It seems that since CNN posted this article, the blogosphere has been alive with people commenting on Superman as a Christ figure. The logical thing for a blog about Christianity in science fiction would be to join in, of course.
But, well, until I've seen the film, there's not a lot I can add to the debate.
So instead, pop over to Carmen's thoughts In the open space, and Mir's got some religious superhero links here too.
And while I am, once again, skimping on my responsibilities to write anything original, I recommend these:
More Left Behind bashing: the slacktivist takes a look at the video game.
And I came across this, which I don't think would have worked based on The Phantom Menace.
Friday, June 16, 2006
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Song of Susannah
Time for another brief diversion into the realms of fantasy, mainly because I want to make a note of something that struck me in this book.
If you're still working your way through the Dark Tower sequence, you may wish to skip this post for fear of spoilers. If you've finished it, don't spoil Volume 7 for me, please!
Back in Wolves of the Calla, we come across Father Callahan, formerly of 'Salem's Lot, who discovers himself to be a fictional character, at least in one parallel universe.
In this book, this idea is carried on to the next level. This kind of self-referential writing could easily have gone either way. In the hands of a lesser writer, or one with a lesser (or less well known) body of work to refer to, it almost certainly would have been the most agonising bit of reading imaginable. If anyone can pull it off, however, it's Stephen King.
And so it is that he has his hero, Roland of Gilead, and his fellow gunslinger Eddie Dean, turn up on his own doorstep. At this point there own suspicions are confirmed - that they too are figments of King's imagination - while King believes himself to be on the edge of a breakdown. This section of the book could be read as an insight into the creative process, or a warning about the perils of alcohol abuse, but the angle that I want to mention here is the meeting of creator and creation.
To all intents and purposes, Eddie and Roland are standing face to face with their creator. You might say, with their god. Roland might say with Gan.
We are back to the idea I mentioned in my last post, that of being forced to confront God as more than just an idea. But in the exchange between King and his creations, we meet a very unwilling god. A god in denial, almost. I don't know what to do with it, but this idea of a reluctant god struck me as interesting, something that may be worth hanging on to for future use. Of course, I'll have to see what Stephen King does with it in The Dark Tower first - I don't think I'll get away with plagiarising him, however inadvertantly!
If you're still working your way through the Dark Tower sequence, you may wish to skip this post for fear of spoilers. If you've finished it, don't spoil Volume 7 for me, please!
Back in Wolves of the Calla, we come across Father Callahan, formerly of 'Salem's Lot, who discovers himself to be a fictional character, at least in one parallel universe.
In this book, this idea is carried on to the next level. This kind of self-referential writing could easily have gone either way. In the hands of a lesser writer, or one with a lesser (or less well known) body of work to refer to, it almost certainly would have been the most agonising bit of reading imaginable. If anyone can pull it off, however, it's Stephen King.
And so it is that he has his hero, Roland of Gilead, and his fellow gunslinger Eddie Dean, turn up on his own doorstep. At this point there own suspicions are confirmed - that they too are figments of King's imagination - while King believes himself to be on the edge of a breakdown. This section of the book could be read as an insight into the creative process, or a warning about the perils of alcohol abuse, but the angle that I want to mention here is the meeting of creator and creation.
To all intents and purposes, Eddie and Roland are standing face to face with their creator. You might say, with their god. Roland might say with Gan.
We are back to the idea I mentioned in my last post, that of being forced to confront God as more than just an idea. But in the exchange between King and his creations, we meet a very unwilling god. A god in denial, almost. I don't know what to do with it, but this idea of a reluctant god struck me as interesting, something that may be worth hanging on to for future use. Of course, I'll have to see what Stephen King does with it in The Dark Tower first - I don't think I'll get away with plagiarising him, however inadvertantly!
Monday, June 12, 2006
Doctor Who and the Return to Form
Let me start this post by saying that I was a bit dubious about getting a new Doctor after a single series. Some sort of continuity seemed to be needed so early in the new series.
However, over the last few weeks I have grown quite attached to the new Doc - as has Rose, who, along with her friends and family, have provided that element of continuity. At times David Tennant gives the impression of having grown up watching Tom Baker as the Doctor (I've no idea whether this is the case, but it's quite possible) and has a similar other-wordly quality, manic moments here and there and no apparent desire to take the role at all seriously...
This week was the closing episode of a two-parter - which of course meant the return of the cliffhanger - and a brilliant mix of humour and (relatively) scary moments. If you haven't seen it, skip to the last paragraph to see what ideas it sparked in me.
Spoilers coming!
Hardened Whovians don't bat an eyelid when the TARDIS turns up in a cupboard, of course. And when, on leaving the cupboard, Rose and the Doctor are greeted by the words 'Welcome to Hell', scrawled on a wall it's still business as usual. Until we find that the symbols below those words are a language too ancient even for the TARDIS to translate, which is, apparently, unusual. Even by the Doctor's standards.
They lose the TARDIS, and Rose and the Doctor find themselves talking about settling down and getting a mortgage. It transpires that they have arrived on a planet held in orbit around a black hole. This is, of course, impossible, so Rose and the Doctor join the small team working on the planet, trying to figure out how it is done. The Doctor informs us that to generate a gravity field sufficient to hold the planet in place and provide a safe passage to and from it would need 'a power source with an inverted self extrapolating reflex of 6 to the power of 6 every 6 seconds'.
Which, of course, leads to this particular episode arriving on a blog about Christian science fiction, as we are told that ‘The armies of the beast shall rise from the pit and wage war on God’.
The Beast, in this instance, is in fact the evil of all ancient religions – the face behind the idea, if you like. (I guess it is easier for writers to throw in religion’s bad guys than to comment on the existence or otherwise of god, maybe because it is easier to accept the existence of an evil force than that of an omnipotent creator.)
Apart from the obvious references to the devil and its religious implications, there were a few other interesting pseudo-religious points of note in these episodes. Firstly, this is the first time in the new series that the Doctor had acknowledged an adversary as being actually evil. More importantly, the Doctor (naturally) takes it upon himself to destroy the Beast and save the universe. However, in order to consign the Beast to the eternal pit of the black hole, the Doctor must sacrifice himself and the inhabitants of the impossible planet to that same fate. Most importantly, in order to defeat Satan, the Doctor must allow Rose to die – he himself must set in motion the chain of events which will lead to their deaths.
End of Spoilers!
What intrigued me, as a writer, was the idea that Satan – in all his many guises – could be an idea, a kind of racial memory based on an actual entity who lived an unimaginably long time ago. The idea occurred to me of turning the idea on its head somewhat: What if it was God who had been consigned to racial memory? What if, in some impossibly far-future world, someone was to happen across ancient Christian writings? What if ‘God’ is nothing more than an idea, a philosophical talking point, until something brings these enlightened 42nd Century beings into contact with the reality of Him?
However, over the last few weeks I have grown quite attached to the new Doc - as has Rose, who, along with her friends and family, have provided that element of continuity. At times David Tennant gives the impression of having grown up watching Tom Baker as the Doctor (I've no idea whether this is the case, but it's quite possible) and has a similar other-wordly quality, manic moments here and there and no apparent desire to take the role at all seriously...
This week was the closing episode of a two-parter - which of course meant the return of the cliffhanger - and a brilliant mix of humour and (relatively) scary moments. If you haven't seen it, skip to the last paragraph to see what ideas it sparked in me.
Spoilers coming!
Hardened Whovians don't bat an eyelid when the TARDIS turns up in a cupboard, of course. And when, on leaving the cupboard, Rose and the Doctor are greeted by the words 'Welcome to Hell', scrawled on a wall it's still business as usual. Until we find that the symbols below those words are a language too ancient even for the TARDIS to translate, which is, apparently, unusual. Even by the Doctor's standards.
They lose the TARDIS, and Rose and the Doctor find themselves talking about settling down and getting a mortgage. It transpires that they have arrived on a planet held in orbit around a black hole. This is, of course, impossible, so Rose and the Doctor join the small team working on the planet, trying to figure out how it is done. The Doctor informs us that to generate a gravity field sufficient to hold the planet in place and provide a safe passage to and from it would need 'a power source with an inverted self extrapolating reflex of 6 to the power of 6 every 6 seconds'.
Which, of course, leads to this particular episode arriving on a blog about Christian science fiction, as we are told that ‘The armies of the beast shall rise from the pit and wage war on God’.
