315 Winter 2016
Editor
Chris Pak SFRA [email protected] A publicationRe of the Scienceview Fiction Research Association Nonfiction Editor Dominick Grace In this issue Brescia University College, 1285 Western Rd, London ON, N6G 3R4, Canada SFRA Review Business phone: 519-432-8353 ext. 28244. Prospect...... 2 [email protected]
Assistant Nonfiction Editor SFRA Business Kevin Pinkham The New SFRA Website...... 2 College of Arts and Sciences, Ny- “It’s Alive!”...... 3 ack College, 1 South Boulevard, Nyack, NY 10960, phone: 845- Science Fiction and the Medical Humanities...... 3 675-4526845-675-4526. [email protected] Feature 101 The New Cosmic Horror: A Genre Molded by Tabletop Roleplaying Fiction Editor Games and Postmodern Horror...... 7 Jeremy Brett Cushing Memorial Library and Sentience in Science Fiction 101...... 14 Archives, Texas A&M University, Cushing Memorial Library & Archives, 5000 TAMU College Nonfiction Reviews Station, TX 77843. Black and Brown Planets: The Politics of Race in Science Fiction...... 19 [email protected] Body, Soul and Cyberspace in Contemporary Science Fiction Cinema: Media Editor Virtual Worlds and Ethical Problems...... 20 Leimar Garcia-Siino They Live...... 21 Department of English, 19-23 Modernism and Science Fiction...... 23 Abercromby Square, School of the Arts, University of Liverpool, L69 7ZG. Fiction Reviews [email protected] The Collected Stories of Frank Herbert...... 25 Il sangue e L’impero...... 29
Media Reviews Daredevil and Jessica Jones – The Future of Superheroic Storytelling?.32 The Man in the High Castle: Season 1...... 34 Submissions The SFRA Review encourages submissions of Advantageous...... 36 reviews, review essays that cover several related texts, interviews, and feature articles. Submis- sion guidelines are available at http://www.sfra. org/ or by inquiry to the appropriate editor. All Announcements submitters must be current SFRA members. Call for Papers—Conference...... 40 Contact the Editors for other submissions or for correspondence. Call for Papers—Articles...... 43
The SFRA Review (ISSN 1068-395X) is pub- lished four times a year by the Science Fiction Research Association (SFRA), and distributed to SFRA members. Individual issues are not for sale; however, all issues after 256 are published to SFRA’s Website (http://www.sfra.org/).
PB SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 1 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE SFRA Review Business
EDITORS’ MESSAGE The New SFRA Website Prospect Craig Jacobsen Chris Pak JUST AS 2015 ENDED, the SFRA website took a nose- dive. This sometimes happens. Unfortunately, this 2016 PROMISES to be an important and exciting time we were not easily able to recover the site from year for the SFRA and sf scholarship. The Museum of a recent backup and go about our business. As the Science Fiction’s new Journal of Science Fiction has Executive Committee and Matt Holtmeier (our SFRA been launched. This year is the 50th anniversary of Web Director) looked into it, it became clear that Star Trek, which is to be commemorated by the 2016 perhaps it was time to give up on our old model of Star Trek Symposium at Malta, organised by our reg- website and look at new options. Like a lot of small ular contributors Victor Grech and Mariella Scerri, organizations, SFRA has depended upon a handful of and David J. Zammit. As Craig elaborates in his col- members with the technological knowledge neces- umn, the SFRA also has a new website with features sary to keep us online, updated, and secure. Frankly, that will assist us in communicating more effectively that’s just not a sustainable model anymore. with each other. And of course, the deadline for pro- We were running a site built on Drupal, with a posals for the annual SFRA conference is drawing number of plugins that allowed us to do things like near. Preparations for the conference are underway, manage memberships, with a custom theme. The and for those of you who would like to extend your company that hosted our site had nothing to do with visit to the UK, the Tenth Science Fiction Foundation putting it together. The people who put it together Masterclass will be held from the 23rd-25th June were hired for a one-time job, not ongoing mainte- in London, while the Global Fantastika conference, nance and troubleshooting. We needed to update held near Liverpool at The University of Lancaster, our plugins and Drupal to be sure that we had the will be running from the 4th-5th July. As you can see, latest, most secure and stable versions. Too big of a 2016 promises to be an eventful summer! job for volunteers. And a few months down the road We have two Feature 101 articles in this issue of we’d likely need that again. And again. the SFRA Review: Travis Gasque discusses tabletop So we’re moving to a 2016-style solution that will - combine all of the technological infrastructure of the acy of Lovecraftian cosmic horror in his piece, “The organization (well, almost all) in one place. The new Newand computer Cosmic Horror: games thatA Genre are influenced Molded by by Tabletop the leg site is built around a Member Management System, Roleplaying Games and Postmodern Horror,” while so we’ll be able to do a number of things we haven’t Mariella Scerri and Victor Grech write about “Sen- before. The jobs of the SFRA Treasurer and Secretary tience in Science Fiction.” Anna MacFarlane explores will be made more manageable (that’s incentive for the domain of the Medical Humanities in her report those of you who might consider holding those posi- about the Wellcome Trust-funded project, Science tions), and the new site will facilitate putting some Fiction and the Medical Humanities, on which she things behind a member login. It is very much still a works as a Research Associate at the University of work in progress, as we reconstruct what was on the Glasgow, and to which I will be presenting a paper old site and build new features. A few new things we at a workshop later this month. If you would like to hope members will like: report on a project or event, I want to hear from you! - • tion and media reviews. Finally,I would we like have to our end regular this column series byof non-fiction,congratulating fic searchA searchable for you memberby shared Directory. interest or If geographical you fill out our Vice-President on her recent birth, which she re- proximity.your member Not profile, all of the your information fellow members you share can with the association will be public, though. We want your fellow members to know what city flects upon in science-fictional terms in her column. 2 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 3 and country you live in, and what your scholarly child to the self-performed caesarean of Prometheus, interests are, not your phone number and street clones, body-farming, or cyborg building, making life address. The only contact information available is a weird science indeed. Today we are witness to will be the email address you list. You can upload a photo to help people recognize you when you test many of the most far-reaching ideas imagined byscientific the SF researchworld. Dolly and applicationsmay be old news which but put innova to the- • Member discussion forums. Not meant to take tions, ranging from implanting a uterus in a man’s thefinally place meet of inthe person. listserv, but discussion forums body to recent CRISPR/Cas techniques which enable provide a more stable and durable way to com- localized shifts in the very genetics of an organism, municate. You can subscribe to a forum if you shake the foundations of any perceived natural or- der of things. As I once again turn to my bookshelf a few categories that we think members might want to be notified of new entries. We’ve created a time of uncertainty and excitement – on levels that It’ll be a good place to hang a CFP or look for a for the comforts and discomforts of science fiction at- roommatefind useful, for and a conference.more can be created as needed. mental – I can only wonder what brave new worlds • Research and teaching resources. We had some await.are personal, scientific, political, economic, environ of these on the old website, but we’re rebuilding to provide members with curated and annotated lists to the most helpful resources for scholar- SFRA Business ship and teaching. SFRA Business The new site has tremendous potential, but like any such site, it will only become a community hub if SFRA members make it one. We know that will take Science Fiction and the Medical some time. We’re all used to an SFRA website that’s Humanities fairly static, but the Executive Committee hopes that members will come to think of the site as a place to Anna McFarlane - tunities for publication and participation, and con- SCIENCE FICTION has been concerned with medi- sharenect with information colleagues will from fellow across members, the globe. find oppor cine since its inception if, like Brian Aldiss, we con- sider that inception to be the publication of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein in 1818. Shelley looked at VICE-PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE - vanism, extrapolating from these the curiosity that “It’s Alive!” renderedmedical and Victor scientific Frankenstein’s advances in ethics electricity non-existent and gal and created the monster that ultimately destroyed Keren Omry his life. This fascination with medicine and its eth-
DEAR SFRA-ERS, through Brave New World’s (1932) eugenics and In a brief but rather self-indulgent turn to the per- mind-suppressingics has been a continuing drugs through theme the in plagues science and fiction vi- sonal this time, I will share with you that as I sit to 28 write these words, I am a mere few days away from Days Later (2002). Recent contemporary future vi- giving birth and am brought to think of the links be- sionsruses ofthat healthcare reanimate increasingly the dead in zombiedwell on films inequality, like tween SF, birth, and creation. The ethics and the aes- as in 2013’s Elysium which shows a future in which thetics of so-called natural and unnatural procreation health had been completely privatised and moved have concerned the imaginations of SF writers and off-world to a living environment where the wealthy readers from its earliest days. From Mary Shelley’s live without disease while the poor live short, squal- electrically animated but rather grotesque sewing id lives on Earth. together of dead limbs to Huxley’s production-line In recent years academic concerns with the in- test-tubes; from Octavia Butler’s man-borne blood tersections between medical ethics and technol- 2 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 3 medical humanities. The growth of the discipline in Britainogy have has particularly been encouraged arisen throughby the BMJ the Medical field of Huthe- ethicsinterdisciplinary of medicine and and often the ways multidisciplinary in which medical field manities journal, part owned by the British Medical culturefinds particular has been points shaped of interestby its history. in medical It has law, been the Journal and part by the Institute for Medical Ethics. supported throughout its development by the Well- In an editorial for the journal, the editors of the time, come Trust, whose funding for medicine-related David Greaves and Martyn Evans, describe the rise interdisciplinary studies is mentioned regularly in of medical humanities as: medical humanities projects and articles. - a second generational response to the short- manity and medicine have been a topic of both liter- comings of a medical culture dominated by In science fiction studies the links between hu - Haraway’s readings of human-animal relationships ary and academic analysis. Most significantly, Donna 1970sscientific, and technical led in Britain and managerial to the emergence approach of confrontation she imagines between the machine medicales. The first sociology, response social came history in the of 1960s medicine and andthrough the thehuman, figure between of the Oncomouse prostheses (1997),and augmen or the- and medical ethics as academically respect- tation, in ‘A Cyborg Manifesto’ (1991) have been able subdisciplines. The current response can then be seen as a new phase in which medical the radical potential of medical research by draw- ingparticularly the philosophical influential. potential Haraway’s from writing the paternalis reveals- Britain, and is also taking a new and related tic, would-be objectivity of medical discourse. One directionhumanities in isNorth making America. its first (2000: appearance 1) in could also draw attention to the academic discussion
The academic discipline of the medical humanities it means for our culture. Philosophers including aims to explore the ways in which humans (or, in- Jacquessurrounding Derrida, the figureRosi Braidotti, of the posthuman Stefan Herbrechter, and what deed, animals) come into contact with medicine, Cary Wolfe and N. Katherine Hayles are among the and how such encounters must change both living many who have joined this debate over the last few beings and medicine itself. This means that medi- cal humanities can have points of overlap with dis- texts. Such discussions, while of course questioning ability studies, sociology, history, and philosophy. decades, often through reference to science fiction In North American universities it is sometimes of- medicine. The difference between a medical inter- fered as an element of medical school, as a means of ventionthe nature and of a‘the cybernetic human’, exploreaugmentation the definition becomes of teaching trainee doctors about listening to patients, almost indistinguishable in the pages of a William considering patient perspectives and broadening Mad Max: Fury Road the students’ idea of what a doctor should be.1 This (2015) as Charlize Theron discards her impressive idea, of taking elements from the humanities to im- prostheticGibson novel, to sharpenor in a film her likeaim, using her handless prove medical training, has also gone the other way. arm to prop up her gun. In order to take a look at Humanities scholars have taken their knowledge - cal humanities a new project at the University of medicine and its social consequences, an early ex- Glasgowthis crossover is combining between concernsscience fiction with andmedicine the medi and ampleof their of fields which as amight means be of Michel throwing Foucault’s new light Nais on- sance de la Clinique (The Birth of the Clinic, 1963), a two complement each other. text which (along with Foucault’s other work on in- itsScience future Fictionwith science and the fiction Medical to establish Humanities how isthe a research project based at the University of Glasgow 2 This always and led by Dr Gavin Miller with research assistance stitutions and disciplines) has had a deep influence from myself. The project aims to explore the links on the field of the medical humanities. 1 For example, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York launched an Academy for humanities see Robin Bunton and Alan Petersen’s Medicine & the Humanities in 2012 to work with Foucault, Health and Medicine (1997) and Alan Pe- medical students. tersen’s ‘Governmentality, Critical Scholarship, and 2 the Medical Humanities’ (2003). 4 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 5 For more on Foucault’s influence on the medical naries (1995) he considers the role of the imaginary from its inception (wherever one marks that occa- for science practitioners, including clinicians, in the sion).between It is this funded new academicby the Wellcome field and Trust science as partfiction of years before the millennium, explaining that scien- their remit to promote research that engages with tists medicine in innovative and imaginative ways, in- cluding through artistic approaches. As part of this are constantly trying to understand the pres- artistic remit, the Science Fiction and the Medical ent by borrowing from a cautiously imagined Humanities project is holding a creative writing uncertainty, but in which faith in practices of technoscienceemergent future, become filled even with more volatility, complexly and thecompetition role as his to novels be judged have inexplored part by themes science relevant fiction and interestingly constructed in new loca- toauthor the medicalAdam Roberts. humanities. Roberts In Landis a fitting of the choice Headless for tions of doing science. (4) (2007) Roberts describes a planet ruled by theol- ogy; a civilisation advanced enough to take space This understanding of the present, based on the travel for granted, but that punishes those who view from an imagined future, is intensely familiar deviate from its diktats with beheading. Medical - technology is used to keep the beheaded alive in ther academic exploration. We hope that our call for a move that claims to be merciful despite its cruel papersto scholars will ofprove science inspiring fiction for studies contributors and ripe and for thatfur grotesquery. Roberts uses this premise to challenge the resulting special issue will offer a resource for further research. progress. Medicine and the human body are also at In addition to these publications, a series of events the forefrontcommon ofconflation By Light Aloneof technological (2011) in which and ethical nano- will be held in Glasgow throughout the year includ- technology is used to allow human beings to photo- ing a workshop on ‘Science Fiction and the Public En- synthesise. Removing the sharp edge of poverty by gagement with Medicine’ on the 27th of November eradicating starvation might be utopian in the hands of some, but Roberts shows that this breakthrough from the University of Cardiff who has already been throws the divide between rich and poor into stark 2015. This first workshop features Jenny Kitzinger relief as the two groups diverge into very different in media representations of health innovation (Kitz- beings. The gendering of medicine and wellbeing inger,looking 2010). at the Kitzinger role of science will be fictionspeaking as ona discourse ‘Science Fiction, Ethics and the Body: Clones, Coma Patients from solid food during pregnancy. As well as writing and Organ Harvesting’ which will include some of is significant here as women still require nutrients her recent work on Robin Cook’s novel Coma (1977) author of The History of Science Fiction (2006), the science fiction in a variety of genres, Roberts is the (1978). We are also welcoming David Lawrence fromand itsthe feature Costumed film Visions adaptation of Enhanced of the Bodies same name proj- Adammost comprehensive Roberts as our longguest history judge andof science we are fiction. happy ect. This project, also funded by the Wellcome Trust, toGiven announce these qualifications, that many of thewe areentries very hehappy selects to have will is a collaboration between the Institute for Science, go on to form a short story collection to be published Ethics and Innovation at the University of Manches- by Glasgow-based Freight Books, leaving a lasting ter and the JK Mason Institute for Medicine, Life Sci- ences and Law at the University of Edinburgh. Law- The Science Fiction and the Medical Humanities rence will be introducing some of their perspectives projectlegacy to will the also medical produce humanities a special in issuescience of fiction.The BMJ on superheroes and the medical humanities through Medical Humanities Journal dedicated to the inter- his presentation, ‘Costumed Visions of Enhanced Bodies: Ability, Humanity and the Science of the Su- - estedsections in reading between papers science on fictiona wide andrange the of medicalrelated others – ‘Science Fiction, Medicine and Utopia’ and topicshumanities. but to As give a path-finding scholars some project guidance, we are we inter are ‘Theperhero’. Politics This of first Science workshop Fiction will Medicine’, be followed both by to two be particularly asking for papers that engage with the held in the new year. The project will conclude with a full conference Markus’s edited collection Technoscientific Imagi- in the summer of 2016 for which a call for papers biomedical technoscientific imaginary. In George E. 4 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 5 will be released before Christmas. The conference will include the announcement of the winners of the creative writing competition by Adam Roberts and
medicalwill provide humanities a platform have for to offerthe first one fullanother. discussion on what the fields of science fiction studies and the The project’s first workshop was held on the 27th of November 2015 at the University of Glasgow and is entitled ‘Science Fiction and Public Engagement with Medicine’. For more information please tweet us @ scifimedhums, visit scifimedhums.glasgow.ac.uk, or email .
[email protected] Works Cited
Aldiss, Brian. Billion Year Spree: The True History of Science Fiction. New York: Doubleday, 1973. Bunton, Robin and Alan Petersen, eds. Foucault, Health and Medicine. London: Routledge, 1997. Evans, Martyn and David Greaves. ‘Medical Humani- ties’, Medical Humanities 26.1 (2000): 1-2. Foucault, Michel. Naissance de la Clinique. Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, 1963. Haraway, Donna. ‘A Cyborg Manifesto’ in Simians, Cyborgs and Women: The Reinvention of Nature. London: Routledge, 1991: 149-82. - nium.FemaleMan_Meets_OncoMouse: Feminism Haraway,and Technoscience Donna. Modest_Witness@Second_Millen. London: Routledge, 1997. - - Kitzinger,plain away Jenny. public ‘Questioning concerns theabout sci-fi risk’, alibi: Journal a cri of Risktique Research of how “science 13(1) (2010):73 fiction fears” - 86. are used to ex Markus, George E. ‘Introduction’ in George E. Markus (ed.) Technoscientific Imaginaries: Conversations, Profiles and Memoirs. Chicago: University of Chi- cago Press, 1995: 1-9. Petersen, Alan (2003) ‘Governmentality, Critical Scholarship, and the Medical Humanities’, Journal of Medical Humanities, 24.3/4 (2003): 187-201.
