fiction

Science-Fiction or Science or Fiction?

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A few days ago, I read a short observation about where the future might lead us or how the world might be a few decades or even a few years from now. Unfortunately, I failed to make note of who had written the observation or even where I had read it. But thinking about the writing as I was lying in bed early this morning I thought about how science-fiction or even science itself has changed the world around us.

One of the first things I remember that could be classified as science-fiction was the mythological tale of Icarus. I tried to find a specific date when this was written but was unsuccessful. It was written by Ovid, along with several others, and focused on an escape attempt by Icarus and his father using wings made from metal, feathers, and beeswax to fly away from imprisonment. If one gives this some thought, this was science-fiction of its time. Flying, by man, was not even a dream. Yet Icarus’ father was able to conceive the construction and use of wings which would allow them to fly. Sadly, according to the myth, Icarus flew to close to the sun, the beeswax melted, and he fell to his death in the oceans below.

A person must wonder, could the people in Ovid’s lifetime conceive, or even dream, of our large airplanes today that can easily fly us around the world? Or could they possibly things like space travel? Yet in some form this myth was recorded and passed to later generations and is even known to some people today. So, while the tale of Icarus has passed through generations it is still a part of our lives today. So, were the writings of this myth only fiction or were they science-fiction, simply not defined as such?

Science-Fiction probably became a more well-defined genre in the latter half of the 1800’s with the writings of Jules Verne. Verne seems to have included technology (a term used loosely), or science, that existed in his day but expanded on how it was used. For example, this work “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea” suggested the use of submersible craft to travel some 40,000 miles or more beneath the ocean. While submersibles existed, they could not travel to that depth, even had such a depth existed. Yet Vernes conceived this as a possibility and while we can search the oceans to great depths today, not anywhere near the depths Verne described. But Verne was able to imagine what might exist there.

Verne also wrote “Around the World in Eighty Days”, a time that, at least in the 1870’s seemed almost unbelievable. One must wonder, what would Verne think of today’s air travel where a trip around the world takes hours rather than many days. Again, the technology that Verne imagined existed. But it has advanced far beyond what he wrote as a novel, not as a prediction of the future. So, how was Verne able to reach out and predict these things that might exist in future times?

While science-fiction, as a genre, continued to grow over the years since Verne, one must also look at the world around us and ask how science has grown. We should mostly ask ourselves are today’s researchers and scientists science-fiction writers or dreamers. Should they have chosen to record their works in novels, would these works have been considered science-fiction? Or were they only science?

An example might be the works of Henry Ford. Ford did not invent the automobile. Instead, he made the automobile affordable. Had Americans who travelled westward on the Santa Fe Trail or the Oregon Trail known of the automobile would they have made those long treks via animal-powered wagons? Would we have the rutted trails that offer historic value today? Or would they have laughed at Ford?

 In other fields one can see both individuals who by imagining possibilities. They looked at problems and tried to find solutions. When they began, there seemed to be no solutions, yet they were willing to stretch the existing limits to create things that were better. People like Pasteur and Salk in the world of medicine who often were chided or punished for their works. People in other fields where advancements were made, or new solutions were found. Many who were successful and many who failed yet challenged others to try.

The differences between these individuals and people like Verne is not in what they imagined or accomplished but in how this was shared with others.

Now, perhaps in a less serious mode, let us move into things into the 1960’s, when I was a child. Many of my generation remember the cartoon series “The Jetsons”. The cartoons were, supposedly, set in the year 2062. This means that we have about thirty-seven more years to see if these cartoons were true or if they were only the imagination of the writers. But we can already see some things become real. For example, the Jetson home was cleaned by Rosie the Robot. While today’s robots take different forms, we can now have our carpets cleaned by robotic devices. Similarly, The Jetsons also had smart watches, video phones, and video chat; all things that are commonplace today. So while Hanna-Barbera were making a cartoon to keep children entertained, were they actually writing science-fiction?