The Beast, in this instance, is in fact the evil of all ancient religions – the face behind the idea, if you like. (I guess it is easier for writers to throw in religion’s bad guys than to comment on the existence or otherwise of god, maybe because it is easier to accept the existence of an evil force than that of an omnipotent creator.)
Apart from the obvious references to the devil and its religious implications, there were a few other interesting pseudo-religious points of note in these episodes. Firstly, this is the first time in the new series that the Doctor had acknowledged an adversary as being actually evil. More importantly, the Doctor (naturally) takes it upon himself to destroy the Beast and save the universe. However, in order to consign the Beast to the eternal pit of the black hole, the Doctor must sacrifice himself and the inhabitants of the impossible planet to that same fate. Most importantly, in order to defeat Satan, the Doctor must allow Rose to die – he himself must set in motion the chain of events which will lead to their deaths.
End of Spoilers!
What intrigued me, as a writer, was the idea that Satan – in all his many guises – could be an idea, a kind of racial memory based on an actual entity who lived an unimaginably long time ago. The idea occurred to me of turning the idea on its head somewhat: What if it was God who had been consigned to racial memory? What if, in some impossibly far-future world, someone was to happen across ancient Christian writings? What if ‘God’ is nothing more than an idea, a philosophical talking point, until something brings these enlightened 42nd Century beings into contact with the reality of Him?
Friday, June 09, 2006
General Ignorance
Those few links in my last non-fiction post (and here's another for good measure) have highlighted one thing: it appears to be a widely held view that there is very little Christian science fiction available, or that the genre begins and ends with the esteemed Mr Lewis.
If you've been here a few times - and especially if you've checked out the Elliot List - you will know that this is not necessarily the case. However, I think this depends a great deal on your interpretation of what 'Christian fiction' actually means. I had a stab here, and there's a reasonable list of Christian elements here.
Until I began looking a little harder, started this little blog, and encountered the Elliot List, I was guilty of the same kind of ignorance. I had discovered Stephen Lawhead, Chris Walley, and of course CS Lewis - all in Christian bookshops - but was largely ignorant of what Christian elements may exist in secular sf novels. Only a further reading of some of these stories will tell whether (IMHO) they cut it as 'Christian' novels. I suspect that if an author is writing from a Christian worldview, and including an element of spirituality in their tale, the Christian element will be visible to those looking for it.
It is, of course, possible to portray Christianity in a negative light (as in His Dark Materials), or as an integral story element without actually adding anything to the reader's faith (Snow Crash, reviewd here recently, has an integral religious thread, but I would never consider it a Christian novel).
My best guess is that if people want Christian fiction to challenge them and make them grow in their faith, they may be largely restricted to what's in the Christian bookstores (although there will always be exceptions picked up by mainstream publishers) and as far as sf goes, that's a pretty limited choice.
The question is, What do we hope to gain from reading a Christian novel?
I'll leave that one open to the blogosphere.
If you've been here a few times - and especially if you've checked out the Elliot List - you will know that this is not necessarily the case. However, I think this depends a great deal on your interpretation of what 'Christian fiction' actually means. I had a stab here, and there's a reasonable list of Christian elements here.
Until I began looking a little harder, started this little blog, and encountered the Elliot List, I was guilty of the same kind of ignorance. I had discovered Stephen Lawhead, Chris Walley, and of course CS Lewis - all in Christian bookshops - but was largely ignorant of what Christian elements may exist in secular sf novels. Only a further reading of some of these stories will tell whether (IMHO) they cut it as 'Christian' novels. I suspect that if an author is writing from a Christian worldview, and including an element of spirituality in their tale, the Christian element will be visible to those looking for it.
It is, of course, possible to portray Christianity in a negative light (as in His Dark Materials), or as an integral story element without actually adding anything to the reader's faith (Snow Crash, reviewd here recently, has an integral religious thread, but I would never consider it a Christian novel).
My best guess is that if people want Christian fiction to challenge them and make them grow in their faith, they may be largely restricted to what's in the Christian bookstores (although there will always be exceptions picked up by mainstream publishers) and as far as sf goes, that's a pretty limited choice.
The question is, What do we hope to gain from reading a Christian novel?
I'll leave that one open to the blogosphere.
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
The Burning: Part Four
Continued from Part Three
Down in the city, the casino finally opened. Wine, beer and spirits flowed freely. Most of the people from the city turned up, along with many from neighbouring towns, despite the unusually strong, hot wind that made travel difficult. These travellers wondered briefly about the small cluster of trucks abandoned at the top of a large hill, but soon forgot as they enjoyed their games of roulette and blackjack.
As the wind built up, the empty trucks on the hillside were overturned, and sent rolling down the slope, leaving a trail of broken glass and debris as they fell, finally crashing violently to a halt in a densely populated suburb, where the fuel tanks erupted noisily into a fire which was spread rapidly by the hot wind.
For forty days the winds crushed plants and animals, the breath of life replaced with the burning hot wind of a supernova. The dust and grit which rained from the sky grew hotter and larger, boiling lakes and rivers, smashing doors and windows, leaving no hiding place for the people of Tellus. After forty days the dust settled, but the heat and radiation remained.
Inside the bunker, everything seemed to be going well while they were counting off the days. By the time it had become easier to count the weeks, and counting the months had been seriously considered, the occupants were frightened, bored, and tense.
“Your god’s forgotten us, hasn’t he?” Khem challenged angrily.
R’Leef merely looked up wearily.
“Hasn’t he?”
Khem’s mother put a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to calm him. He glared at her, the light from the fluorescent strips above him glinting menacingly in his eyes. She shrank back slightly, withdrawing her hand.
“Sorry, ma,” Khem said, reaching out to take her hand.
She smiled up at him.
“No, you’re right,” Zalbeth said. “We’ve been abandoned. How long do you suppose it takes a god to destroy the world? It only took him a week to make it!”
R’Leef stood up, struggling to keep his patience. “Don’t you think I’m scared too? He asked. “Don’t you suppose I get bored down here? Lonely?” R’Leef looked from one to the other. “Well?”
After a brief pause, Khem spoke. “It’s your fault!” he cried. “It was your stupid idea! You locked us all in this dungeon! You and your so-called god!”
Then the bunker, heavily insulated as it was, trembled violently. Tables shook, cupboards fell over. There was a loud rumbling sound, punctuated by the noise of plates and bottles smashing. The lights went out. One of the women screamed.
Khem looked around, waiting for his eyes to adjust, but they never would. With no windows and all the exits tightly sealed, the darkness was complete.
There was another rumbling sound, muffling the noises of frightened animals above him. Fear took over Khem, and he sank to the floor, and wept.
“I’m sorry,” he sobbed. “Sorry, dad. Sorry, God. Please put the lights on! Please!”
A single circle of light danced on the floor in front of him. Khem’s tears of fear became tears of relief, and he began to laugh nervously.
“Get a grip, Khem,” Uax said.
Khem looked towards his brother, silhouetted behind the torch beam.
“It’s just the animals getting upset,” Uax continued. “Come on, we need to get the back-up power running.”
Khem looked at him, feeling worried and slightly foolish, and nodded. He started to get up just as an aftershock struck; he stumbled, clutching wildly at the nearest person for support. R’Leef grabbed his hand and helped him to his feet.
“Thanks,” Khem said, sheepishly.
“You’re welcome.”
“Sorry,” he added.
R’Leef nodded at him. “Can we get enough power from the back-up?”
“Not as much.”
“Will it keep the crops growing?”
“To give the same amount of power to the crops will mean having emergency power only down here.”
“What about the animals?” Zalbeth asked.
“Same thing, I think,” Khem said. “And we might have to lose the freezer.”
“That should be ok,” she said. “If we keep it closed it should stay cold enough – depending how long we spend in here, of course.”
“Do what you can,” R’Leef told Khem. “Keep the livestock happy and the plants growing. We can manage on emergency power and candles.”
Khem nodded.
“Have faith, everyone,” R’Leef said. “God was with us when we started this little adventure, and there’s no reason he should abandon us now.”
“I believe you,” Uax said.
The others nodded in agreement.
Keeping their little world within the world running smoothly on emergency power kept the bunker’s occupants busy over the following weeks, but the cold and dark soon wore them all down again.
“How much longer do we have to sit down here in the dark?” Khem was first to voice their frustrations.
R’Leef didn’t want to be in the bunker longer than necessary, and he certainly didn’t want another argument with Khem.
“I think we can afford to take a little peek,” he smiled.
R’Leef put down the book he had been reading and went with Khem to the far end of the bunker.
“What are we doing?” Khem asked.
