The two books by Octavia E. Butler that revolve around Earthseed, a fictional religion created in a post apocalyptic future, are Sci Fi gems that many people have not read. The concepts on religion that are expressed in the books would cause a lot of controversy, the main bad guy in the sequel is a crazy, right wing christian, who hunts down alternative religions and slaughters them. The book is not an action story, but does feature some pretty amazing scenes of violence that would satisfy any on looker. With the right direction and vision, it would be uncomparable in it’s brilliant beauty. Also, it will attract new people to the sci fi world. The primary character, in fact most characters, are African American. The African American Experience is a wide one but alternative African Americans are often ignored. This will bring them to light just a little bit.

2. Stand On Zanzibar by John Brunner

Stand On Zanzibar is an incredibly difficult novel to read and is written in very experimental was. Sometimes it seems almost like gibberish but really the novel is very sharp and specific. It is a warning of the future and human overpopulation and what will come with such a society.

3. Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein

Unlike District 9, Stranger In A Strange Land takes a perspective of a human man being alien to Earth. The story revolves around an earth man being raised on Mars and coming home to Earth for the first time. The book addresses religion, politics, sexuality and many other subjects. It is incredibly insightful and would be a brilliant thing to watch unfold on screen.

4. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick

This novel is haunting and ghastly. It is, in short, a post apocalyptic future where androids are being hunted. The novel essentially follows two stories, one follows the hunter of the androids and the other follows a human who becomes friends with them. A filim, that was loosely based on the book, has already been made. You’ve probably seen it. Blade Runner was a fantastic movie but a more true to the source material adaptation would be incredibly fun.

5. Neuromancer by William Gibson

The first Cyberpunk novel, is one that should have been made into a film ages ago. Though most of the ways they talk about computers and the internet are no longer applicable to our modern system, the book is a classic work of literature.  This book is a must read and I’m glad to say as I write this that Neuromancer is currently expected to be released as a film in 2011

The short stories are fun. Pournelle has Belt miners engineering a little extra income, Poul Anderson has space bicycle racers competing, Charles Sheffield looks at an incident that triggers a revolution against controlling Earth by Belters, Michael Swanwick sends a Belter through a black hole to meet aliens, and Brooks Peck has a Belter family that gets a little payback by stealing a cow.

With a look at science and politics, Pournelle discusses such issues as how to actually get to the asteroid belt, the likely political organization that results, as well as, of course, why we want to go. (Consider an asteroid with a solid core of useful ore whose crusty outer surface has been abraided away over the eons.)  Essayist Eric Drexler makes his pitch for by-passing a lunar base and going on to the asteroid belt.

In a short end-of-book essay, Pournelle offers suggestions for setting up a lunar settlement in the near future by simply establishing that it will be a colony. Everyone who goes, stays. 

In a discussion of building reusable spacecraft, he criticizes NASA, saying that NASA has become a turf-defending beaurocracy. 

Says Pournelle, if you want a fleet of reusable spacecraft, not the flying brick Space Shuttle, you give the Lunar Society $250 million and they’ll  hire the guys to do the job, with help from many of their members working on a volunteer basis (the Lunar Society members include ex-NASA  scientists like Pournelle, astronauts, and others).

Or give the Defense Department $2-$3 billion to build them through a black ops program that will use a dependable contractor. 

Or run it through the usual Pentagon channels with the paperwork that will assure a pricetag of $10 or $20 billion.

Or give $40 billion to NASA and you’ll get paperwork and reasons why it couldn’t be done. NASA’s track record suggests that things haven’t changed since this 1992 assessment. And NASA will not allow anyone else the option of doing the job.

Once there, he becomes the pet of Kathleen, a young Irish girl living with her hateful aunt and cousins and distracted but kindly uncle while her father is in jail. Sirius, who Kathleen names Leo, has lost most of his memories, but is content for a little while to merely be her pet. As Sol, our Sun, begins reminding Sirius more and more of who he truly is, however, the story takes on new and more complicated dimensions.

