Hugo - Nebula finalist novellete in 1975 Locus Award 1976
Relato corto que es narrado en forma paralela. Belle, la narradora nos cuenta que en Portland,Hugo - Nebula finalist novellete in 1975 Locus Award 1976
Relato corto que es narrado en forma paralela. Belle, la narradora nos cuenta que en Portland, Estados Unidos, en una sociedad distopica sujeta a cataclismos , donde la costa se hunde, y la crisis climática es peor, el gobierno se aferra al dominio de la población en forma autocratica, les provee de energía en forma limitada por la escasez, y solamente a remedios que son de su invención y control, el matrimonio esta fuera de la ley así como el embarazo, mientras que las voces disentoras son enviadas a campos y/o hospitales siquiatricos .
No doubt she’d wanted to be a doctor, too; and the Federal Medical Association doesn’t admit women into the medical schools. She probably got her training as some other doctor’s private pupil, under the counter. Very much as Simon learned mathematics, since the universities don’t teach much but Business Administration and Advertising and Media Skills any more.
Mientras tanto , la otra linea narrativa nos deja especulando si es parte onírica, de los sueños de los habitantes que hablan de nuevas tierras emergiendo, de un futuro distinto; o bien es parte de algún recuerdo futuro.
We saw the pavement beneath the creature and the wall beside it, heartbreaking in its exact, clear linearity, its opposition to all that was fluid, random, vast, and void. We saw the creature’s claws, slowly reaching out and retracting like small stiff fingers, touch the wall. Its plumage of light quivering, it dragged itself along and vanished behind the corner of the wall. So we knew that the wall was there; and that it was an outer wall, a housefront, perhaps, or the side of one of the towers of the city. We remembered the towers. We remembered the city. We had forgotten it. We had forgotten who we were; but we remembered the city, now.
Hay una severa sequía y los magos potentados abusan de la gente; nada nuevo bajo el sol, excepto un par de jovenes magos aficionados que parece3 stars
Hay una severa sequía y los magos potentados abusan de la gente; nada nuevo bajo el sol, excepto un par de jovenes magos aficionados que parecen dar tick a todas las minorias posibles para expresar el David vs Goliath.
I snarked, “We could tell the internet it’s impossible and see if they fix the problem for us. Think you can be annoying enough to fool them into altruism?”...more
+Digital ARC gently provided by Netgalley and publishers in exchange for an honest review+
4.4 stars
That's was fun!
What can I say? I loved the drawing +Digital ARC gently provided by Netgalley and publishers in exchange for an honest review+
4.4 stars
That's was fun!
What can I say? I loved the drawing of this graphic novel.
The year is 2068, and Pan is a postapocaliptic zone near Paris, a few barely surviving scavenging among the radiactived ruins and cultivating some rice. Aster is an orphan girl, strange to the knit community so Aster is "Un-Pan", and she is unhappy with it. Her best friend is Wallis, and they go around together, despite looking very different. Aster is outgoing and athletic, and he's quiet, and you see him reading a book (Thoreau - really?)
What's up with that dangling fox tail? In fact, at first I thought she had a tail, like an anime girl, but no, seems like just an accessory. Like the tattoos that the characters have, I don't know what they mean.
The vignettes show a story of postwar, with stacked gas masks, and tanks with skeletons inside, and the submerged city. But while Pan is a very basic and isolated community with a committee and tendency to superstitions, with a bit a problem with pirates, is when drones appear and strangers from The Republic of Fortuna, another sector with more technology that are looking for "adding productive force" (cheap laborers), is when bigger problems starts.
But wait. There is way to be let alone. They had to win the game. Er I mean they ask for 'Arbitration by Celestial Mechanics' aka Dodgeball. If they lost, they have to give up 50% of their harvest.
Fortuna has a team of professionals, and Pan has no idea where they are standing. They are saved only thanks to Aster.
(I don't know you, but when I was a child, I was frightened to be hit by a ball. Especially the fingers! Auch.)
In addition there are other stories that are happening, of a divided family, love relationships, and something about the origin of Aster.
Meanwhile there is a political scenario almost behind the scenes, which unfortunately is barely shown and hinted at with those who are not satisfied with the government.
Well, despite having many cliches from other dystopian stories, I really enjoyed this story. I don't know if there will be a continuation, but I would read it.
---------------
{Esta vez en castellano:}
¡Eso fue divertido!
¿Qué puedo decir? Me encantó el dibujo de esta novela gráfica.
