Saturday 19 April 2014

60s Saturday Sci-Fi Scans

It's easy to see that a lot of science fiction deals with control, but the why seems so elusive. Who are the mysterious "they" and why are they so prevalent? What happens when the hero goes up against Big Space Mega Corp? It's a topic that science fiction loves to explore over and over again like in...

Sundog


An unthinkably vast, invisible, and absolutely impenetrable screen imprisoned man within the solar system.

Cut off from the stars, men applied their ingenuity to themselves, setting up a world of total control - where even dreams were programmed.


If this sounds a little mystifying, the inside page reveals a little more:

Spacepilot Dod liked his work. It was dull and monotonous, and that was fine for the loyal, unthinking employee of the all-powerful Dog Company - the fourth of the original governing organizations, which had long since swallowed up Able, Baker, and Charlie, the first three.

And then, on his 71st routine trip between Pluto and Moonbase, a glowing light encircled his head. And strange, unnerving things began to enter his mind: curiosity, doubt, and even...ideas!



This 1965 book by Brian N. Ball presents a dystopia where an average Joe turns out to be key to the whole scheme. TV Tropes does a great job defining the Mega Corp, but doesn't quite get to the why. I think I know what it is though - as in so many fantasy and science fiction books, the main characters figure out how to control a situation where they should have none. Maybe toss in some anxiety caused by social upheaval, increased automation and a lack of the promised shiny post-World War 2 future, and the seed of a story sprouts. The cover - where I wish the head was much larger - is by Don Crowley. It really speaks Dod's mental state, perhaps even more so than Ball's writing.

Wednesday 9 April 2014

Time to Bloom

Originally I was working on a post about my failure to bloom. Every day last week the same bleak blue grey canvas greeted me when I left the house. Where was the cloudless blue sky I loved? When there was snow instead of rain, my heart broke. Would I ever feel warmth instead of a persistent chill? Now that I was finally able to sleep, when would I really wake up?

Ray Bradbury had the right idea about mood and weather when wrote his classic story, All Summer in a Day. It's about a little girl whose awful classmates lock her in the closet for the brief time that the sun shines on Venus, which is once every seven years! I couldn't go once every seven days. I live in an unusually sunny place on the prairies, so it's really noticeable when the sun is gone. Living at a higher altitude also means that our sunlight is more intense, making for wildly painted sunrises and sunsets. The kinds of things that makes the soul bloom and the spirit stretch (apparently my inner poet is also stirring). When it snowed about a week ago, part of my soul literally died. Snow? Noooooooo! It wasn't just me, the wildlife were affected too. There were some unhappy robins in my backyard and I spotted a ground squirrel that looked traumatized as he pipped and squeaked at me. Yeah, I would feel cheated too if I just came out of hibernation.

But the weatherman was finally right the past weekend - sun. Glorious, warm, life giving sun! It was so wonderful to be outside, with cool refreshing breezes too. It felt like autumn in reverse. Time to cast off the winter woollies and embrace the freedom of shoes, light jackets and cute hats. Spring is truly an act of faith sometimes!

Some day, this will be green!