6 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 7 Feature 101 viewpoint and mindset. Due to the similarities be- tween the two genres, the authors called the new genre the New Weird [2]. The New Cosmic Horror: A Genre New Weird is the result of the constant evolu- Molded by Tabletop Roleplaying tion of genres. While seemingly similar to its pre- decessor, upon closer inspection New Weird was a Games and Postmodern Horror wholly different entity than the 1940s weird genre. However, 1940s weird was also a source of numer- Travis Gasque1 ous sub-genres, so does the same hold true of New
MOST SCHOLARS believe cosmic horror of the mod- is a staple of modern culture, but similar to New Weird? Yes; cosmic horror and Lovecraftian fiction ern era is a direct descendant of the cosmic horror Weird, modern narratives of the genre have a similar appearance yet follow different principles. Modern stories are set in a universe similar to the one im- cosmic horror media, especially tabletop gaming, fiction of the 1940s. While true new cosmic horror- utilize a different mentality than found in previous cant in comparison to the rest of creation, modern works of cosmic horror. cosmicaged by horror Lovecraft, stories one departwhere humansfrom their are predeces insignifi- To understand why we are witnessing the birth of - - - a new genre, first we must understand why cosmic micsors horrorin a significant celebrates way. the Rather power than of presentingindividuals hu to gence in modern culture. The perviousness of Love- horror and Lovecraftian fiction has seen a resur protectman insignificance their community as a source even if of doing despair, so ultimately new cos craftian media stems from the mirroring of the socio- proves to be a futile effort. Though apparent in vari- political environment of Interwar America and Great ous media, the most prevalent representation of this Recession America. This view is best summarized in new perspective appears in the tabletop roleplaying “Things We Were Not Meant to Know: H.P. Lovecraft medium. This medium’s fertile creative grounds uti- and Cosmic Horror” by Mack Knopf:
and interactive gameplay similar to video games, all times of the ‘30s has come around again, with fear Now, in the twenty-first century, the tenor of the thelizes while themes combining from literature, rapid user techniques response to from foster film, an of science, of knowledge, and of the unknown; even easier observation of this new emerging genre. when science enlightens us, there are many who do The beginnings of cosmic horror and Lovecraftian not like the answers it provides. There is little room for religion in the methodology of science, and mate- century. So too is the modern cosmic horror genre rialism tends not to admit the evidence of the spirit connectedfiction stem to from the the often-contentious weird genre of theNew mid-20th Weird world. Science is also not easy to understand -- it is genre of the 21st century. The delineation of this frequently counterintuitive (the sun does not revolve new genre, the New Weird, appeared after several around the earth), and many of its discoveries take training to understand. More and more people turn century were of a wholly distinct literary styling to “pseudoscience” as a result, as we can see from fromauthors other felt narrativescertain science of the fiction time stories[1]. Highly of the debat 21st- the proliferation of theories of Atlantis (few want to ed, New Weird arose from the combination of ele- hear it might be an island called Thera destroyed by a volcano), the alien-abduction phenomenon, and This new genre, individuals claimed, combined the other conspiracy theories. Religious sects proliferate ments found in two modern science fiction genres. as answers are sought, just as in Lovecraft’s time. [3] - As Knopf demonstrates, individuals of the 1930s mentsalready and blurred narratives lines foundof fantasy in the and horror science genre. fiction This relate more closely to modern people than one might newof slipstream genre explored and interstitial themes scienceand narratives fiction with similar ele initially believe. However, despite the similar condi- to the weird genre of the 1940s, but with a modern tions, one of the major changes that have come about in the past 85 years has been through our means and sources of entertainment. While in the 1930s enter- 1 Georgia Institute of Technology 1039 Hampton Street tainment focused largely on literature, dancing, and NW Atlanta, Georgia 30318 912-308-9736. tgasque@ - gmail.com. 6 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 the novelty of sound andSFRA color Review film 315 and Winter its rapid 2016 de 7 technological issues of the current generation is the Silent Hill HD Collection (Konami 2012) [8]. Even videovelopments, games inas the our modern version era of a relativelysignificant new amount and with the increased computational power found in rapidlyof attention developing has shifted form awayof recreation. from film Although to focus theon modern video game technology, the designers were - unable to render the game’s iconic fog properly. To ly, many of the same themes remain, albeit in new compensate, the release tried to work to recreate forms.medium Horror of entertainment narratives in has particular evolved have significant seen a the effect with current technology, but the result is resurgence in popular media, continue to excel in a patchy fog that does not render as precisely as the original game. Textures and assets from the original journey within the video game format. literatureIn its infancy, and film, video but game suffer horror a rather design tumultuous was chal- existence as the players approach them. Another lenging because designers had to create visuals example,game can thisbe seentime floatingrelating in to space the genre or popping dilution, into is capable of illustrating the horror within the narra- the Dead Space franchise (Electronic Arts, Inc. 2008- tive and gameplay move congruent to the narrative. 2013) [9]. The original Dead Space (Electronic Arts, Mystery House (Sierra 1980) [4], popularly consid- Inc. 2008) [10] took cues from numerous other modern horror franchises: the abandoned spaceship Apple II and DOS. A murder mystery game, the goal and isolation of the player mimic the Alien franchise ofered Mystery to be House the first was horror for the game, player was to released explore onan [11], the enemy necromorphs draw heavily on the abandoned Victorian mansion and eventually dis- body horror of 1982s The Thing [12], and the overall cover the murderer of other characters who appear meta-plot of the franchise draws on aspects of the in the game. While a good start, the simple line art cosmic horror genre. Unfortunately, as the series and command prompt interface severely hamper the progressed the series had turned less about survival horror aspects of the game. and dread and more about action and combat. By Eventually, game designers achieve success by us- Dead Space 3 (Electronic Arts, Inc. 2013) [13], the ing the unique aspects of video games and working - Series such as Resident Evil (Capcom 1996) [5], Si- series had devolved into a modern sci-fi shooter with lentwithin Hill the (Konami confines 1999) of underdeveloped[6], and Fatal Frame technology. (Temco theonly necromorphs window dressings were stillof its part original of the horrific story, but atmo the 2001) [7] all worked with, rather than against, the sphere remaining. The horrific elements were there, - with the previous games. periences for the players. Resident Evil’s set camera mainBy wayconflict of lackedcontrast, any independent dread or tension game compared design- angles,limitations while of disorientating,their technology framed to create the scares horrific play ex- ers attempt to maximize the appeal of pure hor- ers might miss if they had free control over the cam- ror games by employing well-established theories era. Silent Hill used the generation’s limited render- of fear drawn from the history of video games and ing distance to create foggy landscapes obscuring psychology. The Five Nights at Freddy’s series (Scott- games 2014-2015) [14], Cry of Fear Half-life Mod which heightened the tension while hiding asset (2012) and Game (Team Psykskallar 2013) [15], and popthe player’sin and graphical view, creating problems. a confining Fatal Frame atmosphere utilized Yume Nikki (2004) [16], all create horror experienc- gameplay that forced the player to become helpless es with minimal technological processes. Attracted in order to confront the ghosts rampant within in the to their simplicity and open source code, many of game, rewarding the player for actively seeking out these indie developers eschew more expensive and the ghost by waiting until the last possible second to developed game design engines for those such as attempt to capture them. Unity, RPG Maker, and Source in order to craft their A common problem with modern horror games is horror experiences, turning limitation into strength, just like their predecessors. in higher production costs. Since horror is a niche As described by authors Oliver and Cantor in their the demand for high fidelity graphics often results article “Developmental Differences in Responses to elements of their game with other genres in order to Horror” [17], designers attempt to maximize the ensuregenre, AAAa wider game audience designers appeal must and dilute a return the onhorrific their horror of their games by mapping certain elements to the fears of differently aged players. From early heavy8 SFRA financial Review 315investment. Winter 2016 The best example of the SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 9 childhood (ages 3 to 8 years old), the core elements people, sympathetic people and yet the root of cur- that scare an individual are animals, the dark, su- rent horror malaise lies in most horror writers’ in- pernatural beings, and the physical scariness of an ability to recognize this for themselves” [19] and object. These core elements evolve and mature un- “Horror has declared itself the ‘literature of scares’ til adolescence (age 13+) where physical destruc- over both ideas and character” [19]. The author Jeff tion, social fears, and other abstract ideas and ele- VanderMeer, who later became a vocal proponent of ments become the focus of an individual’s fears. By the New Weird genre [2], details how horror of that constructing games that weave all these elements, decade focused on visual shocks and graphic details developers create multifaceted horror experiences while ignoring the human condition. The focus was that can appeal to users of all ages. on the shock of horror instead of the characters. “The Another way independent game designers can smallness of humanity against the larger backdrop provoke horror in players is through repeated cog- of a hostile universe. The incredible metallic beauty nitive association. Described as similar to a demoli- of a universe powered solely by the intellect. The tion charge, “In the Dark of Your Own Psyche: Jung- heart can only rebel against such a universe,” [19] ian Theory and Horror” [18] details how individuals stands out as a key phrase. This rebellion is the core of the modern cosmic horror genre. article White describes how the rise of the slasher Modern audiences are primed to the idea of cos- can be “primed” for certain horrific narratives. In the mic horror, but want desire delivered in a postmod- experiences in the viewing audience’s past. These ern style. The knowledge individuals can be primed films of the 80s were in direct correlation to horrific for horror stimuli explains the recent resurgence of of fears experienced by the public during the 70s becauseslasher filmsof the were numerous a combination serial killers and culmination and politi- new millennium have been primed to fear the ideals cal murders of that decade. White’s other example, exploredLovecraftian in Lovecraft’s fiction. Individuals original works, raised but during the clas the- 1992’s Candyman sical style of writing used by Lovecraft does not elicit the audience’s fears. The major difference between the reactions modern readers desire. Instead mod- , is anotherCandyman such isfilm that that Candyman plays on ern cosmic horror implements a postmodern style of played to the racial and cultural fears of the audi- horror, ones that according to “Five Characteristics ence.the slasher These filmsfears were and more obfuscated than those - - tics: 1) A violent disruption of the everyday world, 2) aof transgression Postmodern Horror” and violation [20] follow of boundaries, five characteris 3) the aboutfound inmaking slasher horror films, narratives but, in White’s too complex. opinion, Cancre- validity of rationality is questioned, 4) refusal of nar- dymanate a better,, he stated, more complex was a victim horror of film. its ownWhite success warns rative closure, and 5) bounded experience of fear. as the complex nature of these cultural and racial A number of characteristics of Lovecraftian hor- fears left the audiences in a state of displaced hor- ror mirror those of postmodern horror already and ror. Unsure of why they were scared and what type it is striking how most of these characteristics were of catharsis they should be experiencing, the view- already present in the original cosmic horror genre. ing audience walked away uneasy with the experi- Right away, characteristics one through three is al- ence and unwilling to re-watch it. Oliver and Cantor ready present in most Cosmic Horror stories. The ev- also observed a style of priming in their study [17]. eryday world is a self-perpetuated charade created by humanity to keep it from being overwhelmed by a regular, non-threatening image became fearful a a universe our rational minds cannot comprehend. Individuals exposed to an image of a fire and then As T.S. Miller explains in “From Bodily Horror to Cos- non-threatening image, in essence priming the ob- mic Horror (and Back Again): The Tentacle Monster serverfire related for future incident horror. would befall the contents of the from Primordial Chaos to Hello Cthulhu” [21], the Individuals can experience burnout with the hor- monsters and horror of Lovecraft combine bodily ror genre. Jeff VanderMeer’s burnout with the 1980s horror and cosmic horror so much that a tentacle Splatterpunk movement in literary horror exempli- monster can be seen as both an otherworldly object and a deformed mutilated human appendage at the Alive? A Discussion of the Current Horror Malaise” same time. [19]fies this uses phenomenon. key phrases The including article, “Fiction“Horror: isDead about or The reason for the shared thematic characteris- 8 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 9 tics between postmodern horror and cosmic hor- cosmic horror that utilize the postmodern horror ror is the fact the creatures of cosmic horror play characteristics are most apparent in the tabletop ro- on both the physiological and psychological fears of leplaying game (RPG) medium. This medium com- the individual. T.S. Hall [21] offers a possible expla- nation why Cosmic Horror and postmodern horror games into a distinct media form. Notable examples are so similar. Using language and ideas similar to ofbines this design new cosmic elements horror of film, in roleplaying literature, andgames video in- those in White’s article [18], T.S. Hall explores why clude Delta Green (DG) [23], Warhammer 40,000 tentacle monsters such as Cthulhu and other hor- (40k) [24], Little Fears Nightmare Edition (LFNE) ror monsters are so effective in scaring people in the [25], and Monsters and other Childish Things (Ma- 20th century. He states, “As the dragon dominates an oCT) [26]. Each of these systems involves narratives earlier epoch in the West as the embodiment of the and mechanics that utilized the characteristics of the fearsome unknown; 20th century may well be called postmodern horror genre. the Century of the Tentacle Monster” [21]. The con- These systems deal with entities outside the realm clusion White reaches is that these monsters are of human understanding with unfathomable powers, the best representation for the shadow archetype and yet each of these systems subverts the themes of as described by Jung. This archetype allows people the original cosmic horror genre in some subtle way. DG and 40k deal with stemming the inevitable tide within horror media. These entities are alien, but at of universal forces through communal actions and theto reflect same andtime question they contain themselves, enough, much possibly as they imag do- LFNE shows that learning about and ined, human characteristics to fascinate us and force understanding a situation or entity can cause its ter- us to explore ourselves. rorself-sacrifice, inducing aspects to lose their power, and MaoCT As with all media, this exploration can encroach utilizes a unique method of defeating beings beyond on subjects individuals do not want to consider. The human understanding. All these RPG systems ques- boundaries surrounding horror experiences keep tion the rules and boundaries the old cosmic horror people from reacting poorly but the bounded expe- genre hold sacred. rience of fear is something horror game designers The Call of Cthulhu (CoC) RPG system is the bastion should utilize cautiously. As a designer and game of the old cosmic horror mindset [27]. By the end of master of tabletop roleplaying games, the game mas- the adventure, players expect their character to die ter (GM) has the ability to blur the lines of a game. or be irreparably insane. Often times players are en- Being able to read and scare both your players and couraged to create backup characters for the inevita- their characters is a powerful tool at the GM’s dis- ble point when their starting character becomes un- posal, but it still needs to be bound for the players’ playable. Some of the modern RPG systems inspired by Lovecraft are actually bleaker narratively than an individual separated from the narrative blur and CoC for various reasons. Trail of Cthulhu, based in the falter,benefit. upsetting Sometimes the theperson boundaries in unexpected set-up and to keep un- Gumshoe RPG system, focused its design on investi- intended ways. The extreme reactions individuals gation. Players spend their skill points as a resource have to the Oculus Rift and similar immersion sys- to uncover clues and mysteries, but in the end, the tems highlight the possible dangers arising from mechanics of Trail of Cthulhu actively degrade the characters’ capabilities of surviving in the world. in a horror experience. This pushing of boundaries Cthulhu Dark, a parody of Call of Cthulhu games, has isblurring a necessary the boundaries aspect of horrorbetween though, fiction a and sentiment reality expressed by numerous authors in a variety of ven- in a session and the value of human life is little more ues [19] [20] [21]. Extra Credits, originally an online thanplayers what go isthrough the most sometimes humorous up outcome to five characters to an ar- video series meant to discuss game design topics, in chetypical cosmic horror situation or scenario. particular dedicates several videos to the discussion Unlike Trail of Cthulhu and Cthulhu Dark, Delta of horror as a study on helplessness, in the process Green is a departure from the Call of Cthulhu system. exploring humanity’s reaction to being helpless and Delta Green was originally a CoC setting written by the reactions one has to the cause of such helpless- Adam Scott Glancy, Dennis Detwiller, and John Tynes ness [22]. [26]. Drawing direct inspiration from Call of Cthulhu, The updated narratives and themes of modern Delta Green utilizes CoC’s d100 system, requiring 10 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 11 players to roll under their skills to succeed or, in the or 1940s cosmic horror character could not. The cos- case of a contested roll, lower than the opposition. mic horror of Delta Green is still bleak, but there is a Delta Green (DG) is currently in the process of be- sense of community explored and underpinned to coming a standalone RPG system to “create a game the stories, particularly in how by working together Delta Green and its vision of people can hold the tide, if only for a little while, very the Cthulhu Mythos…” [28]. similar to our next RPG system, Warhammer 40,000. tailoredSet in specificallythe world toof Lovecraft’s writings, Delta Perhaps best known for its Science Fantasy table- Green’s founding premise is how the US government top war games, Warhammer 40,000 (40k) is bleak would react to the discovery of mythos creatures. to the point of comedic. The universe is constantly [23] Players explore through the DG organization at war with numerous factions including, but not the government’s attempts to protect citizens from limited to: Humans, religious zealotry for their God Lovecraftian knowledge and the threats of such, Emperor; Orks, sentient fungus who love “waaaahg”; ranging from cultists to mythos creatures to the El- and Tyranids, sentience evolving Bioweapons [24]. der Gods themselves. Each of these factions vies for power in a broken Both DG and CoC systems are about individual peo- universe, interwoven with another. The Warp is ple’s attempts to stop cosmic horror. Both systems a hellish landscape ruled by four entities, termed usually end in the death of at least one, if not all, Chaos Gods, each patron an aspect of this tumultu- of the player characters but that is where the simi- ous dimension. Constantly at war with itself and the larities end. Where Call of Cthulhu is most similar known universe, the Warp regularly bleeds in and to Aliens [11], a horror mystery series, Delta Green out of the main universe, wreaking havoc leaving is more comparable to Predators [29], a horror ac- widespread death and destruction in its wake. Given tion franchise. The greatest divergence between the that a Warp Incursion, set off by a bad dice roll or two appears in the types of characters native to each the whim of the GM, can kill off millions of people in setting. In Call of Cthulhu the player characters are a single stroke, the 40k universe is arguably one of individuals witnessing what is behind the veil of the the bleakest, blackest settings to date. Again, how- universe and ultimately end up being nothing more ever, like Delta Green, there is a sense of community than a mere irritant to the greater forces of their to it coupled with the idea that general knowledge of universe. Characters are generally low-trained indi- the unknowable is not enough to break an individual
who encounter supernatural situations that often Although there are many different settings for in endviduals, in a often mutually police exclusive officers, choice reporters, between or scientists, solving theand 40krather, universe, it is the they specifics all utilize that theis so d100 dangerous. roll under the problem and surviving. In contrast, Delta Green system similar to CoC and DG. The player chooses a is usually about trained individuals from a military stat or skill, adds bonuses from feats and talents, and background, enlisted into the titular organization as a result of their outstanding services or for surviving the many systems in the 40k universe, Dark Heresy (or sometimes even triumphing over) an encounter then[30] attemptsprovides tothe roll clearest under theparallel finalized to Delta number. Green Of. with the unknown. They engage in impossible mis- Here, as in Delta Green, individuals face otherworld- sions far beyond any one person’s scope with the ul- ly threats in defense of the human empire. Scale is timate goal of keeping humanity safe from the evils important here, because other systems in the 40k beyond the realm of human understanding. Unfortu- gaming universe deal with massive planetary scale nately for the character, whenever there is a choice events such as Chaos invasions. Like Delta Green, of survival or completing the mission, DG asks them Dark Heresy is more concerned with solving small- to place priority on solving the situation over per- scale mysteries and stopping the threat at all costs, sonal survival. This often manifests in DG agents sac- including their lives.