R’Leef keyed a code into a small panel beside one of the generators. The panel slid open, and he pulled out a small plastic dome, beneath which Khem saw small wheels and some electronic circuitry.
“A probe,” R’Leef explained. “It’s radio controlled; I’ll control it from here, and we can see the world outside on the monitor.”
He opened the lift doors, and sat the small probe inside it. Khem switched the lift to exit, and they both turned to the monitor behind them. The view faded in – the lift doors. After a few seconds the doors slid open, and R’Leef moved the probe out of the lift shaft. At least, he tried to, but before it had moved more than a few centimetres the view on the monitor crackled, and died.
“Damn,” Khem whispered.
R’Leef sighed. “Bring it down,” he said.
Concluded in Part Five
Down in the city, the casino finally opened. Wine, beer and spirits flowed freely. Most of the people from the city turned up, along with many from neighbouring towns, despite the unusually strong, hot wind that made travel difficult. These travellers wondered briefly about the small cluster of trucks abandoned at the top of a large hill, but soon forgot as they enjoyed their games of roulette and blackjack.
As the wind built up, the empty trucks on the hillside were overturned, and sent rolling down the slope, leaving a trail of broken glass and debris as they fell, finally crashing violently to a halt in a densely populated suburb, where the fuel tanks erupted noisily into a fire which was spread rapidly by the hot wind.
For forty days the winds crushed plants and animals, the breath of life replaced with the burning hot wind of a supernova. The dust and grit which rained from the sky grew hotter and larger, boiling lakes and rivers, smashing doors and windows, leaving no hiding place for the people of Tellus. After forty days the dust settled, but the heat and radiation remained.
Inside the bunker, everything seemed to be going well while they were counting off the days. By the time it had become easier to count the weeks, and counting the months had been seriously considered, the occupants were frightened, bored, and tense.
“Your god’s forgotten us, hasn’t he?” Khem challenged angrily.
R’Leef merely looked up wearily.
“Hasn’t he?”
Khem’s mother put a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to calm him. He glared at her, the light from the fluorescent strips above him glinting menacingly in his eyes. She shrank back slightly, withdrawing her hand.
“Sorry, ma,” Khem said, reaching out to take her hand.
She smiled up at him.
“No, you’re right,” Zalbeth said. “We’ve been abandoned. How long do you suppose it takes a god to destroy the world? It only took him a week to make it!”
R’Leef stood up, struggling to keep his patience. “Don’t you think I’m scared too? He asked. “Don’t you suppose I get bored down here? Lonely?” R’Leef looked from one to the other. “Well?”
After a brief pause, Khem spoke. “It’s your fault!” he cried. “It was your stupid idea! You locked us all in this dungeon! You and your so-called god!”
Then the bunker, heavily insulated as it was, trembled violently. Tables shook, cupboards fell over. There was a loud rumbling sound, punctuated by the noise of plates and bottles smashing. The lights went out. One of the women screamed.
Khem looked around, waiting for his eyes to adjust, but they never would. With no windows and all the exits tightly sealed, the darkness was complete.
There was another rumbling sound, muffling the noises of frightened animals above him. Fear took over Khem, and he sank to the floor, and wept.
“I’m sorry,” he sobbed. “Sorry, dad. Sorry, God. Please put the lights on! Please!”
A single circle of light danced on the floor in front of him. Khem’s tears of fear became tears of relief, and he began to laugh nervously.
“Get a grip, Khem,” Uax said.
Khem looked towards his brother, silhouetted behind the torch beam.
“It’s just the animals getting upset,” Uax continued. “Come on, we need to get the back-up power running.”
Khem looked at him, feeling worried and slightly foolish, and nodded. He started to get up just as an aftershock struck; he stumbled, clutching wildly at the nearest person for support. R’Leef grabbed his hand and helped him to his feet.
“Thanks,” Khem said, sheepishly.
“You’re welcome.”
“Sorry,” he added.
R’Leef nodded at him. “Can we get enough power from the back-up?”
“Not as much.”
“Will it keep the crops growing?”
“To give the same amount of power to the crops will mean having emergency power only down here.”
“What about the animals?” Zalbeth asked.
“Same thing, I think,” Khem said. “And we might have to lose the freezer.”
“That should be ok,” she said. “If we keep it closed it should stay cold enough – depending how long we spend in here, of course.”
“Do what you can,” R’Leef told Khem. “Keep the livestock happy and the plants growing. We can manage on emergency power and candles.”
Khem nodded.
“Have faith, everyone,” R’Leef said. “God was with us when we started this little adventure, and there’s no reason he should abandon us now.”
“I believe you,” Uax said.
The others nodded in agreement.
Keeping their little world within the world running smoothly on emergency power kept the bunker’s occupants busy over the following weeks, but the cold and dark soon wore them all down again.
“How much longer do we have to sit down here in the dark?” Khem was first to voice their frustrations.
R’Leef didn’t want to be in the bunker longer than necessary, and he certainly didn’t want another argument with Khem.
“I think we can afford to take a little peek,” he smiled.
R’Leef put down the book he had been reading and went with Khem to the far end of the bunker.
“What are we doing?” Khem asked.
R’Leef keyed a code into a small panel beside one of the generators. The panel slid open, and he pulled out a small plastic dome, beneath which Khem saw small wheels and some electronic circuitry.
“A probe,” R’Leef explained. “It’s radio controlled; I’ll control it from here, and we can see the world outside on the monitor.”
He opened the lift doors, and sat the small probe inside it. Khem switched the lift to exit, and they both turned to the monitor behind them. The view faded in – the lift doors. After a few seconds the doors slid open, and R’Leef moved the probe out of the lift shaft. At least, he tried to, but before it had moved more than a few centimetres the view on the monitor crackled, and died.
“Damn,” Khem whispered.
R’Leef sighed. “Bring it down,” he said.
Concluded in Part Five
Monday, June 05, 2006
Miscellaneous Bloggery 4
The fourth in an occasional series in which I can't be bothered to come up with anything original to write about.
Following my Snow Crash review, Elliot has drawn attention to this post about the author by Theocoid.
Madame Mirathon posted some SF/F stuff to sweeten our Sundays; I expect any day will do though. :)
And during a moment of random having-nothing-better-to-do, I came across this discussion of science fiction & supernaturalism, and this slightly older blog on Christianity and science fiction, and this slightly negative view of the subject from Think Christian a while back.
Following my Snow Crash review, Elliot has drawn attention to this post about the author by Theocoid.
Madame Mirathon posted some SF/F stuff to sweeten our Sundays; I expect any day will do though. :)
And during a moment of random having-nothing-better-to-do, I came across this discussion of science fiction & supernaturalism, and this slightly older blog on Christianity and science fiction, and this slightly negative view of the subject from Think Christian a while back.
Friday, June 02, 2006
A post of random comments
I'm in a bit of a sci-fi drought at the moment. Earlier in the year my Sunday afternoons consisted of Enterprise
and Stargate:SG-1
. Now I have to do things like 'go out', and 'enjoy the fresh air'. Then some joker at Channel 5 (sorry, five) thought it would be a good idea to show Voyager
re-runs on weekday afternoons. I could have lost my job over that!
Now there's just my weekly dose of Doctor Who
in the way of sf TV, and last week's episode stretched its science fiction credibility to breaking point (TVs that suck your face off, anybody?). That said, it was great as 'scary but fun family entertainment', which is a large part of the show, but I'm hoping for more from the Ood this week.
Maybe all this is exacerbated by the fact that I've just come through the fertile pastures of Firefly
, that rare entity: a TV science fiction show which dares to entertain the existence of God - and, indeed, Christianity - even in the outlying regions of a galactic human civilisation. All at the same time as being top notch telly. This was the first time I had seen of most of the episodes, and most of the time I was too busy being swept along by the action, the humour, and the fact that Joss Whedon was trying to do something new with the sf genre, to pay that much attention to Shepherd Book and what (if any) kind of Christian he was. Serenity
, naturally, waits patiently on the DVD shelf for a free evening.