Es el año 2068, y Pan es una zona postapocalíptica cerca de París, unos pocos que apenas sobreviven hurgando entre las ruinas radiactivas y cultivando algo de arroz. Aster es una niña huérfana, extraña a la comunidad, por lo que Aster es "Un-Pan", y no está contenta con eso. Su mejor amigo es Wallis, a pesar de parecer muy diferentes. Aster es extrovertida y atlética, y él es tranquilo, y lo ves leyendo un libro (de Thoreau, ¿en serio?)
¿Qué pasa con esa cola de zorro que cuelga? De hecho, al principio pensé que ella tenía cola, como una chica de anime, pero no, parece solo un accesorio. Como los tatuajes que tienen los personajes, no sé a qué significan.
Las viñetas van mostrando una historia de postguerra, con máscaras de gas apiladas y tanques con esqueletos en el interior, y la ciudad sumergida. Pero si bien Pan es una comunidad muy básica y aislada con un comité y tendencia a las supersticiones, con un poco de problema con los piratas, es cuando aparecen drones y desconocidos de La República de Fortuna , otro sector con mayor tecnología que buscan "agregar fuerza productiva" (mano de obra barata), es cuando comienzan los problemas más grandes.
Pero espera. Hay una manera de que les dejen en paz. Tenían que ganar el juego. Esto, me refiero a que piden 'Arbitraje por Mecánica Celestial' también conocido como Pelota Envenenada por mi tierra. Si pierden, tienen que ceder el 50% de su cosecha.
Fortuna tiene un equipo de profesionales y Pan no tiene idea de dónde empezar. Se salvan apenas sólo gracias a Aster.
Pero luego el juego de la venganza se vuelve cada vez más complicado, con escenarios salvajes y oponentes que cambian las reglas y hacen trampa.
(No sé uds, pero cuando era niño, tenía miedo de que me golpeara una pelota. ¡Especialmente los dedos! Auch).
Además hay otras historias que están sucediendo, de una familia dividida, relaciones amorosas y algo sobre el origen de Aster.
Mientras tanto hay un escenario político casi entre bastidores, que lamentablemente apenas se muestra y se insinúa con quienes no están satisfechos con el gobierno.
Bueno, a pesar de tener muchos clichés de otras historias distópicas, realmente disfruté esta historia. No sé si habrá continuación, pero la leería. ...more
Buscando un comic con tapa azul llegue a este comic que por más de la portada no es precisamente erótico, sino que es una suerte de distopia con 3.5/5
Buscando un comic con tapa azul llegue a este comic que por más de la portada no es precisamente erótico, sino que es una suerte de distopia con personajes de animales antropomorfos que viven bajo un gobierno que insiste en leyes contra lo "antinatural", vale decir como se dice "cada oveja con su pareja" o cada especie solamente puede casarse/tener sexo/tener hijos solamente con los de su misma especie. La pena es de cárcel y ... eso no es nada, como vemos después. Personalmente me gusta más como lo dice en el original "Contra natura". Ah, y cuando cumplen 26 años y no se han casado todavia, el gobierno elige un compañero adecuado para tener hijos; los solteros que fallan en esto pagan altisimos impuestos. Y como hablamos de reproduccion tambien ser homosexual es 'antinatural'.
La protagonista es una cerdita llamada Leslie Blair , quien tiene un trabajo de mesera y comparte depa con su mejor amiga Trish. Leslie tiene sueños eroticos 'prohibidos' porque se ve con un lobo.
[image]
El problema es cuando llega su cumpleaños 26 y le llega orden de presentarse para asignarle un compañero. Alli es cuando se le viene todo abajo, y la historia pasa a ser un thriller con muertos, persecuciones, y cosas paranormales que(view spoiler)[hasta por momentos me hicieron pensar en el Bebe de Rosemary" (hide spoiler)].
La historia es mucho más complciada de lo que parece, profecias y utopias incluidas, y Leslie peliazul esta en medio de todo esto....more
+Digital ARC gently provided by Netgalley and editors in exchange for an honest review+
3.3 spread-your-imagination stars
“Everyone is born different+Digital ARC gently provided by Netgalley and editors in exchange for an honest review+
3.3 spread-your-imagination stars
“Everyone is born different. None of us are born to fit in.”
When the heroine of a story defeats the bad guys, derailing their evil plans, the story ends with a happy ending, right? Well, Gwendolyne hoped it would be like this, not even caring that anyone knew what she had been through or done, or was she? However, she feels depressed and misses her friends and fellow adventurers. Her world continues to be mostly gray and it continues to follow the same operating laws, not like the world of pirates and adventure. Like all the kids, maybe she expected a radical change and not a small change here and there, like her friends from school who want to hear stories now. And I think Gwendolyn fails to acknowledge her parents' love for her.
But the gray men have not yet given up on reordering the world as it should be.
Gwendolyn is once again haunted by enormous powers and must jump to another world to escape and seek help.
