Immortality: If you could live forever, would you? (Poll)
(Note: There is a poll on the left sidebar. Vote away!) Some time ago there was a news story about a species of jellyfish that is essentially immortal. Apparently this species is able to revert back to its earliest stage of life over and over, effectively removing natural death from its biological spectrum. This would be similar to a human being having the ability to revert back to an infant and relive through childhood, adolescence, and so on, again…and again…and again. Since scientists are hard at work trying to figure out how to reverse, or at least stop, the aging process, it seems only fair that I would bring up the age old question: If you could live forever, would you? Why or why not? Personally, I don’t know. Assuming that to live forever means to live forever in general good health (unless I screw that up on my own by becoming a drunk or a parachute ninja), to answer that question is rather difficult. I mean, if you could live forever, but you kept aging, that would be nothing but terrible. Who wants to spend two hundred years with a walker or stuck in a chair watching re-runs of old sports games and eating Grape Nuts and prunes (because they’re good for your bowel movements, after all)? Not even old people want to do that. They think they do, but in reality…they don’t. They’ve simply come to terms with the mediocrity of elderly existence (E.E. for short). But if I could live forever without aging terribly, without having my organs fail for reasons not of my own doing, or without having to revert back to childhood or turn into a half-robot monstrosity, I think I would. Here are a few reasons why: –Space. The unfortunate thing about being alive in this time is that I’ll get to see the space tourist industry rise to the occasion, but by the time I can afford one of these cool space trips, I’ll be too damned old to survive the flight. Living forever might mean I get to see the stars with my own eyes from the safety of Earth orbit, or, if I’m lucky, maybe actual stars and other planets. Maybe I’ll discover, once and for all, the planet where all the ninjas come from (you know what I’m talking about, so don’t pretend like you’re not on the up-and-up on Nunchuckto 9). –Flying car. Happening in my life time? Yes. Will I be able to drive one before I get too old to have a license anymore? I doubt it. If I were immortal, well, enough said about that. –The cure for cancer. I’m a survivor and, as such, have a soft spot in my heart for this discovery. It’ll happen soon. I’d like to see us come up with the cure for everything. That would be kickass. –Laser swords. You know some crazy guy in his basement is going to come up with one of these in 40 years, and it’ll work, and we can go back to feudal times when duels were acceptable. And in 40 years, we’ll be able to grow back limbs and all that, so a laser battle won’t be such a bad thing. But, I’ll probably be three-quarters-dead in 40 years. I want a laser sword. So. Yeah. I am, of course, fully aware of the downsides to being immortal. For example, if you’re the only immortal person in the universe, then that means you’ll have to watch all your friends and family members and pets and politicians die. The last one might not be so bad, but the first three would suck, especially if you kept having to go through that century after century. Not to mention that after living for a few hundred years, there’s not much you can do to avoid being that creepy old guy who hits on college chicks. You might not look old, but you really are, and if ever there was a need for an international law to protect the young from creepy old guys, it would definitely be for this. The other downsides might be:–Monogamy. I don’t know many people who can stand being with someone for centuries and centuries. One century is pushing it, and if your significant other is immortal too, then you’re in for a rude awakening. –Crazy religious people will hate you. You’ll either be loved like a God (which would be cute for about ten minutes, and then it’d get really old), or hated for being Satan (in which case you could spend an entire immortal life running from people who would rather have your head on a plate than see you outlive them). You’d likely have to keep it secret, particularly because of the next downside… –Evil old white guys who don’t want to die and crazy pseudo-scientists who want to use you as an experiment to discover the true meaning of life or whatever it is they’re searching for. This all depends on the kind of immortality you have, and whether you’re the only one alive or whether you’re on a planet full of immortal people. But the worst case scenario doesn’t look good. So, now that I’ve pontificated on the great immortality debate, I want to know what you think: Would you want to be immortal? Why or why not? Let me know in the comments and check out the poll on the left sidebar!