Even my reading has taken a dive towards fantasy lately, but James Blish
is calling, just as soon as I've done with Volume 6
of Stephen King's Dark Tower opus.
and Stargate:SG-1. Now I have to do things like 'go out', and 'enjoy the fresh air'. Then some joker at Channel 5 (sorry, five) thought it would be a good idea to show Voyager re-runs on weekday afternoons. I could have lost my job over that!Now there's just my weekly dose of Doctor Who
in the way of sf TV, and last week's episode stretched its science fiction credibility to breaking point (TVs that suck your face off, anybody?). That said, it was great as 'scary but fun family entertainment', which is a large part of the show, but I'm hoping for more from the Ood this week.Maybe all this is exacerbated by the fact that I've just come through the fertile pastures of Firefly
, that rare entity: a TV science fiction show which dares to entertain the existence of God - and, indeed, Christianity - even in the outlying regions of a galactic human civilisation. All at the same time as being top notch telly. This was the first time I had seen of most of the episodes, and most of the time I was too busy being swept along by the action, the humour, and the fact that Joss Whedon was trying to do something new with the sf genre, to pay that much attention to Shepherd Book and what (if any) kind of Christian he was. Serenity, naturally, waits patiently on the DVD shelf for a free evening.Even my reading has taken a dive towards fantasy lately, but James Blish
is calling, just as soon as I've done with Volume 6 of Stephen King's Dark Tower opus.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
A short sharp blog
For those that may have missed it, here is Elliot's take on one of my favourite Christian novels, Dream Thief
. He wasn't quite so enthusiastic...
Case of Conscience
is next on my reading list; Pug has just finished with it, you can read his thoughts here.
And the latest part of the ever entertaining dissection of Left Behind is here.
. He wasn't quite so enthusiastic...Case of Conscience
is next on my reading list; Pug has just finished with it, you can read his thoughts here.And the latest part of the ever entertaining dissection of Left Behind is here.
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Countless as the Sequel
It doesn't have a title yet, but 'The Sequel', as it is called in my head, is beginning to take shape. There will be elements of Bible stories in there, but rather than just re-telling them (as with Countless as the Stars) they are just part of the story, which will be much more along the lines of a regular space opera. And that means I can leave in the sex, drugs and violence without scaring off the Christian market I originally wrote it for...
Watering down the Biblical basis was something I deliberately avoided with Countless, intending it for a Christian fiction market which fell flat on its face in the UK. As a result, some of the sf elements were watered down, probably to the detriment of the story. Although the sequel will follow on from the events of Countless, I plan to make it a standalone story, hopefully worthy of the wider sf market. Unfortunately for my loyal readership, that will probably entail recounting some of the key events in flashback, but I guess we'll wait and see what my publisher says... ;)
Anyway, here's a quick teaser:
Watering down the Biblical basis was something I deliberately avoided with Countless, intending it for a Christian fiction market which fell flat on its face in the UK. As a result, some of the sf elements were watered down, probably to the detriment of the story. Although the sequel will follow on from the events of Countless, I plan to make it a standalone story, hopefully worthy of the wider sf market. Unfortunately for my loyal readership, that will probably entail recounting some of the key events in flashback, but I guess we'll wait and see what my publisher says... ;)
Anyway, here's a quick teaser:
Twenty years have passed since the expulsion from Tellus.
Despite many difficulties, the United Colonies are thriving.
Aidan Qqayle, reluctant leader of the UC, hasn't seen his father since they settled on Lomas, shortly after the old man died.
Now he's back, with one more task for his son to complete. A task that will lead Aidan to confront his past, doubt his present and, one way or another, influence the future of the entire system...
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
The Burning: Part Three
Continued from Part Two
The bunker was dug into a hill overlooking the city, which looked like a huge siler jellyfish, stranded on the vast sandy plain, the highways leading out of it like tentacles. Uax and Khem had worked almost non-stop for three weeks rendering the disused bunker inhabitable, using the plans drawn up by R'Leef.
The main entrance was through a well camoflaged door forged out of heavy steel, which led past a lift shaft running between the bunker's three storeys, and extended back into the hill. At it's far end, another, much smaller, steel door opened out onto the hillside.
R'Leef sat beside the main entrance, watching a convoy of hired trucks making their way slowly up the steep hillside. Power generators, plants, freezers, furniture - all were on the way to the bunker as it neared completion.
R'Leef knew what he had to do. God had been warning mankind of his judgement; only R'Leef and his family had listened. Once they were ready, God would bring his judgement.
One more week, he prayed, nervously. That should be enough.
Something cold and wet nudged R'Leef; he jumped, then relaxed, seeing the face of a friendly dingo behind him.
"Yes, this is the place," he said, stroking the dingo lightly. He stood up to lead the animal to Zalbeth's temporary surgery. Only when he turned did he see the full extent of what God was doing here.
The plain below him was alive, as creatures of all sizes moved across it, faster animals running in from the horizon, overtaking the closer, slower animals. Even as he watched, herds of animals appeared from other directions, all converging on one point, a large tent at the foot of the hills.
"Zalbeth," R'Leef spoke softly into his two-way radio. "I hope you're ready for action."
The next seven days were filled with activity; extracting, labelling and storing DNA samples, preparing a greenery, and putting the finishing touches to the living quarters.
The upper floor was taken up entirely by the greenery, divided up to provide the optimum amount of heat and light for the huge variety of fruit, vegetables and other plants.
The middle floor was set aide for the animals they would be taking with them - some they would need for food, others were needed as offerings to God. A small kennel had recently been added under the stairs, where the dingo and its mate slept. Several birds flitted around the dimly lit room.
The bottom level consisted of six bedrooms, the living and recreation rooms, a kitchen and dining area, and a walk in freezer packed with DNA samples. Near the lift shaft, Khem had set up a reserve power generator - he had installed and powered up the main generator as soon as he could, but couldn't take the chance on it lasting indefinitely. They had no idea how long they would need to stay below ground.
Once the bunker was furnished and habitable, all the animals saved for future generations, and R'Leef had done all that the Lord had asked of him, the eight of them entered the bunker, where they would be kept safe from the wrath of God. R'Leef watched as his family went in, a hot wind building up behind them, swirling, directionless, so full of dust that at times it obscured the sun. One of the heavy trucks they had hired for the move rocked in a strong gust. R'Leef felt a pang of guilt; he had every intention of returning it, but time had run away from him.
It doesn't matter now, he felt God whisper.
He smiled, raising an arm to protect his face from the hot dust blowing into it.
"It's starting," he said to Uax, the last to enter the bunker. "Go on in. I'll follow in a moment."
Uax turned briefly to his father and nodded, unable to make himself heard above the howling wind.
With the last of his family safely inside, R'Leef took one last look out over the city, through eyes half-closed against the dust-laden wind.
His eyes widened, and his jaw dropped, suddenly oblivious to the flying grit, when he realised he was looking at the full awesome power of God being used in anger. High above the city, still as visible through the dust clouds and the sun, a new star glowed a deep red-orange.
For a moment, R'Leef even thought he could see the huge waves of energy this exploding star was sending out, and which were just beginning to reach Tellus, when he was knocked backwards by a sweeping gust of warmth, hot dust stinging his face, the wind taking his breath away.
He stumbled backwards into the tunnel, where he was caught by Uax.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
R'Leef was staring, wide-eyed, out of the metal hatch at the plumes of sand and dust that whistled across the entrance to the bunker.
"Yes," he whispered, nodding weakly.
A sudden change in wind direction slammed the hatch closed with a bang that echoed through the narrow passage for a second, and rang in R'Leef's ears for much longer. He looked up at Uax, who confirmed that the hatch was locked.
The Lord had closed the door behind him, and had locked them in.
Continues here
The bunker was dug into a hill overlooking the city, which looked like a huge siler jellyfish, stranded on the vast sandy plain, the highways leading out of it like tentacles. Uax and Khem had worked almost non-stop for three weeks rendering the disused bunker inhabitable, using the plans drawn up by R'Leef.
The main entrance was through a well camoflaged door forged out of heavy steel, which led past a lift shaft running between the bunker's three storeys, and extended back into the hill. At it's far end, another, much smaller, steel door opened out onto the hillside.
R'Leef sat beside the main entrance, watching a convoy of hired trucks making their way slowly up the steep hillside. Power generators, plants, freezers, furniture - all were on the way to the bunker as it neared completion.
R'Leef knew what he had to do. God had been warning mankind of his judgement; only R'Leef and his family had listened. Once they were ready, God would bring his judgement.
One more week, he prayed, nervously. That should be enough.
Something cold and wet nudged R'Leef; he jumped, then relaxed, seeing the face of a friendly dingo behind him.
"Yes, this is the place," he said, stroking the dingo lightly. He stood up to lead the animal to Zalbeth's temporary surgery. Only when he turned did he see the full extent of what God was doing here.
The plain below him was alive, as creatures of all sizes moved across it, faster animals running in from the horizon, overtaking the closer, slower animals. Even as he watched, herds of animals appeared from other directions, all converging on one point, a large tent at the foot of the hills.