The library thing is great, although not very original. The thing about the doors also reminds me of some science fiction series.
I liked the character of the inventor who lives inside the tree, and the little taunt that would have changed her gender by remembering her legacy. On the other hand, I love sentient trees, so that's a plus.
The Fairy Court thing provides an entertaining fantasy factor that adds a dangerous element to the story, apart from teaching about being careful with our words, but Gwendolyn is so impulsive and never listens to advice (that although I know she is part of the plot and the growth to mature of the character and blah, it is really very frustrating)
I really wanted to read the continuation of Gwendolyn's adventures, because several questions remained and the author here tried to give those answers. This has evolved in fantasy kitchen sink - dystopia, faes, steampunk pirates, different worlds, magic, light/dark sides.
However, I must confess that I spend half the book wanting to give Gwendolyn a few cuff, and giving thanks for not having teenage children. She was the epitome of the teenager who does not listen to anyone, 'nobody understands me', 'I am alone', and 'I do as it seems to me no matter what advice they give me'. Another reviewer mentioned a insighful idea about another issue: (view spoiler)[ a mental illness. For the depression. In the book the mania is put as outsider influence but still... I'm not certain of believe it so. (hide spoiler)]
Anyway, it seems that headstrong heroes or heroines are not easy with bystanders.
B.A. points to several books, easter eggs calls them, and it's easy to find at first glance a Midsummer Night's Dream (Shakespeare), Alice in Wonderland (Carroll), Peter Pan (Barrie), and hints of Michael Ende and even of The Wachowskis (Matrix)
The end is open to what will happen now in the city. It is true that the inhabitants will have to make decisions that they may not understand, knowledge is very important to face these challenges and I do not know if they will be prepared for it. Also they are hints of other factors (view spoiler)[ because the leaf is so deus ex machina with the Lady in between and stuff. Also the chick with the hat?? I saw that from a mile ;) (hide spoiler)]
Romance? Sorta. Some kisses. Diversity? LGBTQ. The inventor talks about issues of gender. And that she had wives. Puck is genderfluid.
------------------------------------------- (This time in Spanish)
Cuando la heroína de una historia derrota a los malos, descarrilando sus planes malvados, la historia termina con un final feliz, ¿verdad? Bueno, Gwendolyne esperaba que fuera así, sin importarle que alguien supiera por lo que ella había pasado o hecho, ¿o sí? Sin embargo, se siente deprimida y extraña a sus amigos y aventureros. Su mundo sigue siendo mayormente gris y sigue las mismas leyes operativas, no como el mundo de los piratas y la aventura. Al igual que todos los niños, tal vez ella esperaba un cambio radical y no un pequeño cambio aquí y allá, como sus amigos de la escuela que quieren escuchar historias ahora. Y creo que Gwendolyn no reconoce el amor de sus padres por ella.
Pero los hombres grises aún no han renunciado a reordenar el mundo como debería ser.
Gwendolyn es nuevamente perseguido por enormes poderes y debe saltar a otro mundo para escapar y buscar ayuda.
Lo de la biblioteca es genial, aunque no muy original. Lo de las puertas también me recuerda algunas series de ciencia ficción.
Me gustó el personaje de la inventora que vive dentro del árbol, y la pequeña pulla de que habrían cambiado su género al recordar su legado. Por otro lado, me encantan los árboles sentientes, así que eso es plus.
Lo de la corte de las hadas proporciona un factor de fantasía entretenido que agrega un elemento peligroso a la historia, además de enseñar a tener cuidado con nuestras palabras, pero Gwendolyn es tan impulsiva y nunca escucha consejos (que aunque sé que ella es parte de la trama y el crecimiento para madurar del personaje y bla, es realmente muy frustrante)
Tenía muchas ganas de leer la continuación de las aventuras de Gwendolyn, porque quedaban varias preguntas y el autor aquí trató de dar esas respuestas. Esto ha evolucionado en un fregadero de la cocina de fantasía: distopía, faes, piratas steampunk, mundos diferentes, magia, lados luminosos / oscuros.
Sin embargo, debo confesar que me pasé la mitad del libro queriendo darle unos buenos chirlitos a Gwendolyn y dando gracias por no tener hijos adolescentes. Ella era el epítome de la adolescente que no escucha a nadie, "nadie me entiende", "estoy sola" y "hago lo que me parece sin importar los consejos que me dan". Otro revisor mencionó una idea perspicaz sobre otro tema: (view spoiler)[ una enfermedad mental. Por la depresión. En el libro, la manía se pone como influencia externa, pero aún así ... no estoy segura de creerlo. (hide spoiler)]
De todos modos, parece que los héroes o heroínas testarudos no son fáciles con los espectadores.
