Category: Speculative Fiction

*SFN* | Book Review: The Skin Map by Stephen R. Lawhead

Posted Tuesday, 5 November, 2013 by jorielov , , , , 0 Comments

The Skin Map by Stephen R. Lawhead
[Book One of The Bright Empire series]

[Book Two: The Bone House]
[Book Three: The Spirit Well]
[Book Four: The Shadow Lamp]

Published By: Thomas Nelson, 2010
Page Count: 416

Borrowed Book By: My local library’s ILL (inter-library loan) service as they did not carry it in their catalogue. What is interesting though is that they have book three “The Spirit Well” instead!  Therefore, if I find that I enjoy reading this I will ILL books two and four! I was thankful that the request went through in time for me to read this book in conjunction with SFN!

What drew me to read this story:  Is the fact that the very premise of the book acknowledges the existence of fissures in time, which I found to be a riveting opening to a book, much less a full series! And, the fact that people could ‘walk through’ these individual time fissures and experience something unlike what we generally experience was a story I wanted to read! Made possible by a discovery of a sequence of straight lines known as ‘ley lines’, which in of themselves omit an electromagnetic current! If you have been following me along with my SFN posts, you will already know that this would be of key interest, as I happen to fancy stories that involve ‘time travel’ and have recently begun to become acquainted with “The Doctor” of “Doctor Who”! Its evoking the same sense I received from watching “The Adjustment Bureau” where reality is perceptional and can be altered with the opening of a single door OR at the flick of a switch you do not see by sight. The prospect of an ordinary person ‘stumbling across’ this altered state of time, who is summoned by a person of their past is an adventure I thought was well worth taking!

Inspired to Share: When I originally settled on reading this particular story, I couldn’t help but hit the ‘play button’ on the book trailer, which was listed in the upper right corner of the author’s website! I am ever so curious about book trailers, as I have been finding this year that instead of the regular fare of trailers, we are being happily delighted by seeing more ‘mini-film’ versions!! These sort of trailers not only have bang-on accuracy as far as giving the heart and context of the story to a potential reader, but if that reader (such as I) has a fancy for motion pictures, they become an engaging platform in which one’s mind can jump-dive into the story as though they were living through the character as they would in the seat of a darkened theater watching a first-run film! This next genesis of book trailers has captured me as being the ones that endear you long-term towards the book your about to pick up, as it gives you such a riveting visual aide to help you sink easier into the setting of the world just within reach of your fingertips! The wicked part is that they took the information on the inside cover flap and turnt it into the book trailer!

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

“The Skin Map” by Stephen Lawhead, Bright Empires Series #1 book trailer

by Thomas Nelson featured on the ChristianBook channel

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

The backdrop of science in The Skin Map:

As I dip into the opening chapters of The Skin Map, my mind is attempting to ferret out the knowledge that I had gleamed and gained through my prior readings of the quantum realms. The very same readings as I had outlined only hours prior in my Book Showcase focused on Time Travel! Who knew then, that all of that would become a bit necessary to read a book such as this? Or, at the very least to have a bit of a working knowledge of some of the theories that are being discussed? I feel as though it were but yesterday when I read Flatland!

I liked how Cosmio (the great-grandfather) was pointing out to his (great) grandson that those who walk across the ley lines cannot tamper with the power of their transport abilities – such as when Kit unabashedly felt that he could simply walk his girlfriend through the same alley and arrive in the exact same place he would be himself. It brings up the layers of complexity that time travel involves and how multi-layered our dimensional space truly is. It also brought back to me conversations I had whilst sitting in my high school library and contemplating the ‘layers’ of both time and reality itself as it pertained to the history in which our lives are lived. It was a dialogue of elementary quantum mechanics but I never forgot how excited my classmate was for speaking about a subject I felt he should pursue in University.

I find it instinctively distinct that Kit and Cosimo are traveling in time to alternative realities that are happening in places that they can recognise but they are not on the same ‘time-frame’ of where they originated or from whence they originally ‘came’. It’s a complex theory but the author, Lawhead has an excellent way of handling the science and getting the reader caught up in the story without feeling as though an upper level of science is required to understand the working theory of how the characters are able to travel!

A curious notation about the leys in the novel is when it’s mentioned that they are ‘time sensitive’. I found this intriguing as the premise of using the leys is not to walk into a ‘different time’ per se of your living history or the history of your time, but rather to step into a parallel alternative reality. IF then the leys are in tune with time itself it would stand to question then do all alternative realities coincide with our own time? And, if they do, how is that even possible? Whereas the opening of portals occur at sunrise or sunset, which I found even more curious as when I read the novel “The Golden Hour” by Maiya Williams she used this same theory as a basis of the time travel in her story. Is there concrete evidence floating in and around this premise? Hence the reason she called traveling at sunset as “the golden hour”, as an another example of a writer putting a ‘key’ to her story in her title!

Entering the Adventure one fissure of time in a nanosecond:

Before Kit can even understand ‘where’ he is going and ‘what’ he is meant to be helping his great-grandfather achieve, he has accidentally set off a chain of events that are digging him deeper into traveling the ley lines! I am enjoying the pace of the story, as much as I am enjoying how the story is playing out for the reader! Lawhead has included a few lovely distractions and villains for good measure (of course!), which mark in my mind that this is one of those stories you’re not quite sure what is going to ‘pop out at you’ at any given moment! Part of it reminds me of “The Seeker: The Dark is Rising“, as it has elemental familiarities for me!

