The Hobbit

For over the misty mountains cold
To dungeons deep and caverns cold
We must away, ere break of day
To find our long-forgotten gold






















What can be said about this great fantasy adventure tale that hasn't already been said? I wanted to give it a re-read last year before the movie came out, but only now got around to doing it. I'm glad I did. I first read this as a kid (maybe around 12 years ago?) but remembered very little except for the forest journey and the part where Bilbo encounters Gollum and the ring. Really glad I finally read it again after all these years. Tolkien's way of telling the story is done in a way that I can only describe as merry. I could just imagine an old man narrating parts of the story to me. There was a time when I would have probably skimmed through the poems/songs in the book. But I took my time with reading it this time, and it was much better. I watched the movie earlier this year and while it was definitely enjoyable, there's always that magical feeling that arises when reading the original work in paperback.

The book focuses heavily and the plot, which is pure adventure. It focuses on the Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, as he travels with a group of 13 dwarves to reclaim their land and gold from Smaug (a great name for a dragon). With initial guidance of Gandalf the wizard, they set off on their journey. During the trek they encounter trolls, goblins, giant spiders, eagles, wolves, elves, humans, and of course Smaug the dragon. The Hobbit, initially thought to be nothing more than an extra (little) body soon proves himself to be a valuable member of the group time and time again. Elements of heroism and dignity are prevalent within the book.

Sometimes I like to take a break from science fiction and this was perfect. Enchanting, magical, and captivating. I used to have the version of the book with Tolkien' own water color painting as the cover, but the spine fell apart and I'm guessing it ended up in the trash at some point. Glad I found the same version recently at John King. I will go on to read the Lord of the Rings sometime soon, as that has been on my reading list since I was in the 6th grade. I just have to find the printing of the Fellowship with Tolkien's artwork, I already have the other two. Read it and die.

Phil Dick - The Man in the High Castle

After I finished Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, my interest in Phillip K. Dick increased greatly. I had never read any of his novels before a few days ago but I had always enjoyed movies that were based on his stories (ie. Blade Runner and Total Recall). In my time reading more about his biography, I stumbled upon an interview where he shares his view on the genre of science fiction. In the interview he states that the mainstream wants the population to believe that science fiction is held together by greasy, pimply-faced nerds with thick rimmed glasses lining up to get their comic books signed. Although that is totally cool with me, that's not his idea of science fiction. As can be amassed by his stories, his idea of science fiction deals with potentially recognizable futures painted in such a way that is (at times) harrowing and disturbing. The genre of science fiction is essentially a genre of ideas and he really reflects on that. He takes science fiction, a genre that has an immense amount of pulp, and rescues it from becoming a ghetto. He writes with an applicable feel that may leave the reader scratching his head and asking himself, what if that actually happened? In the two books I've read of his, Dick managed to re-vitalize the genre by bringing a certain quality back. The purpose and meaning is there. The books are of substance and quality.

I'm not very smart. But I am smart enough to know that Man in the High Castle was a pretty interesting book. It's kind of heavy. Not in a literal sense, but in a sense that there are a couple thematic elements going on. I don't know what they are, but I can tell that they're there. Well, maybe I can sense a few themes and meanings. Overall, however, I'm a person who gets more into the book itself and less into reflecting and analyzing the book. This book, however, is filled with introspection. It also asks the question of what reality is. My reality is different from my Mom's reality, which is different from Leroy's reality (homeless dude who just came up to my door asking for a shirt, pants, socks, and underwear).

This book can definitely be classified as science fiction, but I would say it's even more of an alternate history fiction book. It focuses on the events after WW2- in an era where the Axis won and jointly controlled the United States (Japan on the Pacific and Germany on the Eastern side). Racism and slavery still exist throughout the nation. In reality, both of these things still exist in 2013, just in different forms. There are essentially three plot developments in the book which are all related in some way or another. I won't get into the plot because I can always go over to Wikipedia if I want a refresher. All I can say is that this book is not what I was expecting to be, which is usually a pleasant surprise when then happens. Dick painted a different reality here than in Androids, but it is equally (if not more) unsettling. 

