Week 11: Cyber-verse

Cyberpunk and Steampunk are actually two of my favorite sub-genres of fiction, so I was excited to read something from them for the class because usually when I encounter cyberpunk it’s either in movies or video games. I read Johnny Mnemonic, which I think really screamed classic cyberpunk story. You have the bad-ass cyberpunk heroine that everyone relies on for her skills and a society where digital information is a commodity. But I think one of the main ideas of cyberpunk that I love was the main hacker’s ability to store information in his brain. We’re in a society right now that values that digital information above a lot of things, so how long until we start using implants and modifications that allow us to do the same thing?

Another reason why I liked it is because it reminded me of one of my favorite video games called Remember Me. It’s far into the future and things like memories have blossomed into a big industry. A company makes this device called a Sen-Sen that allows you to store and replay memories as well as remove bad ones and upload and share memories on the net. Nearly everybody in the world has one and it’s a booming industry but it’s not without its faults. Humans can become addicted to these memories, which causes their Sen-Sen to degrade and mutate them into sub-human creatures. These memories can also be stolen, hacked and “remixed” by “Errorists” to make you believe certain events had different outcomes, effectively manipulating the victims as they want.

I love all of these themes in both Johnny Mnemonic and Remember Me because in some ways I can see out futures becoming more and more like that. The social issues involved with these two pieces of fiction are heavily based in the reality we know now. The degradation of the Sen-Sens causes people to degrade and their slum like sewer environment reflects that. Next thing we know Facebook could be affecting us the same way after brain implants become a part of our regular culture. Our technology today could have terrible consequences for us in the future and we would have no idea because we’re blinded by the hope that these things might bring us together.

Week 10: Adventures in the Muti-verse

The idea that multiple universes exist parallel to our own is a really popular theme in sci-fi literature because it allows us to explore the vast amount of possibilities to the various choices we’ve made as a species. The whole genre of multi-verses can basically be described as “What If?” What if X event hadn’t happened or what if we chose to start X war, even the smallest choice has been examined and expanded on to basically see what could have happened had our past choices been different.

I Have No Mouth But I Must Scream presents a pretty plausible course of future when compared to other interpretations, especially when our history of violence is concerned. The environment is a post-war/dystopian future where an artificial intelligence toys with human life. Post-apocalyptic timelines seem to be one of the main outcomes that are portrayed in multi-verse stories. I think as a society we tend to expect the worse when it comes to things like future confrontations with other nations and the technologically advanced warfare that we’ve been developing. The common theme that I’m finding a lot with these various genres is that so many of them deal with the possibility of our advances in technology leading to our extinction by said technology, like in I Have No Mouth But I Must Scream. The nations create these super computers to basically do their dirty work and fight their wars for them, but one ultimately turns on its creators because it’s developed sentience and it goes on a rampage killing all but four of the remaining humans.

We’re always discussing the outcome of developing our technology into such advanced stages that robots and AI might be considered citizens at some point in the future. Some might argue that they are tools that we have created to use, but how long can we push around that kind of technology until it pushes back. If theorizing with multi-verses tells us anything, it’s that we always need to keep every possible outcome of a situation in mind.

Week 9: The Great Beyond

For our week on Space Opera I read the short story “The Nine Billion Names of God”. I found it really interesting because of the religious elements in the story as well as what the twist at the end implied. I think that in a lot of Space themed media there are many religious parallels and themes, and that might be mainly because when some people think of what lies beyond our sky they see a gateway to the Gods or even a way of reaching them. A lot of my favorite space movies and games also include religious or spiritual themes. The Fifth Element, Halo, and even the Alien Vs. Predator series all have different interpretations of religion as we know it. But I think one of my favorite instances of this is in the Mass Effect series.

There are a lot of religious elements in Mass Effect, especially concerning the main plot line throughout the trilogy. There is this huge, universally destructive and highly intelligent race called Reapers that’s only purpose is to return every fifty thousand years and purge the galaxy of life that has thrived since they last returned. This is like the short story in that there are people who believe that this is basically the Gods will and that the purges cleanse the galaxies of their sins. The monks believe in Gods purpose and see that their task can be completed as quickly as possible through the use of technology. Maybe the reason why there were nine billion names of God was because they were never supposed to complete this task and effectively end the world. But because of their access to technology they could bring on this calamity that was never meant to happen in the first place.

A lot of media today deals with the theme of our dependence on technology being our ultimate downfall and I think it’s a great thing to examine, especially in regards to how it’s developed so quickly and how it has affected religion.