I grew up in the “space age”. We, along with the Soviets, sent man and animal into space. Our exploration allowed us to ultimately development of a craft allowing scientists and others to live for extended time away from earth. They have allowed us to explore other planets and environments. But when we were children each trip to space created tons of junk. Old rockets and other craft that either burned up in the atmosphere, was left in space, or crashed into the oceans. It seems such a waste.

So, what have we done? Today, we have ways to bring much of this junk back to earth, land and capture it safely, and reuse it in the future. Are today’s solutions perfect? Probably not, but they are a step forward and can be improved as we move forward.

When I was in my teens and early twenties I worked on farms, drove tractors and combines, and help farmers tend their crops. When I look at farm equipment of today, I am amazed. Things that we learned to do in the past are now done by automated tools. The farm worker is still there, but for how long?

We have cars and trucks that drive themselves so all we need to do is tell them where to go. Again, something that is yet to be perfected. But something that would have been science-fiction just a few years ago is now emerging reality. Electric vehicles, not the first if one remembers trolleys and electric trains, that also have limitations but may ultimately reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.  All these things started as ideas which could have been discarded as science-fiction but have instead began moving into the world of science.

Who can predict what the future holds? Will it be the scientist, the science-fiction writer, or someone else? And will the future leave us older folks behind or will it be something that makes or lives better? I have no answers, just questions and hope.

The Cabin

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of my imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this story may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

It was on a lake. A beautiful lake in a northeastern state. Deep in some places, shallow and rocky in others. No one knew how it came to be. Some scientists said it was created by retreating glaciers at the end of the Ice Age. Others said it was created by underground springs and erosion combining to fill the ends of the valley and then subsequent flooding. Others said God created the valleys, the mountains, and the lakes. The lake ran north to south, about nine miles long and no more than two miles wide. The water was cold and usually calm. It was often covered by ice eight or nine months each year. There is a small town at the southern end and cabins were spread along each shore. Depending on your perspective, the cabins are close or far apart. If you judge distance from the line of the crow, each may be only a few hundred yards apart but by road this distance may change to a mile or two. And if travelling by boat the distance may be a bit less or even more. So while you have neighbors, each cabin can be a place solitude, privacy, or celebration with others.

One of these cabins is the heart of our story. A cabin that dated from the early 1800’s. Originally built by a person unknown, it was no more than a one room log shack with a sleeping loft. In the 1820’s the cabin and the surrounding land were purchased by Bart’s great-great-grandfather, Bartholomew, a bachelor from a nearby large city. He used it only for fishing in the summer, hunting in the autumn, and an occasional visit at other times of the year. After his marriage, visits to the cabin became fewer although he tried to bring his son, Bradford, at least once each year.

Bradford inherited the cabin around 1870 and made a few improvements hoping to make it move comfortable for his future family.  While visits were not often, it became a place to call their second home. A kitchen and bedroom had been added and a well installed along with a shed to store a small sleigh and a rowboat. Bradford married a local girl around 1880. Their son, Barkley, loved the cabin. He swore that he would one day call it his home and would never leave the cabin by the lake.

True to his word, Barkley found work in a small town growing at the southern shore of the lake. After a few years, he was able to purchase a small general store and later became postmaster for the town and the cabins around the lake. This wasn’t that difficult thing since the town still had few residents and most of the cabins were occupied only a few days each year. But not Barkley’s cabin which became the family home. But like the small town, the cabin expanded. Electric service was added along with indoor plumbing, something seen in only a few local homes and cabins. With each new child, a room was added. The two oldest children were very attractive young girls. While they loved their family and the cabin by the lake, they would marry young men and someday move away.