"Zalbeth," R'Leef spoke softly into his two-way radio. "I hope you're ready for action."
The next seven days were filled with activity; extracting, labelling and storing DNA samples, preparing a greenery, and putting the finishing touches to the living quarters.
The upper floor was taken up entirely by the greenery, divided up to provide the optimum amount of heat and light for the huge variety of fruit, vegetables and other plants.
The middle floor was set aide for the animals they would be taking with them - some they would need for food, others were needed as offerings to God. A small kennel had recently been added under the stairs, where the dingo and its mate slept. Several birds flitted around the dimly lit room.
The bottom level consisted of six bedrooms, the living and recreation rooms, a kitchen and dining area, and a walk in freezer packed with DNA samples. Near the lift shaft, Khem had set up a reserve power generator - he had installed and powered up the main generator as soon as he could, but couldn't take the chance on it lasting indefinitely. They had no idea how long they would need to stay below ground.
Once the bunker was furnished and habitable, all the animals saved for future generations, and R'Leef had done all that the Lord had asked of him, the eight of them entered the bunker, where they would be kept safe from the wrath of God. R'Leef watched as his family went in, a hot wind building up behind them, swirling, directionless, so full of dust that at times it obscured the sun. One of the heavy trucks they had hired for the move rocked in a strong gust. R'Leef felt a pang of guilt; he had every intention of returning it, but time had run away from him.
It doesn't matter now, he felt God whisper.
He smiled, raising an arm to protect his face from the hot dust blowing into it.
"It's starting," he said to Uax, the last to enter the bunker. "Go on in. I'll follow in a moment."
Uax turned briefly to his father and nodded, unable to make himself heard above the howling wind.
With the last of his family safely inside, R'Leef took one last look out over the city, through eyes half-closed against the dust-laden wind.
His eyes widened, and his jaw dropped, suddenly oblivious to the flying grit, when he realised he was looking at the full awesome power of God being used in anger. High above the city, still as visible through the dust clouds and the sun, a new star glowed a deep red-orange.
For a moment, R'Leef even thought he could see the huge waves of energy this exploding star was sending out, and which were just beginning to reach Tellus, when he was knocked backwards by a sweeping gust of warmth, hot dust stinging his face, the wind taking his breath away.
He stumbled backwards into the tunnel, where he was caught by Uax.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
R'Leef was staring, wide-eyed, out of the metal hatch at the plumes of sand and dust that whistled across the entrance to the bunker.
"Yes," he whispered, nodding weakly.
A sudden change in wind direction slammed the hatch closed with a bang that echoed through the narrow passage for a second, and rang in R'Leef's ears for much longer. He looked up at Uax, who confirmed that the hatch was locked.
The Lord had closed the door behind him, and had locked them in.
Continues here
Monday, May 22, 2006
Alternative Jesus: The Second Coming
Now the problem with bringing Jesus to life in the 20th Century, as suggested in my last post on the subject, is that the 20th Century as we know it would not exist had he not walked the Earth when he did. As has been speculated elsewhere, the Roman Empire may have continued to flourish. The influence on Christianity throughout western culture would have to be carefully removed from every aspect. There would have to be some alternative means of working out what year it is, which is one thing that really bugged me about Roma Eterna.
Is it possible to get from 33AD to 1933 and still end up with Hitler's rise to power without the effect of Christianity? Possibly, or at least something similar; but if not, there is always an alternative - Left Behind: the WWII chronicles!
Alternative histories of World War Two are so much a staple of sf as to be a cliche unless given a sufficient twist. Harry Turtledove continues to be a prolific writer of alternate WW2 scenarios, notably the Worldwar sequence, in which an alien invasion interrupts the proceedings... (Incidentally, I think these stories, in trying to follow the course of events in the US, Japan, Germany and Russia, as well as on the alien mothership, get a bit too complex to keep track of at times, and I had trouble figuring out why the lizards wanted to invade anyway if all they were going to do was moan about the weather.)
So that's my latest plan to sneak in under the cover of 'end times thriller' and introduce sf to the Christian fiction reading masses.
Although, Elliot's probably read it already...
Is it possible to get from 33AD to 1933 and still end up with Hitler's rise to power without the effect of Christianity? Possibly, or at least something similar; but if not, there is always an alternative - Left Behind: the WWII chronicles!
Alternative histories of World War Two are so much a staple of sf as to be a cliche unless given a sufficient twist. Harry Turtledove
continues to be a prolific writer of alternate WW2 scenarios, notably the Worldwar sequence, in which an alien invasion interrupts the proceedings... (Incidentally, I think these stories, in trying to follow the course of events in the US, Japan, Germany and Russia, as well as on the alien mothership, get a bit too complex to keep track of at times, and I had trouble figuring out why the lizards wanted to invade anyway if all they were going to do was moan about the weather.)So that's my latest plan to sneak in under the cover of 'end times thriller' and introduce sf to the Christian fiction reading masses.
Although, Elliot's probably read it already...
Friday, May 19, 2006
Christian (Science) Fiction Review
If you've been following the Christian Fantasy Blog Tour, you'll know that a bunch of bloggers have been talking about Tim Frankovich's Focus on Christian Fantasy. Well, for my part, I've perused his Christian Fiction Review website, and have found the following reviews of books crossing the line into the worlds of science fiction:
Another near future story, A Form of Godliness by Shane Johnson, is reviewed as a contemporary thriller rather than sf, but its near future setting qualifies it for the genre in the broadest sense.
Another Johnson novel, The Last Guardian, "culls elements of fantasy, science fiction, horror, and ethical parables" according to Tim's review, and mixes in elements of the 'end times' novel.
Similarly straddling the line between sf and fantasy is Outriders by Kathryn Mackel, a kind of post-apocalyptic science-fantasy.
Shivering World, by Star Wars novelist Kathy Tyers, is proper science fiction - hard sf with a spiritual twist - with other planets, terraforming, genetic engineering, and even, apparently, actual science...
The Traveler by Peter Krausche is promised to be the first in a seven book time & world travelling epic.
And finally, Tim looks at Sky Songs 1 & 2, two short story collections containing a mix of sf and fantasy.
I have to confess I haven't read any of these, but some of these participants in the blog tour may have done:
Becky Miller's Christian Worldview of Fiction
Mirtika Schultz’s Mirathon
Insights from Beth Goddard
Jason Joyner’s Spoiled for the Ordinary
Marci’s Writer Lee
Sally Apokedak’s All About Children’s Books
Cheryl Russell’s Unseen Worlds
LaShaunda’s See You On The Net
Shannon McNear’s Shenandoah’s Eclectic Musings
Meg Mosley’s Megawriter
Stuart Stockton’s The Jerkrenak’s Den
Sharon Hinck’s blog
Valerie’s In My Little World
Karen Hancock’s Writing from the Edge
Chris Well: Learning Curve blog
Nancy Moser's Second Time Around, sequel to Time Lottery, uses the sf device of time travel, but doesn't appear to concern itself too much with the science (often the best way with time travel).
Time travel is also used in Randall Ingermanson's Premonition and Retribution, again with the science less important than the actual story.
Ingermanson, along with John B Olson, gets more into science fiction with Oxygen and its sequel The Fifth Man, near future thrillers set on Mars missions.
Another near future story, A Form of Godliness by Shane Johnson, is reviewed as a contemporary thriller rather than sf, but its near future setting qualifies it for the genre in the broadest sense.
Another Johnson novel, The Last Guardian, "culls elements of fantasy, science fiction, horror, and ethical parables" according to Tim's review, and mixes in elements of the 'end times' novel.
Similarly straddling the line between sf and fantasy is Outriders by Kathryn Mackel, a kind of post-apocalyptic science-fantasy.
Shivering World, by Star Wars novelist Kathy Tyers, is proper science fiction - hard sf with a spiritual twist - with other planets, terraforming, genetic engineering, and even, apparently, actual science...
The Traveler by Peter Krausche is promised to be the first in a seven book time & world travelling epic.
And finally, Tim looks at Sky Songs 1 & 2, two short story collections containing a mix of sf and fantasy.