From his mysterious and beautiful companion star to Kathleen’s struggles with her family to dealing with the cats, Sirius must learn to balance his temper and come to grips with his past. Other characters come into the story, including his litter-mates and the frightening Master of the hunt. The layers of the story within the book multiply and overlap and each part of the story creates new and deeper emotional responses to Jones’ characters.

As the story leads to its heartbreaking conclusion, Sirius faces a multitude of choices as he gets to the heart of the false accusations made against him and finally realizes the truth about himself and about his life as a star.

Jones’ writing is easy to follow, but the depth and complexity of the story itself will give even advanced readers plenty to think about once the book has been finished. She successfully incorporates astronomy, mythology and politics into the story in ways that add a great deal to the book without losing the thread of the narrative in an attempt to explain the issues or ideas at hand.

Dogsbody is a beautiful book for readers both young and old. The story will grip readers from the first page until the last and continue to haunt readers’ memories, especially the memories of those who stargaze. The brilliantly complicated universe imagined by Jones in Dogsbody is one that few readers will be reluctant to leave.

Both men were early writers of science fiction and both devoted at least one story to space travel (Verne: “From the Earth to the Moon”, Wells:  “The First Men in the Moon”), although both men grossly underestimated the challenges and difficulty of space travel.  They both wrote about heavier than air flying machines, long before flight was possible.  While these authors have much in common, there are significant differences in the works of the two men.

Stylistically, Wells preferred to tell a story in the person of an unnamed narrator.  He used this method in his two finest works, “The War of the Worlds” and “The Time Machine”.  Verne told his stories in the form of a third party observer.  Wells makes us feel as if the narrator is speaking directly to us, while Verne makes us an observer of the unfolding events.

Most of Well’s stories take place in his home country of England (or have their voyages originate from there).  Verne, a Frenchman, does not generally write about France.  Many of his stories take place in America or some exotic place such as Iceland, Africa or Antarctica.  Also, many of Verne’s works depict a journey to some unknown land or place, while Wells tends to limit his locations to England.

Verne and Wells have significant differences in their views of science and technology.  Verne portrayed technology much more favorably than Wells.  In Verne’s “Mysterious Island”, the castaways use the technology at their disposal to improve their situation.  In “Journey to the Center of the Earth” and “From the Earth to the Moon”, the scientists and explorers are treated rather favorably and are the protagonists.  Even in “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea”, the mysterious Captain Nemo is attempting to use the technology at his disposal in to end war. 

Wells, however views technology much more negatively.  “The Island of Dr. Moreau” describes a mad scientist experimenting on animals and humans.  “The Invisible Man” tells the story of another mad scientist who makes himself invisible in order to create a reign of terror.  “The Food of the Gods” depicts yet another experiment gone wrong, this one creating animals and humans of unnatural size.  In none of Wells’ works is technology used for ultimate good.  Even in Wells’ utopian novel “In the Days of the Comet”, it is not science that improves the status of man, but rather a comet whose tail has unknown properties.

Both men wrote their science fiction from different ends of the spectrum.  Verne was more science than fiction, while Wells was more fiction than science.  In most of Verne’s works, detailed explanations of the technology behind the machines is provided.  For example, “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” contains detailed technical descriptions of the Nautilus.  Verne commonly described the flora and fauna of the various exotic locations portrayed in his stories.  The most obvious difference between science vs. fiction in the works of the two men is in how space travel is portrayed.  In “From the Earth to the Moon”, Verne provides detailed plans on the spacecraft, launching mechanism, gravitational pull and trajectories.  He dedicates several chapters explaining how the trip was to take place.  In “The First Men in the Moon”, Wells simply conceives of “cavorite” a substance that eliminates the impacts of gravity and allows space travel.  Wells provides no details on how cavorite would work, or what it is.

While there was undoubtedly competition between these two accomplished authors, both are highly regarded as early science fiction writers and both have earned the right to share the title “Father of Science Fiction”.

Straight from the beginning, an important Bene Gesserit (a sisterhood that plays a significant social, political, and religious role in Dune) philosophy is revealed on page 8:

I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.

