Wow, now this is truly amazing. These kids over at Julliard composed a piano duet centered around themes from Star Wars. Check out the first impression below: Cool eh? (Don’t click the read more, there isn’t any more after this!)
A lot more discussion has been going on regarding media tie-ins, making me realize how big an issue this really is in the genre world. Lou Anders wrote a fascinating post here and in it he quoted someone else who likened the bias in genre fiction against media tie-ins to the bias of non-genre folks against genre. This has made me question my own bias towards media tie-ins. Am I no better than the literary academia who find joy in bashing us genre folks down for writing crap literature?And as I thought more about all of this I started to think about the wealth of literature I never got to read. You see, during high school I went through a period where I absolutely hated reading. Why? The same reason high school kids to this day hate reading: I was forced to read stuff I didn’t enjoy, that didn’t make reading fun or interesting, and because everything about literature revolved around standardized tests or annoying essays about stuff that was completely irrelevant, and still is, or annoying vocabulary tests of “what’s going on in the book” tests. None of this helped me become a person who loved books. For most of high school I absolutely hated reading. And that was anything. Only in freshman year did I actually read for fun, and those were media tie-ins such as Star Wars and Dragonlance, the former primarily because I was in love with SW through and through (still have some of my SW tie-in favorites, actually). But, then I was subjected to the horrors of our current educational system and that killed reading for me for several years–I got back into it when I started reading Star Wars yet again, and Dragonlance (and the works of Richard A. Knaak, who wrote for Dragonlance and then his own series). I wasn’t a reader before high school either, by the way, for the same reason.So, in a way, it was media tie-ins that made me a reader of science fiction and fantasy. I’ve always loved SF/F, because the movies were always awesome (mostly Star Wars, of course), but media tie-ins created my love for the literary form, where Star Wars novels allowed me to follow some of my favorite writers outside of the SW universe to original universes. And…that’s a good thing, right? If tie-ins drive us to read other things, what’s wrong with that? Nothing, but we’re not really talking about there.I’ll talk more about the crappy educational system in this country later. For now, I think I need to start realizing that I can’t be biased to media tie-ins as much as I used to be. I will always hate the Magic the Gathering stuff, because all of the ones I have read have been terrible, but I remember loving the SW stuff, so why shouldn’t I be able to pick those up again and maybe find new things to read?I think my biggest issue with SW is that it got too…I don’t know what to call it. I loved the stuff that followed ROTJ, showing us what happened to the Empire and our heroes, but then the whole thing lost me when they started delving into characters that just didn’t interest me (such as Han and Leia’s kids, who I couldn’t care less about…). But I can go back. I really can. And I think I will, some day.Additionally, this whole thing got me thinking about media tie-ins as something I should consider doing one day. When I was younger I wanted to write a Star Wars novel so bad that I would spend hours and hours figuring out what things I’d put into my story. I never write anything, but I wanted to. I don’t know when that desire left, but just in these last few days it has come back. In fact, here are the many shared universes I’d like to work in one day, and why: Star WarsThe obvious one. I love Star Wars. Always have. I don’t care much for the prequel stuff, mostly because it feels a bit tired and dull in comparison to the far future. And I’d like to work in the SW universe. I really would. I’m feeling a resurgence of love for the universe and all those childhood memories came flooding back, reminding me of why I wanted to be a part of the SW family. If I can, I’d like to write a SW novel, or two, or more. Star TrekI love SW more, but I do think there is a lot of fun stuff in the ST universe, particularly looking at it from a space opera perspective. I’d have a lot of fun showing the Federation at war and the politics involved. Imagine the complexity of such a complex situation as war within the Federation? Has it actually be done well? I mean the full political, social, and economical implications of interstellar war where allied worlds start fighting against one another? Sounds fun to me. X-men/MarvelI was in love with the cartoon show when I was a kid and wish all five seasons had been released on DVD, because I’d love to watch them again. Something about that gritty world of mutants was fascinating. I don’t know what I’d do with the X-men or any Marvel creations, but I know I’d like to do something with depth, drawing upon the social issues of a society where the minority are scared of the majority, and vice versa. WarhammerI’m not entirely sure why, but something about it makes me curious. It’d take a lot of research on my part to know what I’m writing about, etc., but I’d take a lot of joy in expanding on this militaristic war game’s universe. RiftsThe novels are dead, but dangit, this would be such a cool game to write for. Rifts is my favorite pen & paper RPG and there are so many fantastic stories to write about. It’s such an enormous “world”, with