from unknowing civilians. rampant in the 40k setting. Individuals connected to rificingCall of themselves Cthulhu is toabout protect individuals or divert troublewith little away to thePersonal Warp use sacrifice their powers for the to create salvation psychic of others bubbles is no outside help and no way of warning one another around spaceships to enable humanity to travel fast- what is going on. Delta Green is about a network of er than light. People with no connection to the Warp, people solving problems an ordinary Call of Cthulhu considered literally soulless individuals in 40k lore, 10 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 11 use their ability to hunt down and deal with enti- dealing with monsters in Little Fears: giving them ties of the Warp even though the populace hate and what they want. An example from the sourcebook despise them. 40k for all its comedic bleakness ul- timately sides on the ideals of community standing desecrated headstone. The stats and abilities for together to hold back the otherworldly powers that thisis the creature zombie are who formidable, has only stated he proves goal tois tobe fixmore its rule the universe so others may live. than a challenge for even seasoned players, but un- Little Fears Nightmare Edition is a system about derstanding what the entity wants, and appeasing it childhood terrors [25], dedicated to exploring how is a possible route to solving the entirety of the sce- perception shapes reality for children. The system nario non-violently. This is not always the case: an- utilizes a top three exploding d6 system where the game master assigns a target number (TN) to a task of children and another wants to kidnap as many and the player rolls a number of six sided dice equal asother possible, monster but from the the ability sourcebook to investigate desires thenon-hu flesh- to their Stat, plus corresponding Quality, either posi- man entities and resolve a situation diplomatically tive or negative. Dice that land on a six “explode” and is a large step previous narratives of cosmic horror are rerolled, adding the new results to the previous avoided or outright disregarded. roll’s total. The players keep their top three rolls and Monsters and other Childish Things (MaoCT) is at exceeding or failing a check by steps of three pro- once a cosmic horror setting and not. The source vides bonuses or penalties based on the actions. The concept of belief is utilized by the system as a it in a Saturday morning cartoon package, with the representation of the character’s ability to believe in game’sbook uses elevator the ideas pitch of Lovecraftiangoing so far fictionas to bebut “Calvin wraps objects with such conviction they are able to imbue and Hobbes meets Call of Cthulhu” [26]. The game otherwise imaginary powers on them. For example, provides players with the ability to create entities or by believing in a pair of shoes, a character can run powers similar in scale to anything Lovecraft could faster than another character or by believing in an- dream up. Players who choose to play a “monster other person and cheering them on, that person be- kid” take the role of characters bonded to a Lovecraf- comes more competent at a task. However, belief is tian horror while simultaneously struggling to emo- both a boon and a curse; it may allow characters and tionally mature and keep a best friend who cannot players to overcome challenges with creative think- comprehend humanity from eating their neighbor’s ing but it also creates obstacles and monsters. For cat [32]. example, a rabid three-headed dog guarding a junk- The system uses the One Roll Engine (ORE) rolling yard. In game, the players believe this dog guards the mechanic. Players and GMs roll a number of 10-sided entrance to the underworld, but as the events of the dice equal to their character’s Stat plus an associated game unfold, the hound is revealed to be much like Skill or, in the case of monsters, a dice pool tied to an “The “Beast” in the Sandlot movie [31]: nothing more appropriate location. Matching pairs of dice equate than an old, scary looking dog the children believed to a success where higher matching numbers, two was a monster. The power of imagination and belief tens being the best, correlate to a more accurate ac- warped the dog into a monster the characters can tion, and a “wider” roll, such as three ones or four only overcome by facing and realizing their fears. sevens, represent a faster action. As simple as the The mechanics of Little Fears dictate monsters will dice mechanics are, the system encourages GMs to remain dangerous until you remove their terror; focus more on the consequences of using powers the quality created by the children’s belief makes and monsters to solve a character’s problems. it scary. The idea of facing your fear, the unknown, Within the unusual MaoCT system is the core of and slowly overcoming it is an ideal commonly used how new cosmic horror rebels against the “cold by new cosmic horror authors. Of course, there are mechanical world” expressed by Vandermeer [19]. still things which are unbeatable and unknowable, Within the rules and narrative of the system there but that does not mean one cannot overcome at is the ability to take a “chunk” from a monster when least some of the opposition through teamwork and “defeating” it. This chunk represents the loss of a die a willingness to stretch and reconsider one’s percep- from a monster’s dice pool. At creation, monsters tion of the reality. More interestingly however, is the second way of so the loss of one or two dice in a location ranges are given fifty points to spend on skills and abilities, 12 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 13 (2010): 6–9. Furthermore, “chunking a monster” is only available [2] VanderMeer, Jeff. “The New Weird Anthol- iffrom a monster insignificant is running to annoying, away and but another never monster deadly. ogy - Notes and Introduction”. THE SOUTHERN REACH. 2009.
14 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 Butler was the first to raise this issue, in a number SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 15 Dr Grey was seen many times ‘holding a dead child in her arms, and praying to her God for that lost little Federation Society (VOY, “Prototype,” Frakes). soul’. What is even more bigoted in Dr Grey Veil’s tri- consideredFrom time the to time only sentientother non-android artificial lifeformlife forms in al is the criteria for which she did not meet and thus denied sentient status: she had not been conceived, sentient. In the episode “Warhead” (Kretchmer), a gestated or delivered by natural or legally sanctioned weaponor artificial was intelligences so sophisticated have that also it been was considered methods; was in possession of ‘enhancement delib- sentient. Holograms have also been referred to as erately bred by experimentation’; and never been al- - lowed to live freely. These three main criteria move tient hologram was created on the USS Enterprise away from the epistemology of consciousness per se. –both D in artificial 2365, when lifeforms Lieutenant and ‘sentient.’ Commander One such Geordie sen However, Block debates the role of functional simi- La Forge requested that the holodeck create an op- larity in providing evidence that others are like us in ponent worthy of Data in a Sherlock Holmes style intrinsic physical respects, and that is the ground for mystery. The ship’s computer produced a sentient our belief in other minds. version of James Moriarty, Holmes’ nemesis. Throughout the Star Doc series we encounter oth- A legal case related to holographic sentience arose er life forms with similar issues related to sentience. with the Voyager Doctor when he attempted to The sentience status of a Chakacat called Alunthri, a publish a holonovel entitled “Photons Be Free,” but human sized cat with human-equivalent intellectual it was appropriated and released without his per- abilities and language skills is raised and debated in mission by his publisher. The legal issue revolved Star Doc. Chakacats ‘once captured and trained’ are around whether the doctor was an ‘artist’ within the sold as domesticates […] there is some controversy meaning of the laws that granted rights to control the dissemination of intellectual property. The rul- to have them recognized as sentient life forms have beenabout consistently their classification. denied’ (ViehlEffort 80).by Council petition single law was extended to a hologram, but it was The deliberate stance taken by Dr Grey Veil is ‘Alun- aning importantwas narrow step in thaton the the pathdefinition toward of grantingartist in that full thri, I couldn’t treat you like a domesticated compan- legal status to a hologram as a sentient entity (VOY, ion. In my eyes you are sentient’ (Viehl 185), which “Author, Author,” Livingstone). parallels Block’s arguments in favour of sentience. Non-humanoid non-carbon based life forms are This occurs when Alunthri seeks her assistance to also accorded this courtesy. In “The Devil in the transfer him under her ownership. Without deed, Dark” (Pevney), Captain Kirk senses a Horta’s intelli- under the terms of the current colonial charter, he gence – a silicon-based life form who backs off when would be shipped back to his home world and re- Kirk raises his phaser while displaying a wound - from an earlier encounter. Consequently, Spock initi- cause he knew that Veil would give him this freedom. ates a Vulcan mind meld to communicate with the sold. He specifically asked for Veil’s ownership be creature. He learns that it is a sentient creature and force here where the ability to feel, perceive or to ex- is in extreme pain. The Horta learns enough to etch perienceThe working subjectivity definition is mostof sentience palpable. comes into full mind meld reveals that the Horta is preparing for the Sentience in Star Trek extinctionthe ambiguous of its ‘NOrace. KILL It directed I’ into the the humans floor. Another to “the Similar issues about sentience also arise in Star Chamber of the Ages.” Kirk tells Mr Spock to com- Trek. In 2365, Phillipa Louvois of the Judge Advocate municate to the creature that they are trying to help.
spheres, which Kirk and Spock now understand are theGeneral’s hearing Office the heldquestion a hearing of an in android’s which she sentience decided eggsHe goes ready to tothe hatch. Chamber and finds a million silicon camethat Data up but was there not wasthe noproperty formal, of legal Starfleet. resolution During on The extended respect for the silicon based life the matter (TNG: “The Measure of Man,” Scheerer). form shown by both Captain Kirk and Mr Spock is a philosophical concept espoused by the modern phi- thought himself to be sentient and many others losopher Tom Regan. Regan argues that life matters agreed.Despite (TNG, a lack “The of official Offspring,” acknowledgement, Frakes; “The Most Data to the individual, whether human or otherwise, and Toys,” Bond) so much so that as of 2371, Data was for the sake of consistency, respect for non-human 16 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 17 life should always be endorsed. Regan (2004) opines that rational and non-rational beings, earthly or an individual counts as a human being if it belongs to alien, must be treated with Regan’s ‘respect princi- thenotion species of a humanHomo Sapiens being. More, it counts specifically, as a person whereas not ple’ or ‘subjects-of-a-life’ and should never be mere- by virtue of species membership, but of the capaci- ly treated as means to the ends of others (Regan). ties it possesses. Bartoletti and Harris contend that empirical studies rule out that human embryos and Discussion foetuses are persons, as they do not satisfy the re- - quirements for personhood i.e. rationality and self- ratives has been a cause of ambivalence toward ac- consciousness. The conclusion is that it is immoral ceptanceThe treatment of sentient of sentience non-human in sciencelife forms fiction and their nar to prevent the development of an embryo because quest for human rights, with both the legal and ethi- the embryo has the potential to become a person. cal implications that this may bring. This relies on the assumption that one should treat In Star Doc and Star Trek, the same hesitancy to a potential person as one treats a person. However, accept sentient life forms is encountered. Both Doc- there are direct moral obligations toward persons by virtue of their interests in their own well-being. Cherijo is the result of a successful laboratory exper- imenttor Cherijo carried and out Data by areher artificial father, while life forms. Commander Doctor embryos that have no interests in their own well- be- Data is an android possessing excessive rationalism ing?Is it justified to grant the same moral status to early and incapable of conveying emotions. The notion of On the other hand, according to the principle of being regarded as the ‘Other’ is explicit throughout human dignity, in a formulation that can be found in various incidents culminating in the trials they both Kant (1785), human life should never be thought of had to undergo. These implications seem to suggest merely as a means but always also as an end. Inspired - by Kant’s formulations, some might argue that hu- pience and sentience in other life forms, these same man embryos cannot be treated just as a means to narrativesthat while scienceresist giving fiction the narratives prescribed acknowledge rights, both sa further research as this would violate the principle ethical and legal, which are automatically attributed of human dignity. Steinbock (1997) and Roberston to human beings. (1995) shed light on another important viewpoint. Ex Machina written and directed They claim that human embryos occupy that space by Alex Garland implies the same resistance in el- - evatingThe recent man-made film life forms to human levels of re- terests and insentient beings with no symbolic value. gard. Ex Machina takes us into the not too distant Personhoodin between fully-fledged and sentience persons are often with argued rights for and their in future where a genius billionaire has created the
the beguiling female form of Ava. He invites a low fallsmoral in significance. a grey area lending In both itself science to thefiction numerous narratives de- levelworld’s employee first fully Caleb sentient to his remote artificial laboratory intelligence, home in batesand in on real the life, issues what of sentience.defines life forms as sentient
to marry the juxtaposition inherent in the central ideato apply that the the Turing machine Test is toman-made, his creation. but The that film Caleb tries is Works Cited there to wonder if intelligence is necessarily human, Cinematography and whether she has human-type intelligence. Ava is not fully robotic nor fully skinned or human, thus “Author, Author.” Dir. David Livingstone. Star Trek: the viewers are constantly reminded that she is still Voyager. Paramount. April, 2001. a machine. Ex Machina. Dir. Alex Garland. Universal Pictures In- Issues on sentience in these narratives lend them- ternational. January, 2015. selves to contemporary debates such as stem cell “Prototype.” Dir. Jonathan Frakes. Star Trek: Voyager. research, personhood and sentience. In their paper Paramount. April, 2001. ‘Stem Cell Research, Personhood and Sentience,’ “The Devil in the Dark.” Dir. Joseph Pevney. Star Trek: Bartolotti and Harris claim that in ordinary lan- The Original Series. Paramount. March, 1967. guage we identify persons with human beings but “The Measure of Man.” Dir. Robert Scheerer. Star the notion of a person is not co-extensive with the Trek: The Next Generation. Paramount. February, 16 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 17 1989. “The Most Toys.” Dir. Tim Bond. Star Trek: The Next Generation. Paramount. May, 1990. “The Offspring.” Dir. Jonathan Frakes. Star Trek: The Next Generation. Paramount. March, 1990. “Warhead.” Dir. John Kretchmer. Star Trek: Voyager. Paramount. May, 1999.
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Aldiss, Brian Wilson. Billion Year Spree: The True His- tory of Science Fiction. New York: Doubleday Pub- lishers, 1973. Bekoff, Marc. “The Hearts and Minds of Animals: A discussion with Dr. Marc Bekoff.” Forbes. Web. May, 2012. Block, Ned. “The Harder Problem of Conscious- ness.” The Journal of Philosophy. XCIC, 8. August, 2002:391-425. Bortolotti, Lisa and Harris, John. “Stem Cell research, personhood and sentience.” Ethics, Law and Mor- al Philosophy of Reproductive Biomedicine. 1(1) March 2005: 68-75. Butler, Samuel. Erewhon. Project Gutenberg. March, 2005. Dennett, Daniel. “Are we explaining consciousness yet?” Cognition. 79(1-2) April 2001: 221-237 Grech, Victor. “The Pinocchio Syndrome and the Prosthetic Impulse in Science Fiction.” The New York Review of Science Fiction. 284; 24(8). April 2012:11-16. Kant, Immanuel. The Metaphysics of Morals. Gregor M. (transl.). New York: Cambridge University Press, 1996. Regan, Tom. Empty Cages: Facing the Challenges of Animal Rights 2004. Robertson, John.. Lanham:“Symbolic Rowman Issues inand Embryo Littlefield, Re- search.” Hasting Center Report. 1995. 25:37-38. “Sentience.” Def. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Diction- ary. Oxford Dictionaries, n.d. Web: 22 July, 2015. Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein, or The Modern Pro- metheus. Project Gutenburg Ebook: June, 2008. Steinbock, Bonnie. Life Before Birth: The Moral and Legal Status of Embryos and Fetuses. Oxford: Ox- ford University Press, 1992. Viehl, S.L. Star Doc. New York: Roc Books, 2000.
