Snapshot Chronicles

Susan Getgood's personal blog

SciFi Sunday: Reading List

by //

My review of the Stargate SG1 movie Ark of Truth is deferred a week or two. Instead, I want to note the passing of one of the masters of the sci fi/fantasy genre, Arthur C. Clarke, and share with you some of my favorite science fiction and fantasy authors and their works.

Let’s start with Clarke, who passed away this past week. He was a prolific author, most well known in the general public for 2001: A Space Odyssey. A classic for sure, but his works that influenced me the most at an early age — junior high — were Childhood’s End and Rendezvous with Rama.

I also devoured the works of Ray Bradbury. Fahrenheit 451 is one of the most eloquent anti-censorship novels of any genre, even if the author says that it was really more about the influence of TV on our culture:

“Do you ever read any of the books you burn?”
He laughed. “That’s against the law!”
“Oh. Of course.”

I also highly recommend The Martian Chronicles.

The science fiction authors that had the most influence on my literary taste, though, were Isaac Asimov and Kurt Vonnegut. My original, from childhood, copies of the Foundation series are so worn — literally falling apart — that a few years ago I had to buy a new set just to reread them. Among the other Asimov works that merit attention is the Robot series, which he eventually ties into the Foundation universe.

Asimov created the Three Laws of Robotics which continue to influence many other works of science fiction:

  1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
  2. A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
  3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

A key underpinning to the whole Foundation ‘verse is the concept of psychohistory. In my early adult life, in my final year of university, I spent much of my course and research time studying the history of psychology and the junction between history and psychology. I’ve always wondered how the early influence of Asimov’s work impacted this educational choice. Who knows…

And, so it goes. Kurt Vonnegut is one of my favorite authors of all time, and probably contributed, in some small way, to my twisted view of the world. Books you must read: Slaughterhouse Five and Cat’s Cradle. And please, start but don’t stop there. He is one of the great American authors and the literary heir, in my book, to Mark Twain.

Moving from science fiction to fantasy, the two authors that got me started on the sci fi fantasy path were CS Lewis, and The Chronicles of Narnia, which my aunt gave me as a gift in 4th grade, and JRR Tolkien, and The Lord of the Rings, which I have read more times than I can count. Another set of books that needed to be replaced recently as the glue in the bindings gave way.

After you’ve read these classics, where should you go?

Start with Anne McCaffrey and the Dragonriders of Pern series, Neil Gaiman, particularly Neverwhere and American Gods, Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time, and Ursula LeGuin’s Earthsea stories.

What are your favorites? What should I read next?

Links to Books on Amazon

[tags] Arthur C. Clarke, Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, Kurt Vonnegut, CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien, Anne McCaffrey, Neil Gaiman, Robert Jordan, Ursula LeGuin, science fiction, fantasy, fiction [/tags]

SciFi Sunday: Battlestar Galactica

by //

SciFi Sunday will not reveal spoilers, but will refer to publicly available information — press releases, news articles, interviews and TV ads for the shows. I also have a tendency to speculate based on nothing more than the twisted workings of my own mind, so consider yourself warned.

2177726792_7b0e59cfbd.jpg

Principal cast of Battlestar Galactica revisioned as the Last Supper.

Battlestar Galactica, SciFi Channel
Season 4 Premiere Friday April 4, 10 pm Eastern

Only 19 days to go ’til Battlestar Galactica returns. We’ve been waiting a long time for the 10 episodes that will run through early June and who knows how long we will have to wait for the final 10 episodes, the back half of the final season.

If you are the lone sci fi fan on the planet who hasn’t been watching Battlestar (Hi to my brother Doug), it’s never too late to get started. In fact, the producers make it easy for you to catch up. Last year, they did a recap episode as well as a series of webisodes to flesh out the tale.

This year there will be two 1/2 hour specials on March 28th, the Friday before the season premiere. The first looks to be a recap/preview and the second about the show as a fan phenomenon. You can watch five episodes from last season online, free, including the two-part season finale. SciFi Channel also is becoming Channel Battlestar from March 31st, with most of the programming slots being repeats from the first three seasons.

Of course, if you have a really short attention span, what you need is Battlestar Galactica in Eight Minutes:

What’s going to happen this season? Who knows? And per usual the actors and producers are leaving tantalizing breadcrumbs, but very little tangible information, which of course fuels rampant fan speculation. So far, I’ve managed to resist getting too obsessed with spoilers, but I am certain that will change once the season actually starts. From the TV commercials and tidbits that have leaked so far, including the official promo photos, I am inclined to believe that the season will be less about relationships, and how the various couples manage to frak themselves over, and more about the outside forces, particularly the Cylons, that are impacting the Fleet in the search for Earth.

What to do while you wait for the season to start?

March 18: Battlestar Season 3 will be released on DVD. I’m still debating whether to buy it, as I have all the eps from iTunes. The DVD extras are reportedly pretty good though, including an extended version of a significant episode, Unfinished Business. Maybe my husband will get it for me for Easter. Apropos of the Last Supper theme in the picture above.

March 19: Battlestar actors will count down the Top 10 on Late Night with David Letterman. Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff, Jamie Bamber, James Callis, Tricia Helfer, Grace Park, Michael Hogan, Aaron Douglas and Lucy Lawless.

Check out some websites. In my opinion, the best overall Battlestar site is Galactica Sitrep. For news coverage of all science fiction shows and films, I also like SyFyPortal. If you like a little irreverence with your reviews, check out Television Without Pity. And for spoilers, The Patriot Resource does a great job of keeping up with everything.

Pick up one (or more) of the soundtrack albums. Bear McCreary’s music adds so much to the show, but it also stands up pretty well on its own.

 

Here’s a demo clip of McCreary’s Battlestar music (source Galactica Sitrep):

Speaking of Galactica Sitrep, one of its principal authors, ProgGrrl, will be participating in a panel at the Paley Center in New York on May 19th about the influence of fan sites. I wish I could think of a good reason to go to NYC that day, as the panel looks terrific.

Where will I be when the fourth season starts? In NYC for BlogHer Business. I expect I’ll be calling it a night early and retiring to my hotel room to indulge my favorite obsession. Because I know I won’t be able to wait until the next day when I get home to watch the recording.

Next week: my thoughts on the Stargate SG-1 direct to DVD film Ark of Truth.

[tags] Battlestar Galactica, science fiction, television [/tags]