I’ve had this link sitting in my bookmarks for a while, mostly because I was thinking about it and how I don’t necessarily agree with the list. Having let it fester for a bit in the back of my mind, I figure it’s a good time to have a short discussion of the list, and maybe some suggestions for good replacements. So, here goes: Siddhartha by Hermann HesseHuh? I don’t even know what this is. How could it be essential to read before I die if I don’t even know what it is? 1984 by George OrwellYes, I wholeheartedly agree. Fortunately, most Americans who graduated from High School got to read this, or at least I hope so. It’s one of the best books ever written in my opinion. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper LeeI think this is a fantastic book, but I don’t know if I would consider it a must read before death. I’m just iffy on this entry. I think there are other books of equal interest that could be put here and the list would remain the same. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony BurgessYes and no. I think this might be a difficult one for a lot of people to read or handle and I wonder if it’s an appropriate choice for all people to read before death. I’ve already read it, though. For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest HemingwayI’ll just agree for the heck of it, even though I have never read this book. War and Peace by Leo TolstoyI’ve not read it, but I would agree only because I understand the depth and importance of this book. The Rights of Man by Thomas PaineRead part of it. I don’t think this one matters that much. I think the problem with some of the books on this list is it is trying to be too snobbish, giving us lots of books of high literary quality that most people today wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole, no matter how good. How many people have read 1984 more than once? I have, but I’m weird. The Social Contract by Jean-Jacques RousseauTry again. This is not for everyone. This list isn’t turning out very great thus far. Try getting stuff that might entertain people, and I mean “ALL” people, or a vast majority. Most people have no idea what this book even is and probably wouldn’t make it past the first page. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García MárquezNo. I know it’s a good book, a classic and all, but this is, again, not for everyone. This book, as I’ve heard, can be exceedingly confusing for someone who isn’t much of a reader, and considering that most of us aren’t literature professors who read such books for a living, this isn’t a book for everyone. The Origin of Species by Charles DarwinI would suggest having a familiarity with the concepts in this book, but not reading the book itself. It’s a boring read, even for me (and I’m a huge evolution supporter). There are books that put this into simpler terms and sentence structures and those books would be better for people, in my opinion. The Wisdom of the Desert by Thomas MertonDon’t know what this is, but it sounds like a book you should read when you’re young, which would be acceptable for an entirely different sort of list. If you’re 80 years old and you realize you haven’t read enough books and you saw this list, this book would probably tick you off. Why the hell do you need to learn about living life simply and purely? You’re 80! You don’t have time for this. The Tipping Point by Malcolm GladwellI’ve never even heard about this one, so it makes me question why it’s even here. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth GrahamWhile I agree this is a great book, I don’t agree that it should be on this list. I love this book, and the cartoon, but it’s not a book that you absolutely must read. The Art of War by Sun TzuYes and no. I think you should have familiarity with Sun Tzu’s concepts rather than the book itself. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. TolkienThis depends entirely on who you are. For me, it’s a yes, for someone else, it might be a big no. This book, however, has succeeded in crossing many boundaries that face other books of fantasy, so perhaps it belongs here. David Copperfield by Charles DickensI haven’t read it, so I would replace this with A Tale of Two Cities instead, just so I can be relevant. Four Quartets by T.S. EliotEh, I don’t know. I think if you’re going to include poetry on this list you should put some sort of poetry collection here, like a Norton Anthology. That way you are covering all bases. Norton is really good at putting together a lot of interesting and varied works of literature. Catch-22 by Joseph HellerI’ll say yes, only because I know this book was so popular that it’s title actually created a phrase. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott FitzgeraldNo. Again, this is a book that doesn’t apply to everyone. Sorry, I don’t think that everyone should read this book. Every American should, but not everyone in general. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. SalingerYes and no. Historically speaking this is an important book, but I don’t know if it would be suited for everyone. Some people might find it dull, others might find it horribly offensive, and others might love it. I liked it, but not enough to read it again. It’s not a bad book, but I think it’s more popular for it’s serial killer “connections” and it’s history as a banned book than anything else. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor DostoyevskyI suppose this would be a good one to read. I haven’t read it, but it’s famous for a reason, plus I like Dostoyevsky. The Prince