18 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 19 Nonfiction Reviews collection. Most of the essays engage in literary and cultural studies analysis, drawing from a variety of theoretical Black and Brown Planets: The approaches while locating their analyses within the particular sociohistorical contexts of the works they Politics of Race in Science Fiction discuss. The sole exception to this focus is Marleen
Jessica E. Birch in a book where the introduction sets the theme of courageouslyS. Barr’s paean confronting to science thefiction racism for blackof mainstream children; Isaiah Lavender III, ed. Black and Brown Planets: The SF, Barr’s enthusiasm about SF as an escape for “chil- Politics of Race in Science Fiction. Jackson, MS: dren [who] do not like to read about race, struggle, University Press of Mississippi, 2014. Hardback, and slavery because it is cruel” (90) seems inapt. 256 pages, $60.00, ISBN 978-1-62846-123-7. However, the other essays in “Black Planets” include - Order option(s): Hard | Paper | Kindle nius and De Witt Douglas Kilgore’s critique of liberal pluralismLisa Yaszek’s in thediscussion construction of black of technoscientificBenjamin Sisko gefor - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The two authors whose tions of racialization at its core, mainstream SF fans work readers would likely expect to appear in this andALTHOUGH scholars science often have fiction ignored has alwaysthe very had real explora ways in collection, Samuel R. Delany and Octavia Butler, are which histories of colonization and narratives of race analyzed by Gerry Canavan and Lavender, but both shaped—and continue to shape—the genre. The col- scholars choose lesser-known stories to examine. lection of essays Isaiah Lavender draws together in These essays are all interesting reads, and present Black and Brown Planets to contest that silence is a a provocative taste of what can be achieved by reex- follow-up to his 2011 monograph, Race in American amining narratives through the lens of race. Science Fiction, and is, as Lavender notes in the in- The essays in the second section of the book were troduction, an attempt to acknowledge the variation the biggest draw for me as I began reading; as a in viewpoints and approaches among people of col- - or. The book is an invaluable resource for scholars of tion, I was eager to see what I had been missing in SF, race, colonialism/postcolonialism, and literature, scholar whose work focuses on black speculative fic although the majority of the essays may be too theo- M. Rivera’s examination of Chicano/a cyberpunk and retically dense for any but the most dedicated fan or Matthew“Brown Planets.” Goodwin’s These discussion hopes were of how fulfilled virtual by reality Lysa undergraduate student to wade through. recreates borderlands to make migration virtual; Ri- Two parts comprise the book and thus provide its vera and Goodwin draw upon postcolonial theory to explore SF’s potential for a kind of oppositional colo- on black identity and SF. Part Two, “Brown Planets,” nization. Although these essays make complex argu- includestitle; Part six One, essays “Black that Planets,” focus on includes indigenous five SFessays and ments, the authors lay out their theoretical ground- Latin American SF. Lavender notes in the introduc- ing clearly, making these more accessible than some tion that African and Asian SF are outside the scope others in the collection; this is particularly true for of a collection focused on “the Western obsession Rivera, who connects her discussion of Chicano/a with color” (7). This focus makes Malisa Kurtz’s ex- cyberpunk to mainstream [white] cyberpunk, which amination of Paolo Bacigalupi’s The Windup Girl, set helps to provide an entry point for those familiar in Thailand, an inexplicable albeit welcome seventh with the most widely-discussed cyberpunk texts. As essay in “Brown Planets.” Part Two ends with a re- noted above, Kurtz’s analysis of the postcolonial eth- print of Edward James’ 1991 essay on “The Race nic and racial complications in The Windup Girl is a Question in American Science Fiction,” prefaced by thoughtful, compellingly written essay on “techno- Orientalism” that illustrates the complexities of eth- in “Coda,” is an essay by Robin Anne Reid discuss- nicity, nationality, and humanity in Southeast Asia; ingJames’ how reflections people of oncolor that have piece, resisted and the erasure final piece, in SF despite its incompatibility with the rest of the collec- fandom. The last few essays in the book seem out of tion, the essay shines. place, evincing the slightly disjointed nature of the The incongruence of the essays made the vision 18 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 19 - ender’s commitment to diverse viewpoints is com- Order option(s): Hard | Kindle mendablefor this book and difficult the introduction to discern asat ittimes; stands while brings Lav a personal touch to the importance of race in SF, the THE PALGRAVE PIVOT IMPRINT aims to publish current research that is longer than a journal article collection.book would This have is benefited particularly from true a discussion of the essays of how on format is meant to offer new research promptly pro- North“science American fiction” wasindigenous defined SF; for thethe analysespurposes are of theex- ducedand shorter for academic than a monograph.consumers to Pivot’s download. digital-first Body, cellent in and of themselves, but the connection to Soul and Cyberspace in Contemporary Science Fiction Cinema is under one hundred pages long despite all up directly in Patrick B. Sharp’s essay on Silko’s Cer- the weighty topics included in its title. The main con- emonyscience, althoughfiction seems his argument tenuous. Theis more question convincing is taken in cern of the book is how human interactions with cy- portraying the novel as an act of resistance to main- - stream white SF than in presenting it as SF. es on a relatively short list of fairly recent movies in Overall, the collection is one that not only contrib- itsberspace discussion: are represented Aeon Flux (2005),in SF film. Avatar The book(2009), focus eX- utes to the scholarly literature of SF but also is of val- istenz (1999), Inception (2010), The Matrix (1999), ue to ethnic studies and postcolonial studies schol- The Thirteenth Floor (1999), Total Recall (2012 re- ars. Many of the essays would be a struggle for most make), Transcendence (2014), and TRON: Legacy undergraduate students, but the book would serve (2010). well as an accompaniment to a graduate course. Automata: The Matrix, eXistenZ, Avatar,” considers other literature scholars, regardless of whether they postmodernThe first chapter, embodiment. “Body —Magerstädt Cyborgs, follows Clones, Vin and- haveMany explicit of the essaysinterests would in SF, be and of significantthe book undoubt value to- cent Miller in arguing that with the decline of reli- edly belongs in libraries. One of its most important gion and the development of new technologies we contributions is simply that it provides incontro- are more body-focused and more able to adapt and vertible proof—if such evidence is still demanded control our bodies. In some cases, as with the genetic by any SF scholars—of the centrality of race to SF, manipulation explored in Gattaca (1997), the tech- with a wealth of references to mine for more works - by SF writers of color whose positions outside white ing us to wrestle with their social implications. The mainstream society give them different vantage secondnologies chapter, of SF films “Soul have — Cyber-Spiritualityalready become real, and forc Im- points on the possibilities of the future. mortality: The Thirteenth Floor, Aeon Flux, Transcen- dence discourse, drawing on John D. Caputo’s assertion that cyberspace,” discusses andscience virtual fiction reality as a siteare ofinherently religious religious as they require accessing a space beyond Body, Soul and Cyberspace in or apart from reality. Magerstädt argues that science Contemporary Science Fiction - rial, organic wisdom over abstract pure knowledge, Cinema: Virtual Worlds and insistingfiction cinema that human uses these intuition tropes or to emotion valorize is a a mate valid Ethical Problems way of knowing despite the power of technology. Magerstädt views SF as a series of narratives about Emily Hegarty transcending mortality, which means becoming other than human. This chapter also considers what Sylvie Magerstädt. Body, Soul and Cyberspace in Con- moral duty is owed to virtual characters, especially temporary Science Fiction Cinema: Virtual Worlds when the unbounded nature of virtual space can be and Ethical Problems. New York: Palgrave Pivot, corrupting. Later in the book Magerstädt considers 2014. PDF, 87 pages + bibliography and index, the technological sublime as a substitute for religion. $45.00, ISBN: 978-1-13739-941-0. EPUB, $45.00, The third chapter, “Cyberspace — Dreams, Mem- ISBN: 978-1-13739-942-7; Hardcover, $67.50 ory and Virtual Worlds: TRON: Legacy, Total Recall print-on-demand, ISBN: 978-1-13739-940-3. (2012), Inception,” is the strongest of the book. Here 20 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 21 Magerstädt argues that memories, dreams, and cy- berspace are all virtual realities. She relies on Gilles and each chapter is preceded by an abstract. Anyone Deleuze’s concept of the crystalline image, in which is a bibliography and filmography as well as an index,- the virtual and the actual are equally real. The erstädt discusses would do well to read this book, chapter offers a wonderful exploration of the rela- particularlyworking on Avatar philosophical scholars. issues The book’s in the brevity films Mag and tionship between facts and memories, particularly when memories can be implanted or manipulated narrow for any but large library collections. but function factually for the person remembering. tight focus on just a few films means it may be too
blendsThis chapter the actual offers and the virtual book’s bybest combining discussion CGI of filmand art in examining the ways that film technology itself They Live Magerstädt also considers the dreamy experience live action film and animation into the same scene. Kevin Pinkham culture. Magerstädt argues that the prevalence of of viewing a film, still a cherished experience in our D. Harlan Wilson. They Live Columbia UP, 2015. Paperback, 128 pages, $15.00, society’s rocky adjustment to the internet and the Kindle $9.99, ISBN 978-0-231-17211-0.. New York: Wallflower- blendingthe virtual/actual of cyberspace theme into in cinemapeople’s is actual a reflection lives. of This brief book has several strengths. Magerstädt Order option(s): Paper | Kindle especially rich, calling attention to aspects that even IF I WERE to hazard a guess, I would venture that avidis a deft,fans clearmay havewriter. overlooked. Her readings She of is the consistently films are
- scholarsmost of us(who, who in studymy experience, science fiction can barely came contain to our ersconsiderate may not to have her encountered.audience in explaining One issue briefly the book and themselvesvocation by whenfirst being they fans.talk Otherabout thanthe BBC’sJane Austen scene doesclearly not both address, films anddespite literary its consideration theories that herof moral read- with Mr. Darcy and the Pond), few scholars seem as ity and space, is the question of colonial tropes in effusive about their subject as do SF scholars. Schol- arship, it seems, is a natural progression of fandom. issues of Avatar, and even at one point a comparison However, most authors of scholarly SF criticism tend ofthese the Na’vifilms. with There the is Ewoks much ofdiscussion the Star Wars of the universe moral to suppress their fannish enthusiasm in favor of as visions of natural space, but no consideration of presenting a more stylistically staid persona. Along how inhabiting indigenous spaces, cyber- or not, im- comes the Cultographies Series, of which D. Harlan plies the availability of that space for the colonizer. Wilson’s They Live, critiquing John Carpenter’s cult Similarly, most of the technological issues of concern in this book are issues of psychological or spiritual - comfort or stability. While these are important, there erfilm, Press, is the an latest imprint offering. of Columbia University Press. is no attention to how people are already affected by TheThe series Cultographies strives to Series offer isan published experience by similarWallflow to cybertechnology in sinister ways, such as mass data that of the British Film Institute’s Film and TV Clas- surveillance or the virtual battles of military drone sics Series. The Cultographies books are slightly operators resulting in real deaths, even though this - kind of imagery is also prevalent in SF (and main- et, presumably for quick referential access. Both se- stream) cinema. Most of all, this book would have smaller than the BFI books, able to fit in a back pock including sections on the context, making, and re- ries offer exceptional analyses of individual films, chapter.been better While if itthis had strategy examined gives more the bookfilms. a Most certain of cohesion,the films mentioned more diverse are examplesdiscussed wouldin more have than been one andception in their of the “personal films. Where introduction,” the Cultographies in which the books au- welcome. thorseem offers to differ his oris herin their own focuspersonal strictly connection on cult tofilms the But it is no bad thing to wish the book were longer. Body, Soul and Cyberspace in Contemporary Science insight into the author’s theoretical approach. Fiction Cinema is well-written and insightful. There film under critical scrutiny, which may provide some 20 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 21 In the introduction to They Live, Wilson, who grew - up in the Eighties in the Midwestern US, shares his fascination with professional wrestling, where Rod- wrestlesgins Wilson’s with closeidentity, reading its connection of the film to itself, the Western, explor anding itsCarpenter’s Lovecraftian use of connections, color and black the wayand white the film to Wilson also acknowledges that Carpenter had be- highlight perceptual construction, sliding into an comedy Piper, one the of hisstar favorite of Carpenter’s directors film, by gotthe histime start. the They Live came out in 1988. Immediately, the in- They Live. Playing with troduction demonstrates the rollicking mix of theo- briefextended quotations discussion on the of media the film’sfrom Baudrillard, sunglasses, Ben “the- reticalfilm parlance and the very personal, even gleeful, jamin,central and cult Horkheimer artifice” (44) and of Adorno, Wilson unpacks fan voice that will permeate the book. Wilson adapts Deleuze and Guattari’s theory of the “becoming- playing on the multiplicity of meanings in the word “through.”a core tenet Wilson of the segues film: into seeing a psychoanalytic through ideology, and or even animalistic identity is assumed in a struggle foranimal”—a agency—converting Kafkaesque processit into the in “becoming-Piper,”which an atavistic “Pathological Unconscious,” paying special attention Wilson’s term for the transformation of Piper’s char- togender the wrestling studies reading aesthetic of the and film hypermasculinity in the next chapter, of - tling persona in order to resist the mind-controlling co-worker Frank Armitage. The chapter “Legacies” acter Nada into a figure clearly inspired by his wres the film’s famous fight scene between Nada and his violent, to become sexist and hypermasculine—to careers of Roddy Piper and Keith David (who played becomealiens of an the American film: “To hero become […]” (2-3). Piper Wilson is to become contin- Armitage),wraps up Wilson’s its pop analysis,culture resonances,examining the and post-film the ru- ues with an almost confessional discussion of the ef- mors of a remake. In closing the book, Wilson offers
critiquing American capitalism, the media, and hy- fect the film had on him: “I envisioned myself in the permasculinityhis final observation: but becoming the film complicit deconstructs in these itself, very machineeffigy of Piperguns andtrouncing hi-tech the cyberware” Russians (5).with This arsenals kind issues by being a hypermasculine, money-making, of directeverything insertion from of flying authorial kicks perspective and atomic and drops expe to- violent, sexist movie. This complicity, however, does rience is rare in scholarship and can be surprisingly not mean the movie is a failure, as Wilson posits in refreshing. his closing sentence: “…They Live has the capacity to After the personal introduction, Wilson offers the stand with the giants of cult cinema and could func- tion as a primer for studies of the form precisely be- of the Eighties.” His central argument here lies in the cause it succeeds so effectively at failing to be what it cultural context of the film in his first chapter, “Cult wants (and doesn’t want) to be” (98 emphasis Wil- taking Reaganism, big hair, masculinity and the body, son’s). andmotif blockbusters of excess that as runs his analytical rampant throughpoints of the depar film,- ture. We move into the chapter “Wake Up Call,” cen- text. Most works of criticism reviewed in the SFRA ReviewIt seems are rareeither to anthologies find books ofthat many focus essays on a bysingle dif- story “Eight O’Clock in the Morning” and the com- ictered book on adaptation the sources of of that the story,film: Raytitled Nelson’s “Nada,” short also some author(s)’s monograph on a single topic fea- written by Nelson and illustrated by Bill Wray. In this turingferent authorsmultiple on texts a specific (e.g. topicwerewolves (e.g. Italian in popular SF), or chapter, Wilson presents a close reading of artifacts culture). Rarely are we offered the opportunity to - experience a single author’s more comprehensive cially the poster’s eye and sunglasses imagery, which take on a single text, which allows, in this case, read- Wilsonconnected argues to the “underscore[s] film, including the the threat trailer, of but percep espe- ers to engage in a more extended conversation with an excited and informed author. At only ninety-eight theme and source of friction” (28). The chapter “Reel pages of analysis (with an additional ten pages of Politik”tual construction delves into that the servespolitical as themes the film’s of class guiding and well-researched notes), the book is a quick, highly - informative, and engaging read. Overall, the book strikes me as slightly more theo- homelessness that permeate the film and then ex retical than most of the BFI books I have encountered. plores“Through various a Pair critical of Cheap receptions Sunglasses of the Darkly”film and be its- They Live appears to be not entirely for beginners to largely successful box office numbers. 22 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 23 cult studies; Wilson references not only Baudrillard Stops” and Joseph Conrad and Ford Maddox Ford’s and the Frankfurt School, and Deleuze and Guattari, The Inheritors but also Foucault, Althusser, and Bakhtin, among that have not impacted these writers’ unequivocal others. Although it does help to know who those standing as Modernists. are distinct Open pieces the ofindex science of a fiction study critics are, the text is not overly esoteric. Clear expla- nations are given when recondite theorists are ref- erenced, but those references tend to be limited to of Modernism and you almost certainly will not find only a few sentences quoted from primary sources “Modernism.”“science fiction” What among Paul March-Russell the entries, nor has do done most is when they occur. Often I was under the impression trystudies to help of scienceus bridge fiction this academiccontain any and entries genre divideunder that I was reading an excellent demonstration of between two subjects whose Venn diagrams would hardly touch in the minds of most. examples provided in generic Introduction to Theory Modernism and Science Fiction is the latest entry in andhow Criticism to apply textbooks.theory to a Thus, film, thealong book the works lines of as the an the Modernism and… approachable academic-ish text with much to offer whose goal is “to expand the application of this high- students and scholars who have at least an introduc- ly contested term [Modernism] series edited beyond by Roger its conven Griffin,- tory knowledge of cult and/or literary criticism. The book carves out a niche in cult studies, standing as an example of enthusiastic, informed scholarship. roomtional ofremit the humanof art and sciences, aesthetics” rather (i). than Griffin be treatedinvites asMarch-Russell a form of creativity to bring whosescience truths fiction are “into always the living ‘out Horror, or Carpenter’s oeuvre, must seek this book - out.Cult The film Cultographies scholars, especially Series’ website those working lists one in hun SF,- tion resides somewhere down in Lambeth, far from there’” (xi). By Griffin’s own admission science fic- has so far published only twelve books. The editors aredred seeking and eleven proposals, cult films so thoseof interest, interested but the in seriesmore Bloomsbury’s refined culture, and it is March-Rus freely blending their fannish and academic aspects takesell’s tea difficult together. task to shed light on how Modernism should visit the website www.cultographies.com for and science fiction should occasionally be invited to- details. tion from Modernism and Science Fiction: the Mod- It is difficult to say who will gain more apprecia - ism.ernist Though looking short to learn on morepages, about March-Russell science fiction, in four or Modernism and Science Fiction the science fictionalist pursuing lessons in Modern thematicchapters connections covers a century are loose of science but make fiction, for better twice Michelle K. Yost the number of years identified as Modernist. The starts in the nineteenth century and ends with the Paul March-Russell. Modernism and Science Fiction. workschapter of titles Joanna than Russ. the actualThose chronological already well versedflow that in New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2015. Hardcover, 208 pages, $90.00, ISBN 978-0-230-27348-1. much of the material already familiar. If anything weighsthe history down and March-Russell’s evolution of science analysis fiction it is the will sheer find Order option(s): Hard volume of sources he uses and references he makes (there are 625 footnotes, four for every page, rarely JUST AS no two academics will ever agree on a pre- citing the same work twice).