As Kit proceeds to accept his great-grandfather’s beliefs in the ley lines, his first venture towards full acceptance was traveling back into the 17th Century to listen to a lecturer who ended up being Cosimo’s partner and a Quester: Sir Henry Fayth. Lawhead has a pure knack for bringing to life flamboyantly secure men of a certain age who are fully contained into their own personality as to evoke a bold presence right before your eyes! I wasn’t sure whom I admired more, his great-grandfather or Sir Henry! I had the feeling that Kit still felt out of step with all of it, the quest to recover the skin map (as the title is elusive to the adventure) and the fact he is now living counter-current to a living timeline he has always known.

Ordinary frustrations of Kit Livingstone:

I nearly cackled with humour whilst walking with Kit as he makes every vein attempt to reach his girlfriend Wilhelmina at a joint shopping rendezvous point! The way in which he would put it, it’s merely a task for switching tracks (for the London tube system), hailing down a bus, crossing through a (rather infamous) park, and heading up a road to greet his dear girlfriend! Yet. Life like art isn’t always a mere ‘walk in the park’! I was seriously having trouble containing myself, as although I had come off two rather emotional Doctor Who episodes (Turn Left & Journey’s End – clearly I am not watching this series in the proper order!) how could I not stifle a bubble of a laugh over every which way to Sunday his life is being affected by a comedy of errors!? Those are the particular and precise moments in my own life where I start to see a stitching of a pattern take hold inside my mind’s eye. Were the events that for me, in those singular moments, rather disastrous really as such? Or, were they universal signs of a serendipitous ripple of coincidence that was writ to happen if only for certain paths to cross at the right ‘moment in time’? Have you naught noticed the same in your own life? People and places you might never have become acquainted with if your life hadn’t altered its course even to the smallest degree to have you arrive at a place you never had been, and yet, a purpose was met that was not of your prior knowledge?

The interaction with his long-lost great-grandfather is purely classic as far as these meetings generally go, but what I liked about it which set it a part from most meetings such as these is the manner in which his great-grandfather was delivering the ‘news of his life’! I liked how his great-grandfather (of whom he was apparently named for as they share the same name! ‘Kit’ isn’t his proper first name, Cosimo is!) counter-balanced Kit’s cocky-headed responses by a calm, collected, and deeply humourous dictation of the facts! The insertion of British phrases and slang made it altogether priceless for me! As I oft am eager to read a full-on Brit novel replete with their own stylings of vernacular!

Review of The Skin Map:

A wanton wanderer simply known as “Kit” flounders around in an ill-attempt at sorting out his life and the path he would like to follow. He never expected to take an unexpected trip to an alternative reality parallel to his own time when his great-grandfather appeared out of nowhere. The swirling of thunder, rain, and storm was actually a gateway arch into traveling along the ley lines. This sets him on a course he is not even sure he belongs, whilst learning the history and technique of this sort of travel, his gravest concern is reconnecting with Wilhelmina, of whom was lost when he recklessly attempted to bring her with him.

Wilhelmina may not have believed the far-fetched excuse that her lackluster boyfriend Kit had given her as a plausible reason for missing her shopping excursion, but finding herself lost on a desolate road made her question if he was telling her the truth. The nearly forgotten language of her grandmother (German) came in handy when she was rescued by a German-speaking man (Englebert) on his way out of the country. Her journey began the moment she accepted his offer to take her with him. What I found most incredible is that her side of the story is leading her to finding her true self as a baker and as a businesswoman. Whereas I am not as sure if she would have had as much growth in her own time as she is having in the 17th Century! Prague is beautifully brought to life through her adventure of setting up a bakery with her rescuer!

At nearly the half-way junction point, Lawhead starts to cast a curious new reality upon the infamous landmarks in England that we are all most familiar with as to having a purpose other than what it appears to be. For such an instance, Stonehenge in this novel is referenced as being a portal – a proper hub for extracting oneself through time into another dimension separate from our own. Now, I am not sure the validity of this claim, but I do know that there is more to Stonehenge than meets the eye! And, surely more than claiming that it’s a gigantic telescope! What makes the science plausible in the story is how close the quantum sciences are coming to terms with everyday reality.

Wilhelmina’s spunky spirit shines brightly when she’s describing to Englebert how to get the bakery back online by incorporating coffee! The hilarity of the situation is that she’s a woman from the 20th century attempting to explain this to a man of the 17th! And, his confusion reigns supreme! Whilst Englebert embarked on a sojourn quest to get her blasted beans, he made a discovery on the docks that could change everything! Like most men who encounter adversity, his spirit only started to brighten once he saw a turning of the tide! He was still on the fence about her plan to turn the bakery into a profit when she introduced him to the bitter coffee, of which he felt was atrocious! She calmly replied to his vexation that it’s a triumph as they can serve sweets to compliment the bitter! Spoken like a true woman!

 [This post is in-progress! Drop back to see the concluding thoughts! Alas! I need to re-ILL! Oy!]

This book review is brought to you by:

Sci-Fi November | Hosted by Rinn Reads

{SOURCES: Sci-Fi November Badge provided by Rinn Reads for participants to advert the month long event and to encourage people to follow along with those of us who are contributing! Post dividers badge by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. The book trailer by Thomas Nelson via Christianbook.com had either URL share links or coding which made it possible to embed this media portal to this post, and I thank them for the opportunity to share more about this novel and the author who penned it.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2013.

Related Articles:

Ley Line – (en.wikipedia.org)

Alfred Watkins – (en.wikipedia.org)

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

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Posted Tuesday, 5 November, 2013 by jorielov in Alternative Reality, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, Book Trailer, Philosophy, Sci-Fi November, Science Fiction, SFN Bingo, Time Travel, Treasure Hunt

*SFN* | A Book Showcase [focused on] Time Travel!