I have officially figured out what the problem is with The Spellweaver of Dern. I’d thought it was a problem before, and I was right. The Presh storyline is all wrong. In fact, after thinking upon it earlier I’ve decided that I hate it. Sure, it’s good on its own, but it doesn’t belong in SoD. Why? Because it isn’t WISB; it’s something else. I noticed it while listening to a podcast and thinking about where I wanted to go with the story. There is humor there, but when I thought about that humor I realized that it doesn’t work. Presh and Fidge feel more like characters from a different fantasy world (Altern, to be specific). There is a lot of quirkiness there, and WISB isn’t that quirky. True, WISB has Pea, who is strange, fun, and, in my mind, hilarious, but Pea is also an incredibly serious character who is funny not necessarily because of his jokes, but because of how he deals with serious issues. Take his first appearance, which I won’t ruin here in case you haven’t read it. James discovers something about Pea that Pea takes great offense about, but to us is rather humorous both because Pea makes a scene about it and because what happens is somewhat funny. But it’s not funny to Pea, and it’s certainly not funny just as a comedic moment, but as other things as well, since it establishes the character and gives us some much needed cultural inclusion. With Presh and Fidge there isn’t a lot of that. True, there is culture, but their storyline feels more like a big joke to me, and I don’t want WISB to feel like a joke. WISB’s humor is in conjunction with some serious issues, particularly for James because of all he has to go through to succeed on his “quest/journey/mission/etc.”. I didn’t feel like Presh and Fidge were going somewhere of equal importance. I had intentions for them to go there, but it felt more like they were going somewhere that isn’t in WISB, but perhaps in Altern instead.So with that, I’m making an official decision on the fate of Presh and Fidge: I’m cutting them out of SoD. They don’t belong. I intend to keep them for something else, or at least if I have something else that I can use them in. I want to focus mostly on James and Laura, and their companions, and have come up with a plan that keeps you readers in-the-know about what is happening on Traea while the other characters are fleeing. That was the prime reason for Presh and Fidge, and now that I have an idea how to go about keeping that inclusion without them, things may work better. I want the issues in WISB to remain serious, with some comedic relief, rather than becoming a quirky fantasy novel.There also is a major connection between the world of Traea and our world, which will be realized either in SoD or in the next book…at least if you’re paying attention (I’m not going to go “here it is, look and be amazed” with the connection, because I already did that). So having said that, it’s done. I hope it’s alright with everyone who has been reading. I just want to push James and Laura forward, and I find it difficult knowing that Presh and Fidge were problem characters for me. Thanks!
From io9: Abrams talked a lot about why he thinks the time is right for a show about the horrors of science gone wrong. “Every day, every week, we hear about some potentially horrifying thing… Science is out of control.” No, what’s out of control is the overrated producer/creator that gave us the Lost, Cloverfield, and what will almost surely be a horribly overrated junker, Fringe. Let’s discuss for a moment, shall we?You wrote an adult version of Gilligan’s Island, which wasn’t very good and which proved to have no credibility when the fat guy on the show never lost any weight. Really? A guy that size goes on an extreme diet on a semi-deserted island and doesn’t lose a pound? I mean, come on, he had to lose at least a little weight. All that running around, climbing, and eating coconuts and dirt…I’m losing weight just talking about it. Not to mention the show took itself way too seriously, so much so that nothing happens in almost all the episodes, which puts me to sleep (sort of like Heroes, which lost me when it got all “evil government” on me…the X-men cartoon was better).Then you wrote Cloverfield, one of the worst science fiction movies I’ve seen in a long time, sporting the witty narration of a half-retarded guy named Chud, or Chug, or Chum, or some four-letter name for a mentally deficient college-aged guy who clearly took one too many hits in the head during football practice. That movie took all the horribly idiotic cliches of horror movies and disaster films, put them together, and did nothing all that new or original with it. Bravo.Finally, you’re giving us Fringe, which sounded cool to me for a while, until that glorious quote above where you tried to make it sound like science is this big scary evil thing that’s out of control. Excuse me? This is why people like Abrams shouldn’t be allowed to write about things they don’t know anything about. Science isn’t out of control. In fact, it’s strictly controlled by rules, regulations, etc. We’re not producing evil super-humans who go around assassinating people in their sleep, never leaving a trace, and being capable of scaling 20-storey buildings in a single leap. We don’t have super-viruses controlled by the government to keep the masses in check, or nasty robot bugs that go around with little lasers, shooting people that make a vague threat against the government. See, that would be out of control…having those things. But we don’t. Nope, science is cool. Just remember that the next time you get a shot. Science gave us the means to fabricate our own immunities. And that’s all I have to say about this…
I discovered this site/trailer for a new movie called 2081 that is supposed to be based on a short story by Kurt Vonnegut. It looks really fascinating and I’m curious if anyone knows about the project, such as when it’s due in theaters or online or wherever. Check it out for yourself if you haven’t heard about it. It’s dystopian science fiction and it’s truly fascinating. Anywho! (Don’t click the read more, there isn’t any more after this!)