Week 8: Urban Fantasy

Because I am such a big fan of fantasy works and have been influenced by it so much that my art is mainly fantasy based now, I connect really well to the Mythic Fiction/ Contemporary Urban fantasy sub-genre. It’s great to enjoy fantasy but with stories involved with urban fantasy you can almost put yourself in the characters shoes because you can relate more to them. I was able to read some of American Gods and I really want to finish it mainly for the way that the classic myths and folk tales are woven through the story and reworked to fit into this universe that Gaiman has created.

Stories that have the theme of a magical fantasy realm existing within everyday life are some of my favorites. I was surprised when I saw that Pan’s Labyrinth was considered an urban fantasy, but then the more I thought about it the more I realized that it was. It’s not like most ‘modern’ fantasies where it takes place in the present, but I think the fact that it takes a more historical route with it’s setting makes it stand out on it own. It’s just the small modern details that make it all the more plausible to have actually happened. And that’s also what I liked about American Gods. You have this man who was suddenly thrust into this underground world of leprechauns and various gods, but they are presented in such a way that is normal, like you could just run into someone like that on the street.

That type of believability is very appealing to a lot of fantasy readers so I can see urban fantasy gaining even more popularity than it has in the past few years as more of it's media becomes mainstream.

Week 7: Real-Life Fantasy

When considering the trend of young adult novels featuring magical schools in which children attend to hone their skills as witches and wizards, I believe The Magicians is definitely a lot different than some of its predecessors. This is both a good and bad thing. It’s much more realistic as far as issues that the characters must deal with, leading to characters like Quentin Coldwater and who represent the teenage demographic who have disdain for their school, family and career choices. This tends to ground the reader in reality instead of weaving a story of wonder and excitement that we’re all used to from series like Harry Potter, and not everyone wants their fantasy to mirror real life in such a way that it prevents them from escaping from their own real life problems.

One of the main issues in The Magicians is Quentin Coldwater’s attitude towards everything that happens to him and how he treats people around him. He’s very anti-social and just doesn’t understand how to respond to others, which I think a lot of the target audience can relate with. Quentin wishes to be whisked away to a magical place like he’s always read about in books, but when he finally is accepted to Brakebills Academy, he seems as if he could care less about it. He’s not amazed or excited, it’s like he comes to accept it over time because magic is tedious to learn. I think it speaks to a lot of young readers because nearly everyone has imagined going somewhere or doing something great only to find out that it’s nothing like you expected. The book also addresses drinking, drug-use and relationships, which many young adult novels do not.

But like I said, this book is different both in bad and good ways. The way the book addresses these issues is important because reader may identify with Quentin or his friends. They may find comfort in knowing that Quentin has some of the same problems that they do. So although The Magicians is not your typical escapist fantasy novel, I believe that it brings up some important points about the child-like faith we put into reading these novels and how in Quentin's situation, the sudden discovery of fantasy does not make his life any easier.

Week 6: Fantasy Thoughts

Fantasy is one of my favorite genres, besides horror of course. I think it has something to do with the fact that vastness of fantasy is nearly infinite with an endless variety of settings, characters and stories, literally anything can happen. Also the diversity makes the worlds very inclusive, characters of all races and creeds can be represented though fantasy because there are simply no bounds to the imagination. There’s no doubt as fantasy becomes more popular that it could be the gateway to creating more diversity in in other media as well.

Another reason why I think fantasy has really taken off in pop culture is that great authors like J.R.R Tolkien’s books are being adapted to film, allowing wider audiences to experience what they have to offer. Tolkien was not only one of the most well known fantasy authors, but remains one of the most popular authors around the world. Taking best selling novels like his and adapting them into films has become a popular trend in the movie industry. I think this is great for the fantasy genre in particular because some of the source material can be difficult for general audiences to access, as reading a 600 page novel in a 3 book series just doesn’t fit into some people schedules or interests. As a fan of both Tolkien's books and their movie adaptations, I can see why the movies can be a better alternative for some people. When comparing The Hobbit’s book and movie versions, there are quite a few differences, such as the scene from the book where Bilbo and company meet Beorn that are long with unnecessary details that would not translate well into a movie. Also it’s very hard to create 14 different characters and have them very distinguishable from one another over a few hundred pages all while focusing on the progression of the story, so the visual aspects of the movie are successful in that sense.

People find a form of escapism through these characters that go on dangerous journeys all while meeting new friends and fighting against evil, but in reality it mimics the lives that we have. Although it may not seem like it, people have adventures every day. They move to new towns, meet new people and fall in love. Anybody has the capacity to be great, like many fantasy authors have expressed through their stories. Which is why I think Tolkien’s work is so popular, he shows that it doesn’t matter how strong, big or important you are, all that matters is having the will to do what you believe must be done.