cise definition of science fiction, isolating a singular the Culture of Modernism,” covering a period when scope of ideas or the company you keep? William March-Russel begins with “Scientific Romance and meaning of Modernism is just as difficult. Is it the- from a rapidly changing world suffused with Darwin, cally as any of his Bloomsbury contemporaries, and Maxwell,two branches Tyndall, of fiction, and others. Modernism But where and SF,many emerged tradi- yetSomerset his absence Maugham from wrote Virginia as prolificallyWoolf’s parlour and stylisti seems tional Modernists such as Forster rejected the “scien- to have kept him out of many Modernist compendi- ums. On the other hand, E.M. Forster’s “The Machine Wells embraced the possibilities of the future. The tific romance” (27), early science fiction writers like 22 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 23 “individual desires of self-transcendence through Fiction Studies, 1994). March-Russell delves into the science and technology” (48) was the focus of much high Modernist techniques in the post-atomic world. years, contrasted with the high Modernist quest for ForNew March-Russell, Wave of the 1960s the spiritual and science and fiction’ssocial anxiety use of self-transcendenceof the science fiction via of psychic the 1880s development. to the interwar Those expressed in the narratives of the Bloomsbury clique Modernists who embraced The Machine, as it were, emerge in Cold War SF analogies, and his explora- are not as well remembered and are mostly relegat- ed to popular culture (i.e. the low brow culture of What was once Modernist anti-imperialism becomes mass readership). This division March-Russell sees counter-culturalism;tion between the two the genres psychic finds becomes footing the again. psy- echoes Adam Roberts’s opinion in The History of Sci- chedelic, the mechanical now cybernetic. Without ence Fiction (2005), which contains two chapters, Modernism, March-Russell is saying, there would “High Modernist Science Fiction” and “The Pulps,” on - the bifurcation of Modernism. tion and therefore no sf genre as we know it now. Part two, “Utopia in the Time of Apocalypse,” in- haveModernism been no and New Science Wave Fictionor Cyberpunk science fic cludes multiple subjects under its heading: The Last itself on the reading list of traditional Modernist lit- Man, the degeneration of the body and the social or- erature courses, but it certainly makes is not alikely strong to casefind der, the rise of feminism, Russian sf, and mechanized for at least some excerpts to make their way into humanity. March-Russell asserts that “Modernist sf class discussion. The argument is not one for dis- […] is irredeemably ambivalent, anxious that its own placing classical Modernism, but for making room to utopian desires will become the basis of dystopia” include other works from the era. In the same vein (49); the perfection of human life may be its down- fall, a theme seen as far back in Bulwer-Lytton’s including a little more about the Futurians, Joseph Vril-ya. While revisiting themes most sf scholars are Conrad,of thought, the science Society fiction for Psychical academics Research might considerand oth- familiar with, March-Russell brings in Modernist ers in the syllabus. perspectives, such as Virginia Woolf’s glowing letter to Olaf Stapledon about Star Maker, and Wells’s dis- taste for Fritz Lang’s Metropolis as being too regres- sive. It would have been interesting, though, to see more about High Modernism’s reaction to science the ‘Low Brow.’ fiction,“Pulp whichModernism: in this eraGenre seems SF” tobrings fill Woolf’s us to the idea age of of the pulps and across the pond to American sci- discussion of Modernism and its relationship with SFence becomes fiction andless theobvious “cult ofat thethis engineer” point, set (86). aside The in the US and the efforts of Gernsback and other fans tofavour create of aan unique examination literary of genre. science March-Russell fiction’s rise ad in- mits that “pulp sf has typically been regarded as a separate development from modernist literature” - ence in the US, the latter in Europe, and connections between(110), the them former only appearingloosely made. to have greater influ New Worlds and the Many Deaths of Modernism,” brings more recent SF to the forefrontThe final of discussion, section, “ tracing the lingering Mod- passed, making use of Roger Luckhurst’s essay “The Manyernist Deathsinfluence of longScience after Fiction: the era A of Polemic” Modernism (Science had 24 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 25 Fiction Reviews to the trilogy, as do his brief comments on only 14 of the stories (though all but one had been published by the end of 1979). Of the 89 entries for Herbert in The Collected Stories of Frank the MLA International Bibliography, from the earliest in 1971 to the latest in August 2015 (a dissertation), Herbert Bruce A. Beatie none are on any of the stories; 16 of the entries are fromonly threeScience can of be Dune identified, a 2007 as collection “non-Duniverse”, of essays and for a more general reader. Frank Herbert. The Collected Stories of Frank Her- It may be useful, therefore, to continue from my bert. New York, NY: Tor/Tom Doherty Associates, 2014. 700 pages, hardcover. $29.99. ISBN 978-0- - 7653-3690-6. lication of the stories. Such information is available elsewhere,first paragraph but inwith much more more information scattered onform. the 33pub of Order option(s): Hard | Paper Book, two ap- the 40 stories appeared first in pulp journals. Three TWO THINGS surprised me in the process of read- peared in the Ace paperback periodical Destinies appeared first, as noted, in the 1973 ing the 40 stories in this massive collection. First, al- (1979), one appeared in Future City (a solicited col- lection of SF stories about cities, compiled by Roger though I have read the Dune books many times since Elwood, 1973). “The Daddy Box,” featuring an alien novels at least once, I could not remember having sentience called the ferrosslk readI first a discovered single one them,of the and Herbert most storiesof Herbert’s in this other col- time in this Collected Stories; Levack-Willard noted , appears for the first lection; surprising especially because I subscribed in 1988 that a story called “Accidental Ferrosslk” was “Forthcoming” (142, 143); the Internet Science to Astounding in the 1950s and, since half of the - Fiction Database says it was to appear in Harlan El- tween 1954 and 1959, I must have read one or two. lison’s unpublished Last Dangerous Visions. The ear- Thefirst second14 stories surprise in the wascollection that so appeared few of the there stories be liest reprint was the second story, “Operation Syn- seemed to me comparable in quality (and some- drome” (originally titled “Nightmare Blues”, in the Harry Harrison-edited 1968 ; it times, seriousness) to the Dune series and Herbert’s SF: Author’s Choice other novels: surprising especially because only 11 was included again in the 1973 Book. Finally, six of of the stories have not been reprinted before, mostly the page counts noted below are from this collec- tion)the stories and published were revised as novels: (lengthened “Packrat Planet” significantly: (19.5 the stories have appeared only in one collection (The pages, from in 1954) became Bookin the of five Frank earlier Herbert collections of his stories. Three of Astounding Direct De- reprinted twice, and three thrice. scent (186 pages, Ace, 1980); the four Lewis Orne I deliberately read and, 1973), made five notes of them on haveall of been the stories (altogether 95 pages, from Astounding and stories without consulting any secondary litera- Fantastic in 1958-59) became The Godmakers (221 ture on Herbert. A third surprise came when, after pages, Berkley, 1972), and “Greenslaves” (24 pages, from Amazing in 1965), became The Green Brain review based solely on my notes, I began looking at (160 pages, Ace, 1966). The average length of the whatmaking has substantial been written progress about onHerbert’s a first work.draft ofWhile this 40 stories is 16 pages, the range is from less than a the Daniel Levack and Mark Willard bibliography page (the two tiny stories in Destinies) to 53 pages is an excellent and comprehensive resource (Dune of . lists (140) four non- Master: A Frank Herbert Bibliography, 1988) which The Godmakers Dune Master (“The Priests of Psi”), which became the final section provides detailed summaries of all the novels and SF stories published by Herbert between 1937 and stories, it lacks critical commentary. Tim O’Reilly’s 1947. Since the limits of a review don’t allow comments 1981 Frank Herbert, written between the 1976 pub- - lication of Children of Dune and God Emperor of Dune in 1981, concentrates mainly on the Dune trilogy; his on even a significant number of the stories (my cu discussions of the other novels mostly relates them spaced pages), I will focus on several of the stories thatmulative struck notes me ason especially the 40 stories good fillor interesting.over 12 single- For 24 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 25 me the best and most moving story is “Try to Re- member” (pp. 303-334, in the October 1961 issue of will feel the lonely intercourse of the stars. Remem- Amazing, and reprinted in the collections The Priests ber!proper Remember! image—a Remember!” Candle flickering (334) am Like I. Thenmany you of of Psi and Other Stories [Gollancz, 1981] and Eye [By- the 19 stories written before the serial publication ron Preiss Visual Publications, 1985]). It begins in a of Dune in 1963-64, “Try to Remember” carries re- way all too typical of SF from the late 30s, and even minders of the Cold War. The long central section in Astounding, through the 50s. A ship in the shape of between the opening situation and the highly per- sonal conclusion is perhaps more detailed that one might like, but Francine herself, as well as her de- green-skinned,“a hideously magnified froglike paramecium occupants” withlands edges in east that- velopment of the crucial integration of emotion and ernrippled Oregon like anda mythological delivers an ultimatumflying carpet” to thewith world: “five motion in communication, anticipates the practices communicate with us or be destroyed. As evidence of the Bene Gesserit in the last two Dune novels. of the aliens’ power, “Eniwetok had been cleared off “Songs of a Sentient Flute” (pp. 642-684, in Ana- log, February 1979), another excellent story, has an trace of an explosion. All Russian and United States unusual history. “This story,” Willard writes, “came flat as a table at one thousand feet depth … with no about through Herbert’s involvement with a 1975 (303) Thousands of linguistic experts congregate nearby.artificial Francine satellites Millar,had been whose combed husband from thehad skies.” died evening presentations entitled ‘Ten Tuesdays Down just before the ship arrived, and her Japanese team- AUCLA Rabbit Extension Hole’” createdcourse onand science arranged fiction, by Harlana series El of- mate meet daily with one alien, who speaks to them lison, and based on an imaginary planet, Medea. “At in an unknown language. She feels they are close to a dinner prior to the seminar, and during the class a solution when the U.S. military asks her to take a itself,” Herbert and others “brainstormed and plot- bomb into the ship. She refuses, but a Russian attack ted, with feedback from the audience, the stories shows the ship has strong defenses. During the at- that they would write about Medea. … Frank Herbert - set his Medea story into the continuity of the ‘Ship’ lish) that they “are among the eight hundred survi- series ….” (124) His story “seems to take place be- vorstack, ofthe a fiverace aliens that once emerge numbered and tell sixFrancine billion (in …. EngThis fore The Jesus Incident in the ‘Ship’ chronology ….” once great race did not realize the importance of un- “This story, in Medea: Harlan’s World [eventually mistakable communication. They entered space in published 1985] lacks a short explanatory preface which headed the magazine version. ….” (125) Brian eight hundred survivors—to atone for the errors of Herbert’s Dreamer of Dune (2003) offers a radically their sickrace condition—hating,and to earn the right fearing, of further fighting. survival— … The different account in which Herbert, pressed for time, developed a new language, … perhaps the ultimate language,” a language in which “they cannot lie ….” of the story …. Dad edited the manuscript and typed (330) Francine realizes that “We were supposed asked his friend Bill Ransom “to write the first draft- to remember our own language—the language we knew in childhood, and that was slowly lost to us theof The final Jesus draft Incident ….” (291) Both Willard and Brian Her through the elevation of reason.” (331) With the help novelbert consider published the as story “with something Bill Ransom.” of a first version of the aliens, she delivers a message to our world, Since this Collected Stories (1979), contains Frank no Herbert’s notes other first beginning: “’All the window widows of all the lonely than the “Copyright Acknowledgements” (pp. 699- homes of Earth am I,’ she said …. “By the power of 700), and Herbert’s “Introduction” (pp. 9-17) is re- printed from the 1973 Book, the reader of this ver- housedress, leaning on a windowsill, staring hope- sion of “Songs of a Sentient Flute” is unlikely to know lesslymimesis, into she an projectedempty future.” the figure and ofby athe woman power in ofa the tale of its creation; the following comments re- a woman in a housedress leaning on a windowsill, spent his life (presumably born there) on an inter- staringthe aliens’ hopelessly technology into an “she empty projected future. the … And figure now, of flect that reader. Nikki, an 18-year-old poet, has she picked up a subtle rhythm of words and move- his mind with all the raw data he could master.” (642- ments that made experienced actors cry with envy 3)stellar During sentient his descent Ship which to the had well-established “systematically colony filled on Medea, a planet where “swarms of iridescent when26 SFRA they Review saw the 315 films.”Winter 2016(333) “When you see my SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 27 airborne [by hydrogen] globes” had “many times” behalf of the species, a representative of all humans drifted down on the colony, exploded, and caused together.” (614) If he so judged, the city would disap- much destruction, Nikki remembers his mother, “the pear, “[t]he natural landscape would be restored and almond-eyed recorder,” who told him that “Poets are there would remain no visible sign that a city such as the mules of the mystical world. … Ship is your fa- this had once stood there.” (615—cf. Peter Jackson’s ther” and “will teach you all you need. And, once you set for Edoras in The Two Towers) “The species,” Bis- leave Ship, Medea will be your mother.” (642) The ka argues, “knew the source of its creative energy” in Medea Central base is, Nikki thinks, “as though he the Second Law (616) which “told humans that ab- had never left Ship.” (646) He is teamed with Tam- solutes were lethal. They provided no potential, no arack Kapule (Nikki notes that her name, like his differences in tension that the species could employ own heritage, is Polynesian—Deborah Kapule (died as energy sources.” (617) Finally, Bjska decides that 1853) was the last queen of Kaua’i) and Under Direc- “I will begin by relocating the most contented half of tor Tim Root; the three are the last surviving team. the city’s population,” and Mieri responds that she’ll Though Nikki has “a sense of contraShip evil in ev- move in with him to “present at least the appearance of being your mistress. They will hate that. … better they hate us than one another.” Bjska concludes: “We whoseerything bloom Root “generates did” 657), …gasbags he participates … at times in flights of in- will begin with unquestioning love for each other. … tenseover the solar ocean activity.” in a helium (638) Thefloater, gasbags over fieldsare sentient, of kelp Life requires a point of entry.” (620) For so few pag- and Nikki’s task is to understand their language of es, its philosophical point is fairly profound; though color and movement. On their last trip, during which O’Reilly fails to mention this story, it relates at least to God Emperor of Dune Nikki forces a landing onto the kelp. He has under- novels, published after O’Reilly’s book went to press. stoodRoot deliberately that the gasbags strands are theirlike planaria, floater over with the genetic sea; Perhaps the strangest andstory the in final the Bene collection Gesserit is memory: “The living, thinking creature,” Nikki says, “The Featherbedders” (pp. 510-534; in Analog, Au- “is really the kelp. The globes are its eyes, its ears, gust 1967, and reprinted in The Worlds of Frank Her- its arms and voice … its contact with the universe bert, Ace, 1971). I must quote the whole epigraph for through which it learns.” (679) He and Tam climb - tion of the title (510, italics original): and dances to the bags, which stimulate the two the story, since it provides the only possible justifica toout make on the love. surface Afterward of the Nikki floater, tells where Tam Nikkithat “[t]hesings “Once there was a Slorin with a one-syllable globes say we have made a baby, we truly have ….” name who is believed to have said: ‘niche for every one of us and every one of us in his niche.’” and they discover that Root has disappeared. “Ship —Folk Saying of the Scattership People made(683) Thehim,” globes Nikki push had theirsaid earlier,floater nest“He’s back like ashore, a par- tial God who was made that Ship might understand The term “featherbedders,” originally a deroga- some things better.” (682) (The story is reminiscent not only of “Try to Remember,” but also of “A Meeting rules, may imply people who have “niches”—but with Medusa,” Arthur C. Clarke’s 1971 story of the otherwisetory name nothing for beneficiaries in the narrative of labor-union itself relates work to the term. Slorins are shape-shifters who have been Its function as a seed story for The Jesus Incident is driven from their planet in Scatterships. One such incontestable,discovery of sentient mainly in floating the parallel gasbags between on Jupiter.) Nikki ship has been attacked and destroyed near Earth, and Tam in the story/ Kerro and Waela in the novel, and a Slorin named Smeg (he proudly calls himself but the novel’s narrative is far more complex and Sumctroxelunsmeg—“a Slorin of seven syllables,” less transparent. 511) has landed in British Columbia and taken hu- A third story that impressed me was “Death of a man shape (a “niche,” 513) to search for a lost Slo- Future City and rin named Psilimin from their ship. Driving a used reprinted in Eye future,City” (pp. Bjska 614-620, the City first Doctor published and in his intern Mieri memory gone, having served for “slightly more than have come via ornithopter). In an imaginary to judge andMieri’s unspecified own un- Plymouth, Smeg and his son Rick find Psilimin, his named but very beautiful city. Biska was “here on the Northwest US. Finally realizing that the towns- five years” (519) as stern sheriff of a small village of 26 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 27 people are the shape-shifted aliens who destroyed lection to Herbert’s avoidance of references to real languages and cultures. In the complex story “Mind- Amazing in 1962, there are “justtheir keepsship, Smeg going and around Rick ….flee by with a native Psilimin. wit” Asnamed they ka- flee, Smeg’s mind is occupied by a “damn poem” that bahfield,” room which another appeared Priest in failed” (335), and one of the prey, and they have smaller still to bite ‘em, and so twoArabic/Islamic languages ofreferences: the characters the first is Arabic.line is “In This the may Jonathan Swift: “A flea hath smaller fleas that on him be no surprise since Herbert was working on Dune Slorin, and whatever mutant species resided in the at the time of the story’s publication, and the story’s proceed ad infinitum.” (531) If one thinks of humans, “Ultimate Conditioning” sounds a lot like Bene Ges- more relevance than the story’s title. serit conditioning. A more explicit example is found villageThe alien as metaphoric names in “The fleas, Featherbedders” the quote has perhapslead me to a general comment on many, if not most, of the 1959 Lewis Orne series which became part of The stories. Many critics have praised Herbert’s use in Godmakersin “The Priests (1972). of Psi”, As the Orne long descends final story from of thehis 1958-trans- the Dune series of words and ideas from “ancient” port to the planet Amel, he remembers “[s]hards of Mediterranean languages and cultures (mostly Ara- his childhood on Chargon […] the religious proces- bic, but also Hebrew, Greek and Latin), much as Tolk- sions on holy days … the image of Mahmud glower- ien used his invented languages and his subsequent ing down from the kiblah … and the azan ringing out invented histories to give a sense of cultural depth— across the great square on the day of Bairam— [in- the Atreides go back to classical Greece, for example, dented] ‘Let no blasphemy occur, nor permit a blas- and the Tleilaxu preserve an incredibly conservative phemer to live …’”(225, italics original). The qibla is Islamic culture and belief system. But the alien words the direction that a Muslim must face while praying and names that Herbert uses in these stories seem, (most mosques throughout the world have a qibla from beginning to end, to derive rather from late- wall, though such a wall would never have an image 40s SF conventions, where alien names and words of Mohammed “glowering down” from it), and azan seem deliberately esoteric compared to current or is the muezzin’s call to prayer. historical terrestrial languages—from the Denebian These references may suggest that Herbert already alien Mirsar Wees (“Looking for Something,” 1952) Dune series in mind to the alien artifact the ferosslk in “The Daddy Box,” as early as 1959, but in spite of O’Reilly’s efforts 2014). The most astonishing set of names and terms hadto relate the first the three 14 stories books ofhe thediscusses thematically is in “Come to the Party” (pp. 621-614; in Analog, to Dune February 1979, with F. M. Busby). Its two alien races references to the trilogy. I noted only three such: in are the monstrous Alexii predators and the four-sex “The Tactful, Herbert’s Saboteur” stories (1964) make he almost mentions no specific“chair- Hoojies, both of which have adopted Terran English dogs” (378); the weak story “The GM Effect” (1965) and Terran proper names. The alien vocabulary of makes unlikely use of the Bene Gesserit gift; and the these races includes glorching (what the Alexii do City Doctor in “Death of a City” (1973) uses an orni- at the Party), protumous (what Alex sits on), squish thopter (614) to reach the city he is judging. Indeed, (a Hoojie gender), warple, gremp oil, weftance, the general lack of references to the “Duniverse” in boozeyvines (actually intoxicating), “pandled their these stories was yet another surprise for me. pompues” (626), burbles, pizzer, and imposlumed. The I began this review with my reaction to the failure names Herbert uses for stars and galaxies, however, of most of these stories to match the quality of the though some of them also sound alien, are all real Dune books and most of Herbert’s novels. In The Tril- lion Year Spree (Avon, 1988) Brian W. Aldiss begins as nearby stars probably the most frequently used starnames. names Deneb in earlyand Vega, SF. Gomeisa in his first III (intwo “A stories, Matter are of Under Pressure (1955), but adds that “[a] number Traces,” 1958) is a traditional Arabic name for Beta ofa discussionfairly standard of Herbert SF shorts by followed praising ….” his (315) first novelHow- Canis Minoris, while Gienah III (in “Missing Link,” ever, while he later says that “[t]he basic product of 1959) is an Arabic name for both Gamma Corvi and Heinlein, Clarke, Asimov, and Herbert is the SF book, Epsilon Cygni. Giansar (in “Passage for Piano,” 1973) differing very little, at least in appearance from all is a Chinese name for Lambda Draconis. the short-lived books of any given year” (383), he - nonetheless praises the original Dune as “dense and