I have to confess I haven't read any of these, but some of these participants in the blog tour may have done:
Becky Miller's Christian Worldview of Fiction
Mirtika Schultz’s Mirathon
Insights from Beth Goddard
Jason Joyner’s Spoiled for the Ordinary
Marci’s Writer Lee
Sally Apokedak’s All About Children’s Books
Cheryl Russell’s Unseen Worlds
LaShaunda’s See You On The Net
Shannon McNear’s Shenandoah’s Eclectic Musings
Meg Mosley’s Megawriter
Stuart Stockton’s The Jerkrenak’s Den
Sharon Hinck’s blog
Valerie’s In My Little World
Karen Hancock’s Writing from the Edge
Chris Well: Learning Curve blog
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Aternative Jesus 3
This subject started out as a little rant about the Wossname Code, then veered off a little more towards alternate history, and along the way got picked up by Elliot and Catholic Steve...
And now I realise that I hadn't quite finished with it myself.
Before you reach for the stones again, what if, instead of taking Christ out of the equation entirely, we just moved him about the timeline a little. You know, have him actually face the kind of dilemmas modern life insists on presenting us with.
It doesn't have to be today, of course; if it was, it would certainly be a different today - the way the world would have turned out without the influence of Christianity. It could be the near future, a space-faring future (for those of us aching to write a Christian space opera) or the year 5 billion.
Or venture into the past - have Jesus walk the earth in 1960s London, or '80s New York, or transplant him into any of the What ifs I mentioned in my first post on the subject.
I've been looking for a unique hook for my WW2 alternate history...
And now I realise that I hadn't quite finished with it myself.
Before you reach for the stones again, what if, instead of taking Christ out of the equation entirely, we just moved him about the timeline a little. You know, have him actually face the kind of dilemmas modern life insists on presenting us with.
It doesn't have to be today, of course; if it was, it would certainly be a different today - the way the world would have turned out without the influence of Christianity. It could be the near future, a space-faring future (for those of us aching to write a Christian space opera) or the year 5 billion.
Or venture into the past - have Jesus walk the earth in 1960s London, or '80s New York, or transplant him into any of the What ifs I mentioned in my first post on the subject.
I've been looking for a unique hook for my WW2 alternate history...
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
The Christian Fantasy Blog Tour
OK, I know I said I was going to get back to sf today, but I'm short of time today, and having grabbed onto the coat tails of the aforementioned Blog Tour with the idea of adding some science fiction into the mix, I'll just have to settle for directing you to some of the other participants:
Mirtika Schultz’s Mirathon blog
Insights from Beth Goddard
Jason Joyner’s Spoiled for the Ordinary
Marci’s Writer Lee
Sally Apokedak’s All About Children’s Books
Cheryl Russell’s Unseen Worlds
LaShaunda’s See You On The Net
Shannon McNear’s Shenandoah’s Eclectic Musings
Becky Miller - A Christian Worldview of Fiction
Stuart Stockton - The Jerkrenak's Den
Jim Black
I'll be back tomorrow with, hopefully, something more to contribute!
Monday, May 15, 2006
Miscellaneous Bloggery 3
A few things have caught my eye during the weekend's surfing, so here are some highlights that may appeal:
More comment on that Da Vinci thing, from Caritas and Johnny Dangerous.
Half of the new Entropy Gate website is up: check out the website and the blog.
Becky Miller has finished discussing theme, and is off on the subject of 'Fanatsy and a Christian Worldview'. I shall be watching carefully, if only to pilfer ideas for this blog... ;)
Becky will also be participating in a Christian fantasy related blog tour, which you can find out a bit more about at Beth Goddard's blog, and which kicks off with this feature at Christian Fiction Review.
Tomorrow we'll get back to science fiction. Probably.
More comment on that Da Vinci thing, from Caritas and Johnny Dangerous.
Half of the new Entropy Gate website is up: check out the website and the blog.
Becky Miller has finished discussing theme, and is off on the subject of 'Fanatsy and a Christian Worldview'. I shall be watching carefully, if only to pilfer ideas for this blog... ;)
Becky will also be participating in a Christian fantasy related blog tour, which you can find out a bit more about at Beth Goddard's blog, and which kicks off with this feature at Christian Fiction Review.
Tomorrow we'll get back to science fiction. Probably.
Friday, May 12, 2006
The Burning: Part Two
Link to Part One
"I just don't drink, OK?" Khem insisted.
He was in a pub near the site of the new casino, where he was senior electrician, trying to persuade a burly bricklayer to order him a lemonade.
"Take after that looney-tune father of yours, that's your problem!" the brickie laughed.
"He's not a looney!"Khem shouted, lunging for him.
The rest of the crowd cheered as Khem wrestled the big man to the floor - all of them, including Khem, if he thought about it, knew the bricklayer was putting it on, and would be able to get up just as soon as he chose.
"Khem!"
The crowd of builders looked to the door, where the old man stood with a young woman in a white coat.
"They're coming to take you away, too!" one of them quipped.
The brickie loosened his grip on Khem, who stood up, blushing slightly.
"Hello, Dad," he said quietly.
"I think you'd better come with us," Zalbeth said.
Khem brushed past them silently, and hurried out of the car park, not stopping at his father's people carrier. He was still angry when his father drew up alongside him and offered him a lift.
"I'd rather you drank than built casinos and started bar brawls, Khem," R'Leef said patiently.
"Didn't start it," Khem muttered.
"Well, it doesn't matter now," R'Leef said. "You'll not be doing either for much longer."
"You can't stop me from working there, old man."
"I don't intend to. But unless you change your ways and listen to me, God will judge you along with the rest of humanity."
"OK, OK." Khem held up his hands in protest. "I've tried to go along with your religious stuff; I've given up drink, I've said my prayers every night - what more do you want?"
"Just listen to him," Zalbeth said. "He's trying to save your butt."
Having persuaded Khem to help him, R'Leef had a slightly easier job in getting his eldest son, Uax, to cut short his latest voyage - although he did have one objection.
"But I'm on my honeymoon, man!"
"Your wife is welcome, of course," R'Leef smiled into the video-phone, "as long as she does her share of the work."
"How long?"
"God will wait until we are all safe," R'Leef told him. "But don't let's keep him too long," he added hastily.
"We'll be there as soon as we can," Uax said.
"See you soon," R'Leef nodded, and switched of the phone.
A few days later, R'Leef was chairing a family meeting in the family's modest semi on the edge of the city. Since Uax and Zalbeth were both married, Khem had been permitted to bring his girlfriend along too. The others had been unenthusiastic about this initially, but she had promised to be faithful and obedient to Noah and to God - and so far had been a better worker than Khem himself.
"The bunker is in the desert," R'Leef explained. "Khem will be in charge there-"
Khem looked up suddenly - his name had never been used in the same sentence as the words 'in charge' before.
"Because he's the only one with any knowledge of construction work," R'Leef added.
"Thanks," Khem smiled.
"I have some rough plans to share with you later. We will also have responsibility for the animals - this is where Zalbeth comes in."
"What do you want us to do?" It was her husband who replied.
"The animals will all come to us to be kept alive - how you do that is up to you, but we owe it to God to preserve as much of his creation as we can."
Zalbeth nodded thoughtfully, and then said, "How much equipment can I take from my lab?"
"You may not need much. The bunker used to be a research lab - it's likely the Lord has provided all you need."
"If God is going to provide the animals," Zalbeth said, as much to herself as to her father, "then theoretically if I could take a DNA sample from each and keep it safe, that would be enough."
"Can you repopulatethe world from a few blood samples?" Khem asked.
"With the right equipment," Zalbeth nodded. "But that's the difficult part."
"The Lord promised to provide for the future," R'Leef said. "Although he will wipe out everything living on the planet, the city - civilisation - will remain for us to inhabit later. Your lab - and any other - will be available for creating your clones later. If the technology exists, we can find it later."
"Are you sure?"
"Have faith. Speaking of which, we will need to keep some animals for food and sacrifices; if Zalbeth's plan will work, these will be the only livestock to enter the bunker with us. Someone will need to take responsibility for them."
"Cool!" Khem's girlfriend spoke up. "I love animals!"
"Don't get too attached," Khem said. "They're our lunch."
"I know."
"Then you've got the job," R'Leef smiled. "On the subject of food, my wife and I have some experience of growing fruit, herbs and so on, and will see to this in the bunker. I must also spend time with God - we all must - and I will set aside time to pray for each of us. I would ask one of you, therefore, to help when I am otherwise occupied."
"I will do that," Uax's wife volunteered.
"What about me?" Uax said.
"As my eldest son, you will be my deputy. Oversee everything; help wherever you're needed."
R'Leef looked around the table, seven pairs of eyes firmly fixed on him. "Any questions?"
They all shook their heads.
"Then let's not keep God waiting any longer," he said. "You know what you have to do."
Six of them left the table.