Posted Tuesday, 5 November, 2013 by jorielov , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 12 Comments

SFN_TimeTravel

Time travel is such a curious prospect to wrap one’s mind around because it bends and yields to our understandings of everything that we hold rather dear! To be able to tip the veils back and peer into our past, whether lived or unlived (as time is temporal) is such a proposition to make anyone curious, I would think the possibilities and the repercussions of time travel being used for the good or succombing to evil, make time travel a bit of a dicey proposition! I, myself, have always been keenly in tune with time travel plots in other media outlets such as tv serials as outlayed in my post just the other night! However, as far as reading about time travel in the purest sense of the word, that is something I have only begun to do in recent years! Mind you, I would have started far sooner if I could have sorted out how to get copies of the next books in a certain young adult series I will be highlighting ever so shortly! The main appeal for me, is seeing a glimpse into different cultures, traditions, and lifestyles of not only the historical (and known) past but of people we may not have ever expected to cross paths with who live in other galaxies and worlds completely! There are unlimited number of transportal routes one could take as a time traveler, and part of the adventure for me is making the journey into the complete unknown!

My earliest memory of reading a book that involved the displacement or disbursement of time would be “The Purple Door” by Janifer C. De Vos. This served as a gateway into an exciting series entitled: Guardians. I was in elementary school at the time when I read it, and this book served as an electrifying catapult into a whole new dimension of experiencing a story! You see, the main character travels into a different time and space whilst only expecting to be having a summer job at an antiques store! My memory of the particulars surrounding this series has vacated my memory banks, but I do look forward to re-reading it at some point (once I locate which box I have put it in!), as I was able to find the next two books in the series (via Powells which has a lovely out-of-print service!): The Silver Glass and The Dark Watch.

What disappointed me at the time I read The Purple Door, is that I could not carry-on with the series closer to when I had discovered the first book! (this would become a trait for certain series unfortunately!) I would always aspire to find other series which would push the envelope and limits on time and our sensory perceptions of time. It would take quite a long while for me to unearth A Wrinkle in Time, as a segue into reading my introduction to Quantum Physics library which I had purchased out of a mail-order book club (I believe it was called: The Library of Science originally) towards the start of the 2000’s. I was attempting to get into The Elegant Universe: Super-Strings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory by Brian Greene as well as Lucifer’s Legacy: The Meaning of Asymmetry by Frank Close. What I appreciated about the first book in “The Time Quartet” series is that it illuminates the aspects of the quantum realms within the scope of what can be imagined. The hardest part I think of quantum physics isn’t the mathematical language needed to take the theories to a higher level of understanding, but rather, the ability to directly imagine and purport into imagery what the theories are attempting to show us! In this way, I have always highly recommended that anyone keen on this side of science to start with A Wrinkle in Time! From there, I moved forward into Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin Abbott Abbott, which helped fuse the two together for me! I shifted easily back into where I had left off in my readings for the books of Greene & Close, as well as attempting to seek out other scientists who were producing books on these subjects that fascinated me so very much! The short list of people who intrigued me were: Clifford A. Pickover, Michio Kaku, Professor Stephen Hawking, and Carl Sagan.

I took a bit of a hiatus from my pursuit of reading non-fiction pieces on time and the quantum realms, opting instead when a new branch of my local library opened to seek out fictional stories that were cast into the same vein as The Purple Door of my youth! I wanted to seek out other writers’ to pick up where I had left off before exchanging the fictional side of this subject for the non-fiction! This is how I came to become immersed into the awe-inspiring worlds of The Golden Hour by Maiya Williams, The Sixty-Eight Rooms by Marianne Malone, and The Dragon in the Driveway by Kate Klimo! What I hadn’t realised at the time is that each of these was the gateway book into a brand-new series! I am still working my way towards reading the next installments as my local library only has the original beginnings rather than the sequels!

In keeping with this earnest approach of mine, I decided that it would be best to dip into both of my conjoined interests, and find a steady balance between fiction and non-fiction even during Sci-Fi November! My viewings of “Doctor Who” have brought back to life my excitement and pure giddiness in celebrating a time traveler on the small screen! However, I do not want to only rely on my ability to seek out media forms of story-telling, and would rather garnish a bit of a nice foothold in literature as this is one particular subject that has been written on for quite a long time! As with Steampunk, I am finding that there are many facets that determine the outcome of a time travel adventure! Sometimes the time travel elements are subtle, barely noticeable, and other times, they have such resounding effects that it puts everyone in the story in direct peril! I have found time travel to be used in cross-genres, such as: juvenile and young adult fiction, romance, historical fiction, science fiction, and even high fantasy! I am sure there are a heap of others, but what I wanted to say, is that due to the diverse selection, I could very well be reading stories of time travel for many an eon yet to come! And, what a thrilling revelation that is for someone as giddy as I am about the written word!?

I can honestly say, that when it comes to my journey into books whose central theme is ‘Time Travel’, I am as much as a beginner with this genre as I was with Steampunk! I only have a few books under me to where I have been able to seek out authors & stories that catch my fancy to read!  Which is why I would love to open up a discussion thread right now, and encourage anyone who has had history with Time Travel in Literature to post a link back to a post on your own blog that delves into how you came to start reading Time Travel &/or of whom your favourite authors, stand-alone novels, and Time Travel serial books would be!? Be sure to come back to this post to attach the link of your post in the comments! ONLY link directly to the post you created on this topic, DO NOT link to the main page of your blog! I will be checking! Thank you! I cannot wait to see what everyone’s post!! :)

In the intrim, these are the books I pulled from my local library to explore this month:

The Skin Map (Book One: Bright Empires series) by Steve Lawhead
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
WorldSoul (Book One: WorldSoul series) by Liz Williams
(non-fiction) Breaking the Time Barrier: The Race to Build the First Time Machine by Jenny Randles
(non-fiction) Time Travel in Einstein’s Universe: The Physical Possibilities of Travel Through Time by Richard J. Gott
(non-fiction) Time: A Traveler’s Guide by Clifford A. Pickover
The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells by Andrew Sean Greer
The Little Book by Selden Edwards
The Little Prince by Selden Edwards
The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma
The Kingdom of Ohio by Matthew Fleming
Expiration Date by Duane Swierczynski
City at the End of Time by Greg Bear

