CyberPunk

            

Knowing about the movie Tank Girl was enough for me to get amped about cyber punk. I have known about that movie since I was an early teen so I guess I have been semi familiar with the genre for some time now.  A heroic ‘badass’ type female character based in a futuristic post apocalyptic world is enough to get anyone’s gears grinding. This movie has been a favorite of mine since early adolescence.

            

Neuromancer was not what I was expecting however. Although I am so familiar with the cyberpunk genre neuromancer really took me into the heart of the genre. If Tank Girl was a drizzle Neuromancer was a hurricane and I can say that I enjoyed this story two to three times as much. I could sit here and drone on about the story and why Neuromancer was ‘badass’ to me or I could just say that this story was highly entertaining and I would recommend it to anyone. 

Space Opera

           

I was excited for this weeks reading because I am very familiar with this genre. My dad was a huge star trek watcher when I was growing up. All generations of Star Trek were commonly on the television for most of my younger years. Star Wars was another huge staple of my childhood. The adventures of Luke Skywalker were common knowledge to me at a very young. My parents happily taught us about Star Wars when they felt we were old enough.

           

When I picked up Shards of Honor I must admit I did not know what I was in for! This romantic intergalactic tale caught me off guard at first but once I got settled into the story and began to know what to expect it went much smoother. Cordelia was a great character to follow throughout the story. Although her constant abduction was a little much, it was a great way for the author to move the plot along and allow for a swift and heroic rescue. I love a good story set in space so for that I was immediately hooked and I enjoyed this read a great deal. I was not ready for the intensity of the love story at first but all in all I had fun with this book.

           

I am not sure if Enders Game counts as a space opera but this is another futuristic series that takes place in space and throughout a planetary system. I enjoyed this book as a young boy and I kept thinking back to it as I read Shards of Honor. I know they don’t really have much in common as far as plot goes but I kept thinking back to  Orson Scott Cards books as I read.

Neil Gaiman

To be honest the world of Neil Gaiman was completely unknown to me before this class. I had never heard the name before, and I had no idea where to begin when approaching his work. As I researched and read prior to the class I realized there was a story that I was familiar with. Tim Burton’s version of Coraline came out in theatres when I was nineteen years old. I didn’t read the book at the time but I did go see the movie in theatres because I have been a Tim Burton fan for most of my life. The research I did for this class led me to the realization that Coraline was based on a book, I felt kind of stupid for not knowing that earlier. So I decided I should read it as penance.           

            

Reading the book after watching the movie was a great way to experience this story. When you watch a movie after reading the book, you are usually pretty disappointed while watching. You notice every small detail that director left out and a lot of times you may like the movie less. When you do it the other way around you are surprised positively with richness of detail and other small extras you miss with the film version. Coraline was a great read and I was surprised with the way Neil puts his stories together. I couldn’t seem to put it down and I was happy when it came time to read The Ocean at the End of the Lane.

            

This second story was nothing like I expected when I first picked it up. His ability to create characters and weave these dark and intricate worlds holds me in and makes it nearly impossible to put the book down until it is finished. I really appreciate the way he catches me off guard with the next twist of the story. I never know what to expect to happen and it makes it a really enjoyable read. This lesson opened me up to an author that I had no idea existed and I am glad that I discovered Neil Gaiman. Reading these two stories makes me want to dive deeper and experience more of his strange and fantastical worlds.

Spiritual Education and Harry Potter

            I’ve got to say that I stayed lame this week and went with what I already knew. Harry Potter is a great illustration of this genre and having read each book a few times I thought I would be able to make an accurate post. I read the first book when I was eleven and from then on I have, like many kids, had an ongoing relationship with the series.

            These books offer a coming of age tale about a young boy, raised by his aunt and uncle, who is unexpectedly thrust into the world of magic. For seven books we follow Harry and his friends through the Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry and witness the adventures they have. While these books were written for a young audience, probably to teach them about growing up and the problems of adolescent life, Harry Potter has a very wide audience and is enjoyed by people of all ages.