"I take it you wanted to see those plans?" R'Leef asked Khem once they were alone.
"Yeah," he answered, "but there was something else..."
"What's that?"
Khem looked carefully at a small scratch on the table in front of him. Took a deep breath. Looked his father in the eye. "Sorry I doubted you," he said, and looked quickly back at the table.
"That's history now," the old man said, resting a hand on his son's shoulder.
Khem smiled up at him, a smile he hadn't seen since Khem was five or six, amazed by his Dad's talent with superglue...
"Come on," R'Leef said. "We've got work to do."
Continues here
"I just don't drink, OK?" Khem insisted.
He was in a pub near the site of the new casino, where he was senior electrician, trying to persuade a burly bricklayer to order him a lemonade.
"Take after that looney-tune father of yours, that's your problem!" the brickie laughed.
"He's not a looney!"Khem shouted, lunging for him.
The rest of the crowd cheered as Khem wrestled the big man to the floor - all of them, including Khem, if he thought about it, knew the bricklayer was putting it on, and would be able to get up just as soon as he chose.
"Khem!"
The crowd of builders looked to the door, where the old man stood with a young woman in a white coat.
"They're coming to take you away, too!" one of them quipped.
The brickie loosened his grip on Khem, who stood up, blushing slightly.
"Hello, Dad," he said quietly.
"I think you'd better come with us," Zalbeth said.
Khem brushed past them silently, and hurried out of the car park, not stopping at his father's people carrier. He was still angry when his father drew up alongside him and offered him a lift.
"I'd rather you drank than built casinos and started bar brawls, Khem," R'Leef said patiently.
"Didn't start it," Khem muttered.
"Well, it doesn't matter now," R'Leef said. "You'll not be doing either for much longer."
"You can't stop me from working there, old man."
"I don't intend to. But unless you change your ways and listen to me, God will judge you along with the rest of humanity."
"OK, OK." Khem held up his hands in protest. "I've tried to go along with your religious stuff; I've given up drink, I've said my prayers every night - what more do you want?"
"Just listen to him," Zalbeth said. "He's trying to save your butt."
Having persuaded Khem to help him, R'Leef had a slightly easier job in getting his eldest son, Uax, to cut short his latest voyage - although he did have one objection.
"But I'm on my honeymoon, man!"
"Your wife is welcome, of course," R'Leef smiled into the video-phone, "as long as she does her share of the work."
"How long?"
"God will wait until we are all safe," R'Leef told him. "But don't let's keep him too long," he added hastily.
"We'll be there as soon as we can," Uax said.
"See you soon," R'Leef nodded, and switched of the phone.
A few days later, R'Leef was chairing a family meeting in the family's modest semi on the edge of the city. Since Uax and Zalbeth were both married, Khem had been permitted to bring his girlfriend along too. The others had been unenthusiastic about this initially, but she had promised to be faithful and obedient to Noah and to God - and so far had been a better worker than Khem himself.
"The bunker is in the desert," R'Leef explained. "Khem will be in charge there-"
Khem looked up suddenly - his name had never been used in the same sentence as the words 'in charge' before.
"Because he's the only one with any knowledge of construction work," R'Leef added.
"Thanks," Khem smiled.
"I have some rough plans to share with you later. We will also have responsibility for the animals - this is where Zalbeth comes in."
"What do you want us to do?" It was her husband who replied.
"The animals will all come to us to be kept alive - how you do that is up to you, but we owe it to God to preserve as much of his creation as we can."
Zalbeth nodded thoughtfully, and then said, "How much equipment can I take from my lab?"
"You may not need much. The bunker used to be a research lab - it's likely the Lord has provided all you need."
"If God is going to provide the animals," Zalbeth said, as much to herself as to her father, "then theoretically if I could take a DNA sample from each and keep it safe, that would be enough."
"Can you repopulatethe world from a few blood samples?" Khem asked.
"With the right equipment," Zalbeth nodded. "But that's the difficult part."
"The Lord promised to provide for the future," R'Leef said. "Although he will wipe out everything living on the planet, the city - civilisation - will remain for us to inhabit later. Your lab - and any other - will be available for creating your clones later. If the technology exists, we can find it later."
"Are you sure?"
"Have faith. Speaking of which, we will need to keep some animals for food and sacrifices; if Zalbeth's plan will work, these will be the only livestock to enter the bunker with us. Someone will need to take responsibility for them."
"Cool!" Khem's girlfriend spoke up. "I love animals!"
"Don't get too attached," Khem said. "They're our lunch."
"I know."
"Then you've got the job," R'Leef smiled. "On the subject of food, my wife and I have some experience of growing fruit, herbs and so on, and will see to this in the bunker. I must also spend time with God - we all must - and I will set aside time to pray for each of us. I would ask one of you, therefore, to help when I am otherwise occupied."
"I will do that," Uax's wife volunteered.
"What about me?" Uax said.
"As my eldest son, you will be my deputy. Oversee everything; help wherever you're needed."
R'Leef looked around the table, seven pairs of eyes firmly fixed on him. "Any questions?"
They all shook their heads.
"Then let's not keep God waiting any longer," he said. "You know what you have to do."
Six of them left the table.
"I take it you wanted to see those plans?" R'Leef asked Khem once they were alone.
"Yeah," he answered, "but there was something else..."
"What's that?"
Khem looked carefully at a small scratch on the table in front of him. Took a deep breath. Looked his father in the eye. "Sorry I doubted you," he said, and looked quickly back at the table.
"That's history now," the old man said, resting a hand on his son's shoulder.
Khem smiled up at him, a smile he hadn't seen since Khem was five or six, amazed by his Dad's talent with superglue...
"Come on," R'Leef said. "We've got work to do."
Continues here
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Stones it is then.
Seems like my What if's didn't go down too well...
Speculative Catholic was kind enough to steal - er, I mean, reproduce ;) - part of my post, attracting a 'thanks but no thanks' kind of reaction...
I'm not sure what to make of the silence here - maybe I've scared everyone off with the merest thought of such heresy! Well, you can all come back, I'm not about to do that just yet. Although I do find the idea interesting.
The first question that occurred to me after 'What if Christ had not been crucified?' was 'Would the Roman Empire have fallen?'
Robert Silverberg explores this possibility in Roma Eterna
, but from the perspective of Christ never having been born; he supposes that the Exodus failed, leaving the Hebrews a barely noticed minority among whom a great prophet never rose, and never started Christianity.
And you don't see anyone throwing bricks at him, do you? I guess it must be safer to just take Christ out of the equation than to wonder what he might have done differently.
I'm just thinking aloud here, please ignore me if I continue to offend. :)
Speculative Catholic was kind enough to steal - er, I mean, reproduce ;) - part of my post, attracting a 'thanks but no thanks' kind of reaction...
I'm not sure what to make of the silence here - maybe I've scared everyone off with the merest thought of such heresy! Well, you can all come back, I'm not about to do that just yet. Although I do find the idea interesting.
The first question that occurred to me after 'What if Christ had not been crucified?' was 'Would the Roman Empire have fallen?'
Robert Silverberg explores this possibility in Roma Eterna
, but from the perspective of Christ never having been born; he supposes that the Exodus failed, leaving the Hebrews a barely noticed minority among whom a great prophet never rose, and never started Christianity.And you don't see anyone throwing bricks at him, do you? I guess it must be safer to just take Christ out of the equation than to wonder what he might have done differently.
I'm just thinking aloud here, please ignore me if I continue to offend. :)
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
The Da Vinci Bandwagon
OK, I know this is a little off topic, but bear with me.
I'm sure you will have noticed a little bit of publicity about a little movie based on a little book called the Da Vinci something or other. Reading a conversation about the subject in the Blogosphere recently made me think: Maybe I should read it, find out what it says that's got so many people so wound up. Of course, I've heard a lot about it, and opinions vary hugely; writers, English teachers - people I trust to know about this sort of thing - say it's not very well written. A number of people - many of them Christians - have said it's a good read, provided you don't forget it's just a story. Another group of Christians seems to be getting very uptight about the very existence of the book and the film, many, I suspect, without having bothered with basic research such as, oh, reading the book, for instance. And the TV people? Well, the documentaries treating 'the conspiracy theory' as something with a solid foundation in reality have just been feeding the insane paranoia that says this is a true story...
I haven't read the book. Don't plan to, or to see the film. Not because I object on some moral or religious grounds, I just can't be bothered. I therefore have no opinion on the content of the book. So why am I adding to the already huge volume of hype surrounding it?
