tiring of waiting, I finally ordered it from Amazon after Christmas. The book was both what I expected and nothing that I was ready for.

The book consists of five short stories told from the perspective of children in Africa and gives a human view of such horrifying topics as ethnic cleansing, child slavery, extreme poverty, and religious warfare. Often the title of a book bluntly describes the contents or a specific subject of the book. However the phrase "Say you're one of them." or a similar sentiment is invoked at some point in all of the stories and underlines the premise of an "us vs them" mentality and in many of the stories the children's only hope of survival is by blending with "them" and hiding their otherness.

The first story, "An Ex-Mas Feast" describes a family on the streets in the slums of Kenya on Christmas Eve, as told by Jigana, an 8 year old boy. It establishes quickly that these stories will not shy away from the horror it describes, nor will it glorify or present it as mere titillation. Like a reporter, Nigerian author and Jesuit priest Uwem Akpan recounts the details of this family's life as simple fact, with little commentary or expression on how the reader should feel. The family expresses gratitude when they are given a gift of glue from one of the other poor families. They take turns, including the children and babies, inhaling the fumes deeply because this holds off hunger. The oldest daughter is 12 and works as a prostitute, a profession that the parents encourage but ultimately tears the family apart.

The second story, "Fattening for Gabon" is really a novella. Told from the perspective of 8 year old Kotchikpa, it tells the story of 2 children and their uncle, Fofo Kpee, who sells them into slavery. The story plays out like a thriller, with the children first delighted by the attention the slave traders lavish on them. They are told these are NGO activists and are coming to take the children away to Gabon where they will live a life of luxury. It is only as their Uncle begins to have doubts that the plan goes awry and the truth becomes clear to the children. Calling the story harrowing is an understatement. The nonchalant nature of the deal, and the way that so many adults work to deceive the children is repellent. But again, Akpan takes no side in the matter which makes the story even more effective.

The longest story in the book is "Luxurious Hearses" and it is here that I was having a hard time shaking the spell of the book. It tells the story of Jubril, a teenage fundamentalist Muslim fleeing northern Nigeria for the southern villages during a religious riot. Because his father was Christian, he is forced to flee his home and ends up on a bus full of Christians also fleeing to the south. He is forced to try and blend in, a task made much more difficult because his right hand was lopped off when he was arrested for stealing a goat months before.

Jubril is a "good" Muslim in that he hates Christians and is a strong believer in Sharia law, the idea that a country should be governed by strict fundamentalist Islamic teachings. On the bus he is forced to confront women in western style clothing, television, and Christian views which challenges his world view. And through it all he has to keep his right arm in his pocket to hide his stump, because if the other passengers see it they will know he is Muslim and kill him.

This story throws the idea of religious way and ethnic cleansing into stark relief, forcing you to change your perspective on right and wrong. There are few things I hate more than religious fundamentalism in any form. Be it Christian, Muslim, or cultist, I simply do not believe that ancient doctrine has any place in modern society. Believe what you want to believe but leave the rest of us out of it. Unfortunately, the very foundation of religion fundamentalism is to spread the word so like a virus these radical views infect millions. "Luxurious Hearses" is about taking that crucial step away from radical intolerance and understanding that we are all at our core human beings. The shattering conclusion just underlines this revelation making what has come before all the more tragic.

The book wraps up with a story set during the ethnic cleansing in Rwanda and as harrowing and horrific as it is, I was numb after "Luxurious Hearses".

Through these fictional stories, Uwem Akpan shines a light on the dark continent forcing western readers to look at the horrors and not turn away. It is a read I won't soon forget.

For further details, and to read the first story in the collection, "An Ex-Mas Feast", please visit www.sayyoureoneofthem.com

Labels: Cannonball Read, TylerDFC