| A Book Showcase: Dystopian from a Skeptics POV |
I must confess, I have been avoiding reading books that fall under this sub-heading across all genres for such a long time because I still have issues with certain books I read whilst in school! Writers like Steinbeck and Orwell did not paint my future well for appreciating dystopian stories! Nor did I feel very inclined to read them on my own inclination due to the heavy amount of violence and dark undertones that seemed to be all the rage inside the stories that were being produced for the genre overall. Which is why I decided to undertake this challenge during SFN! To approach the genre as a skeptic, but perhaps emerge after a month of readings as an appreciator?
Sounds pretty straight-forward doesn’t it!? OR, is it really!? To walk through a genre where you have already set your mind partially against with only a sliver of a door ajar to entertain the smallest of margins that there could be a book out there that could interest you of Dystopian origins? I knew prior to Sci-Fi November taking wing and shape that I would have to avoid all the typical books under this umbrella that I knew would not tempt me nor dissuade me of my pre-set and pre-determined opinion! Novels such as The Hunger Games for instance! I understand its a world-renowned phenom but I am simply not the girl for that kind of story, sorry! Its a champion amongst my friends’ which I fully respect, but as for me!? Sorry. No! I’d rather see Harry Potter IIX!
After making my choice to embark down a road of the unknown, I found myself a bit intrigued by what I was finding as apparently this branch of the genre is a bit more wide encompassing than I previously gave it credit for bearing! So much so, I was quite happy by find the following selection of books:
Prized by Caragh M. O’Brien
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi*
The Postman by David Brin
Across the Universe by Beth Revis
Divergent by Veronica Roth
*replaced: All Our Yesterdays as Rinn kindly pointed out I had mistaken this for Dystopian rather than Time Travel!
Previously, when I had seen the film previews for “Cloud Atlas” I all but shrugged my shoulders and rolled my eyes over the insanity of that premise! It wasn’t until I was curating a short list of books to seek out and attempt to read this month for SFN, that I started to approach Cloud Atlas from a reader’s point of view rather than a girl simply turned off by a motion picture trailer! I’ll freely admit that there are occasions where I surprise myself, there are times where I don’t feel keen on a subject or a story at the first look-see, and there are other times where my first impression of a story or character were jolly justified. It all depends. I always strive to keep an open mind, but there are certain elements that tend to turn me off more than allow me to enter into a setting that at first might appear to be the complete opposite of something I’d been keen to get to know on a deeper level. I still might pick up Cloud Atlas and wonder why I even bothered, or perhaps just as plausible I will pick up the book and wonder why I hadn’t read it sooner!?
I hadn’t even felt that The Postman, the beloved film of mine from yesterday’s past would even be considered part of a genre I always have been outspoken against! Talk about a proper wake-up call! I would suppose this would be akin to saying that despite the fact I am not a particular fan of horror, there are elements of my interests that run parallel to the horror genre, yet I do not watch, read, or listen to horror itself! Wells, except for the odd classic motion picture that is considered ‘classic horror’ but for me is more psychologically suspenseful! I am starting to wonder if there was a sub-path inside Dystopian that I have simply overlooked all these years, if I could find seven potential novels to read, whose to say I could not uncover others!?
I’ll admit I have read so many lists by other readers who are recommending their favourite Dsytopian novel that I nearly felt it was going to be a hopeless pursuit! You see, I suppose I wanted to seek out stories that had a bit of hope left inside them, where the dark undertones were not completely overtaking the plot, and where the level of violence would not supercede my tolerance for its inclusion! I was looking for stories that would stand out to me rather than disinterest me merely by plot premise! A daunting task but I like to challenge myself to step out of my comfort zone more times than naught, and this felt like a good challenge to me!
What I am keenly interested in is having this post serve as a conversation opener as I would love to hear from other SFN participants who are more well-versed in this genre than I am, put in their thoughts about the type of story that I am seeking and if they have found any that they think I might appreciate reading myself!? This is merely the start of a quest to seek out books and authors who write Dystopian stories that are gentle enough and engaging enough to draw my interest!
I suppose the Skeptic POV is simply this:
I do not think I’ll become over the moon excited about a Dystopian novel simply because I have had bad experiences with similar authors and books in the past.
I do not think we need to consume books with such darkly lit story-lines in order to learn something of the story.
I do not find it necessary to always walk down such a dark road of disillusionment to step back into the light.