28There SFRA are Review two 315 significant Winter 2016 exceptions in this col SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 29 complex,” repaying “careful attention” and impress- prowess, and looking to found another capital city for his empire, he decides to establish a new Con- Heinlein, Clarke, and Dick for example, all of whom stantinople. Using his ability to control these quan- wroteing “even wonderful on a fourth short or storiesfifth rereading.” as well as (316) memorable Unlike novels, Herbert is not at his best as a short-form and Theodora, a meeting between Justinian and a writer. It is good to have all of his published stories papaltum fluctuations, envoy, and thehe observestriumphant the entry court into of Justinian the city available in a single volume, but for readers who by General Belisarius. The most powerful pull on know only Herbert’s novels, they are for the most him, however, turns out to be Theodora. Evil forc- part disappointing. es gather to attack the positions of Totka’s empire, while the emperor is busy planning the new capital city. After a sudden outbreak from an unexpected quarter, an astonishing (almost a deus-ex-machina) strategy, i.e. the help of Lilith, lets Totka_II and his Il sangue e L’impero Empire emerge victorious. Jana Vizmuller-Zocco In the interview appearing at the end of the book (301), Sandro Battisti claims that “l’umano non mi Sandro Battisti and Francesco Verso, Il sangue e ha mai affascinato: è l’inumano la grande frontiera L’impero. Milano: Mondadori, 2015. 302 pages, da indagare, così immenso nelle sue potenzialità da paperback, Euros 5.90. ISSN 1120-5288. (the human never fascinated me: the great frontier Order option(s): Kindle tosovrapporsi, be investigated nel mio is the pensiero non-human, di uomo, so immenseall’infinito.” in - THIS VOLUME contains two novels: Sandro Battisti’s ity, in my thoughts as human [transl. mine]). The L’impero restaurato (9-121), and Francesco Verso’s novelits potentialities clearly shows that this it superimposesinterest: human itself beings as infin exist Bloodbusters (123-297), as well as a short interview with each author edited by Giuseppe Lippi (298- entities do the bidding of the Nephilim and are treat- 301). Both novels received the Urania Award in Ital- edas fluctuatingworse than energies slaves. Butof the Theodora past, while is veryposthuman attrac- ian Science Fiction for 2014, and the decision to pub- tive to Totka; she is near-abused by him, but in her lish them together could not offer a better account desire to learn about the Connective Emperor’s real identity, she willingly abandons earthly life. Howev- themes, scopes, languages, and visions of future are er, to imagine, let alone describe in verbal language, widelyof what different, Italian sciencedistinct fictionand thoughtfully is today: theenjoyable. range, an alien world of vast complexity is impossible, and While Verso’s characters often enjoy tongue-in- here is where the non-human empire meets its chal- cheek, down-to-earth, palpable technologically-driv- lenges. Battisti is careful not to be too technical, and en human (human/machine) interactions, Battisti’s wisely leaves a lot to the imagination. One could world belongs to all-powerful aliens, capable of con- quibble with his mixing, on one hand, the utterly trolling quantum energies and who use this power out-of-this world aliens able to travel on quantum to achieve their ends. Thus, near human future on one side of the literary continuum looks across to words of an augur. Also, the human language in the alien shenanigans on the other. alienfluctuations, world rearswith, itson thehead other, now their and reliancethen, as onin the L’impero restaurato (The Restored Empire) is part case of the directional metaphor which uses the di- of a cycle of novels dealing with various themes, rection of the hands on the clock (!) (“passeggiando but a leading concern is the answer to the question in rigoroso senso antiorario”: walking strictly coun- “What could/would an all-powerful, alien being do ter-clockwise). Nevertheless, there is no better illus- to/with humans?”. Battisti endows the protagonist, tration of Giambattista Vico’s principle verum factum Totka_II, Emperor of the Connective Empire (and the est (we [humans] can only know what we made) as most powerful Nephilim) with the ability to capture in the predictability of the fact that empires are cre- ‘quantum emanations’ from Earth of any historical ated, have to be maintained, and fall - whether they period and allow them to be embodied. He is smit- be human or alien. The lovers of empires very differ- ten with Byzantium’s power, opulence and military ent from those depicted by Asimov will cherish this 28 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 29 aspect of Battisti’s Connective Empire. weasel-like character who seems to have an impos- This novel’s usefulness for teaching can be as- sibly strong hold on everyone. The protagonist dis- covers troublesome facts about Emory and therefore Battisti’s concern with aliens of a certain type, and must decide whether to preserve the status quo or thereforesigned to with specifically the boundaries two topics. of what The we first humans one is can imagine aliens are capable of; therefore, the as a form of payment to replace the debt of an evader post-human world as envisaged by philosophers soto findthat anothershe can leavesolution. the ‘bloodHe decides prison’ to togive be his with blood her son. for ex., David Roden, Posthuman Life. Philosophy at However, the novel is not only about blood, splat- themay Edge find ofa solid the Human ground. Newon which York: to Routledge, tread here 2015, (see, ter, violence, metropolitan chaos and dystopia. It in which speculative posthumanism, although focus- deals with many aspects of politics, and pokes fun sing on humans becoming non-humans, may help to at clichés (the Italian North-South divide, woman’s clear the conditions under which we can imagine be- beauty, the expectations of the Church, and many ings that are and act very differently from humans). others). Most of all, however, it brings to the fore The other thread which can be very useful to open some cultural questions with which Costa has to deal, and which require some serious thought on the time, and in particular, alternate history. However, part of the reader. When is it enough to give to a char- up discussions about one aspect of science fiction is ity? (In the novel, a character is almost bled to death belong to humans, it belongs to the Nephilim, and while being charitable.) How can doing good really therefore,the history rather which than Battisti human fills uchroniawith action (i.e. does what not if improve society? What is the spark which ignites an a historical, earthly event turned out differently?), individual’s desire, willingness and need to help others the novel presents possibilities of alteration in alien in a society which is run on crass individualism? In- action-time-space, somehow connected to human terestingly enough, these are questions common to history. Francesco Verso’s other novels, but observed from The basis of Francesco Verso’s Bloodbusters is de- different perspectives. Bloodbusters is an excellent example of satirical, tongue-in-cheek “speculative possible: state taxes are paid not only in money, but - also,ceptively literally, simple with and blood. at the The same metaphor time horrifically“taxes are wood describes some of her works, see, for exam- sucking my blood” becomes a reality: each citizen ple,fiction” http://www.wired.com/2013/09/geeks-guide- (the expression with which Margaret At is to contribute to the “coffers” of the Italian state a margaret-atwood/). Nevertheless, Verso’s work goes banks which have accounts in blood. Of course, tax bridge the gap between the present and an aspect of evadersspecific aboundamount (fromof their the own poor blood. man to There the politician are also nearbeyond future “speculative – a future fiction”which he because can’t wait it attemptsto describe, to to the cardinal). BloodBusters is a company that is since deep down he is a cautiously optimistic realist. charged with apprehending these evaders and col- lecting the amounts of blood they owe: the com- used in teaching to generate possible solutions to pany’s employees go around armed with syringes, ourThis problems: is precisely it has where been his said work that may writing be profitablydystopias tourniquets, and other paraphernalia needed for is easy, while writing utopias is boring. Verso’s work this oftentimes bloody activity. (There are also evad- contradicts the latter claim, because his writing pro- ers who donate blood to Robin Blood, a charitable motes a critical and entertaining look at the present organization furnishing blood to hemophiliacs and through the lens of the not-so-beautiful near future, other patients who do not have their own reserves susceptible as it may be to positive outcomes. One or are under the state’s radar). The protagonist, Alan way to probe contemporary problems lies in what Costa, is one of the most experienced BloodBusters, Verso has repeatedly showed in his novels, and that an expert in making “holes” and bringing lots of liq- is the complex role of leadership. Charisma, experi- uid blood to his employer. A fantastically devilish ence, team dynamics all play a role in how human and corrupt circle of businessmen thrives in the set- relations are handled (see for example, Antonio Mar- ting most appropriate to withstand such activities: turano and Jonathan Gosling, eds., Leadership. The Rome. Costa has a debt to pay to his employer, Em- Key Concepts. London, Routledge, 2008). And when ory Szilagyi (nicknamed Emogoblin): a shifty, crafty, technology joins the mixture, it may become an 30 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 31 unwelcome panacea embodied in surveillance-for- - ple, Michael Harvey and Ronald E.Riggio, eds., Lead- ershipprofit. ModernStudies. theoriesThe Dialogue of leadership of Disciplines (see for. Edward exam Elgar, 2011) do not yet include technology in their attempt to explain human governance, even though - fers a solid starting point to be taken advantage of in coursesspeculative, devoted socially-engaged to leadership, fiction business, like andVerso’s power. of
30 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 31 Media Reviews examples of how superhero stories are indeed one of - haps examples of the future of the superhero genre, Daredevil and Jessica Jones andthe mostare a flexiblevaluable forms part ofof SF. storytelling, What sets andthese are shows per apart from their colourfully costumed, contempo- – The Future of Superheroic rary brethren is their engagement with a more ma- Storytelling? ture audience, their attempt to tell human stories
A.P. Canavan diegesis, and their use of the frame of the superhero genrerooted to in create a more narratives personal focused and ramification-filledon human drama, rather than on telling another tale of heroes beating Daredevil up bad guys on a weekly basis or large scale, epic York City. 2015. Web Television/Streaming. battles. In effect, they are attempting to demonstrate Jessica Jones. Prod. Steven S. DeKnight. Netflix. New the breadth and width of the superhero genre. York City. 2015 Web Television/Streaming. . Prod. Melissa Rosenberg. Netflix, New Starting with their similarities, both Jones and Daredevil are 13 episode mini-series following a Order option(s): central character with superpowers. Set in the MCU they occur after the events of Joss Whedon’s Netflix - The (2012) and are both set in New York City, nounced, the general perception is that it is going Avengers toWHEN be for A a NEW young-adult superhero audience TV show or that or film it will is anbe each track their titular character in a slow-building confrontationspecifically the with area a known main antagonistas Hell’s Kitchen. and are They pri- marily focused on a street-level view of the world comicsspecifically as a aimedgenre athave a niche encompassed audience ofall comic-book age ranges which grounds the shows’ more fantastic elements. andfans types and superheroof story, televisual aficionados. adaptations While have superhero rarely These are less shows about superpowers and more shown the same diversity and breadth of content. about the people who possess them, cementing the With TV shows like Arrow (CW, 2012- ), The Flash fantastic in a relatable story world. In addition to the (CW, 2014- ) Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.(ABC, overarching story concerning their respective nem- 2013- ) and Supergirl (CBS, 2015-) we have clear eses, each show pays a great deal of attention to the examples of this. They run the gamut between dark human cost of the characters’ heroics and the rami- and broody, angst-ridden, action packed, and bright- ly coloured entertainment, but at heart they have a and friends. Much of the shows’ action occurs on the younger audience in mind and rarely try to be more streetsfications of their New actionsYork and have examines on their the personal human livescost of being a super-powered being in a recognisable, in association with Marvel Television, announced mundane world. Neither of the central characters fourthan mini-series entertaining (Daredevil television., Jessica But Jones recently, Luke Netflix, Cage, and Iron Fist), set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe certain about their actions and decisions, often real- isticallyis a flawless questioning paragon whetherof virtue, or nor not are they they are morally doing cross-over show, The Defenders, featuring the main (MCU), that would then feed into a fifth mini-series, the right thing. Jones is a compelling detective noir drama that ex- shows, Daredevil and Jessica Jones have already aired plores the consequences and effects of sexual and heroes as an ensemble cast. The firstLuke two Cage of these and emotional abuse, whereas Daredevil is more of an Iron Fist announced for release later in 2016. organised crime drama in the vein of onNews the streaming of yet more service Marvel-based Netflix, with heroes making The Sopra- nos (HBO, 1997-2007) but from the perspective of a frustrated lawyer-turned vigilante by the street seem like more needless products in an already level crime and corruption in his local neighbour- their way onto the small screen via Daredevil Netflix could and hood. Rather than focusing on the lucrative teen Jessica Jones are more than just further examples of market already primed for super-heroic tales of ourover-flowing appetite for marketplace. modern-day However, myth-making and ado- epic battles, supremely powerful foes and a decided penchant for wanton destruction and violence, both lescent32 SFRA desire Review for 315 wish-fulfilment. Winter 2016 They are concrete SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 33 shows centre themselves on individual struggles, own more people-focused practice, Matt is a far cry - from the rich vigilantes of Oliver Queen and Bruce olence and superpowers feature, the focus is more Wayne. He doesn’t have expensive ‘toys’ or military oncredible mature conflicts, themes andand street-levelcharacter-driven issues. action While and vi grade technology to aid him, and he spends most
the heroes and waves of nameless, disposable min- and a pair of comfortable slacks. So, as a superhero, ionsconsequence. all rendered So ratherin hyper-saturated than endless technicolour, fights between or heof theseems series far fightingmore relatable crime in than a long-sleeved an uber-powerful t-shirt accented neo-Gothic darkness, punctuated by explo- or uber-wealthy hero who already stands head and sions and over-wrought CGI, there is a direct, and of- shoulders above the common people. Murdock is tentimes uncomfortable focus on the intimate. one of us. The central character of Daredevil is Matt Murdock, a defence attorney by day and a masked vigilante by the Kingpin. A shadowy crime boss, Wilson Fisk is night. Ironically ‘as blind as justice’, his blindness is usingThe organised first season’s crime narrative to drive down arc pits property Matt against prices offset by his other physical senses that have been and raise the capital to purchase large chunks of the augmented to exceptional levels. He can hear/see neighbourhood. He aims to gentrify Hell’s Kitchen vibrations in a form of echo-location, read ordinary print with his sensitivity of touch, and has an acute many a socialist SF class. Fisk and Murdock are set sense of smell. He is also a superbly trained martial upby anyas mirrors means necessaryof each other in a asstory they that are would both crimfit in- artist and acrobat. Of note here is the fact that nei- inals who break the law to get their own way, and ther super-strength nor invulnerability is numbered aren’t afraid of using violence to enforce their will amongst his powers. Consequently, Matt gets hurt… and vision over the area. They are both locals who a lot. His physical confrontations with street thugs, grew up in Hell’s Kitchen and want it to be better, but while Kingpin is focused on the corporate future Matt sustaining considerable damage, both emo- with his grand plans of re-development, Daredevil people traffickers, and mobsters usually result in stands for a more conservative, and perhaps nostal- - oftional the beatings and physical. is left Hiswritten literal across fight his against body. street day citizen. This is certainly an interesting dynamic crime comes with significant costs, and the brutality- gic, approach that fights for the rights of the every- ical cost of his one-man war on crime. Matt is depict- cation, nostalgia, and the status quo. edMore as a significantlypracticing Catholic is the emotional and is wracked and psycholog by guilt andLike raises Matt, some Jessica questions is a human about hero progress, too. While gentrifi she over his vigilantism. While many heroes have been possesses superior strength and some small ele- depicted in moments of self-doubt, Murdock’s soul ments of hardiness, she is a hard-bitten, cynical, searching and earnest attempts to seek counsel are PTSD-stricken alcoholic, running a shady one-wom- among the most believable depicted, and the show does not descend into the trite messianic narrative - exclusivean PI firm lifestyle out of and a dilapidated struggles apartmentto pay her bills in New by gion. He doesn’t consult the hologram of a long-dead servingYork. Like subpoenas Matt, she and doesn’t working exhibit the occasional a flamboyant, miss- alienso common father, nor to sciencedoes he fictionalhave the earnest depictions advice of reliof a ing person’s case. Unlike Matt, Jessica is a harder - character, shaped by a history of rape and abuse, and sel from his local priest in a relatable and believable she is emotionally withdrawn and jaded. However, it hyper-qualified butler to help, rather he seeks coun- is her very humanity and brokenness that makes her tions of his vigilantism, the show never loses sight story compelling. ofmanner. how dehumanising By including and the damaging psychological the violence ramifica is, The main season arc focuses on the reappearance and poses questions for how other SF shows have of her abuser, Kilgrave. Kilgrave is a master manipu- depicted heroic violence. Unlike many sociopathic- lator with the insidious ability to absolutely control seeming heroes, Matt doesn’t quip or nonchalantly people’s minds and actions, making him possibly the most sinister and frightening of any Marvel villain thus far portrayed on screen. While previous villains jokeLiving as hein a fights. run-down, Instead, bare he apartment constantly and questions having have had the ability to blow things up and wreak the violence he is inflicting. havoc, the invasive and disturbing power wielded
32 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 left an expensive corporate defence firm to start his SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 33 by Kilgrave is far more intimate and far more devas- for themselves and for those around them. This un- tating and goes to the heart of the debate about vio- relenting focus on the person behind the superhero, lence, rape culture and white privilege. Where other and the devastating consequences of wielding their villains may destroy buildings and bodies, Kilgrave power, gives both Jones and Daredevil a compelling destroys the mind, the soul, and the heart of his vic- edge over the more action-oriented teen dramas tims, leaving them scarred, broken, and screaming in and vengeance sagas. Daredevil’s focus on organised his wake. He calls into question their sanity, inspires crime and unethical business, and Jones paranoia, and rips apart their ability to trust anyone look at everyday physical and emotional abuse is a ever again. He uses people as disposable puppets, shocking change from what we have come’ unflinching to expect and exhibits no compassion, remorse, or even an as standard superhero fare. These shows tackle real iota of guilt about his rape of their minds and their issues and modern problems, and make them more bodies, and his destruction of their lives. - Through the lens of Kilgrave’s superpower of com- - pulsion, Jones investigates and explores the darkest legoryaccessible and symbolism and watchable take bysome using of the the shocking, science de fic- parts of the superhero genre and the human condi- bilitatingtional lens horror as a filter away and so providingthat we can a story bear towhere look al at tion as it takes an uncompromising look at the effects it. They have created compelling drama by never los- of extreme abuse. It also considers sub-plots of an ing focus on the humanity at the centre of the story. emotionally abusive mother, a drug-abusing neigh- bour, and a support group for survivors that demon- strates the radically different levels and perspectives of abuse in the modern day. It is through the charac- The Man in the High Castle: ters that the horror of the situation, the stakes, and Season 1