El autor apunta a varios libros, huevos de Pascua los llama, y es fácil encontrar a primera vista el Sueño de una noche de verano (Shakespeare), Alicia en el país de las maravillas (Carroll), Peter Pan (Barrie), y pistas de Michael Ende e incluso de The Wachowskis ( Matriz)
El final está abierto a lo que sucederá ahora en la ciudad. Es cierto que los habitantes tendrán que tomar decisiones que quizás no entiendan, el conocimiento es muy importante para enfrentar estos desafíos y no sé si estarán preparados para ello. También hay indicios de otros factores (view spoiler)[ porque la hoja es tan deus ex machina con la Dama en el medio y esas cosas. También la chica con el sombrero ?? Lo vi desde una milla;) (hide spoiler)]
¿Romance? Algo asi. Algunos besos ¿Diversidad? LGBTQ. La inventora habla sobre cuestiones de género. Y que ella tenía esposas. Puck es de género fluido....more
What an interesting idea. I liked the drawing style too.
In the near future, they invent an app where you can raise funds to kill a person: Reapr. W4.5
What an interesting idea. I liked the drawing style too.
In the near future, they invent an app where you can raise funds to kill a person: Reapr. Who gets the target gets the money. Originally it has been used in politicians and celebrities, or managers of corporations, people with weight that influences lives and who many want revenge, but one day the protagonist Charlotte 'Charlie' Ellison finds herself running away because everyone in Los Angeles wants to kill her for the Reward for your life.
Now she must survive for 30 days, because after that everything is void and they cannot choose her again.
Before everything falls into chaos that continues to chase the million dollar girl, she hires a bodyguard using another app (Dfend), the one with the lowest ranking: Vita Slatter. For whom her work will not be easy, especially with Charlie.
With irony and commentary of our society, and with features of a cyberpunk beginning, the story takes us through a crazy chase full of bullets, amateur murderers, the inevitable killer linked to reality TV, as well as one professional assassin that is more efficient and that is taking her time (the money is rising).
[image]
But everybody question is: Who wants to kill Charlie and Why?
She is hiding something and no talking that's clear.
So a wild readhead with a ditzy act. A bodyguard with a cop ex. A dog. A ton of paperwork for every damage and body count. Thousands of bounty hunters. A few teen hackers.
Short story about John Chen , working in a small store and depicting a future society (2145) where indentured service is a thing. Genetic ingennieringShort story about John Chen , working in a small store and depicting a future society (2145) where indentured service is a thing. Genetic ingenniering too. And where Bots live openly or secretly subjects to prejudiced and struggling to find a sense.
It made John think of times before he was born, long before his shit life, or at least the shitty parts of his relatively okay life. Last year at this time… he didn’t want to think about it. Every night he told himself he was safe now, gone legit with a name and a franchise. Nobody owned him anymore. He stared harder at a box overflowing with self-repairing scarves from indeterminate time periods. Maybe they were made yesterday. Maybe sixty years ago.
I don't think the John character is going here for a specific gender sex, for him is just pleasure sex. Or, on the contrary it is rather linked to what happened before and was forced to have sex as slave, or rather that is marked by that fact ...
Oddly, he sort of identifies with the anime Ouran High School Host Club - because is an another clothes playing other-self?
+Digital ARC gently provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review+
Gwendolyn Gray is a twelve-year-old girl living in a gray city, under gray +Digital ARC gently provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review+
Gwendolyn Gray is a twelve-year-old girl living in a gray city, under gray skies, with gray clothes and gray buildings. She doesn't want to grow up, after all the adults look all the same and didn't do anything different ... ever. But Gwendolyn has something that they don't - she has imagination.
This is a middle grade fantasy-adventure story. At the start it reminds me a bit of Momo de Ende. But later some characters invoke different imagenery like the scifi-noir-film Dark City. There are chase, and ships, and pirates, and strange and beautiful cities.
☀ The good : -Fearless read-head girl with great imagination. Who fall in love with the first book she see. -Great 'winks' to other books. I mean the crocoach?
☁ The no-so-good: -Though she is not yet a teen girl the annoying: It's ALL MY FAULT that so many teen protagonist exhibits. Ug. -Pushing the friendship in romance for a not yet 13 y.o. girl is not my cuppa. Thank you very much.
At the end, there still unresolved questions (view spoiler)[ like The Collector? who or what it is? And the gray men? where they come from? and why? (hide spoiler)], so... will be probably a next book, Mr. Author? Seems like it.