I wanted to select a broad selection of novels that would not only change my preconceptions of what you can experience in time travel literature but I wanted to be a bit bold and daring in my choices! I decided to shift away from the quite obvious choice of reading “The Time Machine” as much as the fact, I already knew I would not want to read “The Time Traveler’s Wife” having had seen the film of the same name! (truly one of the most gutting motion pictures to experience!) I decided to dip into non-fiction as well for a bit, as I do have a keen interest in the science behind science fiction, and I knew that this would be a great branch to cross-relate into science! I am not sure if I will finish the non-fiction titles during the month, but whatever I am able to read in those selections I shall relay to you! Normally a non-fiction book takes me a bit longer to read in full due to the length and depth!

I am curious once more if anyone participating in SFN or a reader who is visiting our blogs during the event has a familiarity with the choices I have made!? And, if you perhaps have others to suggest to me in return!?

This feature is brought to you by:

Sci-Fi November | Hosted by Rinn Reads

{SOURCES: Sci-Fi November Badge provided by Rinn Reads for participants to advert the month long event and to encourage people to follow along with those of us who are contributing! Post lovely provided by Shabby Blogs with edits by Jorie in Fotoflexer.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2013.

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Posted Tuesday, 5 November, 2013 by jorielov in Astronomy, Bookish Discussions, Brothers and Sisters, Cosmology, Library Find, Library Love, Quantum Physics, Revolutionary France, Sci-Fi November, Science Fiction, SFN Bingo, Time Travel, Time Travel Adventure

*SFN* | Favourite Top 20 Sci-Fi Serials of All-Time!

Posted Monday, 4 November, 2013 by jorielov 2 Comments

SFN_TopSFTv

I must confess it took me awhile to settle on how many tv serials I was going to focus on because try as I might, limiting myself to 10 tv serials of all-time was simply not going to happen anytime soon! I’m the worst at creating lists of this nature for this very reason! I tend to *love!* more than I can eclipse into a short list or even a long list! I am forever betwixt what to include and what to wait until another time to highlight! I mean, how do you ultimately select what to feature and then, there is the whole matter of which order to place the ones you choose on the list itself! I must say, as you read this list, they are NOT listed in order of preference or any sort of favouritism on my behalf! They are simply a list that is generated to give out the most thought upon science fiction tv serials that I have enjoyed watching throughout my life! :)

