Jurassic Park

There is something about dinosaurs that captures the hearts and minds of children and adults alike.  A world where the past is big, mysterious and full of teeth.  I have never known a child to not like the famous predator, the Tyrannosaurus Rex, despite the fact that if it were real it could swallow any one of us without even breaking a sweat.  I was no exception to this and growing up the biggest influence on my love of these terrible lizards was undoubtedly Jurassic Park.

This brings me to this weeks recommendation, the original tale written by Michael Crichten. As a child I only ever knew of the movie and only recently discovered there was a book. I was pretty excited about this, let me tell you.  There was a time where I watched Jurassic Park at least once every month, sometimes up to twice a week.  This was only two years ago.  It is likely, actually definite, that I have seen this movie in excess of 50 times. 

It kind of feels like an old friend...

I had found this one also at a Lifeline book fest for a dollar, the K-Mart price sticker still proudly displaying $9.96.  As I picked up the book I could feel the same excitement I felt when I was six years old, walking into the local cinema with my parents to get the first taste of what would surely change my life.  Although I felt mostly excitement there was also some apprehension.  What if it wasn't what I expected? What if it was boring? What if it was all facts and no play?  The cover promised it to be 'the most electrifying techno-thriller of all time', what ever that means. 

I needn't have worried.  I easily raced through it's 400 pages in the week, a no mean feat considering I was busy running kids to school for my sister and catching up with people in my home town.  Jurassic Park is definitely the kind of book that keeps you up to all hours of the night with the promise of just one more chapter...

One of the most interesting things I found in the book where the differences in the personalities of the characters.  Alan Grant was actually a child loving man who is not at all obsessed with velociraptors. John Hammond is a lot more crazy and unreasonable than the movie let on and the kids are actually more annoying in the book than the movie.  One thing I found was slightly distressing is the number of times I felt compelled to yell at the characters in the book to stop doing something or start doing something to prevent them from being eaten.  I guess that is the mark of a good story teller, you don't actually want any of the people to die, even the guy in the movie who gets eaten off the toilet.

A favourite moment from the film doesn't appear in the book, but there are still some pretty unfortunate ends...

The book is also much longer than the movie, which is mostly the case with book to movie adaptations.  Something that Jurassic Park fans will love is the appearance of events that have been weaved into the later movies.  Each time one such scene popped up in the book I felt a little excited and smug, like I knew something no one else did.  Some of the events bordered on fantasy if you ask me, while others felt so vividly possible that it easily rationalised sleeping with the light on.

The simple conclusion I found is that if you love Jurassic Park the movie, you will adore the book.  I am actually looking forward to reading it again sometime, kind of like my rewatching of the inspired movie.

4.5 stars out of five. AWESOME!

The Time Traveller

You can't tell me this cover art doesn't completely suck you in...

I found this book at the Lifeline Book Fest for $1, along with about 25 others.  I have always loved H.G. Wells after reading, listening to and watching War of the Worlds, but I have never had the chance to read any of his other works.  I wasn't sure what to expect as I opened the laminated cover, obviously some one had once thought it precious enough to protect it.  On the inside I see it was once sold for $9.95 which is crossed out with $3.95 underneath.  My copy was printed in 1977 but the original edition was published in 1895, making it the earliest book I have read to date.

On the first page alone I knew it was going to be different from many other books I have read.  With no other book have I needed a dictionary three times in the first two paragraphs, for a start. The other thing I noticed was the complete narrative style.  The story of the Time Traveller is being told to the narrator by the main character.  I thought this would be distracting at first but the more I read the more absorbed I became.

There is something about Science Fiction writing of the 50's and 60's, maybe it is the way in which they do not feel the need to harp on about their clever technology or perhaps it is the intricate way in which they weave subtle (or not so subtle) moral and ethical tales within their pages.  The Time Traveller is no exception.  Although it takes some time to become familiar with the prose and pace of the novel I found once I was in the rhythm it was difficult to put it down.  H.G. Wells has an effortless way of making otherwise flat and unimpressive characters become a portal to worlds and times unexplored.

One thing I found of this book, which I find in many great Science Fiction works, are the loose ends within it make it difficult to get it out of my head.  To try and move on I watched the first movie based on this novel.

Get excited, people! Pretty women, an athletic hero and a villain we love to hate...

I first watched the 1960 adaptation of the book and found it in keeping with most movies of the time.  The human descended people, Eloi, were suddenly very attractive and much less childlike.  I guess this was necessary in order for them to get away with the Time Traveller getting friendly with the main female character, Meela. In the books she is treated as a child, which the time traveller grows to love - as a child. In the adaptation... not so much.  Although I cannot altogether go into detail without revealing some wonderful changes and differences that, personally, are half the fun of watching the movie: It certainly makes for great social commentary!