Francisco J. López Arias ofthe revulsion repercussions and desire, of the andstory their find self-loathing purchase. Their and blamemisplaced become guilt, powerfultheir fear, hookstheir conflicting imbedded impulses in each The Man in the High Castle. Created by Frank Spot- nitz. Perf. Alexa Davalos, Rupert Evans, Luke Kleit- turn their characters into people – people you care ank, DJ Qualls, Joel de la Fuente, Cary-Hiroyuki Taga- about;character people that you grab become hold ofinvested the fictive in. reality and wa, Rufus Sewell. Amazon Studios, 2015. Of the two, it is Jones that should provide the great- est fodder for academic scrutiny. It explicitly exam- Order option(s): Amazon Prime ines portrayals of victimhood, sexuality and identity, concepts of femininity and strength, and places Jones TELEVISION HAS NOT resorted very often to an al- in comparison to both Sarah Connor and Ellen Rip- ternate history framework for its shows. Apart from ley. Jones has been constructed as a truly complex a few episodes scattered throughout the most iconic female hero that is ‘othered’ in the masculine world - of superheroics, detective noir, and abuse narra- ed sitcoms, alternate history TV series have been few andscience far betweenfiction serials, and, mostly, and, surprisingly, ill-fated. With Fox the animat hon- cyborg narrative, while her PTSD-leaden emotions orable exception of Sliders (1995-2000), developing causedtives. Her by super-strengthmasculine violence fits neatly draw parallelswith the tofemale Con- a counterfactual backdrop for a new show, coupled nor’s character in T2. While Kilgrave’s unthinking in many cases with appalling writing, led almost al- abuse is a powerful metaphor for white, male privi- ways to early cancellation. lege and rape culture. However, by now everybody agrees on the fact that People talk about superhero stories becoming - grittier and more realistic, and while Jones and Dare- devil do this, they are also mature and nuanced. Matt seriesthe irruption has led of to new innovation digital platforms in, among (Netflix, many otherAma and Jessica are directly in dialogue with concepts of things,zon Video) the forprocess the distribution of production of films and and consumption television - of audiovisual entertainment. Take Amazon Video, cietal justice. These characters are aware that what for instance. The selection of pilot episodes that can theyOtherness do is outsideand the theconflict law andof individual that it is dangerousversus so be potentially developed into full seasons, a task 34 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 35 traditionally assigned exclusively to network execu- fore deserting from his assigned command post in tives, has become for them an exercise of democracy by allowing prospective viewers to choose future se- ries based on their number of viewings. On January culturalthe Nazi appropriation Kriegsmarine that and becomes fleeing toa constant Switzerland, fea- 15th 2015, Amazon released the candidates for their turebut it during now highlights the series. the The fictionalized combination processes of images of The Man in and sound summarizes the show and provokes in the High Castle became an instant hit, both in terms the audience a sense of disturbing familiarity, be- offourth audience pilot andseason. critical The appreciation. first episode One of month lat- coming a textbook example of Darko Suvin’s notion er, on February 18th, it had been picked up for nine of cognitive estrangement. more episodes, which were released on November It is not a coincidence that the title sequence starts 20th. According to Roy Price, the Vice-president of Amazon Studios, it turned into their most watched - sionwith theof Joesound Cinnadella, of a film reel. contacting The pilot the episode Resistance starts four weeks to earn the honour of being Amazon’s whilein the watchingsame way: a weThird find Reich Joe Blake,propaganda the show’s newsreel ver mostpilot everfrequently (Lewis, streamed 2015). The show first ever season (Walker, only 2015), took addressed to American audiences in a theater. The and a second season has already been commissioned. Adapting Philip K. Dick’s The Man in the High of the show, introduces the spy-laden environment Castle, which is widely considered to be the para- thatfirst scene,will take so thecrucial center in setting stage ofthe the mood plot: for a behind-the rest mount work within the genre of alternate history, the-scenes battle among the conquerors and the could not have been an easy task. Dick’s story about conquered to gain possession of a series of news- the counterfactual partition and occupation of the United States by the Nazi Reich and the Empire of The Grasshopper Lies Heavy – feature several parallel Japan after an Axis victory in World War II features alternatereels. These realities. film productions For instance, – all there of them is one labeled where as certain postmodernist devices and structures, which the Yalta conference took place, and another where typically tend not to translate well from literature to San Francisco is nuked by the Nazis in the ‘60s. Who the audiovisual arts. The Grasshopper Lies Heavy, the produces them and to what end is still unknown - and it is not clear whether the path of the novel is tional dimension of Dick’s work, and Tagomi’s visit to going to be followed on this issue or not. However, anovel parallel within reality the that novel, seems which to be carries ours, are the the metafic most obvious elements. The combination of both manages the same thematic purpose as the novel within the to transmit the postmodernist concept of reality as novel.structurally, Taking the into film account within that the this film is does still achieveSeason a simulation and, in the book, the characters real- One, for now the show has been more concerned ize that they are in fact in a simulation through art, with introducing the characters and the workings of whether formally a novel or a little sculptured jewel, such as the one that allowed Tagomi to cross over to mythology or the implications of the story. Even the that parallel reality. their fictional world rather than in delving into the Every episode begins by treating the viewer to been held in suspense until the last episode of the a truly masterful title sequence. It starts with the season.most ‘science In line fictional’ with this, elements and regarding in Dick’s the story points have of - divergence from the novel, the viewer only knows tor. Then, the sequence takes a page from Game of that sometime during World War II Hitler dropped a Thronessound of and, a film through reel startinga map of to the spin United in a projecStates, nuclear bomb on Washington D.C. At the same time, introduces the geopolitical situation of the North the newsreels may remind viewers familiar with the American continent in 1962, followed by the display novels of Philip K. Dick of the alternate world of Fer- of iconic American monuments and the new tech- ris Freemont in VALIS (1981). nology available. The succession of images is scored Overall, the show deals with, more or less, the same with an unnerving, yet mesmerizing rendition of themes as the book, but in a completely different “Edelweiss” by the Swedish singer Jeannete Olsson way. The comments on history, historicism, the exis- in her heavy German-like accent. At the end of The tence of reality, free will, race, or the nature of deceit, Sound of Music, “Edelweiss” served Georg Von Trapp are all there, explored in greater or lesser extent in as a song of resistance to say goodbye to Austria be- relation to the novel. However, the format and con- 34 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 35 tents of The Grasshopper Lies Heavy are not the only in which Amazon’s production holds its own even variance from the source material. Every character, though the book is close to being unrecognizable with maybe the exception of Rudolph Wegener, has within the script. The second one is a more unortho- dox oscillation, which is also one of the paramount plots and their personal stories are completely dif- features of the alternate history genre: the one be- ferent.been modified New characters in one way have or another,been introduced and now theirsuch tween the counterfactual adaptation of history de- as SS-Obergruppenführer John Smith, one of those picted in the TV show and our own history. multifaceted and larger-than-life villains in the spirit That is precisely where the fun resides in alternate of Darth Vader, with the particularity that he is hu- history: seeing what could have happened and, for- manized almost from the start. He is a prime exam- ple of the outcome of the imposition of Nazi culture the story what was the narrow event that prevented and ideology over the occupied United States (the historytunately from in this taking case, such did a not;dark and turn. trying The Man to find in The in High Castle will set the tone for future alternate his- depicted in the book through Robert Childan, a char- tory television productions, some of them already acterJapanese now version relegated of thisto a forcedsecondary cultural place). influence Smith is riding on the tail of its success such as the upcoming the counterweight to the Kempeitai’s Chief Inspec- adaptations of Stephen King’s 11/22/63 by Hulu, or tor Kido, a man who does not hesitate to carry out Len Deighton’s SS-GB by the BBC. It has its problems, everything that his job description entails but who is certainly: some spotty acting here and there or, oc- not willing to go one step further than that due to his casionally, some sub-par CGI. It is far from being per- -
States,firm belief who in feels ethics ambivalent and honour. about These his two role men both con in fect, but this first season was certainly fun to watch. thetrast occupation with Tagomi, of the the West Trade Coast Minister and inof world the Pacific poli- Works Cited tics. The motivation of the three other main characters, Hutcheon, Linda. A Theory of Adaptation. New York: Joe Blake, Juliana Crane and Frank Frink, although Routledge, 2006. Print. starting from different points ranging, respectively, Lewis, Hilary. “Amazon Orders 5 New Series Includ- from fanaticism, naive willingness, to reluctant ven- ing ‘The Man In The High Castle’”. The Hollywood geance, all lead to the same place: a quest for the re- Reporter. 18 Feb. 2015. Web. 15 Jan. 2016. covery of the newsreels and ultimately, I expect, to Walker, David. “Amazon Renews Record-Streaming The Man in the High Castle. The dynamics among ‘The Man In The High Castle’ For Season Two”. these three characters do become more complex in Forbes. 21 Dec. 2015. Web. 15 Jan 2016. the show, on account of the increase of opportuni- ties for their interaction compared to the book, and the fact that the writers had the good sense not to rewrite it into a love triangle, which would probably Advantageous have hampered the pace of the story and made the show lose its focus. T. S. Miller low-key, are relegated to the status of B- or C-story, Advantageous. Dir. Jennifer Phang. Perf. Jacqueline whenOther not plots directly from cut the from book, the script. more reflexiveLinda Hutch and- eon has spoken of oscillation, the constant mental 2015. Kim, James Urbaniak, and Freya Adams. Netflix, comings and goings between the adaptation and the audience’s recollection of the adapted work, in her A Order option(s): Amazon Video Theory of Adaptation (p. xv, 2006). In The Man in The High Castle, the oscillation is two-dimensional, and Ad- vantageous is one of the most important science IN MY ESTIMATION, Jennifer Phang’s 2015 film course, the direct application of this notion as the in- - evitableboth are comparison very pronounced. between The the first material instance provided is, of - fiction films to appear in the last several years, al by the book and the material pictured in the show, - though it may not find the large audience it de 36 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 serves: to date, the film has been released exclusive SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 37 that the world might have for her discarded female Several years ago one might have expected that, by body: she could probably earn a little extra money ly on Netflix after airing at Sundance in early 2015.- donating her eggs, as tremendous demand has re- male directors, but even today Advantageous is still laxed the age restrictions (various stresses have ap- 2015, we would be seeing more SF films with fe parently also had an impact on fertility rates in the by a woman. Phang also co-wrote the script herself developed world). After Gwen has exhausted all of one of the very few science fiction features helmed her other options, she turns back in desperation to - Dave Fisher, her former lover and former superior tionalong cinema: with the in Advantageous film’s lead, Jacqueline we have a Kim,female whose lead at the Center. Acting according to the manipulative whorole representsis not only severalof Asian other descent, rarities but in also science over fic50. plan of the corporate board above him, Fisher pres- ents Gwen with a Faustian bargain, although what its multiply diverse cast: with a futuristic premise is up for barter is not her soul but her body. Gwen, vaguelyBut the reminiscentfilm has much of Tiptree’smore to immortal,recommend prescient it than Fisher explains, could herself be hired as the fresh story “The Girl Who Was Plugged In,” the narrative’s new face of the Center, but only by literally obtaining psychological complexity and the intricacies of its a new face via their latest cosmetic procedure. central novum make Advantageous an unexpectedly The Center has always specialized in unnamed al- ternatives to “invasive cosmetic surgery,” but Gwen would be volunteering as an experimental test sub- original science fiction drama. I recommend it highly ject for a complete transfer of her consciousness to courses,to all scholars particularly and teachers those that of science emphasize fiction, biopoli and -I another body. In order to safeguard her daughter’s tics,believe women the film and would gender, have race, much the to body, offer thein many history SF vulnerable future in a world that seems increasingly of cyberpunk, and so on. threatening towards women and the non-wealthy, Advantageous where anti-technocratic terrorist bombings have be- Naturally, a different actress (Freya Adams/Yasmin come routine and is setadvances in an unidentified in holographic megalopolis informa- Kazi)Gwen playsfinally Gwen’s relents newand undergoes– and younger, the procedure. whiter – tion technology easily facilitate instantaneous per- body; Adams is billed in the credits as “Gwen 2.0,” sonal communication – as well as mass surveillance. - dialogue. There is more to the procedure than the vate individuals conducting such surveillance, rath- although this designation never appears in the film’s- erSignificantly, than governments. we only everThe seenature corporations of this corporatist and pri derstand, though revealing the details would involve future, with government apparently subordinated to audience or Gwen (2.0) at first can or wants to un - - es and ambitions, although this is cyberpunk with en’ssignificantly decision spoiling for herself, the herplot. daughter, The remainder and the of kind the acapital, distinctively clearly signals21st-century the film’s spin. cyberpunk Shortly afterinfluenc the offilm future explores they thedesire tremendous for themselves. consequences of Gw - - ers as overly heavy-handed in their depiction of a offilm the begins, “Center well-poised for Advanced professional Health and and Living” single parat a singleIf the woman’s film’s openingstruggle scenesto “have strike it all” somein a society view particularlyent Gwen Loh crucial is fired time from in her her job life: as just the publicbefore faceher that demands she (impossibly) always works hard- daughter will be entering an expensive prep school, er and improves herself by becoming more intelli- the only gateway to a successful future in an even gent, more attractive, and a more involved mother, more depressed economic situation than our own. the future it imagines is never implausible, and the While the Center commences a search for a young- stakes of Gwen’s decision are made to seem very real. Advantageous tells the story of a woman mak- forced to navigate a job market she can barely rec- ognize:er representative, even employment Gwen agencies suddenly are finds now herselfstaffed generational anxiety also manifests itself in several ing a sacrifice for her daughter, but a kind of intense job market seems not to recognize Gwen, having on a mother-daughter relationship. For example, noby artificialuse at all intelligences, for an aging next-generationAsian woman looking Siris. This for theways rapid throughout pace of technological this film that progress focuses – so“There tightly is on-camera work in advertising and PR. A “helpful” nothing in our generation’s skill pool that can com- plete” – and the cutthroat, all-or-nothing nature of
36 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 artificial intelligence does suggest one possible use SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 37 the scholastic and social competition among young Gwen also knows that she will have no control over the appearance of her new body; Fisher explains that undertones suggested in its title. Yet Advantageous ispeople not really depicted interested in the infilm the bring gradual out replacementthe Darwinian of when her daughter swipes through a gallery of pos- the human race by Homo superior or a race of intel- sible“marketing new faces, has a we specific quickly physical understand type in that mind,” they and, are ligent machines: all of that seems to be happening, not simply all younger, but – more importantly, one but only in the background, and there are no battle can assume – lighter-skinned. Most of the candidates sequences with robots or violent uprisings led by do have some features associated with African or super-genius youth. Instead, Advantageous Asian ethnic groups, and the combination of white- about parenthood, precarity, and above all the clas- ness and a racial ambiguity in the ultimate choice is is a film telling: the Center wants a face that will appeal to a from one’s labor, body, past, future, technological wide range of women, but also one that assumes and tools,sic science family, fictional community, theme self, of human alienation: life. alienation enforces the superiority of white beauty. And where, Indeed, Phang brings a scrupulous eye to bear after all, did the body of “Gwen 2.0” come from? The on several different issues and motifs that have ap- terse answer we get is “body donor,” leaving a great deal to the imagination. Far from being heavy-hand- few decades. Phang takes particular delight in play- ed in all of its explanations and moralizations, Phang ingpeared with throughout the concept the of the science male fiction gaze, and of theoften past in and Kim’s script also excels by leaving many things unsaid. I have learned that Phang is not new entirely new skyscrapersthe exaggerated that fashion evoke thethat shape only aof science a female fictional torso “perfected”canvas permits by technology,a filmmaker. and The employs camera thislingers visual on more work in the genre from her in the future. (Ad- conceit of the robotic fused with the sexualized fe- vantageousto the science fiction scene, but I hope to see much male body to far better effect than did another 2015 the same name that aired on PBS a few years ago as release using a similar device, Ex Machina (and with an episode oforiginated the anthology in a 23-minuteseries FutureStates short film, and of far more sophisticated gender politics). Of course, Half-Life, all human bodies seem rendered vulnerable in the Advan- future that Advantageous imagines – explosions tageousPhang’s she directorial has helped debut, to thebring 2008 more film still sorely threaten to shatter them, machines threaten to re- also has science fictional dimensions.) With place or obviate them, and even communication has demonstrated once again what the medium can technology threatens to render them insubstantial, achieveneeded femalewhen the voices emphasis to science falls fiction on social cinema, specula and- invisible, non-bodies – yet the female body becomes particularly exposed to the devastating power of so- budget Hollywood action sequences and special ef- cial control and the promises and perils of technol- fects.tion andWhenever psychological I teach Tiptree’s reflection “The rather Girl thanWho Was big- ogy. We learn, for one, that Gwen’s body-swap will Plugged In,” I ask my students if they feel the story could almost have been written in the 21st century of oxygen to her brain, in an obvious allusion to the because of its continuing relevance to our hyperreal supposedresult in restricted damage that air tight-lacedintake and Victorianimpede the corsets flow reality. Now we can say that we truly have a “Girl Who could do to the female bodies they disciplined and Was Plugged In” for the contemporary moment, and shaped in somewhat less dramatic fashion. And the that is high praise. If, as I mentioned, I was initially Center’s soul-shattering manipulation of Gwen be- struck by the originality of Phang’s voice as a relative comes all the more disturbing when we recall that - - antly surprised all the more by the note of hope that newcomer to science fiction, in the end I was pleas- fromthe original awareness reason of Fisherour technology”. had given forThis Gwen’s can only fir ness of its techno-social critiques. We have plenty of meaning was that that the “a Center younger hopes demographic to market would the complete benefit the film manages to sound in spite of the incisive body replacements to younger and younger con- based on existing trends; Advantageous does this sumers, and we see that even Gwen’s daughter has science fictional films that extrapolate bleak futures been indoctrinated by her school into desiring vari- that our humanity – however increasingly vexed and ous cosmetic enhancements. diffusetoo, but – alsocan bear. finally maps a possible path forward 38 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 39 Announcements
SFRA 2016 Theme: “Systems and Knowledge”
Date: June 28-30, 2016 (with CRSF on the 27th June) Location: The University of Liverpool, Rendall Building, Liverpool, UK. http://bit.ly/1W21Ew1. Home of the Science Fiction Foundation Collection, the largest speculative fiction archive in Europe.