  1. Star Trek: the Original Series – Quintessentially, my favourite moments of being with my Dad after school were spent surrounding myself with the original crew of the Enterprise! :) The fun we had settling in to watch mini-marathons whilst Dad introduced me to all the main characters, as much as imparting to me about their ‘quirks’ and classically known best ‘scenes’ and ‘dialogue exchanges!’. The two of us would spent quite literally HOURS vegged out in front of the tv, caught up in all of their crazy adventures, one after the other! I loved the heart of the series the most, and the way in which the characters and story-lines made you feel inside whilst the credits rolled. Trek left the impression in me (even as a young girl) that despite how frustrating and difficult life can become, there is always the hope of a better future and a better way in which society will one day live in harmony. I loved the merit of the show’s mission statement as much as I simply loved tagging along for the adventure! Mum would join us as well, as they truly loved Trek long before I was ever a whisper in the cosmos! I would grow to see my *first!* Trek motion picture out-of-state whilst on holiday, and yes, I can even tell you which one it was because it remained my ‘favourite’ Trek film until I saw ‘Insurrection’. (which coincidentally is the last Trek film I’ll ever see) I had the sheer pleasure of seeing “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country“!! The pure magnitude of being able to go into a theater and see all the lovely characters which were at that point beloved by me (and my parents!) simply rocked my world! I remember it was one of the ‘premieres’ which affected me the most! Mostly as I think back on it because the dynamics of the cast, and the content of the story-line were with such a precision that it felt like one of my first ‘growing-up’ films! Where I could see the echoes of my childhood might be falling away towards my young adult years. I was completely captivated by the chaos the events in this film evoked as much as the fact I simply enjoyed every inch of the story! I must’ve seen this film several times before we gathered the boxed set of all the original Trek films! You know, the set that shows the Enterprise?
  2. Star Trek: The Next Generation – I actually didn’t warm up to this series initially because I was torn between watching this series and another that was competing my attention in the same ‘timeslot!’ This is of course a bit before I learnt how to use the VCR! Laughs. I finally succumbed to Mum & Da telling me I’d regret it if I didn’t start to watch the series as it unfolded, so for the most part, I came in right as Dr. Crusher made her exit and Dr. Pulaski was entering. From that moment forward I was glued to the tv and the other series, I randomly caught until I asked Da to finally show me how to set the VCR! Laughs. Having entered Trek through the original series, I was completely mesmerized by this version! A lot had changed since the days of Kirk, Bones, Scotty, and Spock! I liked the new senior crew quite a heap, and I liked that their dynamics of relating to each other was just as fraught with quirky instances as the previous crew! I like it when there is internal drama inside of a cast, because it’s through their dysfunction that they endear you to them, but I must confess, of all the ensembles I’ve favoured in tv serials, this is the one that I think they allowed to function as a family unit moreso than with other serials! I loved the interplay with other races as well as how Captain Picard had as much restraint as Captain Kirk with Starfleet Command! I think I singularly felt like the torch was passed seeing that he gave them as much of a run for their money as his predecessor! Considering that I named 3 of my dear cats after the crew of this Enterprise, I think you can see where my heart lies and returns back to the most! :) I can still remember when it was time for the Next Generation films to get underway and launch onto the silver screen!! Ooh, my dear stars! I was bouncy with excitement!! I still remember attending them, too! Full of smiles and eager to see what was going to unfold next! It’s hard for me to pick a favourite amongst: Generations, First Contact, and Insurrection, but I tend to lean towards Insurrection for a variety of reasons, most of all, First Contact is very draining emotionally, as I always found the Borg & the Romulan story-lines to be a bit difficult to always watch!
  3. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – I remember being ever so eager for this series to début! So much so, I couldn’t think of much else during the time I had to wait for the season première!! I instantly loved everything about it – from where it was set inside the world of Trek, to the characters (such a hodgepodge of a crew!) and their personal backgrounds (talk about fascinating me for hours!), to the very set they used to depict the series focal point and the sound they used in the opening credits! I loved every inch of it, and I was thankful that this time around I hadn’t hesitated to see it from the beginning! The only part that was disappointing for me was twofold: when I started to take on more classes in my sophomore year, I felt like I had lost my footing for the series! :( When I was able to return back to it, everything was changing rather rapidly, as the war was pretty much over-with, and there was rumours about Jadzia Dax not returning as well.  Although I liked her replacement as I had seen her in other sci-fi shows! She would go on to be a main character in “The Dead Zone” as well! :) At some point, I would like to see everything from the beginning and re-discover what I loved about this series originally and carry my focus through into the ending seasons! They had so much to give and focus on, that I always felt sad that they didn’t take this to film!
  4. Star Trek: VoyagerI picked up with this series right in time, which was fantastic because it was the first time we had a woman in the seat of the Captain’s chair, and I was struck by this being monumental! I liked the diversity of the crew this time as well, because each Trek series would always improve on having each character enter into the story with an equally varied and diverse background as to what led them to serve with Starfleet and be aboard ship as crew! In this case, what was intriguing is that half the crew were actually renegades who ended up being stranded with the crew of Voyager! How they incorporated both crew together into a seamless (or thereabouts!) senior crew I thought was a slice of brilliance! As much as giving them very distinct characteristics and personality traits like Tom’s preference for learning everything about the 20th century! Between Voyager & DS9, I felt like Trek was heading in all the right directions! I loved how you could catch an episode of any Trek you wanted to see at various times of the day or night as well!
  5. Quantum LeapI spent most of my 8th grade year wrapped up in the adventures of Dr. Samuel Beckett, his sidekick Al, and the quirky voice on the other end of the dimensional space “Ziggy”, of which was a computer! I loved the science of the series as much as I simply loved the history of what was presented each week that I tuned in as they would pull stories out of our own actual historical archives in order to draw out the best characters to pursue and for Sam to ‘leap into’ to right a wrong! It was very unique in its approach to science fiction story-telling because you truly had to ‘look close’ to see the sci-fi elements inside it! I loved that about this series, as much as I liked seeing a lot of heart stitched into the stories themselves! Although I was a dedicated watcher for years, I never did see the pivotal “leap home”, unlike my Mum! One day!
  6. Battlestar Gallactica (Original) – I don’t have as much to say about this series as I have only seen a handful of episodes, as they stopped airing them right at the moment I found them on one of the cable channels who was still featuring them in the afternoons! :( Sighs. What I liked about it though was classic space opera story-lines intermixed with humour and heart. I always like finding the heart of a story and the heart of a character’s past, present, or future. I sort of seek out stories either in print or in this format that go to the core of the human condition. You could say its a preference of mine, actually! I do know that I appreciated the format of this original take on Gallactica rather the newer incarnation. But, then, if you have noticed I prefer originals nearly 9 out of 10 times!
  7. seaQuest DSV (Season One) – Who wouldn’t enjoy a tv serial that takes place under the ocean!? I mean, seriously!? I loved how it had a feel for reality as it was being produced as much as it was a glimpse into the near future of what could be. I liked the transitions between fact and fiction as well. I am only a fan of the first season, however, as there were too many changes for my taste as it entered into the latter seasons. I even missed the inclusion of Dr. Robert Ballard at the ending sequences of the episodes as well as say, half the cast!? Sighs. The best part of what made seaQuest a special show is the fact that the first year proved that it had all the elements in place to make watching the series a memorable occasion! The fact that they touched on environmental, oceanographical, and geological sciences was all the more fun for me!
  8. The Sentinel From the moment I first watched the interaction between Jim and Blair, I knew I had to keep tuning in! The plot behind how Ellison received his ‘heightened’ senses was a new twist I thought on the genre, and it kept me on my toes to see how they would showcase his abilities next! I loved the fact he was a cop, because I have a soft spot for mysteries and police series! I think their quirky sense of humour never failed to itch my funny-bone and the way in which Blair would always overstep his bounds as a ‘ride along’ never failed to entertain me! Truly, as you went along with it you were curious as to who was teaching whom!
  9. The Dead ZoneAt first, I must confess, I wasn’t sure if I could handle this series as it truly pushed the envelope of what I considered ‘horror’ and what I considered ‘science fiction’ however, somehow I was won over by both the cast and the scripts — which led me to leading my Mum and Da to get wrapped up in the story as well! So much so, we decided not to watch it as it aired but rather opted instead to purchase the seasonal dvds, which would allow us more time to view the series! :) I believe we made it through the third season before realising that the story-lines were getting a bit too difficult to watch! We sort of suspended watching this indefinitely but want to resume the series at some point as we want to go through the rest of the third and carry into the fourth! I am not sure how I feel about the fifth season, as I was still keeping up with the series as it aired at the time. I will have to wait and see, I suppose! Unless someone posts a comment and says that watching the fourth without the fifth wouldn’t be so bad!? :) One can hope! Again, what drew me into this series was the heart of the characters, I mean, who couldn’t relate to the absolute shock of waking up from a coma and finding that your entire life was flipped on its heel because your son is being raised by another man?
  10. The Six-Billion Dollar Man (Original) – This along with my 11th choice go hand in hand as far as I’m concerned, because I would always watch one episode after the other, as they would air these back to back! I sometimes had trouble remembering they were different series entirely! I have since gone on to watch Lee Majors and Lindsey Wagner in other roles, the latter of which I can happily say has been featured in more than two Hallmark Channel films which delights me to no end! I think what I was struck with originally about these two series is the ingenious way their characters were first altered but then, how they each had to learn how to live and perform with those ‘bionic’ upgrades! To me, these are priceless science fiction tv series!
  11. The Bionic Woman (Original) – (see above) And, no, I didn’t have any interest in seeing the remake!
  12. Babylon 5At the time, I couldn’t fathom why no one was talking about B5 with the same tenacity that I was! I mean, no one seemed to care that much about this series, which I had found sad, but I continued to watch it due to the level of the story-lines and the consistency of the production quality! Imagine my surprise how years (and I mean years!) after I watched these air originally that the sci-fi community started to embrace the series more readily and its now spoken about rather fondly! I look forward to gathering these on seasonal dvd sometime so that I not only can re-live my memories of when I first watched it, but I can see the last two seasons as I didn’t get to watch those as regularly! I just loved the concept of the universe and how everyone on Babylon 5 interacted with each other and with the constant stream of visitors! It was very much on a similar vein as DS9 but with its own original feet to stand on!
  13. AirwolfI barely remember this series other than the fact that I enjoyed watching it!
  14. AlfWho wouldn’t get caught up in Alf and the family he would drive literally bananas because he didn’t always understand how to function in our world!? It took me awhile to realise ‘who’ Alf was as far as ‘who’ portrayed him, but what I liked about the series was the honesty of it! The believability factor and the way in which the series developed. It was definitely a warm and cuddly tv series and I sort of miss some of that innocence on tv nowadays!
  15. Eerie, IndianaOne of the first series where I was more spooked than entertained but I liked the format of the series!
  16. HighlanderNot only is the series I was first introduced to the lovely music of  “Queen”, but it was the series that made me realise that for a girl who was not attracted to horror films or tv series, she sure knew how to pick quirky-odd series to become endeared to watching! (The whole beheading thing!?) I guess you could say between the Scottish history, the accents, and the whole immortal storyline — I was just hooked! I didn’t apologise for it either! I proudly watched Highlander every chance I could!!
  17. Time TraxI truly loved this series, but what frustrated me was the intermittent viewing schedule! I know it aired regularly elsewhere but for the life of me, I couldn’t catch it weekly but rather every odd moon when the feed would come through!? Very strange. Brilliant show!
  18. The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. / Legend / Beauty & the BeastThis became a hard spot to fill because I didn’t want to not mention these three serials, which is why I ‘tied’ them to this spot! The first one is pure genius for hilarity and quirkiness! The second runs on the same vein, but I liked the Steampunk attitude that was cast in for good measure! And, the third — come on! Who wouldn’t love a sci-fi romance series!?
  19. Ghost WhispererDue to the ability to ILL tv series through my local library, my Mum, Da, & I are slowly starting to make our way through the complete series of “Ghost Whisperer” which was inspired due to the fact Mum & I caught back to back marathons of the series on two networks in the Summer months of 2012! So much so, we nearly saw half or more of each of the first 3 seasons! We decided this year as 2013 began that we’d find the time to start to ILL the series! We successfully cried our way through season one, but we only made it to the opening bits of season two before Summer began! We’ll have to pick it up again next year, of course, as the holidays are upon us shortly! What I love about it is Hewitt’s ability to transform her character Melinda into a person you can instantly relate too and rally behind. Her ability to see ghosts and to help them move forward is done in such a natural way in their story-telling that you do not realise your always watching a series rooted in science fiction!
  20. Lois & Clark: the New Adventures of SupermanSeriously, what bonefide Superman appreciator wouldn’t love this series!?

