CMTLitHorror

I Live with You. -Diverse Position Science Fiction For this section I read I live with You by Carol Emshwiller. This short story was an unusual read for me until it was suggested that I put this into the context of a fable tale. In this context what I viewed as questionable action in terms of it being believable.. The suspension of disbelief now takes a hold and everything make sense. The story in itself is about a humanoid being that decides to follow an unfortunate/fortunate and guides the woman into situations outside her comfort zone. Everything this being does it does for her “All the things I get with your money are for you. I don't steal” All this for the sake of entertainment at the woman’s expense both literally and figuratively. But unlike similar stories of home invasion and intrusion this one is taken from the point of view of the being. Additionally, the reader is never explicitly told what the main character is. We don’t know if it’s male or female, black

The League of Less than Ordinary Gentlemen An Analysis of the Punk -Steam and Cyberpunk For this section I attempted to read and then subsequently drop League of Extraordinary Gentlemen by Alan Moore. The genre of both cyberpunk and steam punk has very much now become and aesthetic/look in contemporary and modern works. They have become now a setting which to place a story, game or show. What was then a genre in which tropes and conventional plot points existed now become a tool/setting to drive forward a story. The punk genres now serve as a critique/reflection of our society and values as a whole. For example, In the works Ghost in the Shell, Blade runner, Blade Runner 2049, and Deus Ex: Human Revolution, we are introduced to a world in which personal freedoms are gone and capitalism and materialism reign supreme. The ideas and practices of consumerism and the trade between personal rights in exchange for services and ease of life are prevalent in the works of cyberpunk. H

The Martian -Space Opera For this read I took a jab at reading The Martian by Andy Weir. Being set in the not so distant future of 2035, this take on space travel take a very realistic and conventional approach to space travel. This book in my term successfully makes science cool and enjoyable as much of the conflict that stems from the story is much of Man vs. Environment. The landscape and events are all working against him to kill him. The book deliberately goes into every detail of Mark Watney’s struggle against time and mortality. Although The Martian isn’t a grandiose space opera like Starship Troopers or Star Wars but it contrasts them by being very down and humble. Everything that Watney does for survival Is explained in every possible detail/step that works to inform the reader of the scientific thought/processes that propagate throughout the book. Much like our previous week’s take on contemporary urban fantasy I feel that this book/story fits more as a contemporary

Man in The High Castle - The Fiction of Ideas For this reading I attempted to read Man in the High Castle by Phillip K. Dick . This exercise in fictional ideas gives us an alternative history in which the Axis Powers won WW2 due to Nazi Germany developing the atomic bomb before the Allies. This fictional work deeply exercises social concepts and values throughout the story with the main setting of America being the hot spot of conflict between Japan and Germany. This share rule over America bring with it really interesting concepts and dynamics. Although the show with the same name has the same plot points/setting in the story it starkly contrasts with the narrative. While the novel first starts with Robert Childan the show starts with the spy named Joe Blake. Although the characters and backstories are relatively the same the differences of plot and choices are significantly different. While in the show the reel tapes are the main plot object that compels much of the confl

American Gods   -Contemporary Urban Fantasy "Call no man happy until he is dead"- Shadow Moon American Gods  by Neil Gaiman I found to be profoundly entertaining. Neil Gaiman in my opinion successfully modernizes the historical mythologies of varying Gods throughout recorded history. Through various misadventures the book follows the character called Shadow Moon. We see through the eyes of Shadow we experience everything he experiences, many of which were first for him and arguably the audience. This works in the readers favor as we in a sense area as clueless as him in his various misadventure through him we are introduced into this world Neil Gaiman has set the stage for. Neil modern dramatization/interpretation of old Mythological character are cleverly interlaced with the ideas of American values. This is done through the power of belief.           “So, what came first? Gods or the people who believed in them?” - Mr. Wednesday This implies that the