Paul Atreides, the main character, puts this saying to use numerous times in the book at pivotal points in the story and attempts to use it as a way to guide his actions. Whenever he is in a situation of harm or peril, rather than panicking and bringing “total obliteration” upon him he instead calmly and logically approaches the event and pulls himself through. This happens during his test of the gom jabbar, the failed assassination attempt on him, and is evident in his calm demeanor. Herbert even alludes to this Bene Gesserit axiom in a literal sense when Paul and his mother, Jessica, traverse a gargantuan sandstorm in an ornithopter by remaining focused and allowing it to pass around them while they emerge through the other side. Throughout the book, fear is one of the main enemies of the characters regardless of its embodiment and a crucial theme brought up time and time again is that of prevailing in the face of it. Most of the “good” happenings in the book arise when a character does not submit to their base emotions and instead considers the situation before acting whilst the “bad” decisions occur when fear is permitted to overwhelm. Mental control and discipline are highly respected and desired in the world of Dune and the most powerful characters in the book are stressed to have great amounts of

This quote does not just play an important role in Dune – in almost any situation, fear is best when it is controlled. A deer-in-headlights reaction leads to unfavorable circumstances while the ability to stay calm and collected brings about success. Fear is indeed “the mind-killer” and it is crucial to be able to respond to tense situations well. This quote represent abstract concepts, especially in almost cryptic ways, as this one has.

The Fremen, a race of mysterious desert nomads, also speak cryptically at times and use anecdotes to convey their thoughts. On page 209, one of the Fremen tells Hawat one such saying:

“Any man who retreats into a cave which has only one opening deserves to die,” the Fremen said.

This one quote conveys a fairly large amount of meaning. It was in response to Hawat telling the Fremen that his people had retreated to caves and been slaughtered there. The Fremen is not just referring to the fact that they had literally been trapped in a cave but that House Atreides had backed itself into a corner when it came to Arrakis. Even though they believed they could handle the threat posed by the Harkonnens, they were mistaken and this led to the near-elimination of the Atreides. The Fremen belief is that you should always have an escape route in any situation: one must adapt to any situation that arises. This is portrayed many times further in the book and the very basis of the Fremen society depends on flexibility and change. They move constantly, especially now that they are being hunted by the Harkonnen, and attempt to “go with the flow.”

The ability to adapt is one of the most important in life. Whether it is literal physical adaptation or simply psychological, the best way to fit in with your surroundings is to form yourself in a way that does not interrupt the current order of things. Much like a willow sways in the wind, so must a human sway in the flow of life. Stubbornness is, in the end, worse than compromise. The ability to adjust to your situation is yet another significant life lesson and one expressed in Dune.

This Fremen saying can also be interpreted as being about how confining oneself to a specific path in life instead of accepting change can be deadly. A cave with a dead-end could represent going nowhere in life – stagnation as opposed to the Freman fluidity. This selection appealed to me because it can be thought of in so many different ways that are concepts integral to the book.

Yet another excellent passage found within the book is found when Kynes, a planetologist, begins hallucinating about his dead father talking to him on page 269:

“Religion and law among our masses must be one and the same,” his father said. “An act of disobedience must be a sin and require religious penalties. This will have the dual benefit of bringing both greater obedience and greater bravery. We must depend not so much on the bravery of individuals, you see, as upon the bravery of a whole population.”

Some of Herbert’s true genius in this book is on his ability to illustrate the motivations of characters and groups. Here, he explains (through Kynes’ father) how religion was used to bend the Fremen culture into aiding Kynes’ goal of making a green planet. Kynes and his father used religion to their advantage by posing as godlike leaders for the Fremen. This allowed them to guide the Fremen’s interests in a way that benefited them.

While that is the specific relevance of this passage to the book, the quote has an overarching meaning: religion is a tool for controlling a large, ignorant populace while keeping them docile. It gives them positive reinforcement for actions perceived as “good” while discouraging them to do things that are dishonorable. This technique is used also by the Bene Gesserit through their Missionaria Protectiva. This Missionaria plants Bene Gesserit agents on planets to spread myths and legends that members of Bene Gesserit can use if ever in harm, or if they simply need help. In a sense, almost all of the religion in Dune was just fabrication created by the Bene Gesserit to manipulate others. They are the driving religious force in the galaxy.