Curious About: Alien Nation, The Avengers (Original), The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Stargate: SG-I, ST: Enterprise, and The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne.

Previously Curious About: Doctor Who!

I look forward to seeing comments populate to see if I have selected any that are warmly regarded by you, dear hearts! At least we have been given a wide choice of what we can watch, eh!? IF you would like to create your own blog post that speaks about your own Top 10 or Top 20 List of Favourite Science Fiction Tv Serials of All-Time, I encourage you to drop back and share the link of your post here on Jorie Loves A Story! As always, I encourage you to remember to link directly to your post and not your homepages! :)

This post is brought to you by:

Sci-Fi November | Hosted by Rinn Reads{SOURCES: Sci-Fi November Badge and Event Badge were provided by Rinn Reads for participants to advert the month long event and to encourage people to follow along with those of us who are contributing! Post lovely provided by Shabby Blogs with edits by Jorie in Fotoflexer.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2013.

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Posted Monday, 4 November, 2013 by jorielov in Airwolf, Alf, Alien Nation, Babylon 5, Battlestar Gallactica, Beauty & the Beast, Eerie Indiana, Ghost Whisperer, Highlander, Legend, Lois & Clark (The New Adventures of Superman), Quantum Leap, Sci-Fi November, Science Fiction, seaQuest DSV, Star Trek (Enterprise), Star Trek (Original Series), Star Trek (The Next Generation), Star Trek (Voyager), Stargate (SG-I), The Adventures of Brisco County Jr, The Avengers, The Bionic Woman, The Dead Zone, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne, The Sentinel, The Six-Billion Dollar Man, Time Trax, TV Serials & Motion Pictures

*SFN* | A Book Showcase [focused on] Steampunk!