A book with a few elements attached to it, and one that is definitely worthy of it's Hugo award. I'm actually a little surprised that I wasn't forced to read this in my AP Lit class in high school. I probably would've hated it if we were made to read it though. I was too defiant to enjoy anything that I was made to do in high school. 

Also, I just read that SyFy acquired rights to do a 4 part miniseries with Frank Spotnitz (of X Files fame) as lead writer and Ridley Scott as a producer. Sounds like there could be a little potential. 

Virgin Planet by Poul Anderson

Virgin Planet. A fun read that can be read in one sitting if you have a few hours to spare. Found this at a used bookstore because it was on display in a clear slipcase.

The title, description, and art was essentially an open promise that this book would be (if nothing else) entertaining. That it was. The premise is simple enough. In the future a man travels into a part of space that had not been explored (because of an alleged vortex) and he discovers a planet that is not too dissimilar from Earth. The planet is inhabited exclusively by women (warriors, priests, children) and they quarrel over the newly arrived man. Some believe he is a monster, some know he is a man, some don't care.

The man is captured by a beautiful woman from a particular family/caste called Whitney soon after exiting his ship. It's not long before he's asked to prove he is a man by giving his seed to this particular woman. As news of the man's landing spreads to different tribes, tensions begin to rise and violence breaks out. The Whitney, her twin cousin, and another woman join the man after they escape from a battle. They aim to find the truth of how the planet of women is maintained while also trying to stay alive and convince non-believers that he is truly a man. The man promises that if he can get back to his ship, he can bring ships full of men for all the women on the planet. Anderson wrote a fun adventure story here that should only be read if you are able to not take things too seriously.

It was an interesting concept for a story, kind of done in a Barbarella-esque way. Sam said it sounded like the movie Dinosaur Island to him, which I have not seen. Recommended if a person is looking for a good, light sci-fi read.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Well..Do They?

I don't know why it took me so long to understand the title of the book. I was about halfway through when it clicked. Duh!

This book has been on my to-read list for a pretty good while so I finally sat down in read it. Overall it was a pretty quick read. Also, because this was my first book of his that I read, it really peaked my interest in Phillip K. Dick. Even though this is the only book of his that I read, it seems like he has a great focus on the idea aspect of science fiction. He embraces these "what if?" scenarios without sacrificing a good plot. In this book he paints a dark picture of a post-apocalyptic world where Mars has been colonized after a dreadful world war left much of the North American continent under a coat of filth. The outlook is bleak and grey without any signs of clearing up.

There are 2 focuses in the story. One focus is on Rick Deckard, a bounty hunter from a police department who tracks down and "retires" androids. The second focus is on J.R. Isidore. Rick is hired to track down a group of Nexus-6 androids who emigrated from Mars. They are purported to have more wits and cognition than other androids. Because androids are beautifully crafted to look and perform just like human beings, a test needs to be administered to find out whether they are in fact an android or human. The test uses different signals to measure the amount of empathy. It's possible that androids have false memories implanted and go throughout their life believing that they are a human being. Anyways, the bounty hunter retires a few androids and tracks the remaining three to a beat down complex where J.R. Isidore is helping to shelter them. He falls for one of the androids, which is identical in appearance to another android that the bounty hunter has aiding him. By the way, if you've ever dreamed of having sex with a beautiful android, that is possible. Rick Deckard proved it. He also proved that even though androids aren't really living, one can still feel empathetic towards them.

Empathy was a huge principle tossed around everywhere in the book. The book also briefly touches upon the idea of organized religion and consumer media. Citizens own something called an empathy box in their home where they can subscribe to Mercer- a supposed Messiah of the Mercerism religion. Oh, and just to explain the title...Owning animals is a sign of status. It's also a sign of empathy to care for another living creature. This is because most animals died of radiation (or something similar) from the war. A person can purchase a living animal, however, they can run a pretty penny. Therefore, the option of electronic animals who look and act just like real animals exists. If a human being longs to own a living animal, does an android long to own an electric animal?