#TheMarvelousAdventuresOfGwendolynGray #NetGalley
Edit: There will be a second book. (See comments)...more
Heston is an ape with a desire to explore and adventure, and his desires are fulfilled when hunters who went after a dangerous human arrive with t2.5*
Heston is an ape with a desire to explore and adventure, and his desires are fulfilled when hunters who went after a dangerous human arrive with the news to Ape City that has landed a ship with unknown beings. Simian council sends Heston and others chosen by him (3), so that they go to investigate. Meanwhile, Danada the Destroyer, the leader Tenctonese has made an alliance with General Ollo (a gorilla), and Simon The Slaughterer (a renegade human). Heston is going to encounter a destructive force that will surprise all the apes they encounter.
My thoughts: Not very good done. Thanks to a landing at the most trek fashion, and without proper reasoning after the posterior actions, this leaves a taste to Fanzine more than anything else. ------------------------------ En este comic dividido en cuatro entregas encontramos el encuentro de dos fandoms obras distópicas que fueron significativas para diferentes generaciones de aficionados a la ciencia ficción: El Planeta de los Simios y Alien Nation. Como explica en el prólogo de la revista, Planet of the Apes (la película original de 1968, basada en la novela francesa de Pierre Boulle) fue influencia para muchos, a la que siguieron una serie de tv y una serie de dibujitos en los años 70s. La muerte de los que iniciaron este fenomeno causó que este desapareciera hasta la película de 2001. Básicamente tenemos a simios inteligentes enfrentados a bárbaros humanos. Por otra parte, Alien Nation es una película de 1988 (de O'Bannon, como no) que tuvo una corta serie de tv. El enfrentamiento de cultura alien tectonese y la humana, donde el racismo y prejuicio se asoman en cada encuentro , más misterios policiales y secretos por ambos gobiernos, son temas atemporales.
A los creadores de este comic se les ocurrió este crossover publicado en 1991 , que ahora es una curiosidad para fans, donde se hacen la pregunta ¿qué pasaría si una nave tenctonesa aterrizara en el Planeta de los Simios? Bueno, la respuesta desplegada aqui no es lo que yo me esperaria considerando la gran inteligencia de los tectoneses, y todo lo que saben acerca de esclavitud y de reglas. La inteligencia y la lógica desaparecen y se despliega un nivel de violencia gratuita y acciones que despliegan lo peor de ambas razas. Además de eso de que ninguno de los personajes simios sufra consecuencias es bastante disparatado (hasta para algo tan fantasioso como esto). Hay muy poco trasfondo para todo lo que esta ocurriendo, y uno se encuentra muchas veces perdido con lo que esta pasando. Al final, lo mejor resulta ser la escasa interacción entre el capitán Caan, Heston y Elisa.
Nota: No deja de notarse que usen los nombres de Heston (como actor protagonista de la primera película del Planeta de los Simios), y de Caan (por el actor protagonista de la pelicula original de Alien Nation)....more
+Digital copy gently provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review+
{Note: If you are squeamish about bugs and eating bugs, this is so not you+Digital copy gently provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review+
{Note: If you are squeamish about bugs and eating bugs, this is so not your book ;P}
[image]
Este es uno de esos libros que resulta algo dificil de encasillar dentro de un sólo género, parte diciendo que un meteorito cayó en la tierra y desaparecio la civilización, dejando sólo bichos gigantes y los humanos se achicaron. No. No es broma. Ahora si dejamos de lado la parte en que hay que creer que todos los mamiferos desaparecieron dejando solamente seres humanos ... es bastante entretenido. Por eso es que a algunas personas les parece que esto tal vez tendria mayor sentido si fuera en un planeta ajeno a la tierra. Y claro, después en lo que avanza la historia nos encontramos con una fantasía heroica en la que sólo esta ausente la magia.
Bueno, los diminutos humanos han sobrevivido atando sus vidas a los grandes insectos organizados. Relación simbiótica, domesticación, parasitismo todo ello cabe aqui.
Los humanos han establecido todo un panteon de dioses: hormiga, abeja, cucaracha, mantis, langosta, termita, etc. Su cultura esta entrelazada y basado en sus vidas, y una estratificación social rígida con reinas , sacerdotes, soldados y esclavos. No hay tecnologia, y la sociedad es una suerte de despotismo/hierocracia . La casta alta son de piel 'clara y amarilla'.
Anand , el protagonista, es un muchacho de la casta más baja dentro de los Slopeites, y es fácil identificarlo con la casta de los intocables que continua cargando excrementos hoy en dia. Esta 'contaminado' y , horror, su piel es oscura. Su cultura adora a la Reina Hormiga de los cortadores de hojas.