But the third child, Benjamin, much like his father, loved the cabin and its place by the lake. It suited quite well his ambitions as a writer and photographer. He wrote books about life growing up by the lake and took great photos of families and friends. As his work expanded, he incorporated both into books about the local scenery with pictures and more. He became very successful but still helped with his father’ store. A marriage came early, and his family grew with three strong sons and daughters two. But times had changed, and the cabin grew old. It no longer met the family needs. So, with some regret Ben decided that a new cabin was needed where his family could live. But the location would not change. This was the new family home. Logs were retained and often reused, and a new home arose where the old home had been. It was a great change from the original cabin, but the old shack remained, attached as a room in back. Most of the children are now grown and gone. But young Bart, named for his great-great-grandfather, remains in the home. Like his ancestors before him he has pledged to make the cabin, much as it has changed, a home for his family from this day on.

Future posts will look at life at the cabin and what it means to family and friends.

“The Cat Who Saved Books” By Sosuke Natsukawa (A Book Review)

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I read for enjoyment. Sometimes I start a book and then stop because I am not enjoying the read although this does not happen often. More commonly I tend to take the time to savor what I am reading. This may include reading a short passage, a page or two or even a chapter, then taking a break to ponder what I have read. Occasionally I start a book and read it quickly then return to read selected passages that I found more interesting than others. But rarely do I find a book that it is very difficult to put down.

“The Cat Who Saved Books” was one of those rare treasures. The story was captivating. The translation by Louise Heal Kawai was excellent. The cover artwork by Yuko Shimizu was beautiful. I find it hard to say anything bad about this novel other than it was far too short.

I was visiting our local Barnes & Noble a few days ago browsing for a new book. Something that could be read for pure pleasure. I slowly cruised the “new releases” aisles in this quest. Initially I was having difficulty finding what I desired. During my first pass, I couldn’t seem to find what I wanted although Shimizu’s cover caught my eye. Even during a second trip around this area, there was no strong draw other than the same cover. As a cat lover, my thought was that the draw was the cat on the cover. But as I started a third trip through the “new arrivals,” I decided to pick up the book and read the synopsis. When I did, I found something there that told me I had to read this book. I am so glad that I did.

Back at home, I put the book on my nightstand for later reading. There it sat for a few hours. Then I began reading. Little did I expect that I would not put the book down, except for a few very short breaks, until it was finished.

The book opens with a young man, Rintaro, standing sadly at the funeral of his grandfather. The grandfather owned a used bookstore. A store with only a single aisle where books were shelved floor to ceiling, seemingly in no order at all. Yet his grandfather seemed to have known every book there and where it could be found. He had passed much of this knowledge to his grandson. Now, the grandson was expected to give up the bookstore to live with his aunt until he became an adult.

Little did anyone know that this was not to happen nor why. And they probably would not have believed it had they been told.

After the funeral, the boy returned to the bookstore to contemplate what had happened and what his future would be. As he sat, the bell outside the door rang. When he answered, no one was there, nor had anyone entered. Then he heard a deep voice talking to him. He looked for a person but instead saw only a cat. Could it be? A talking cat? Surely not, yet it was. The cat told the young man that it needed his help. There were books to be saved and only the young man and the cat could do it.

Once the cat convinced the young man to join him, the solid wood wall at the back of the bookstore opened and the adventure began. Through the book, the cat, Rintaro, and at least one other go to four labyrinths to save books. Each labyrinth is more challenging than the previous.

Will Rintaro and the cat succeed? How will this affect Rintaro’s future? Will the bookstore survive? Is this really a prediction of the end of books? To answer all these questions, you must read this book. As you read, be sure to watch for the words of wisdom, sometimes offered by the late grandfather and at others offered by Rintaro as his knowledge grows. I think you, too, will find the story enchanting and hard to put down. And you may find it exceptional as I did.

“Chiefs” By Stuart Woods (A Book Review)

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I have long wanted to write a review of one of the works of a favorite author, Stuart Woods. I found this particularly difficult because of Woods’ long writing career including both novels and nonfiction works. Finally, I decided not to delay longer and try to capture the essence of his first novel, “Chiefs”. I would note that while “Chiefs” is his first novel, originally published in 1981, it is not his first book. Before “Chiefs” he wrote a book describing his experiences sailing, including a trans-Atlantic trip from the United Kingdom to the United States, and a guidebook to locations throughout the U.K.