Guests of Honour Dr Joan Haran (Cardiff University) Professor Emeritus Andrew Milner (Monash University) Andy Sawyer (Science Fiction Foundation Librarian, University of Liverpool)
SFRA 2016 will be a joint event in association with Current Reseach in Speculative Fictions, an annual post- graduate conference held at the University of Liverpool. CRSF will take place on the 27th June and SFRA 2016 from the 28th - 30th June, 2016. Andy Sawyer will be curating an exhibition on science fiction as part of SFRA 2016
From computers, robots, cyborgs and androids to ecological systems, management practices and industry (in- cluding the production of goods, agriculture or meat production), to the social and hard sciences, art, language and communication, right through to the systematisation and dissemination of knowledge, the theme of this year’s conference – “Systems and Knowledge” – reaches across a wide range of areas in science fiction scholarship. As a genre inherently replete with a multitude of systems and ideas of knowledge generation and systematisation, science fiction is ideally suited to scientific, linguistic, cultural, sociological, political or philosophical studies. We invite submissions on any theme and especially encourage proposals that address the thematic, formal, conceptual or theoretical engagement of sf with the conference theme, “Systems and Knowledge”. We welcome submissions from SFRA members on a range of sf productions and sf media, including those that might not typ- ically be associated with the mode. This includes but is not limited to literature, film and TV, performance and the- atre, music, games, art and sculpture, advertising, architecture, popular science and research in the social sciences. Areas of engagement might include:
• Cybernetic Fiction and Cyberpunk • Myth and Storytelling • Information Systems and Technologies • Indigenous Knowledge • Climate Change, Sustainability and Ecology • Society and Politics • Carbon and Energy Systems • Scientific Paradigms • Genetics and Genetic Engineering • Disciplinary Knowledge and the “Two Cultures” • (Cognitive) Mapping, Cartography and Modelling • Trans-, Multi- and Interdisciplinary Knowledge • World Systems Theory • Translation • Alternative Systems of Knowledge • Publishing, Scholarship, Libraries and Archives
The deadline for proposals is the 31st March 2016. Please send 250-400 word abstracts and a 100 word bi- ography to [email protected]. Panel proposals are welcome, as are suggestions for alternative presentational forms. All presenters must be members of the SFRA.
http://www.sfra.org/ | http://currentresearchinspeculativefiction.blogspot.co.uk/
38 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 39 Call for Papers—Conference We welcome abstracts for 20 minute papers on fantastika as they occur in any medium and form. Title: First contact - Academic track Eurocon 2016 Some suggested topics are: Barcelona Deadline: None listed • the production and development of Fantastika in Conference Date: November 4-6th, 2016 non-Western or non-English-speaking countries Barcelona • Fantastika genres predominant in non-Western/ Contact: non-English cultures (e.g. magical realism, con- temporary mythologies) Topic: [email protected] organizer of the academic track for Euro- • con 2016 (Barcelona, November 4, 5 and 6, http:// • globalization, industrialization, development www.eurocon2016.org/) I am seeking international andfictional the future and real empires academics who might be interested in participating • global networks, mobilities, migrations in one of the three planned round tables in English. • borders, defence of borders, crossing borders The round tables will have a maximum of 4 partici- and occupations pants each and will deal with the following topics: • (post)colonial texts and readings • notions of the ‘other’ • Trans and post-humanism • ecologies, technologies and biopolitics • Gender and SF (please, note this will focus on both masculinities and femininities) Submission: Please submit a 300 word abstract to • Teaching SF in a university context along with a 50 word bionote by March 1st, 2016. Please, note that Eurocon cannot cover travel ex- [email protected] us at https://fantastikaconference.word- penses, as all our limited funding is going to the very press.com, like us on Facebook (“Fantastika Confer- nice list of guest writers (which you may check at ence”), or follow us on twitter ( ) Eurocon’s website). for up-to-date information about the event. And visit http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/luminary@FantastikaPress Submission: If interested, please contact me at Sara. to access the “Visualizing Fantastika” edition of The . Luminary, featuring extended papers from the 2014 conference. [email protected] Title: Global Fantastika: An Interdisciplinary Con- ference Title: International Vampire Film and Arts Festival Deadline: 1 March 2016 Deadline: 9 March 2016 Conference Date: July 4-6, 2016 Conference Date: 26-29 May, 2016 University of Lancaster Contact: Rebecca Williams
“Fantastika”,[email protected] coined by John Clute, is an umbrella The inaugural International Vampire Film and Arts term which incorporates the genres of fantasy, sci- Festival will take place in Sighisoara in Transylvania, - Romania, on May 26th - 29th 2016. From Stoker to Rice; from Nosferatu to classic otherence fiction, imaginative and horror, space. but The can 3rd also annual include Fantastika alterna Hammer onto Twilight, The Strain and beyond - the conferencetive histories, will steampunk, focus on productionsyoung adult fiction,of Fantastika or any vampire genre is the world’s most enduring and in- globally, as well as considering themes of contact - across nations and borders within Fantastika. It is erature, theatre, games and new media. IVFAF brings our hope to draw together academics with an inter- togetherfluential horrorvampire genre media-makers straddling film, from television, across thelit est in Fantastika from an international audience to World in one cross-industry event – an exciting four- share and disseminate Fantastika-related research globally. readings, theatre, seminars, workshops, tours, net- day programme of film screenings, book launches, 40 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 41 working events, a trade fair and parties. The Festi- Contact: Sean Guyness
countercultural movements” (383). The alternative • ConfirmedDr Stacey speakers Abbott (University include: of Roehampton) worldmakingence fiction has capacities always had of SF&F, a close in relationship other words, with has • Professor Richard Hand (University of South long had resonances in the sub- and countercultural Wales) movements of the past few centuries, “especially,” as • Dacre Stoker (Author) the literary utopia [and, we might add, the dystopia] Submission: This call for papers is for scholars in- isLatham included qualifies within” and the expands, orbit of SF.“if the allied genre of terested in presenting their work in the academic This session, for the 2017 MLA conference, to be symposium that runs alongside the Festival (in asso- held in Philadelphia, PA, seeks papers that probe ciation with the University of South Wales). Propos- Latham’s assertion of SF’s relationship to counter- als for single 20-minute papers or pre-constituted cultural movements. panels (of 3 x 20-minute papers) on any aspect of “Dangerous Visions”—which references the 1967 the Vampire are now welcomed from scholars work- story collection of the same name edited by Harlan ing in (but not limited to) the following areas: Ellison, a cornerstone of the American New Wave of SF—encourages submissions on the place of the • Literature New Wave in the American counterculture of the • Film & TV Studies 1960s and 1970s. But the panel does not seek to re- • Gothic Studies strict extrapolations of Latham’s assertions, particu- • Media & Cultural studies larly regarding the historical and geographic bounds • Art of the term “countercultural.” • Fashion Papers proposed to the panel, then, might address • Audience & Fan Studies the countercultural forces of the following topics, • Theatre Studies broadly conceived, or take their own unique direc- • Music tion:
We are also interested in proposals for academic • pulp magazines roundtables or workshops. The deadline for propos- • SF and the Literary Left als is Wednesday 9th March 2016. • the New Wave (American or British) Please submit 250 word abstracts and a short au- • cyberpunk thor biography to Dr Rebecca Williams at rebecca. • British Boom . • contemporary/world SF Further information and regular updates on the • postcolonial SF event,[email protected] including information on the Industry Strand • (critical) utopias/dystopias and the VampFest fan Festival can be found at http:// • SF as counterculture ivfaf.com/. • You can follow the Festival on Twitter - Festival https://www.face- Submission:SF beyond To science respond fiction to the session CFP please book.com/vampireartsfestival/?fref=ts. @Vampire follow the MLA’s guidelines, available here: https:// or find it on Facebook at apps.mla.org/callsforpapers.
Title: Dangerous Visions: Science Fiction’s Counter- Fiction’s Countercultures” on the MLA website cultures (2017 MLA Conference) is Theavailable official CFPhere: for https://apps.mla.org/cfp_de “Dangerous Visions: Science- Deadline: 10 March 2016 tail_8510. Conference Date: 5-8 January, 2017 Please send 200-300 words abstracts, as well as 40 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 41 a brief professional bio, to me at . 15 April 2016 to . edu. Or you may use may use the contact page on my Further details will be available from http://an- website (seanguynes.wordpress.comguynesse@msu). [email protected]. Abstracts and bios are due by March 10, 2016. Do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. Title: Ideal Society and Future Design: The First In- ternational Conference of Utopian and Science Fic- Title: Anticipations: H. G. Wells, Science Fiction and tion Studies Radical Visions Deadline: 30 April 2016 Deadline: 15 April 2016 Conference Date: December 2-5, 2016 Conference Date: July 8-10, 2016 Academic Conference Hall, School of Chinese Lan- H. G. Wells Conference Centre, Woking, UK guage and Literature, Beijing Normal University Contact: Contact: Organised by the H. G. Wells Society [email protected] From [email protected] enduring discussion of ideal polis in the Topic: H. G. Wells was a novelist, social commenta- Western tradition to Marx’s pursuit of communism, tor and utopianist, and is regarded as one of the fa- from the ideals of Small Country, Few People, of Great Unity, and of Peach Blossom Spring in classi- featured time travel, mad scientists, alien invasion, cal Chinese thought to the construction of modern spacethers oftravel, science invisibility, fiction. His utopia, early futurescientific war romances and his- tories of the future: his mappings of the shape of utopia has remained an important part of world- things to come was an overture to over a century of widetechno-topias literature in and today’s culture. sci-fi 2016 literature is the and 500th movies, year anniversary of the publication of Sir Thomas More’s We wish to mark the 150th and 70th anniversaries Utopia. In light of this, memorial conferences and ofscience Wells’s fiction. birth and death respectively by exploring gatherings all over the world are sure to give a new burst of energy to researches concerning utopian ideas, literature, and culture. onhis sciencetelevision, fiction, on radio, his precursors online and and elsewhere. successors This and In the spirit of the 500th anniversary of Utopia, ishis especially lasting influence appropriate upon becausethe genre the in print,event onwill film, be Beijing Normal University, in assistance with the In- held at the H. G. Wells Conference centre in Woking, stitute for Advanced Studies in Humanities and So- the town where Wells wrote The War of the Worlds. cial Sciences of Chongqing University, will be host- Many of his ideas on politics, science, sociology and ing a large inter-disciplinary international academic the direction in which he feared humanity was going - ference will take a thorough look back at the history ofconference utopian literature on utopia and and culture, science focusing fiction. on This science con wereTopics contained might include, in his earlybut are science not limited fiction to: and ran - through his later influential work. ture that Chinese culture may take, bringing together • fiction literature and on the multiple roads to the fu • - promoting relevant researches in China. specific individual or groups of novels/stories; - scholarsThe conference in these fieldswill focus from onChina but andwill abroad,not be limand- the connections between Wells’s fiction and non ited to the 500th year anniversary of Utopia. Several • utopia/dystopia;fiction, including his political, utopian and scien smaller topics related to the main topic “ideal soci- • historiestific writings; of the future; ety and future design” will be covered, including: • precursors to Wells’s sf; • • Utopia and More. • sequels by other hands; • The history of utopian thought and political phi- • adaptationssf writers influenced into other by media. Wells; losophy. • Modern utopian thought and experimental com- Submission: Please send a brief biography and an munities. abstract of 400 words for a twenty minute paper by • Comparative studies of Chinese and Western 42 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 43 utopian literature. ing, prosthetics, and rejuvenation are frequently en- • literature and art. also offers alternative ideals of health and wellbeing, • Imagination,The past, present, fantasy, and and future literary of creation. science fiction andcountered imagines in science-fictionnew forms of stories.disease Scienceand suffering. fiction • Environment, social transformation, and the de- The special issue seeks papers that explore issues of velopment of creativity. - • Posthuman culture, development of A.I., and sur- tives within a variety of media (written word, graph- mounting the limits of technology. health, illness, and medicine in science-fiction narra We are also particularly interested in articles that Submission: Those interested in attending need to ic novel, theatre, dance, film and television, etc.). submit abstracts before the day of April 30th, 2016. the culturally-embedded imagining of futures en- After a review by the organizing committee, the invi- explore the biomedical ‘technoscientific imaginary’:
motifs,abled by and technoscientific narratives within innovation. medical We and especially health- thetees day shall of beOctober notified 31st, by June2016. 30th. relatedwelcome discourses, papers that practices, explore science-fictionand institutions. tropes, The TheConfirmed conference attendees will beneed held to submitin both papers Chinese before and English: attendees must prepare papers in either of imaginary permeate the everyday and expert worlds the aforementioned two languages. ofquestion modern – medicinehow does andthe biomedicalhealthcare? technoscientific – may be a use- Abstracts and full papers must be sent to the com- ful prompt for potential authors. mittee’s email address in word format. Subject areas might include but are not limited to:
Attendance Fees: Non-students: 800RMB per per- son; Students: 200RMB per person. • representations of medicine, health, disability, Contact information: The Organizing Committee • clinicians as science-fiction writers of the First International Conference of Utopian and other media Science Fiction Studies, School of Chinese Language and illness in science-fiction literature, cinema, and- and Literature, Beijing Normal University, No. 19, gagement with biomedical science and technology Xinjiekouwai Street, Haidian District, Beijing, China • theutopian use and narratives misuse of ofscience miraculous fiction inbiomedical public en 100875. Phone: +86-10-58802053; Fax: +86-10- progress (and their counter-narratives) 58805592; Email: . (via cognitive estrangement, critical utopias, etc.) [email protected] • socio-political critique in medical science fiction
• science fiction as stimulus to biomedical research Call for Papers—Articles medicaland technology publicity, (e.g. research science-fiction announcements, prototyping) promo- tional• science-fiction material, etc. tropes, motifs and narratives in Title: Science Fiction and the Medical Humanities - Manuscript Deadline: 1 March 2016 tion in medicine and healthcare settings Contact: Register on website: https:// • the visual and material aesthetic of science fic mc.manuscriptcentral.com/mh. Up to 10 articles will be published in Medical Hu- manities in 2016. The BMJ Group journal Medical Humanities will be All articles will be blind peer-reviewed according publishing a special issue: ‘Science Fiction and the to the journal’s editorial policies. Final publication Medical Humanities’. decisions will rest with the Editor-in-Chief, Profes- We invite papers of broad interest to an interna- sor Deborah Bowman. tional readership of medical humanities scholars Please submit your article no later than 1 March and practising clinicians on the topic ‘Science Fiction 2016 and the Medical Humanities’. Articles for Medical Humanities should be a maxi- mum of 5,000 words, and submitted via the journal’s of biomedical advances. Technologies such as clon- website
44 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 ary, but we will accept reviews of subject specific SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 45 texts. • EXHIBITION REVIEWS: Around 1,000 words on any event along the lines of an art exhibition, enceThe fiction Journal scholar of Science to send Fiction us their will be original published articles, on- museum collection, academic event or confer- lineessays and or freely book accessiblereviews for to our everyone first issue.” -- no subscrip- ence review that deals with the theme in some tion or submission fees are required. The Museum’s respect. Journal of Science Fiction welcomes original work • CREATIVE WRITING PIECES: e.g. original poetry from writers around the world, with an emphasis on (up to 3 short or 1 long) short stories or creative the interdisciplinary and innovative aspects of sci- essays of up to 4,000 words related to the theme. year and each will feature between eight and twelve peer-reviewedence fiction. Issues academic will be articles published as well three as timesseveral a minds.co.uk by 31st March 2016 for Articles and book reviews and essays. 31stAll Julysubmissions 2016 for Creativeshould be Writing sent to and editors@harts- Reviews. Submission information for the Journal of Science Please keep in mind that HARTS & Minds is in- Fiction can be found on the Journal’s homepage at tended as a truly inter-disciplinary journal, and eso- the University of Maryland: http://publish.lib.umd. teric topics will therefore need to be written with a . general academic readership in mind. Submissions for the Journal of Science Fiction can beedu/scifi/index sent to: . Title: Museum of Science Fiction Call for Submis- Any Journal-relatedhttp://publish.lib.umd.edu/scifi/about/ questions can emailed to Mon- sions icasubmissions#authorGuidelines Louzon, Managing Editor: - for New Triannual Journal of Science Fiction . Manuscript Deadline: Ongoing More information about otherjournal@museumof activities are avail- Contact: Register on website: http://publish.lib.umd. ablesciencefiction.org on the Museum’s website: www.museumof- . .
edu/scifi/about/submissions#authorGuidelines Aboutsciencefiction.org the Museum of Science Fiction - The Museum of Science Fiction, the world’s first comprehensiveUniversity of Maryland’s science fiction journal museum, management will pubsys- coveringThe nonprofit the history Museum of theof Science genre across Fiction the will arts be andthe lish an academic journal of science fiction Journalusing the of providingworld’s first a narrativecomprehensive on its sciencerelationship fiction to museum, the real Science Fiction will be launched in January of 2016 andtem. will The serve first issueas a forum of the for Museum’s scientists new and academ- andworld. impacts The Museumsocieties. will Also show serving how as an science educational fiction catalystcontinually to expand inspires interest individuals, in the influences science, technolo cultures,- theics frommodern around world, the andworld its to prognostications discuss science fiction,of the gy, engineering, art, and math (STEAM) areas. The future.including recent trends in the genre, its influence on Museum uses tools such as mobile applications and Greg Bear, member of Museum of Science Fiction’s - Board of Advisors and Hugo award-winning science tain. For a full press packet on the Museum of Science Fiction’swifi-enabled vision display and other objects information, to educate please and enter visit: . fiction author said, “Science fiction as literature has toreal understand staying power the andcultural has beenand mythica huge influenceroots of our on www.museumofsciencefiction.org/presspacket needour modern for anticipation, world. It’s adventure, only fitting and that imagination.” we attempt “We want readers everywhere to consider the sci-
want them to ask questions and to have fun doing so,“ence said fiction Monica genre Louzon, they love managing from new editor angles. of the We Museum’s new Journal of Science Fiction. “We’re en- couraging anyone who considers themselves a sci- 44 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 45 Science Fiction Research Association www.sfra.org The Science Fiction Research Association is the oldest professional organization for the study of science fiction and fantasy literature and film. Founded in 1970, the SFRA was organized to improve classroom teaching; to encourage and assist scholarship; and to evalu- ate and publicize new books and magazines dealing with fantastic literature and film, teaching methods and materials, and allied media performances. Among the membership are people from many countries—students, teachers, professors, librarians, futurologists, readers, authors, booksellers, editors, publishers, archivists, and scholars in many disciplines. Academic affiliation is not a requirement for mem- bership. Visit the SFRA Website at www.sfra.org. For a membership application, contact the SFRA Treasurer or see the Website. SFRA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE President Immediate Past President Vice President Craig B. Jacobsen Paweł Frelik Keren Omry Composition, Literature and Film Dept. of American Literature and Culture Dept. of English Language & Literature Mesa Community College Maria Curie-Sklodowska University Room 1607, Eshkol Tower 1833 West Southern Ave. Pl. Marii Curie-Sklodowskiej 4 University of Haifa, Mesa, AZ 85202 Lublin 20-031, Poland Mount Carmel, Haifa 3190501 [email protected] Paweł[email protected] [email protected] Secretary Treasurer Susan A. George Steve Berman University of California Auburn Hills English Department Davis One, Shields Avenue Davis Oakland Community College CA 95616 Auburn Hills, MI 48326 [email protected] [email protected] SFRA Standard Membership Benefits SFRA Optional Membership Benefits SFRA Review Foundation Four issues per year. This newsletter/journal surveys the field (Discounted subscription rates for members) of science fiction scholarship, including extensive reviews Three issues per year. British scholarly journal, with critical, of fiction and nonfiction books and media, review articles, historical, and bibliographical articles, reviews, and letters. and listings of new and forthcoming books. The Review also Add to dues: $36 (seamail); $43 (airmail). posts news about SFRA internal affairs, calls for papers, and updates on works in progress. Science Fiction Film and Television Three issues per year. Critial works and reviews. Add to dues: SFRA Annual Directory $59 (e-issue only); $73 (airmail). One issue per year. Members’ names, contact information, and areas of interest. Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts Four issues per year. Scholarly journal, with critical and bibli- SFRA Listserv ographical articles and reviews. Add to dues: $40/1 year (US); Ongoing. The SFRA listserv allows members to discuss $50/1 year (international); $100/3 years. topics and news of interest to the SF community, and to query the collective knowledge of the membership. Femspec To join the listserv or obtain further information, visit Critical and creative works. Add to dues: $50 (US); $95 (US wiz.cath.vt.edu/mailman/listinfo/sfra-l. institutional); $60 (international); $105 (international insti- tutional). Extrapolation Three issues per year. The oldest scholarly journal in the field, with critical, historical, and bibliographical articles, book re- views, letters, occasional special topic issues, and annual in- dex.
Science Fiction Studies Three issues per year. This scholarly journal includes criti- cal, historical, and bibliographical articles, review articles, reviews, notes, letters, international coverage, and annual index.
46 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 SFRA Review 315 Winter 2016 PB