Haul of Books 2010: Stuff For Review v.1
Time for another edition of the Haul of Books. This time I’ll show you some of the books I’ve received for review. I haven’t received a whole lot of stuff in the last few months. There have been a few books from Tor, some books from random small presses and small press authors, and other fun things. So, without wasting any more of your time, here goes:The books are, from left to right, top to bottom, as follows (descriptions taken from Amazon.com): 1. The Hunt For the Eye of Ogin by Patrick Doud Elwood Pitch is only thirteen years old when he is carried away to the land of Winnitok, in the otherworld of Ehm. Desperate to find a way back home to his family, Elwood’s one hope is Granashon, the land’s immortal protector. But Granashon is missing, and her power that protects Winnitok is fading fast. When Elwood dreams of the Eye of Ogin, a legendary object with the power to see Granashon wherever she might be, he vows to find it. With his dog Slukee and two newfound companions, Drallah Wehr of Winnitok and her talking raven Booj, Elwood sets out on an epic quest. Legend states that the Eye was lost in the Great Swamp of Migdowsh, a land of nightmare ruled by a horrible frog demon known as the Otguk. The Great Swamp is far to the west, and a vast wilderness lies between the companions and their goal. Many dangers threaten them along the way-hungry nahrwucks, cruel green yugs and their Graycloak masters, a despotic girl queen and the powerful witch who counsels her-but by their wits and courage, as well as an unseen hand that seems to guide and protect them, the companions reach the Great Swamp at last. And then their troubles really begin… Will they find the Eye and Granashon? Will Elwood find a way home? And how will he live with the terrible truth the Great Swamp reveals to him? Patrick Doud brings memorable characters, poetic language, and a driving narrative to this timeless tale that recalls classic epic adventure stories. 2. Goddess Fire by Meg Westley The god of dreams has fallen silent; the goddess of nightmares ravages Egira. Her emissaries, the towering, indigo-skinned Vleth, conquer the land and transform its culture. Women wield exclusive power and men are slaves. Those who worship the god of dreams are incarcerated in underground catacombs. 3. Molly Fyde and the Parsona Rescue by Hugh Howe Growing up an orphan in the Milky Way hasn’t been easy, especially as a teenage girl in the Naval Academy. Unfortunately for Molly Fyde, things are about to get worse. Just as she’s finding her place amongst the boys, her unfair expulsion from the Academy takes away the only two things that truly matter: flying in space and her training partner, Cole. Sent off to a normal school, she feels destined for a dull, unspectacular future. Then, a marvelous discovery changes everything: Her father’s old starship, missing for a decade, turns up halfway across the galaxy. Its retrieval launches Molly and Cole on the adventure of a lifetime, one that will have lasting consequences for themselves and billions of others. What starts off as a simple quest to reconnect with her past, ends up forging a new future. And the forgotten family she hoped to uncover is replaced by a new one she never foresaw: a band of alien misfits and runaways… The crew of the starship Parsona. 4. Shadows & Light: Tales of Lost Kingdoms edited by Alva J. Roberts Stories of the fantastic have captured the hearts and inspired the dreams of people since the sagas of Gilgamesh, The Odyssey, and Beowulf were first uttered. These mythic tales have helped mankind define the concepts of good and evil, and the epic struggle between the two. Shadows & Light: Tales of Lost Kingdoms continues this tradition with twenty-two fantastic tales of magic, forgotten worlds, and the conflict between the hero and the villain. From burning deserts to the center of the sea, from enchanted forests to King Arthur’s court, and from dueling wizards to beleaguered cities, Shadows & Light has something for everyone who has ever wondered “what if?”. Authors in this volume include: Jean Rabe, Vaughn Heppner, Max Wright, Scott Harper, Christopher Heath, Laura Eno, JW Schnarr, Jessy Marie Roberts, Bill Ward, Christopher Jacobsmeyer, Kody Boye, Lydia Sharp, Martin Turton, D.M. Bonanno, Jessica A. Weiss, Carrie Harris, Gustavo Bondoni, Paul L. Bates, Ray Kolb, Alva J. Roberts, Jonathan Shipley, and John B. Rosenman. 5. Shadow Prowler by Alexey Pehov After centuries of calm, the Nameless One is stirring. An army is gathering; thousands of giants, ogres, and other creatures are joining forces from all across the Desolate Lands, united, for the first time in history, under one, black banner. By the spring, or perhaps sooner, the Nameless One and his forces will be at the walls of the great city of Avendoom. Unless Shadow Harold, master thief, can find some way to stop them. Epic fantasy at its best, Shadow Prowler is the first in a trilogy that follows Shadow Harold on his quest for a magic Horn that will restore peace to the Kingdom of Siala. Harold will be accompanied on his quest by an Elfin princess, Miralissa, her elfin escort, and ten Wild Hearts, the most experienced and dangerous fighters in their world…and by the king’s court jester (who may be more than he seems…or less). Reminiscent of Moorcock’s Elric series, Shadow Prowler is the first work to be published in English by the bestselling Russian fantasy author Alexey Pehov. The book was translated by Andrew Bromfield, best known for his work on the highly successful Night Watch series. 6. Warriors edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois From George R. R. Martin’s Introduction to Warriors: “People have been telling stories about warriors for as long as they have been telling stories. Since Homer first sang the wrath of Achilles and