Wildest Things (scifi,horror,& fantasy)

For this topic, I wasn't super enticed by the books on the course list, but there was a book in my personal reading pile that I'd been wanting to pick up for a while that fit this category, so I read that instead. And then I read the sequel. And the third and the fourth. And now it's one of my favorite series. The first book is Cinder by Marissa Meyer. The short synopsis honestly had me a bit wary at first: a retelling of cinderella, but she's a cyborg. I was worried it would be cheesy. Cinderella was definitely not my favorite fairytale growing up, and I've always struggled to get into science fiction stories. The characters in this story are so strong, however, and the world building is so solid that I was instantly swept away. It takes place on a post-apocalyptic earth, (probably?) thousands of years from now. Cinder is a teenager living in New Beijing--after World War IV, all of the Asian countries merged to form a single empire, as did a few other continen

"We're still fighting our way up from the neo-puritan reaction to the sex freedom of the twentieth century." This week we read Aye and Gomorrah in class. It's a short story by Samuel R Delaney about Spacers (people who were castrated at a young age so they wouldn't feel the effects of radiation when they were sent out to work in space, and so they are both genders and also genderless) and their offhanded search for "frelks"(people who fetishize spacers). This story was written in 1967, and explores the spectrums of gender and sexuality.  The way the story was written was interesting in that it doesn't offer much in explanation of the world and history--you're thrown right in, and most of what you learn is from context clues. All show, no tell. From the line I quoted earlier, there's a strong implication that the twentieth century in this world was a time of increasing sexual freedom (not that it wasn't in our world, but the story was w

What is your reaction to the text you just read? Bloodchild was a very interesting read. Octavia Butler did well with normalizing the grotesque and obscene. I was fascinated and involved enough with the story to keep reading through and to want to know more about the characters and the Tilc, even though the back of my mind stayed horrified and revolted by what was happening. I liked the subtle revealing of the world--how it starts without introduction, but after reading through it information is given in a way that is relevant to what's happening in the story. What connections did you make with the story that you read? Discuss the elements of the work with which you were able to connect I didn't feel connected to any of the characters per say, but I was able to understand them. Outside of this text, it's hard to imagine ever living peacefully with parasitic reptilian(or insectile?) aliens, but Bloodchild explores what it might be like if you grew up in a world like th

I've seen sprinkles of Neil Gaiman's work in television and movies. I've tried watching Coraline several times (not really a fan). I devoured season one of American Gods over the summer. He even has roots in the show Lucifer, which is something I put on from time to time.  But before this week I'd never read one of his books.   For this week I read The Ocean at the End of the Lane. It's always been a title that's appealed to me.  I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this book wasn't it.  It's an adult novel told through a child's perspective for most of it. The events that happen are all extremely dark and something that reading as an adult we instantly understand, but through the eyes of a kid struggling to comprehend it all. The monster, his evil nanny, is terrifying and disgusting. She feels like the sort of thing a kid would nightmare up--the monster under the bed--and the frustration we feel when he tries to tell everyone and is con

As an artist, I can sort of relate to Frankenstein. I, too, have dedicated nights and days to working on a project I was excited about it, only to be horrified and disgusted with the outcome. Only so far, my abandoned creations haven't come back to kill my family (yet). It's no surprise to see that this book is also very different, and much better, than the movies. Each time I read it I find a new reason why it's one of my favorite classical novels. The first time was simply because the book that started an entire genre was written by a teenage girl. The most recent time has given me the clarity to respect the character building. There is no stronger character in history than Frankenstein's monster. How many do you know of that develop from a stumbling, groaning mass to a book educated person on a well-justified mission for vengeance and/or acceptance? She shows just how, even though he's abandoned and was not made in the traditional manner, the monster is still a

Back in middle school, during the Twilight fever, I read a lot of vampire novels. It was the thing. I was a middle-grade reader transitioning into young adult books, and Twilight catapulted me into that while simultaneously starting the vampire trend that echoed over the genre. Vampire Academy, Eighth Grade Bites, The Morganville Vampires are just a few to name. Oh, the angst. For this week I revisited this era by rereading some of Vampire Academy. I've always loved the unique world of this book. The main character, Rose, shares a distinct psychic bond with her best friend, Lisa, who is also a vampire. AKA Moroi. Rose is a dhampir--a half breed, of sorts. They act like relatively normal teenagers, considering their circumstances. There are creatures in this book that are more familiar to us, thought: the Strigoi, which are immortal, soulless, bloodthirsty undead who are allergic to sunlight. They are every Moroi and Dhampir's greatest fear. Though the series is a romance, th