Anand no tiene super poder ni nada parecido, pero cuenta con una visión diferente del mundo del resto de su casta porque su madre es una Britasyte, la gente de las cucarachas (que son una especie de gitanos vagabundos que actuan como mercaderes ), quien le ha enseñado habilidades diferentes a agachar la cabeza mientras recoge excremento y desmembra cadaveres. Él esta esperando cumplir 16 para dejar de pertenecer a los Slopeites e irse con los Brytasites. --- “Boy of Two Tribes, do you know why you were named ‘Anand’?” Anand looked at his mother. “No,” he said. “Anand means ‘worker’ in the Slopeish tongue.” “But in our old tongue it means something else,” said Zedral. “It means ‘spanner,’ a link between two worlds, like the bridge that runs through the Tar Marsh to the Dustlands.” --- Pero cuando es parte de los obligados a partir para formar una nueva colonia en el norte, es cuando se expande aun más su vision del mundo al encontrarse con una cultura totalmente diferente: los Dranverites (a quien sigo pensando como 'Colores de Benatton'), que son una especie de utopia democrática. [image]
Mientras tanto, desde el sur los Hulkrites (adoradores de Hulkro, dios Termita) han decidido expander su santa palabra contra los infieles. Ellos me recuerdan a esos tipos de la última pelicula Mad Max, incluso se pintan de blanco. [image]
¿¿Que hara ahora Anand con todo lo aprendido?? (view spoiler)[ No se porque, pero en muchos momentos me recuerda al protagonista de No Caigan las Tinieblas, tratando por todos los medios que las cosas salgan a su modo, mientras que el resto 'se arranca con los tarros', y actua en contra de lo que el esta tratando de hacer para mejorar sus vidas. Arrastrar a toda una sociedad esclavizada a hacer algo contrario a todo lo que han creido toda su vida es mucho más dificil de lo que vive este muchacho que aun no llega a los 21 segun mis cuentas. (hide spoiler)]
Sr. Carlton: ¿¿DÓNDE ESTA LA SEGUNDA PARTE DE ESTE LIBRO?? Pese a que este llega a una conclusion, se ve claramente que queda muuucho por hacer, a la par de varias cosas pendientes cofPlekoocof.
-- “You’ll need to make your own red ink,” said Dwan, “and add a couple of drops of your own blood.” “Blood? Why?” Anand asked. “Because our history is a bloody one.”
--------------------------------------------------- I stay up until 5 am for two days just to keep reading this book.
This is one of those books that is difficult to classify within a single genre, part saying that a meteorite fell on the earth and civilization disappeared, leaving only giant bugs and humans shrank. No, it's not a joke. Now if we put aside the part where we have to believe that all the mammals disappeared leaving only human beings ... it is quite entertaining. That is why some people think that this might make more sense if it were on a planet outside the earth. And of course, later as advances the story we find a heroic fantasy in which only the magic is absent.
Well, the tiny humans have survived tying their lives to the big organized bugs. Symbiotic relationship, domestication, parasitism all fit here.
Humans have established a whole pantheon of gods: ant, bee, cockroach, mantis, lobster, termite, etc. Their culture is intertwined and based on their lives, and there is a rigid social stratification with queens, priests, soldiers and slaves. There is no technology, and society is a kind of despotism/hierocracy. The higher caste have skin 'fair and yellow'.
Anand, the protagonist, is a boy of the lowest caste within the Slopeites (and it is easy to identify him with the caste of the untouchables that continues to carry excrement today). He is 'polluted' and, horror, his skin is dark . Their culture adores the Queen Ant of leaf cutters.
Anand has no superpower or anything like that, but he has a different view of the world from the rest of his caste because his mother is a Britasyte, the roach people (who are some sort of vagrant gypsies who act as merchants), who has taught him different abilities -as hunting- to duck his head while collecting excrement and dismembering corpses. He is hoping to turn 16 y.o. to stop belonging to the Slopeites and leave with the Brytasites.
But when he became part of the people forced to start a new colony in the north, it is when it expands even more his vision of the world when encountering a totally different culture: the Dranverites (whom I still think of as 'United Colors of Benetton') , which are a kind of democratic utopia.
Meanwhile, from the south the Hulkrites (worshipers of Hulkro, god Termite) have decided to expander their holy word against the infidels. They remind me of those guys from the last movie Mad Max, they even paint them in white.
What will Anand do now with all that he has learned? (view spoiler)[ I do not know why, but at times it reminds me of the protagonist of Lest Darkness Fall, trying by all means that things go his way, while the rest ignored it, and acts against he is trying to do to improve. To drag an entire enslaved society to do something contrary to everything they have believed their whole life is much more difficult than what this boy -that still does not reach 20 according to my accounts- is experimenting (hide spoiler)]
Mr. Carlton: WHERE IS THE SECOND PART OF THIS BOOK ?? Although this comes to a conclusion, it is clear that much remains to be done, along with several outstanding things coughPlekoocough....more
Nos encontramos en algún punto del futuro después de 2045, y tatatá todo el mun3.3 inmortality is overrated stars
Spoilers menores , quedan advertidos.