“Chiefs” is loosely based on a childhood experience in Woods’ life when he found an old badge in a relatives’ attic. The badge appeared to be blood stained and damage from some type of firearm. Woods found that this was true, and the badge had been worn by one of his ancestors.

According to Woods, it took many years for the story he was told to transition into a novel and then took about eight years to be written and published. Most of the writing occurred in Ireland where Woods lived, almost as a hermit. Like several of Woods’ early novels the story is not part of any series although it does introduce several characters and locations that appear in his later works. The novel focuses on four individuals who lived in the rural south beginning in the 1920’s and continuing until after the end of World War II. A time when the country, particularly the south, was in transition.  Three of these individuals were law enforcement officers in a small Georgia town. The other seemed to believe that he was more qualified than any to hold the position.

The first officer, Will Henry Lee, was a former cotton farmer. Like many other small farmers, he could no longer support his family by farming. Since the town was looking for its first police chief, Will Henry asked for the position and was accepted. He was successful in the position until his untimely, and some would say accidental, death while on duty. His badge, much like that of Woods’ ancestor, suffered the same fate.

The second chief, Sonny Butts, came on the scene years later. He might have been considered a thug had the circumstances been different. He was a motorcycle riding hot head, not afraid to treat the town’s elite in the same manner as it’s poor. He had proven himself a reasonably good police officer and was appointed chief after the death of his predecessor. After becoming chief, simply disappeared, not immediately but after some time.

The final chief in the story was a black man, something extremely unusual in that timeframe not just in the rural south but anywhere in the country.  He had experience in the military and was fair to all the residents of the town. Because of his experience and a recent event, he began looking at the history of related crimes in the town’s past.  His findings seemed to point to someone in or near the town being guilty of or at least knowledgeable of the crimes. Yet when he tried to report these things to the long-term county sheriff, they were laughed off. Could this be because of the chief’s race or was there some other underlying reason?

The fourth principal character in the book was an odd individual who lived a short distance outside the town. Someone who wanted to be the chief but was never selected. Someone who often appeared dressed as a hero from WW I, although his service was questionable. Someone who lived as a hermit but was known to have a large collection of weapons. A person who, if nothing else, was looked on as odd, quirky, or even crazy. What was his role?

Did any of these characters have a relationship? What role did each play in the growth of the town? Or were all just passing ships in the night? This is for the reader to find out.

I was able to find this novel in paperback form from a 2005 printing. It is unlikely that an copies of the original hardcopy version can be found since there were only about 20,00 copies printed. It is worth the hunt to read the book. Captivating, yes. Hard to put down, yes. And a challenge to try to solve the mysteries before reaching the conclusion. Search for it. Read it. And enjoy.

“You Are Here” by David Nicholls (A Book Review)

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Previously posted on Facebook.

My beautiful and loving wife gave me three books for Father’s Day this year. Those of you who have seen my previous posts may remember that I have loved reading since my early days and I suspect I have read hundreds, if not thousands, of books since then. Any time I receive books as a gift it is wonderful.

In a recent post, I wrote a short review of the first of these books, Nick Offerman’s “Where the Deer and the Antelope Play …” I’m going to try to do the same for another here, David Nicholls’ “You Are Here.” Nicholls, much like Offerman, has had a varied career as an actor (for which he said he had no talent), a writer, and a screenwriter.

“You Are Here” has been described in many ways by others – an outdoor story, a journey, a love story, by Nicholls himself as funny, and more. I could agree with any of these. The book presented a bit of challenge at the beginning because of differences between the typical American novels I read and the British style of Nicholls. But this disappeared after only a few pages.