Well, fiction is about playing 'What if...?'. This is most obviously the case, perhaps, in science fiction, particularly that sub-genre known as Alternate History:
And whichever way you approach it, there can be few events in human history more pivotal than the life of Christ. So why not ask 'What if'?
I'm sure you will have noticed a little bit of publicity about a little movie based on a little book called the Da Vinci something or other. Reading a conversation about the subject in the Blogosphere recently made me think: Maybe I should read it, find out what it says that's got so many people so wound up. Of course, I've heard a lot about it, and opinions vary hugely; writers, English teachers - people I trust to know about this sort of thing - say it's not very well written. A number of people - many of them Christians - have said it's a good read, provided you don't forget it's just a story. Another group of Christians seems to be getting very uptight about the very existence of the book and the film, many, I suspect, without having bothered with basic research such as, oh, reading the book, for instance. And the TV people? Well, the documentaries treating 'the conspiracy theory' as something with a solid foundation in reality have just been feeding the insane paranoia that says this is a true story...
I haven't read the book. Don't plan to, or to see the film. Not because I object on some moral or religious grounds, I just can't be bothered. I therefore have no opinion on the content of the book. So why am I adding to the already huge volume of hype surrounding it?
Well, fiction is about playing 'What if...?'. This is most obviously the case, perhaps, in science fiction, particularly that sub-genre known as Alternate History:
It doesn't have to be about war and conquest, of course, but they are obvious turning points in history and ripe to be altered. I could just as easily ask what if the Beatles had never split up, or never formed in the first place?What if the Cold War had escalated?
What if Germany had won the Second World War? Or the First?
What if the British Empire existed today? What about the Roman Empire?
And whichever way you approach it, there can be few events in human history more pivotal than the life of Christ. So why not ask 'What if'?
The Wossname Code may not be an alternate history as such, but is there any reason these questions should not be raised in sf? Could a Christian writer tackle these questions in a sympathetic manner? And more importantly, would Christian readers take him seriously, or would they be hunting him down with a bag full of large, pointy bricks?What if Christ escaped crucifixion?
What if he had never been born?
What if he had raised a family? What if he did have a blood relative alive today?
Monday, May 08, 2006
A word on End Times 'Thrillers'
Rubbish.
What, you want more than a word? Well, OK, but I don't think they deserve it. The only reason I mention them at all is to point you to this blog, which runs an occasional series plotholing the Left Behind series.
But while I'm on the subject, I may as well get my rant over, since Left Behind and all the other 'End Times Thrillers' that followed in its wake can be included in the broad definition of science fiction, in that they are set in the not too distant future. But having read the original LB series (I know, what was I thinking?) and been utterly underwhelmed, I don't intend to give this sub-genre a regular spot in the blog. At least until someone writes a decent one.
I commented on my other blog that, even recognising that I'm still an amateur at the writing game, I could have written the LB series better. I came up with the idea when I was about 14, just before the Cold War ended, but didn't have the Bible knowledge to do anything with it. Heck, I probably could have written it better then...
Tyndale House have, thus far, declined my offer to write Left Behind: London, presumably in case I do in fact turn out to be much better than LaHaye & Jenkins...
Anyway, enough of this speculation.
In the hope that LB had in fact spawned a sub-genre now packed with decently written Apocalypse stories with a Christian twist, I grabbed Wired by Robert L Wise from the library a while back. That was nearly as bad.
Well, maybe I'm being a bit harsh. The plot was predictably similar to that of the LB series, which gave the whole book an instant disadvantage, but the quality of writing didn't do much to counter that. And then there was the odd phrase that caused me to chuckle. Take, for instance, our introduction to the post-Rapture Christians:
And, just like in LB, spiritual enlightenment is provided by a Jewish Bible scholar who just happened to be passing, in this case, former adult film star* Adah Honi. Who, annoyingly, talks like Yoda:
*OK, I may have added that bit myself.
What, you want more than a word? Well, OK, but I don't think they deserve it. The only reason I mention them at all is to point you to this blog, which runs an occasional series plotholing the Left Behind series.
But while I'm on the subject, I may as well get my rant over, since Left Behind and all the other 'End Times Thrillers' that followed in its wake can be included in the broad definition of science fiction, in that they are set in the not too distant future. But having read the original LB series (I know, what was I thinking?) and been utterly underwhelmed, I don't intend to give this sub-genre a regular spot in the blog. At least until someone writes a decent one.
I commented on my other blog that, even recognising that I'm still an amateur at the writing game, I could have written the LB series better. I came up with the idea when I was about 14, just before the Cold War ended, but didn't have the Bible knowledge to do anything with it. Heck, I probably could have written it better then...
Tyndale House have, thus far, declined my offer to write Left Behind: London, presumably in case I do in fact turn out to be much better than LaHaye & Jenkins...
Anyway, enough of this speculation.
In the hope that LB had in fact spawned a sub-genre now packed with decently written Apocalypse stories with a Christian twist, I grabbed Wired by Robert L Wise from the library a while back. That was nearly as bad.
Well, maybe I'm being a bit harsh. The plot was predictably similar to that of the LB series, which gave the whole book an instant disadvantage, but the quality of writing didn't do much to counter that. And then there was the odd phrase that caused me to chuckle. Take, for instance, our introduction to the post-Rapture Christians:
"They are more of an underground group."The New Seekers? I mean, for goodness sake, the rapture's just happened, and you want to buy the world a flippin' Coke?
"Really!" Matthew grinned. "Now that really gets my attention. What are they called?"
"New Seekers." Jennifer lowered her voice.
"Awesome. I like the sound of the name."
And, just like in LB, spiritual enlightenment is provided by a Jewish Bible scholar who just happened to be passing, in this case, former adult film star* Adah Honi. Who, annoyingly, talks like Yoda:
"The important issue is what says the Bible."
"Perhaps, we simply have not figured out for what idea the number is a symbol."
"Let us quickly walk away from the platform. We need from any cameras to stay away."
"One of the next steps in the Anti-Christ's plan is new believers to persecute."
I won't be following that series until the Glorious Appearing. Which, incidentally, I thought might put a stop to LaHaye and Jenkins in their quest for world domination, but, like George Lucas before them, they have discovered the prequel. The latest of which, apparently, will be launched on 06.06.06.
I've just realised. LaHaye and Jenkins are the anti-Christ!
*OK, I may have added that bit myself.
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Androids have rights too, you know.
Since I seem to have strayed into artificial intelligence over the last couple of posts, it seems fitting to comment on this item, conveniently posted yesterday.
The author, David Levy, believes that 'within about fifty years there will be almost no limit to the intellectual and creative powers of robots, nor to the sophistication of their electronics and their electromechanical design.' Fifty years is a long time in technology, so he may well be right. But there are more theories presented in this interview which, although pretty far out for actual scientific prediction, make good sf fodder. For instance:
Most interestingly, Levy also speculates on robot rights (which I think led to the world of the Matrix), robot ethics, and even robot religion...
I'm sure some of this has been covered in sf - Asimov's robot stories spring to mind, as does Star Trek's Data; robot religion specifically in The Quest for Saint Aquin (Anthony Boucher), and 'Silicon Heaven' as featured in Red Dwarf:
The author, David Levy, believes that 'within about fifty years there will be almost no limit to the intellectual and creative powers of robots, nor to the sophistication of their electronics and their electromechanical design.' Fifty years is a long time in technology, so he may well be right. But there are more theories presented in this interview which, although pretty far out for actual scientific prediction, make good sf fodder. For instance:
ChessBase: Are you really so sure of your predictions about love, marriage, sex and reproduction with robots? Isn’t this all rather science fiction?Reproduction - why not? Self-replicating nanobots have been an accepted sf device for a while, after all. When you think, as Levy appears to have done, about human-robot relationships, however, I start to shudder. He does, however, make a valid point about same-sex marriages; who'd have thought that would happen, even fifty years ago?
Levy: No, it isn’t science fiction.
Most interestingly, Levy also speculates on robot rights (which I think led to the world of the Matrix), robot ethics, and even robot religion...
I'm sure some of this has been covered in sf - Asimov's robot stories spring to mind, as does Star Trek's Data; robot religion specifically in The Quest for Saint Aquin (Anthony Boucher), and 'Silicon Heaven' as featured in Red Dwarf:
"...and the iron shall lay down with the lamp..."
This is obviously an idea I'd love to explore from a Christian perspective. Unfortunately I'm not in a position to fork out for a copy of Levy's book, but just reading the interview has left me full of my own series of robot stories...
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