Nos encontramos en algún punto del futuro después de 2045, y tatatá todo el mundo es INMORTAL . . . no, no es broma. La nanotecnologia permite que los seres humanos reviertan cualquier daño, incluida la muerte, y vuelves a quedar como nuevo. -- Mortals fantasized that love was eternal and its loss unimaginable. Now we know that neither is true. Love remained mortal, while we became eternal. --
A nadie le falta nada, ni trabajo, ni comida, ni hogar, si vives un poco al garete es porque asi lo quieres. No saben lo que es la enfermedad.
La cosa es, estimados, que no me lo puedo tragar. ¿Un planeta manejado por una supermegaentidad cibernética (eso lo hemos visto a cada rato en series csi-fi) que puede lograr un crecimiento poblacional constante por ya trescientos años? Santa-mega-catastrofe-ecologica en espera. Es por eso que hemos crecido sabiendo , en teoria, eso de que existe un límite de edad para mantener una población, o se limitan por fuerza de ley los nacimientos, eso sí tiene sentido. Que las abuelas con apariencia de veinteañeras sigan teniendo bebes... no. No me lo puedo creer, en las condiciones que sigue el planeta que se plantea aqui, sin enfermedad ni contaminación.
Pasados este punto de incredulidad y siguiendo con el libro, nos encontramos con algo que viene salido de ... (saben que, ya le estoy bajando una estrella)
... bueno el Thunderhead, que es lo que maneja los recursos de la poblacion, mezcla de gran hermano no restrictivo y benevolente los mantiene entretenidos trabajando y estudiando, pero la gente ya ha empezado a pensar en el porqué estan haciendo eso, qué sentido tiene. Los indicios de estancamiento en una poblacion sin retos no son sutiles. Es como los vampiros u otros inmortales de otras novelas de ficción cuando dicen que ya no existe la pasión , el dolor, ni el miedo y por tanto no hay creación.
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Pero de lo que trata la novela es del Scythedom, el sistema inventado para ayudar a bajar los niveles de población, lo que hacia la naturaleza ahora se encuentra en mano de los seres humanos. Los Scythes en un principio se consideraban terriblemente morales, encargados de cumplir una mision 'divina' cuando ellos mata- disculpen quiero decir "gleaning" (- y de paso, para mi la expresion esta mal empleada, porque ellos no recolectan ni juntan lo que queda, sino que son los 'reapers', los segadores) -- “We could have been called reapers,” Goddard said, “but our founders saw fit to call us scythes — because we are the weapons in mankind’s immortal hand. --
Asi tenemos que la historia es presentada desde la perspectiva de dos adolescentes de 16 años que son elegidos por un Honorable Scythe, Faraday como sus aprendices por un año.
El otro grave incoveniente, en este caso mucho más personal, es que no soporto a Citra, que como personaje de carisma nada y es bastante insoportable. Es del tipo que ve todo blanco o negro. Mucho mejor personaje en este caso resulta el muchacho, Rowan.
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Las Guadañas tiene una cuota que cumplir y se juzgan entre ellos en una especie de congresos. Y un cambio de actitud se esta gestando entre la vieja y la nueva escuela . Entre los que lo consideran un deber y los que lo disfrutan demasiado.
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Since the Thunderhead has no jurisdiction over the Scythedom, it cannot pass any laws concerning us. It was an unforeseen glitch in the separation of Scythe and State.
Esa es la historia.
-Me gustó lo que pasa con Rowan y Goddard, de hecho es lo mejor del libro. It was hard to hate a man who treated him like the meat rather than the lettuce.
Una cosa sospechosa, (view spoiler)[ es que tengo mi paranoia todavia con el Thunderhead, con mi mentalidad siglo XX aun, sobre todo cuando atacan la agencia de desarrollo espacial . Pareciera que ellos a propósito matan a todos quienes estan desarrollando una posibilidad de salir del planeta Tierra, ¿saliendo de la jurisdiccion del Thundehead? Puede que todavia este dirigiendo esos ataques por sus medios, sospechaba de Goddard mismo pero (view spoiler)[ con eso de su muerte , ya se me frego esa teoria de conspiracion, que lo habia hecho él por controlar a sus presas y tenerlas a su alcance siguiendo el baño de sangre (hide spoiler)]. Pero sigo sospechando de este ser que ve las cámaras y lo que pasa y no hace nada
-En una parte se cae el canon, cuando Rowan cuando piensa que ellos no pueden morir por caer de una aeronave ¿y la explosion de fuego, querido, ah? (hide spoiler)]
-Puntos extra por los nombres correctos en la región Chileargentina :)
My greatest wish for humanity is not for peace or comfort or joy. It is that we all still die a little inside every time we witness the death of another. For only the pain of empathy will keep us human. There’s no version of God that can help us if we ever lose that. — From the gleaning journal of H.S. Faraday
"The First Rule for survival outside of the safe areas: If you come across a Beast, a Troll or a Giant, do not run or call 3.7 nordic felines stars
"The First Rule for survival outside of the safe areas: If you come across a Beast, a Troll or a Giant, do not run or call for help but stand still and stay silent. It might go away." —Stand Still, Stay Silent
Where the Nordic Countries will be probably contain the last of human population after the apocalypse or After the Rash plague.