I’m on the fence about whether or not I am going to enjoy the stories or if I’m going to find what I always felt I might if I read Dystopian stories: seriously serious plots in a world that feels like its holding me down with negativity.
Are there any happy endings in a Dystopian novel?
And, there you have it! A literary experiment to unearth if I can find a semblance of enjoyment from a genre I have positively avoided in the past! To see if there are a few authors and stories out there that fall close enough to what I generally find myself fond of reading, to where I can carve out a bit of a niche instead Dsytopian literature! More than even that, to use this post to serve as a stepping stone of conversation to help me further educate myself on the genre I know so little about! Let the reading begin!
This feature is brought to you by:
{SOURCE: 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}
Sci-Fi Films I’ve Selected to Watch During:
Sci-Fi November!
I’ve previously spoken about my admiration and appreciation for science fiction films happily watched throughout my lifetime, however, at this particular moment I want to highlight the films I’ve selected to focus on during Sci-Fi November as far as re-watching certain motion pictures that spoke to me in a way that left my head full of wonder and a heart full of curious questions! The type of films that you could spend hours pondering due to the depth of the story-telling, the quality of the film production, the character driven acting, and the atmosphere of the setting which catapulted you directly up and out of your seat and straight into the action of the story!
Selection One:
*Double Header* Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within & Advent Children
I originally came across the announcement for The Spirits Within quite by accident, as I had known about the gaming version of “Final Fantasy” for such a long time, that it nearly felt as though there wasn’t a moment of my growing years where someone wasn’t speaking about that universe! However, it was not a game I had ever played myself, which is why I was completely blind to the fact that they had garnished a motion picture set inside that universe but completely separate in of itself from that universe of gamers! What struck me the most whilst I saw this in a darkened theater for the first time is the amount of dexterity CGI effects had become! I was taken with the ‘hair’ of the characters as previously animated hair never quite looked like the hair of The Spirits Within! The story held my heart suspended in the air until the closing sequences, as it’s a story that is driven by the characters and the plight of the circumstances they find themselves wrapped up in!
I never had the proper chance to ‘chase down’ the sequel for The Spirits Within, as I only heard a whispering about a potential sequel but without any hard evidence that one was in the works (and knowing fully well how long it takes for motion pictures heavy on CGI effects takes to produce) it was speculation only! Not until a chance encounter with an anime buff at a demonstration of a surround sound system at a retail outlet for gadgets and gear, did I uncover the name of said sequel: Advent Children! Further still, what as even more intriguing is that this gent had the dvd on hand to introduce us to the latest in surround sound technology! He disappeared for a good twenty minutes in which time, Mum and I were so enraptured into Advent Children we had forgotten where we were! From what I can remember of that day (as several years have passed since) is that this second “Final Fantasy” film is as thought-provoking as its predecessor! It wasn’t until a friend of mine offhandedly suggested that I could have her copy of the film as she was uninterested in it, that I found myself in a position to watch The Spirits Within & Advent Children in a double-header extravaganza!
Selection Two: Gattaca
I found Gattaca whilst browsing through channels one night when I was open to ‘anything!’ as I was that bored with the selections, when I suddenly came across this particular story which I didn’t quite understand but was enthralled with nonetheless! There was something about the ‘feel’ of Gattaca which allowed me to step inside this world, curl up for a short spell and become a part of the evolving story. I didn’t see the opening of it as I came in whilst it was already in progress, but from what I was able to gather it wasn’t quite like any other film I had seen before and I liked that about it! It had an edge to it that I respected and appreciated as well! I always wanted to return back to it if I could and SFN presented the perfect opportunity for me! I will say that it wasn’t too far from my viewing of this film when I stumbled across The Fifth Element, and I am still deciding my final thoughts on that story!
Selection Three: The Last Mimzy
I knew from the trailers (whilst seeing other films) and teasers (whilst awaiting a series to return from commercial break) that this was going to be ‘one’ of the motion pictures that I would need to see on the silver screen! Everything about the premise intrigued me, you see! And, as I was watching the film, I felt suspended in time as I was inside the story itself the entire time it ran on the reels! I love having that feeling wash over me, where you’re not even aware of who is in the audience seated around you, much less was it morning, afternoon, or evening when you entered the theater? I even loved how they brought in the upper sciences into the story as well as crafted such a believable story arc with the fate of humanity hanging in the balance! IF I had seen a bunny like Mimzy I would have been one of the first to pick it up as a remembrance of this unforgettable film!