            Now on the surface these stories seem innocent and simple, about a young boy growing up in a crazy world. However, like most great stories, there is a lot more going on than meets the eye. While it is of course about everything a teenager would encounter growing up, I also think we have more in depth themes working. The need for a good sense of community and how important friendship is stands out to me immediately. His friends throughout the entire series support Harry very completely; if it wasn’t for them Harry probably couldn’t have accomplished half of what he did. This is also a reason that I connected so deeply with this story, my friends have played a very meaningful role in my life growing up. Another theme I think Rowling is talking about and trying to teach with her books, is about the handling of power and the responsibility that comes with great power. In the wrong hands a great thing could be terrible and in the right hands it could save everything.

            Among these themes there are countless other lessons being taught by this series. For this reason I think Harry Potter is a great read for everyone, whether you are a young person struggling through public schooling, or you’re an adult who has already gone through a lot of that and these books help to give you a different perspective on important issues.

A Rich Fantasy Life

            I was introduced to the world of fantasy at a very young age. My dad was really into reading the Xanth series by Piers Anthony and had almost all of them in paper back. My older sister quickly got hooked to the fantastical worlds offered by Anthony and Tolkien and began to educate us younger siblings. As we move away from the sub genres of horror and more towards fantasy, I feel as though I have a much better understanding of this genre and will be able to offer better insight.

            I can’t remember how old I was when I first read The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings books but I know I was pretty young and I struggled through them. I also have a very vivid memory of watching the old animated version of The Hobbit, we would get the vhs tape at the library and it was always a hit when my mom would bring it home. Needless to say I am very familiar with the heroes journey and also the classic archetypes of the fantasy genre. As I got into highschool and the new feature film versions of The Lord of the Rings came out I was once again compelled to read the books, and with my older sisters help a deeper understanding was achieved. I was no longer occupied with a fascination for the characters and there struggles, now I was interested in their motives and also the symbolism Tolkien was employing. Wait a minute this isn’t about destroying a ring, this is about temptation and greed and maybe our struggles here in the real world.

            I love fantasy’s amazing ability to remove our problems from the real world and put it into a made up world to give us a new understanding of what is really going on. We touched on this with the witch story and I think it is an idea that easily translates to many genres of literature.

Witches

            Before I enrolled in this class I never made the connection between the classic story of the witch and roles of females in western societies. I think it may have to do with my lack of knowledge of witch literature. It may have to do with the fact that I only encountered witch stories as a child and never through literature.  Even after reading the crucible in high school that connection for me was not made. 

            But after reading Terry Pratchett’s  Equal Rites and having such a good class discussion about this topic, it seems glaringly obvious to me. Even the title screams about ideas of inequality and a need for change. We are raised in a world where all MEN are created equally, but what about all people? Of course every human deserves the same treatment no matter what there sex, religion, or race or anything is. But though we all no this to be true, we don’t necessarily live that way and now I believe that is part of the message a good witch tale is trying to express. 

            

            In Equal Rites a female is born thrust into the role normally held by men in the fictional society our story takes place. A woman is born and is prophesized to become a wizard, but of course everyone knows that girls can’t be wizards. As the story progresses however we start to learn that maybe she is capable of pulling through as a wizard, and even the hard-edged characters that surround her begin to believe this as well.  Granny Weatherwax is especially skeptical in the beginning but soon learns that Esk’s (the young female wizards) powers are uncontrollable and she must learn to use them properly, so they travel to the Unseen University for training. 

          This story is riddled with references to the roles of females in society and by exaggerating them with magical powers it can be examined from a different perspective. I really enjoyed reading this book and found it to be more interesting after our class discussion when I continued to read because I was able to put the symbolism and deeper meaning into perspective for myself.

The New Weird

Where is the future of horror headed? With this blog post I have to come clean about my consumption of horror movies and books. Before taking this class I had probably seen five horror movies, total. That being said I still feel like I have a pretty good grasp on the basic archetypes of horror. The new weird however was something totally new to me, and I really enjoyed watching the cabin in the woods, that movie was awesome. Now, where do I think horror movies are going? Here is my un educated call. It seems to me that with the technological revolution going where it is, voyeuristic movies like paranormal activities will rise and have been rising in popularity. The idea that we all have these cell phones that can take pictures and access the internet we will soon be able to record every moment of our lives. For this reason I think those movies seem very real to us, this idea goes back to the blair witch project in my eyes. I also feel like the future is a very popular idea among movie goers. Even outside of the horror movie realm this idea is true. Not only end of the world type movies but ideas of space travel or utopian society are topics among conversation with my friends and other young people.