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This webcomic works the plot in a very, very, slow pace since 2013, but the drawings frequently are in meticulous detail, and really beautiful. Specially the landscape, and the dream world.
I have still many questions because we jump from the rash illness to 90 years later, when after the isolation politics learn that the population is about 249,500. The rest is the Silent World.
Then, some mmm entrepreneurs cough academics plan to send some cough researchers to the Silent World to explore and take notes (aka to find treasures: BOOKS -for profit, of course). With a low budget and poor planning , a group of rag-tag adventurers from different natinalities is assembled and send to the unknow. There are action, bad things, and silly humor.
About the so called trolls et al, are more a sort of mutants/zombies something of the infected mammals , [image]
If magic is involved in that still don't know, because the group or survivers use very little technology (except for the army), and education is almost non existent but for the mention of some pre-natal immunization program.
Well, no supernatural except for the Mages, more kind of shamanic, sensitives to monsters and do invocations. Lalli, the cat-like character, is a favorite. [image]
The Good: Excelent Art. Really entertaining serie. No issues with a woman leading the expedition (though she is very gryffindor-ish not vey wise).
The not-so-good: I got some problems to discern male and female characters, androginous are us maybe.
Supe de esta serie por una de esas recomendaciones de GR (who knew!) Denle una oportunidad, los personajes tienen todos su propia personalidad bastante humana .... bueno excepto por Lally....more
For some, there is no more harsh judge than family. Imagine a family of power hungry and ruthless dragons where you are the fail, the shame, the ru4.5
For some, there is no more harsh judge than family. Imagine a family of power hungry and ruthless dragons where you are the fail, the shame, the runt and worst ... NICE. Julius Heartstriker is one of the youngest of Bethesda, he is pacifist and accepted that as the runt he better keep out of the way of big predators hiding in his room, being a slacker, playing games and studying online. Well, mommy dearest take the 'swim or die' approach and kick him out of home with no clothes or money, and sealed from his true form to the worst place for a dragon: Detroit Free Zone, governed by Algonquin the spirit of the Lakes (whom hates dragons).
--- “What am I supposed to do?” “You’re a dragon,” she said flippantly. “Be draconic. Take something over, destroy one of our enemies, win a duel, capture an advantage for our clan. I don’t really care what you do, but you will do something to make me proud to call you my son before the end of the month, or I will do to you what I did to my other under-performing whelps.” ----
This is a sort of dystopia, an asteroid falls in 2035 releasing magic and waking old spirits in the world.
Insert a mage girl scaping from bad guys. A city with magical mutant beasts. Dragon schemes and politics. Did I mention that dragons are forbidden in DFZ? And a dead line. As in better fulfill the quest mission or ... be eaten die.
This is lighfooted fantasy, entertaining, but watch for the girls -- they are ice-cold killers.
And Julius maybe will not react as her mother or older siblings think
“So far as I can tell, ‘good dragon’ is just another name for coldblooded sociopath,” he said. “No friends, no trust, no love. Why would I ever want to live like that? It’s not like any of you good dragons are happy.”
But some sibling at least try to help him , in their own special way. Like a probably insane seer
[Bob] “Don’t get your feathers in a fluff,” he chided. “I’m here to help! I can’t let you have all the fun, can I?” Julius gaped at him. “What’s fun about almost dying?” “But that’s the best sort of fun,” Bob replied. “The kind you can look back on centuries later and laugh about. Of course, since I’m always centuries ahead, I can laugh about it right now.”
and a Rambo version of twin: “You might be a sheep in wolf’s clothing, but never forget that, to the humans, you’re just another monster with a bounty on its head. We’re all monsters to them, and they will punish us for it every chance they get if we don’t give them a reason to run away. In this whole world, your clan is the only thing you can trust, so if I were you, I’d worry less about pleasing a bunch of short-lived mortals who will never accept you, and more about pleasing us.”--Justin
But Marci Novalli, the human mage take the credit for being totally ruthless. Oo'