Posted Sunday, 3 November, 2013 by jorielov , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 6 Comments

SFN Feature badge created by Jorie in Canva

IF I were to be completely honest, I have been intrigued with the world of Steampunk for many, many moons as I simply adore the style of dress, the artwork of illustrators & indie visual artists, the motion pictures that bring a bit of Steampunkiness to the story-lines (especially the last Three Musketeers & The Invention of Hugo Cabret!), and of course, the idea of having the technology of Steampunk fused and fixed in the Victorian age whilst the regular time continuum shifts forward through the centuries! Now, that is something that I think most can appreciate because Steam Energy and Technology is a cleaner resource than those that were utilized in the Industrial Revolution. I have never known honestly how to jump-dash into the Steam-side of Literature, as I even was so bold and daring as to contact the largest SteamCon over on the West Coast about how one would go about digging into Steam novels — only to be returned a short notice that due to the vastness of the genre, it’s up to each reader to decide! Aye! How then, did I sort it out!? Let me tell you!

Prior to a fortuitous evening at my local library, I took part in The Clockwork Carnival which served as my Introduction to the literary side of Steampunk! Whereupon I read my first-ever novel set in a Steampunk world that revolved around automation! Prior to this contribution piece where I read the novel “The Clockwork Man”, I hadn’t realised that the genre of Steam was as far-fetching as the SteamCon had led me to believe! For instance, when you first start to research books & authors to read, you’re going to run into a few hurdles, especially if you’re at your local library as the card catalogue can only give you certain cross-reference word searches! Of which, limitations pursue, because you’re not always given the direct line of results you’re looking for as I would search for: cogs, clocks, clockwork, steam, steampunk, Victorian London, etc. Some of the best Steam books do not even come up cross-referenced as you think they would be listed but rather are listed as something else entirely! Such as the main subjects that are contained in the book rather than the genre by which the book is attached! A bit frustrating but I must be making progress because for this SFN Reading Challenge I harnessed for myself, I found quite a few new selections that I hadn’t discovered back during “The Clockwork Carnival!”

I do hope you will take the time to click-through to read my piece on The Clockwork Man, because its such a humbling story that emotes such a level of humanity through its wholly unusual lead character! I was taken by his willingness to learn how to adapt to our society, but also, how to love, how to feel, and how to properly live! I wonder if anyone else has read this novel by the indie author William Jablonsky!?

After I read it, I had it in mind to pick up the other alternates I had selected to read during that time, but alas! Time and life tend to run into our blogging affairs every so often, and I was detained! I decided to hold off until another moment arrived where Steampunk could be the main focus again! (hmm, did I have to wait long? winks!) Whilst I tabled reading those selections, I had the pleasure of being given the opportunity to read another indie author’s novel set in a post-apocalypse Steampunk world, where I would imagine it would be considered part Dsytopian as well!? I am referring to “The Boxcar Baby” by J.L. Mulihill, in which the main character is taking a quest to find her long-lost Papa!? As you will read in that review, I was left with mixed feelings when I came to the conclusion of the story. However, what it did for me was open up my eyes further to the wide expanse this genre affords us to read! Each time I find a new book that is of Steampunk nature, I get a bit giddy inside for where I will be led next! Reading is a learning curve, as each book and author you stumble across as your seeking what you’re looking for will be a step closer to where you hope to arrive!

I was originally intending to start off my Steampunk Book Showcase with the selection of “The Iron Wyrm Affair” as its been one of those books that starts to vex you because you keep having to return it and re-check it out again!? I was thinking this would have been perfect timing for me to consume it, only I was not alone in this thinking, as it is quite high in the hold que! Either that, or perhaps a sequel is due out and everyone is trying to re-read the beginning! I do notice that that can happen as well! Instead I am thinking that my first selection could be “The Dark Unwinding” by Sharon Cameron, as I speculate this based on what I read of the author’s website just the other day! I haven’t yet opened the book because I must confess, I am running a bit behind on my SFN writings & readings due to the fact I get a bit addicted to visiting all your lovely SFN blogs!! I get caught up in the social aspects of the event, to where I burnt so much midnight oil on the first three days of SFN, I had to crash a bit earlier today in order to make up the deficient in sleep! Don’t misunderstand me – I am not complaining, but my posts are being drawn out a bit longer to post due to this! Plus, too, let’s face it during lunch I decided to see a new Hallmark Thanksgiving movie entitled: “The Thanksgiving House” which was a lovely addition to the holiday film season!

I am only in the beginnings of my journey into this wicked genre, which is why I do not have too much to disclose in this opening post, as I find that each book brings me a bit closer to understanding it overall! I would love to open up a discussion thread though right now, and encourage anyone who has had history with Steampunk in Literature to post a link back to a post on your own blog that delves into how you came to start reading Steampunk &/or of whom your favourite authors, stand-alone novels, and Steam serial books would be!? Be sure to come back to this post to attach the link of your post in the comments! ONLY link directly to the post you created on this topic, DO NOT link to the main page of your blog! I will be checking! Thank you! I cannot wait to see what everyone’s post!! :)

In the interim, these are the books I pulled from my local library to explore this month:

The Dark Unwinding by Sharon Cameron – A most excellent choice! Started to read on 17 November!
The Search for WondLa by Tony DiTerlizzi
Steamed: A Steampunk Romance by Kate MacAlister
Not Less For Gods by Kage Baker
Steampunk: An Anthology by
Ann Vandermeer
The Clockwork Universe by Edward Dolnick
Mainspring by Jay Lake
Airborn by Kenneth Opel

I selected each of them for different reasons, as I wanted to see how far I could push myself into the realms of the genre itself. I am not even sure if the settings, plot, and characters will be ones that I can warm myself up too properly, as that is all part of the discovery process, but those that I do warm too are going to be reviewed during SFN! Again, I am running a bit behind in this, as my first Steampunk review might post on the 10th rather than the 3rd as I am just this shy of falling asleep on my keyboard!