Anyways, I'll leave it at that. The book took around 50 or so pages to really get going, but once it did, it was really engrossing. The entire book was actually great and I will also agree that it is probably a little ahead of its time. I really need to read Asimov's robot novels so I can have another robot/android book to compare it to. I am at work now and will start Man in the High Castle to pass the time until 7:30am.

Hitchhiker's Guide

I watched the movie adaptation of the Hitchhiker's Guide the year I graduated high school and really enjoyed it. It took me a while to actually get a copy of the book and read it. I recently found a copy of the leather-bound Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide at a great used bookshop for 5 bucks. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is just the first in a series of five books. I read a review of the book and saw that a person referred to it as a combination of Kurt Vonnegut satire/strangeness with Monty Python-ish humor. I wouldn't say that is too far off.

It can definitely be referred to as a sci-fi comedy. It is sometimes over-the-top, sometimes ridiculous, and sometimes just plain silly. It starts off with the protagonist, Arthur Dent, being up in arms because his house is set to be demolished in order to make way for a freeway. Several minutes later he finds himself on an alien spacecraft with his good friend Ford (who just revealed he is also an alien). The Earth is demolished and only two human inhabitants remain because they were taken away by different aliens. What follows is as goofy as it is engaging. Advice on how to travel the cosmos and deal with different alien races. The answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything? 42. How the Universe was created? A sneeze. Why the Earth was created? It's a deeper machine to figure out the actual question of life, the universe, and everything.

I think I just realized that I don't really like writing too much about plots and storylines of books. I just like to write my thoughts on them. This is not the typical kind of book that I would usually read, but I enjoyed it nonetheless and will most likely read the rest in the series within a few years.

I'm lazy

Have I really not finished a book since Hyperion? I guess so. I suck. I'm about half way through several though. I'm halfway through Fall of Hyperion, but I left that in Chicago last weekend. I have about 30 pages left on the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy...I'll probably finish that tomorrow. I'm halfway through Left Hand of Darkness, but it's been so long since I was reading that book that I should really just pick it up from the beginning again. Have some pretty good progress on a couple non-fiction books too. Now that I have time on my hands again, I have time to do the things that I enjoy. Like..practice guitar, read, and listen to music. . . Currently listening to Roky Erickson and the Aliens. This album (The Evil One) is awesome. Always puts me in a great mood. I first heard it on a 60 degree day in March quite a few years ago, so it reminds me of a certain warmth whenever I hear it.

Time to switch gears. I think these might be my top 2 metal albums. I usually hate questions that ask for lists of favorites because there's usually a ton of "favorites" and different albums have their own personal qualities. But I was listening to Abigail in my car (it was probably my 3rd or 4th time through listening to it because apparently I hate taking ten seconds to switch cassettes) and just thought to myself that this might be my favorite album (ever? I don't know...metal? yes.) This album is the ultimate King Diamond classic. Sure, it doesn't have the raw edge appeal of Mercyful Fate, but this is not Mercyful Fate. No other King Diamond album consistently holds the same atmosphere and level of musicianship as heard on this album. Don't get me wrong, other KD albums are incredible as well. But the structure, vocals, and guitars on this album are just so great. The solos and leads are a perfect mesh between precision and feeling. The guitarists obviously know their stuff (theory/scales/whatever), but it sounds like they just take their knowledge of that and play straight from the heart without holding back. So many great passages on this album.

Baby Abigail was eating, Oh I cannot tell you!

Dissection's The Somberlain is another favorite of mine. I don't know if I can completely understand why. Ulver's Bergtatt was the first black metal album I heard and I absolutely loved it. So one might think that I should hold Bergtatt in a higher regard. While I do hold that album in very high regard, there is still something about this record that captivates me. It could be a bright sunny day when I put on this album, but still feel moved by the haunting guitar melodies and crushing vocals. The minute-long classical guitar passages are great as well. They work well to break up the songs and add a unique feeling to the overall album. Along with Abigail, this album is a definite influence on my guitar playing (as well as tons of other guitarists/albums, of course). Strange that two of my favorite albums have such similar artwork. Coincidence?

 I am dying! Death does heal me!

Well, I just finished The Hitchhiker's Guide, so I think my next post might be about that.