All in all The Time Machine is a fabulous book with a style of writing that takes you right back into the late 1800's and into the very living room where the tale is being recounted.  It is also quite a short novel which is finished altogether too quickly.  The stop-go animation of time travel was also something I enjoyed more than I had anticipated.

The 1960's adaptation of the novel, despite being a product of it's time, is actually quite endearing.  Typical 1960's attitude towards women and a good versus evil view that was quite common at the time give it such a nostalgic quality.  Almost like visiting an old, crazy and half-baked friend.  I even found myself tearing up a little at times, the raw tragedy of the Time Traveller's loss is moving. 

One hint though, if you really want to watch the movie, don't watch the trailer for it.  The one I found was full of spoilers.  I did enjoy the ending of the movie a little more, but I guess you will just have to read and watch it to find out why.  I was also going to watch the most recent incarnation of the Time Traveller made in 2002, but honestly, this was enough time consumed for one week...

4.5 out of 5 Stars for the book.

3 out of 5 Stars for the 1960's Movie.

The Mammoth Book of Nebula Awards - SF

Quite a nice looking read...

There is something about finding a little gem like this on your travels that makes it feel like an old friend.  I picked this one up at the airport after a competition in Sydney.  I was on the way home but still far enough away to feel quite removed from everything familiar.  To me books are a great source of comfort and reassurance.  Even if you don't know where you are headed next or what you are in for, you always know you can turn to its pages for an escape. 

Published in 2011 it is definitely the newest works in my possession.  The cover is still smooth and perfect, the spine has a slight crease as it is quite a large novel.  Just from the cover alone you can tell you are in good company.  I picked up this book not because I knew any of the authors but because it just called to me.  Good quality artwork really does make all the difference.

One of my favourite stories in this book is by Kage Baker, the Nebula Award winner and most fantastic writer.  "The Women of Nell Gwynne's" is a fantastic steam punkesque story of women using their assests in more ways than one.  The almost theatrical style of writing drew me in, kept me wanting more.  This was in direct contrast to "Spar" written by Kij Johnson, which is an entire story of an alien raping a woman in space and, in turn, the woman raping the alien.  I am sure I there is some kind of deeper meaning to it all but I could not find it amongst the graphic details of general rapery.  Perhaps I will read it again to find out.  Probably not.

There are stories of alternate realities and interesting theories on quantum physics.  Literally something for everyone!  Overall this anthology contains some of the best modern science fiction I have read to date.  Despite the odd story of bizzare alien relations and such, it is actually a brilliant book.  If nothing else it pulls you out of your comfort zone and amazes you with possibilities of worlds unlike ours.  There is also the comfort that if you dislike a story there are plenty more to explore.

4 out of 5 Stars

A beginning

There has always been a strong connection with myself and books.  The way they can change who and where you are just by reading its pages has always felt like some kind of magic to me.  Although I love reading in general there is one genre that has captured my imagination beyond all else.  Sci-Fi.  As a teenager I would steal my Dad's novels and read them well into the night.

Living with him created a whole new obsession with reading that I had never imagined.  I would be sent off to bed at 8.30 every night with one beautiful loophole.  I could read as long as I wanted to.  I spent many late nights reading until the words became smudges on a page, my eyes burned and all that was left was to dream of the adventures I had read.  Above all Philip K. Dick was my biggest science fiction inspiration.

And so I am lead here.  Book stores are closing their doors, the digital age is upon us.  I would like to think that people read just as much but that they own digital copies now instead.  They must be missing so much.  I remember reading books from my Dad's book shelf, pages yellowed and marked by water.  It always made me smile.  I can remember him telling me about falling asleep whilst reading in the bath, reading until he couldn't keep his eyes open any longer.  Much like me.  I would find inscriptions in the inside cover of the old books, Dad had bought them from all over.  Library stamps, prices written in pencil.  All have stories of their own.  And the beautiful dusty smell of time.  These are the things that I will miss.

So to preserve my love of not only the stories in science fiction, but also the books themselves, I have taken it upon myself to collect them, read them and write about it here.  Perhaps it won't occur in my lifetime but a world without physical books is inevitable.  I just hope that you, as you read this, realise what a treasure they are.  Read them.  Enjoy them.  Breathe them in, in every sense of that word.  And finally, share that feeling.  Pass that on.  Be like my Dad, a true Sci-Fi Hero.