Selection Four: Somewhere in Time
I am not even sure how many tissue boxes are truly needed to get through this film in its entirety but surely a hefty amount for sure! When I first saw this film it was running on tv and I had the fortunate luck to see it from the very beginning,.. already an appreciator of Reeves & Seymour who play the title roles, I was entranced at the opening sequences, especially at the mentioning of ‘time’. In how it could play a part in ‘where’, ‘when’, and ‘how’ the characters were going to interact with each other! I knew a bit about this part of Upper Michigan as well, although I learnt a heap more after the film in the years since I originally watched it. I can say all my research into the Upper Michigan surrounding area of Mackinac Island has only enhanced my desire to watch this film again and become lost inside it! The resounding question at the end is what holds my heart in suspense,…
Selection Five: The Postman
I realise I have already spoken about my appreciation for this film during SFN features, however, let me just say that this film has always held an interest for me, to where I aspired to read the novel the film was based upon! And, I just might be in a position to finally accomplish this as I not only sought to ILL this motion picture but the novel as well! We’ll just have to see what comes in and if everything aligns to where I can read and watch a story that I have oft thought about in the moons and years since I originally saw it! I wonder then, does this story hold anyone else’s attention!?
Selection Six: Midnight in Paris
Ooh, my dear stars, who could not dig into this film with gusto!? A writer’s dream of a motion picture if you ask me! To be able to find the hidden secret to walking back into the folds of time and introducing yourself into your perception of the ‘golden age of living, life, and art’!? Who wouldn’t be tempted to travel along the circuits of time if it meant you could receive sound advice for your writing as much as how to live!? I loved the interactions with all the infamous writers, of whom, to me were portrayed rather well by the actors who created the illusion of their persona! Ooh, yes, I cannot wait to go back to Paris at midnight! Whose going to join me!?
Selection Seven: The Lake House
On the same vein as Midnight in Paris, the science fiction elements of this motion picture are subtle and gently influential to the story. A film for whichever reason was passed over by Mum and I despite the hearty recommendations coming from everyone we knew at the time, we simply did not feel compelled to watch it! This was prior to finding the dvd of said film at a library sale, at which time we felt “oh why not?” Let me just say that from the moment the story began until the very last scene – we were completely bewitched! There was something about the manner in which the communication of The Lake House transfuses through time that captures the romantic in all of us!
Let me ask you, dear hearts, which of these are you looking forward to my review the most? Which of these haven’t you seen and are deeply curious about? Do you feel like me its hard to pick a ‘favourite’ amongst this lot of choices? Did you avoid any of them for whichever reason seemed logical to you at the time!? Would you attempt to watch that particular film now? Kindly drop me notes, I look forward to conversing with you soon!
This feature is brought to you by:
{SOURCE: 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}
I felt a bit betwixt knowing which motion pictures to focus on whilst I created my Top List for SFN! On the same vein of thought as my previous Top List for Sci-Fi Serials, as I always struggle to denote which selection I am making would belong placed on a “top list” of recommendations!! You see, I tend to love more than I dislike when it comes to these things, and I’m always worried I am inadvertently going to leave something ‘off the list’ that I had meant to include! Therefore, in absolute no particular order here are my ‘most beloved’ science fiction motion pictures! A lot of these films I would see over and over again on “VHS” not! “DVD”!! Yes, I am that young to remember videotapes! :)
Star Trek: The Voyage Home – Long before I watched “7th Heaven“, I knew of Catherine Hicks in her role as a marine biologist who helped save the whales (and humanity!) in this installment of Trek on the silver screen! My heart swelled with emotion during this film as I have a soft spot for marine mammals! I love every inch of this film and it will always be in my top 2 as I cannot help but watch this before &/or after The Undiscovered Country!
Star Trek: Insurrection – Technically speaking, I’m a big fan of all three of the Next Generation films under Roddenberry’s vision (Generations, First Contact, & Insurrection), however, this one stood out to me from the pack (even though I tend to watch them back-to-back!) due to the unique story-line and the fullness of the heart behind the characters. You get to see the crew of the Enterprise in a new light, as well as in a whole new setting! I truly loved this start to finish!
Star Wars: (Original Trilogy) – I honestly cannot separate the original trilogy, because each of the films is half of the story you find in the next one that comes after it &/or before it depending on your preference of viewing! I inherited my love of Trek & Star Wars, and equally for me, both film series are over. I will always re-watch everything that has been made thus far without feeling I need to move forward.