This quote sparked interest in me because it demonstrates one of the more insidious uses of religion – that of being a source of power and control. Parallels can be drawn to ancient (and even fairly recent) history when rulers abuse religion. Stalin thought it was the “opiate of the masses,” and used it as a method of pacification. Various European explorers were greeted by the people of the Americas as gods at first, which has a striking similarity to the aforementioned Missionaria Protectiva (albeit completely unintended). Herbert does an excellent job of creating ideas that can be connected to reality.

The very last line of the book is poignant and leaves a strong message with the reader – on page 474, Lady Jessica says this:

“Think on it, Chani: that princess will have the name, yet she’ll live as less than a concubine – never to know a moment of tenderness from the man to whom she’s bound. While we, Chani, we who carry the name of concubine – history will call us wives.”

This line represents two concepts: it shows that it is not the title that makes the person but the person that makes the title and is also a slight reference to the fact that Paul’s reign as emperor will be remembered through history.

Jessica’s statement refers to the fact that although Paul will take the emperors daughter, Princess Irulan, as his wife, it is for purely political purposes and she will play no role in his life. On the other hand, Chani is Paul’s true lover and played a pivotal supporting part in his life (and will continue to play that role) but cannot become his wife. Jessica was in the same situation with Paul’s father, Duke Leto I, but was still his wife in reality. Thus, “history will call [them] wives” rather than concubines due to what they did. Their role will not be denied because of an issue in semantics.

Previously in the book, Glossu Rabban had been ruling Dune with an iron fist. Though he was the king of an entire planet, someone that should’ve been a wise role model, he was a horrific and inefficient dictator. The true hero at the time and the “king” of the people’s hearts was Paul-Muad’Dib, another example of when title does not befit role.

This statement can further be carried into aspects of life today. Just because a person has a certain title does not mean they will be what they seem. Some are deserving of titles while others are not. History remembers people by their actions rather than their name.

The second reason the book was ended with this message from Jessica to Chani was to remind the reader of the rather clear fact that the events of this book were probably the most important since the invention of space travel. The book is rounded off with a mention of how things will be remembered through history. This is effective as it also opens up the possibility of a sequel (there were five).

All in all, Dune is an epic work that was everything one could wish for from a science fiction novel. It truly does deserve its mantle as being one of the greatest works of science fiction literature of all time.

“We’re having some rough waters, no need to worry,” said the captain trying to relax the passengers, but I knew the real problem. The powers of the Bermuda Triangle were awakening on us. Its angry waves were only results of its madness due to our trespassing into its territory. Soon, the ship actually started to sink. In reality, this was a slow and gradual process, but in my mind, it was faster than a cheetah. Above me, on the 5th floor, I heard screaming and shouting. Through my peripheral vision, I saw something that caught my eye. I peered through the window, only to spot something that was seen in the imaginations of the most creative of men; thousands of undead soldiers leaping out of old war ships with swords and guns.

The soldiers were rapidly advancing on the cruise, but this was only a minor problem compared to what I witnessed next. A huge, basilisk-like sea dragon blasted through the water and with its fang-like teeth, it clenched the stern of the ship. In no time at all, the soldiers were already pouring onto the cruise. I quickly took a chair and lifted it to the window and smashed it to shards. I then proceeded to jump out of the window. Falling from that height was very scary, but it was also thrilling to feel the wind rushing against my face. I landed in the frigid water with a loud plop. By then, the cruise was already engulfed by the sea monster. All of the people on the cruise had either stayed on board to welcome the monster’s mouth or hurdled out the window just like me. I turned around and witnessed the most amazing sight ever. About 50 fighter planes emerged from the horizon. The unusual thing was that nobody was driving them. The planes bombed the ocean waters, badly injured the sea monster, and then flew off in the mist. Due to its bad wound, the monster fled back into the deep, dark waters of the Atlantic. Most of the soldiers were dead and floating in the water.