I would be curious to hear from you, dear hearts, if you have perhaps read one of these books yourself, what your lasting impression was of them, and if you have a few book selections to provide me for future Steampunky readings!?

This feature is brought to you by:

Sci-Fi November | Hosted by Rinn Reads{SOURCES: Sci-Fi November Badge provided by Rinn Reads for participants to advert the month long event and to encourage people to follow along with those of us who are contributing! SFN badge used with permission. SFN Feature badge created by Jorie in Canva.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2013.

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Posted Sunday, 3 November, 2013 by jorielov in Alternative History, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Bookish Discussions, Dystopian, Horror, Indie Author, Library Find, Library Love, Sci-Fi November, Science Fiction, SFN Bingo, Speculative Fiction, Steampunk, Tomorrow Comes Media, Young Adult Fiction

*SFN* | Bingo Reading Challenge with a Sci-Fi Bent!

Posted Sunday, 3 November, 2013 by jorielov , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 7 Comments

By now, anyone who spends a bit of time rooting around my blog (JLAS) will discover that I have a quirky ability to find new reading challenges at the drop of a hat! And, I always attempt to make good on my promise to complete them during their event’s time-frame but alas! My reading life has endeared a few unexpected obstacles these past months, and so, most of the challenges I have undertaken are “in-progress”. Therefore, what bliss to find one that is free-form and can be completed without a specific end-date! I am in the process of completing all my reading challenges that I thus far entered, but what made me become engaged with this one in particular is because I have a *stacked full* reading list to devour in November for SFN!! All the scheduled and proposed books will be listed! Let’s see where they take me on the Bingo card!?

SFN Bingo Reading Challenge - hosted by Literary Excursion

This lovely card was created by Leanne @ Oh! the Books!

Let the Reading Challenge Commence!

B1: A book with alternate realities {The Skin Map by Stephen R. Lawhead}
B2: A sci-fi book mixed with horror
B3: A debut sci-fi novel
B4: A book with awesome technology
B5: A book set on another planet

I1: A book that’s a space western
I2: A book with robots/AI {The Dark Unwinding by Sharon Cameron}*automation
I3: A book with mind-based super powers
I4: A book with clones
I5: A book with aliens

N1: A book involving a war
N2: A book involving dreams {Becoming Beauty by Sarah E. Boucher}
N3: FREE!
N4: A book with mutations
N5: A book with time travel

G1: A book set underneath the earth
G2: A book set in the future
G3: A book with a dystopian setting
G4: A book with cyborgs
G5: A book set in an alternate past

O1: A book with a non-human MC
O2: A book with spaceships
O3: A book with laser weapons
O4: A book set in post-apocalypse
O5: A book with genetic engineering

SFN Reading List: [combination of scheduled & alternates]

  1. The Skin Map by Stephen R. Lawhead {5/6 Nov ’13}
  2. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
  3. Breaking the Time Barrier Jenny Randles
  4. WorldSoul by Liz Williams
  5. Time Travel in Einstein’s Universe by Richard J. Gott
  6. Time: A Traveler’s Guide by Clifford A. Pickover
  7. The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells by Andrew Sean Greer
  8. The Little Book by Selden Edwards
  9. The Lost Prince by Selden Edwards
  10. The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma
  11. The Kingdom of Ohio by Matthew Fleming
  12. Expiration Date by Duane Swierczynski
  13. City at the End of Time by Greg Bear
  14. All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill
  15. The Archived by Victoria Schwab
  16. Across the Universe by Beth Revis
  17. Divergent by Veronica Roth
  18. The Postman by David Brin
  19. Prized by Caragh M. O’Brien
  20. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
  21. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
  22. Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
  23. The Search for WondLa by Tony DiTerlizzi
  24. Steamed: A Steampunk Romance by Kate MacAlister
  25. Not Less Than Gods by Kage Baker
  26. Steampunk: An Anthology by Ann Vandermeer
  27. The Dark Unwinding by Sharon Cameron {started ’13 | finished ’14}
  28. The Clockwork Universe by Edward Dolnick
  29. Mainspring by Jay Lake
  30. Airborn by Kenneth Opel
  31. Becoming Beauty by Sarah E. Boucher {9 Nov ’14}

It will be a wondrous mystery to me to see which elements of these books will enter into the formation of the Bingo card’s taken spaces! I am certain that if I can read the # of books I scheduled to read this month, it will be quite the feat in of itself! Therefore, if reading the alternates takes time into December and the Bingo card is not yet completed for a win – I shall continue!

Stay tuned!

I am tweaking my Book Showcase on Steampunk Literature

& will reveal my first Steampunk choice!

Rock on, dear hearts!

This post is brought to you by:

Sci-Fi November | Hosted by Rinn Reads

And, continuing during:

SFN 2014 Participant badge created by Jorie in Canva

{SOURCES: Leanne at Literary Excursion Oh! the Books made the SFN Bingo Card for SFN participants to take part in the joy of an undisciplined reading challenge! The Bingo card is used with permission. Sci-Fi November Badge provided by Rinn Reads for participants to advert the month long event and to encourage people to follow along with those of us who are contributing.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2013.

Tweets via SFN Bingo Card 2013:

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Posted Sunday, 3 November, 2013 by jorielov in Dystopian, Reading Challenge Addict, Reading Challenges, Sci-Fi November, Science Fiction, SFN Bingo, Steampunk, Time Travel