Avatar – I could not literally take my eyes off the screen when I was in the theater watching this première! The fullness of the depth of story was simply awe-inspiring! I have come to realise that my favourite fantasy are epic story arcs and this is a prime example of how readily that is true! Pandora left quite the impression on my heart and I could seriously take up residence there! I am forever hopeful the next installments will be released as their ready for an audience because I am hopeful this was non a one-off but rather the first of either a trilogy or a sequence of films!
Superman (Original) – Christopher Reeves is ‘my’ Superman, I must confess! Aside from Dean Cain and George Reeves of course, on the small screen! In motion pictures, hands down there is no one who can compare to Christopher’s version of Clark Kent! At least for me this is true! Again, this is case of where I am not following the crowd nor the film into its new incarnations but rather opt instead to see the original(s) indefinitely!
Somewhere in Time – Could there be a more heart-breaking romance ever made than this one!? I had not one dry eye watching this film originally! The science involved was pristine as well, because at first your not even sure what is happening! I won’t spoilt it if you haven’t yet seen it, but for me, Christopher Reeves and Jane Seymour did a fantastic job of turning me into a ‘believer’ that love can be found anywhere in time!
Back to the Future – I nearly put all of the trilogy in this spot, but truthfully, Part II isn’t my favourite one if I had to pick between Part II & III, the third one will win hand’s down! However, without Part I, we wouldn’t have had any of the sequels, which is why I sided with Part I! I cannot even begin to explain how important this film was for me, as it started to get me thinking about special effects as much as Star Wars first encouraged me too! In another lifetime, I would have become a special effects artist, for sure! I love the time travel aspects of this film, as much as the connection between Marty & Doc Brown! It served as an introduction to Lea Thompson as well, and I continued to follow her career afterwards.
Titan: AE– This was a rather inventive film for its time, as I went to see it with my Da! It was one of the few times where we could steal away some father and daughter time together due to his hectic schedule with work! What impressed both of us was the format in which the story was told as much as the clarity of the story as it was told! I always earmarked this one as a film a bit ahead of its time!
2001: A Space Odyssey – I am not entirely sure how I stumbled across this tape in our media library at the young age that I had (I was in middle school), but I remember being enraptured by the sounds of it and the storyline in general! Not that I fully understood everything until my second viewing, because it was unlike any other film I had seen up until that point! The sequel was seen after I felt I had a handle on the first one, and the two combined became ready favourites! Although, I must confess, I have never come across another who claims the same!? Usually I get the response, ‘you actually liked them?’ Sighs.
Batteries Not Included – Who can not fall in love with this film!? No seriously, who cannot fall in love with this film!? Breaks my heart but I always return back to it after a time has passed because of the endearing quality of the story! I am going to be reviewing this film for SFN, so stay tuned!
Gattaca – Unfortunately, I remember very little about this particular film, as unlike the others on this list, I only saw this one ‘once’! Imagine!? I know! Which is why I marked myself down to review this for SFN! I wanted to re-visit this film for such a long time, and it felt like it would be right to do it for this event! I can say, that despite the uniqueness of the story (at least to me, I remember this being true!), I was able to get into the heart of it and could not take my eyes off the screen!
Tron: Legacy – I honestly should have seen Tron prior to seeing the sequel (as not only is that logical, but it would have helped!), yet, off I went to see the sequel because this was seriously one of the most spoken about films during my childhood! I’ve always been surrounded by sci-fi geeks which is probably why I haven’t used that term to describe myself until SFN popped up and I noticed a few of the participants were saying we’re the SFN Geeks! Laughs. I heard the story of Tron so vividly that I suppose I always felt like I had seen the original! Therefore, I was so wrapped up in this sequel you wouldn’t have been able to pull me out of the theater unless the power went out during a freak thunderstorm! Thankfully, that was not the case! I saw it in full when it premiered! For a gamer, who wouldn’t like Tron!?
The Rocketeer – I am not even sure if this will be considered a sci-fi film but for me, it has a major element that border lines the ‘science’ into the ‘fictional realm’! How else do you describe being able to strap a rocket onto your back and fly!? This was always one of the endearing classics my parents and I liked to watch every so many years due to the uplifting nature and spirit of the story overall! It has its dramatic bits yes, but ooh, the ending is the best!