While trying to not spoil your enjoyment of the book, it centers on a hiking trip primarily involving a man, Michael, and a woman, Marnie, with seemingly little in common.  He was a geography teacher; she a book editor. Both were coming out of unsuccessful relationships. Both were somewhat isolated, by choice, as a result. They did have one friend in common, one who kept pushing them to get out of their isolation. The friend was finally successful by organizing three day hiking trip with several other people.

“You Are Here” follows the trek and the decision by Marnie to extend her hike to accompany Michael for several additional days of his planned, longer trip. Up and down hills, through the countryside, the trip continues until an evening when Michael meets with his former wife. Unfortunately, Michael had not told Marnie about this meeting until the day it was to occur Obviously Marnie’s feelings were hurt. While the meeting occurred, many surprises and unexpected results ensued.

What would happen next? Would Michel and Marnie reconcile and live happily ever after? Would they never meet again? What really happened when Michael met his ex-wife?

A few months later, when the man, the woman, and the friend who started the whole adventure met again, the meeting will be a surprise to all who read the book.

This book was a Barnes & Noble Book Club Selection and it is easy to see why. It can be enjoyed by anyone who reads it no matter how they categorize it. While my initial reason for reading it was as an outdoor book, the other views came through as well.  I would strongly recommend it to all.

Good reading.

“The God of the Woods” by Liz Moore (A Book Review)

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Previously shared in Facebook.

For me, this was an interesting book from many aspects. It was extremely difficult to read. Each chapter was told from the viewpoint of differing characters. Some appearing only once or twice while some appearing multiple times. This differs greatly from the fiction I normally read which tends to flow from one chapter to another. On the other hand, I never wanted to put the book down. I wished for enough quiet time to read the book from cover to cover without interruption. There was always something that made me want to continue reading although I was never able to figure out why. Perhaps by writing down my thoughts I will be able to identify the lure.

The story itself had many things typically seen in smaller numbers in other mysteries I have read – a castle, or maybe more accurately, a mansion on the hill; a highly dysfunctional family; the disappearance of a main character; the disappearance of her older brother some fourteen years earlier; a wrongly identified defendant in the earlier disappearance; an escaped prisoner returning to his home for a final visit; two investigators – one new and one who has been a part of both investigations. Who could ask for more? Or, does this make things too complex?

The Van Laar estate is divided into two areas. The first being the family mansion which is far more luxurious than any home in the surrounding area. The estate is the employer most residents of the surrounding countryside. It has existed through several generations of the family since its construction. The second is a series of old farmstead buildings along with several cabins which host a youth camp each summer. The camp is divided into two areas, one for boys and one for girls but the staff works with both groups.

In 1975, Barbara Van Laar is one of the campers. Not just any camper but the 13-year-old daughter of the owners. From her description, she seems a bit rebellious not a troublemaker but instead doing things simply to irritate, or assert her independence from, her parents. Things like repainting her room with a mural, somewhat punk or perhaps Goth, on the walls and in a color that one would not expect in the mansion and padlocking her door when she goes to camp. Another camper is a shy girl who is there only to mollify her parents. Surprisingly the two become close friends at least until Barbara disappears.

The police are called in an effort to locate the missing girl and the real mystery begins. Before the camp is closed for the rest of the summer a variety of stories arise – staff parties with drinking and possible drug use. Mysterious nighttime departures from the cabin by Barbara. The background of some members of the camp staff and their families. Investigations by newer investigators seemingly stifled by the senior investigator, the same investigator who has been involved in both the disappearance of the daughter and the son some fourteen years earlier.

As readers follow these sometimes conflicting themes the only person who is able to put it all together is a junior investigator on her first big case. After much research and talking to the main camp counselor she develops a theory which she alone can investigate. What she finds will surprise most readers and leaves the story with an ending that could provide an excellent opportunity for a sequel.

I strongly recommend this book to all readers but especially those who love mysteries. To those who may initially find the plot difficult to follow as I did, I can only suggest that they stay with the story to see where it may lead them.