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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Infinite improbability drives, ballpoint pen planets, the evolution of birds due to ill-fitting shoes, and much much more. What can I say, Douglas Adams’ novel The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is a masterpiece filled with absurdities one can only imagine. The novel begins with a seemingly normal person: Arthur Dent. In no way is he a heroic fighter, a wealthy businessman, nor a powerful politician. In fact, he doesn’t appear to have anything out of the ordinary. He’s just a regular guy, and yet the book places him in new, weird, gigantic situations. Consider, for instance, the possibility of a construction crew coming to knock down your house. Sure, you may know what to do, but what about when an alien construction crew comes to knock down your planet? This is precisely the type of ridiculous circumstances Arthur is thrust into. At first they merely seem funny, blowing the problems we may regularly face to absurd proportions or minimizing it them to a comical extent. In this
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Oryx and Crake

K nowledge is power and absolute power corrupts absolutely. I know it’s cliche, but in an age of increasing technology and wealth inequality, it could not be more relevant. For when technology combines with the advance of capitalism and greed, this gap between the rich and the poor will only continue to grow. In the novel Oryx and Crake, Margaret Atwood explores this concept, commenting on how technology has changed our culture and lifestyle while putting forth a grim vision of our future through the eyes of Jimmy, one of the only survivors of a catastrophic world of technology. As he navigates the chaos which has consumed his world, Atwood ponders the advantages and disadvantages technology has brought to human beings. In the novel, scientists live healthy and affluent lives in corporate compounds and work on various projects while communities in the pleeblands are left marginalized, suffering from disease and lacking access to the technology of those in power. In this system, co
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Lillith's Brood

Tentacle people….hmm...well at least they’re not trying to kill us? Dawn, the first installment in a trilogy written by Octavia E. Butler, follows the story of Lilith Iyapo as she wakes up in the hands of the Oankali, an uncanny alien species, following the destruction of the Earth. At first, Lilith, like the reader, believes the Oankali are malicious in some way. After all, she was locked away in solitary confinement for two years. She would learn, however, that there’s more to it than that. The Oankali call themselves “traders,” that is, they trade their own genetic material. Thus, in an attempt to restore Earth alongside the human race after their near extinction, they use this ability preemptively to both prevent future catastrophes and to improve the humans. It is an act of goodwill as they see it. But what designates an improvement? Considering most of this genetic changing occurred without the humans consent, one might argue their actions are wrong in any case. Nonethel
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The Anubis Gates

Little did I know when I sat down to read Tim Powers’ The Anubis Gates I would find myself fondly recollecting Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations , a novel I read in high school. Other than the time period, the two really don’t have much in common story wise, but the plot in The Anubis Gates was just so outrageous I couldn’t help but make the connection. The Anubis Gates, of course, is grounded in the laws of science fiction and fantasy rather than reality. Beginning among magicians in the 19th century, the novel quickly jumps back to the present day of 1983 where we meet our protagonist, Brendan Doyle, who is essentially an expert on all things literature. It would be a hopeless endeavor to attempt to summarize the entire novel, so for simplicity’s sake let’s just say someone discovers time travel is possible and Doyle gets stuck in 1810. Considering how much he knows about the time period, one would assume he’d be totally fine. However, with the existence of magic, all is not
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The Left Hand of Darkness

When I consider politics today, I’m often disgusted by what I see. Whether it’s due to the hatred and bigotry or the fear-mongering and outright lies, I’m genuinely shocked by the prejudices that continue running rampant in our society. For this past election season’s October surprise, a caravan of immigrants, many of whom were families seeking asylum, were framed by politicians as being a massive security threat to the United States. Coupled with the media’s coverage of it, they succeeded in drawing attention to the issue and expanding our fear of the “other.” Unfortunately for those who remain unprejudiced, this type of slander and fear mongering is nothing new. There has yet been a time where we, as a society, have wholly succeeded in purging ourselves from the bigotry and intolerance that holds us captive, as it relates to race, religion, nationality, gender, or sexual orientation. Perhaps we never will. However, regardless of our preconceptions, it remains true that these “
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The Stars My Destination

As a reader, there are things you’re just supposed to do. It’s ingrained. An author gives you a protagonist, you don’t ask questions like “Well, are they a virtuous person justified in their actions? How did they end up in this situation to begin with?” You identify with them. You support them. You agree. After all, you’re reading the story from their perspective, seeing the world as they do, so how could they be wrong? Even if they commit horrific crimes, there must be reason...right? The fact is, there isn’t always a reason. Sometimes the author presents you with a heinous protagonist and, through the course of the story, forces you to relate to them, perhaps even feel sympathy for them.  But how does one relate to a morally bankrupt protagonist? What does it say about us if we do? In the novel The Stars My Destination, Alfred Bester creates a rather maniacal protagonist named Gully Foyle who, for the majority of the novel, exists with the sole desire of wreaking revenge on th
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Anansi Boys

It may not be often that you hear about a mystical spider ruling the universe, but it’s true! I know, I know… I thought myths were sooo 400 BC too, but Neil Gaiman has brought them back into fashion for the contemporary world! Infused with modern settings and characters, myths have never been cooler. Soon, everyone will be orally passing them down through generations! In all seriousness though, in his book Anansi Boys, Gaiman truly has reinvented the mythic tradition, relating it back to the modern world while continuing to portray big ideas through his storytelling. In the novel, a god known as Anansi dies and leaves behind his two sons, namely Charlie and Spider. Throughout the course of the novel, the two learn more about each other (and their many differences) in addition to their heritage. While Spider is well acquainted with the magical side of the family and is overall bold, impulsive, and jovial, Charlie is at first unaware of Spider’s existence entirely and is unambitious
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