Memoirs of an Invisible Man – This is another film that my Da first introduced me too, as he had shown it to Mum who had completely fallen in love with the premise! I remember when I read the backside of the tape to see what it was all about only to have Da whisk it away from me saying the allure of watching it is not knowing what it involves! I couldn’t surmise much from the title, but after the story started to unfold before me, I sort of ‘fell into’ the mystery of the Invisible Man as much as his heart! Loved it instantly at that point!
Coneheads – This is another family classic for us! Enough said!
ET: the Extra-Terrestrial – I believe next to Annie, this is seriously one of the first motion pictures I went to see and it was beloved from the very first showing!
Flight of the Navigator – I remember flipping channels on tv one day as a young child and stumbling across this strange silver ship with a kid on board! It took a few random viewings on tv to see it from start to finish, but I had already appreciated it enough to know I liked it! The odd bit is that no one ever talked about it!?
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids – Again, I am not sure if this is straight up sci-fi or not, but for me it has enough science elements inside of reality to make it as such! I cannot even tell you how many times I have seen this film! Laughs.
I-Robot – I was torn if I wanted to see this film when it first premiered or if I wanted to wait to see it on dvd after I could read through the books that inspired it! My curious heart won out and I saw it on the silver screen! I was taken with the sincerity of the story and the manner in which everything was revealed! It made me want to read Asimov’s works evermore readily!
Independence Day [I-D4] – Yes! I really was one of those millions of people who crowded into a theater the opening July 4th weekend this film premiered! And, what a blast it was to see it at that particular moment! I even remember the I-D4 advert campaign and all the excitement that was swirling around this film leading up to seeing it live in person! It was the sort of film you ‘experience’ with the audience as everyone is reacting and being vocal about certain scenes and moments all at the same time! The fact we all were standing, clapping and celebrating at the end was icing on the cake! I love being in an audience like that!
Contact – I cannot remember how I first saw this film, but I was entranced with the story to the brink that I knew I wanted to add Carl Sagan onto my TBR List! It is one of the stories that leaves you museful after you watch the film as well!
The Postman – Here’s a more unique story of how to see a film! At the time I saw this film (late 90s) we had a sat dish that would get feeds from both the West Coast and the East Coast, so in theory, you would never miss ‘any show or film’ you wanted to see as long as you could handle the time differences and air dates! I was up late one night unable to focus on whichever project I was working on at the time, so around 9p or so, I came across this film! Although I didn’t realise it was this particular film until a full hour and a half had gone by and I realised it myself! When the credits rolled I was feeling as though I had missed out on the best bits of the film! I quickly scanned to see if it was going to re-air and sure enough! It was! Clearly not the most logical idea I ever had as the end-time for the re-airing was well past 3am! I simply could not think straight afterwards, I was that inspired and intrigued! Loved it! Which was a bit of a surprise, really!
Bicentennial Man – I knew going in that this was going to be a highly emotional film for me to see and I was not disappointed!
Galaxy Quest – I honestly shouldn’t love this one as much as I do because I am into Trek, but what can I say!? They handled it well and the cast play off each other in such a clever and fun way, that I find myself wanting to watch this on a rotation to where it’s never far from sight! Except to say the last several years I haven’t seen it as readily as I had in the past! Laughs.
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within– I consider this a landmark film on so many levels, which is why I am reviewing it for SFN! A friend of mine gave me the dvd for Advent Children which is the sequel as she didn’t like it at all. I couldn’t understand why until she told me how she felt about the original. Clearly we were not matched in the film department! Oy! I am going to be watching both of them and doing a double-feature review! I cannot wait!
Clockstoppers – What can I say!? I adored this film! Cheeky humour and all!
The Last Mimzy–I could not literally stop thinking about this film after I saw it in the theater! When I found a copy of it on dvd at a library bookshop on sale for less than $3 I nearly thought my vision field was misreading the label! I couldn’t sort out how no one appreciated this film!? Maybe it was too sophisticated!? Not sure. If I have time, I want to review this for SFN!
Wall-E – Simply one of the best films ever for creating such a positive representation for being a steward of the environment as much as being a community rather than a numbing society where no one knows anyone else! Loved it!
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 Motion Pictures 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! :)
{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.}
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!
“The Skin Map” by Stephen Lawhead, Bright Empires Series #1 book trailer
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:
{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.}
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:
{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.}
{SOURCE: 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}