WEEAAAW! WEEAAAW! These strange noises were followed by a series of eerie lights. I turned around to find what no man has ever observed; two real life flying saucers! The powers of the Bermuda Triangle were only going to become worse. The spaceships abducted many people. Mass destruction was occurring everywhere, and I had to do something or else I would never live to tell the tale. By now, the only things still in the water were some of the survivors, the UFO’s, and a few dozen army men. Quickly, I swam over to one of the dead, floating bodies of an army soldier and took one of his grenades and his grenade launcher. I loaded the grenade into the launcher and fired upward toward the UFO’s underside. The grenade went inside and apparently blew up, because all of the passengers in the UFO died.

The UFO fell out of the skies and landed into the water with a crash. I commanded everyone to the ship. Everyone swam over to the great space vehicle. I climbed aboard and found three-horned alien bodies scattered on the floor. I threw them all out and told every one to take over one part of the ship. I, of course, was captain. I took control of the UFO’s command system. I pressed a button that I could not read due to the foreign message encrypted below it. The UFO blasted with life and started to hum. It slowly rose toward the sky. Once we were a hundred meters above the water, I slammed the directional controls forward. The UFO speed meter was already at 1, meaning that the craft was traveling at one light-year per second. Yes, I know at that speed we circled Earth a dozen times (really, I got tired of seeing the Eiffel Tower a dozen times).

Finally, we landed somewhere on the east coast of Florida. The crew all thanked me (except for one lady who smothered me in hugs and kisses). Well, that was one heck of an exciting day. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you, both of my parents made it through the journey. It turns out that on the UFO, they were just lost in the dissection lab. But, they found their way out once we landed. Well, now I can say that was on heck of a day! I wonder what the next trip on a cruise will be like.

Understandably, Bradbury could not have known what a great book he was writing at the time. The purpose of this book was to teach people to leave the television and the families’ people had created on the screens and go back to reading classic literature. As he says “There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them”. He also said that television is a thoughtless activity and as every one of those quarter second clips goes by on the screen we forget to think, all the fast pictures going by makes us think we’re thinking. Books are not the opposite of televisions as they do not teach us how to think, but they are the catalyst for individually developing our minds in a good way. The main character Guy Montag brings up a story from his youth about how his older roguish cousin paid him to fill a sieve with sand at the beach. He continually tries and tries to fill it up, but the sand always sifts through. This is how books work with our minds, they never stick around for too long, but you have to keep trying because putting something worthwhile into your brain continuously is better than nothing at all. If no one ever put any literature, books, or truth into their minds, the world would turn into an awful place.

My version of what the word dystopian means is that the world has come out the opposite of what we wanted it to be like. I know that’s kind of a crude description, but I’ve grown a love of dystopian style art. Movies like Idiocracy, Pleasantville, and Brazil show artist renderings of what they think the world will be like as we continue on our current course of action. Books like Fahrenheit 451, 1984, and Brave New World have much in common with the movies I mentioned earlier, but the one central idea that all anti-utopian media outlets possess is that mankind has become a wasteland of human thought.

The big difference that gives Fahrenheit 451 the edge over all the others of its genre is that it gives a logical and feasible reason to the breakdown of the mind, the choice to quit reading. Is today the same as Bradbury’s depiction of the future? No, we aren’t even close, colleges are still teaching liberal arts to young minds, English classes can still give reading assignments, and bookstores are still legal. Are we heading down the same path as the book? My unfortunate instinctual answer is yes, websites like Wikipedia, Sparknotes and Cliffnotes.com are shortening books so that whole works of literature can be read in under an hour. Movies like The Bourne Ultimatum, Moulin Rouge, and Sin City give us no time to stop and think about what’s going on while we watch them. And I’ve heard too many of my friends say they only read when they have to.

To conclude, reading is a blessing of the people that writers give to us. Although our fast-paced lifestyle is fun and a part of our culture, I think that we need to begin reading more to add texture to our lives. As Professor Faber says “Do you know why books such as this are so important? Because they have quality.” And what does the word quality mean? To me it means texture. This book has pores.” (Faber, 83) If we could add texture to our lives and still appreciate roller coasters, violent video games, and high-speed action movies, I think the world would be a better place. That would define the paradise of having your cake and eating it too.