I must admit something: I have never been a sci-fi fan.
I belong to that mass of people who know of sci-fi exclusively through movies and a few TV shows. While I belong to Generation X, I did not fall into the Star Wars craziness. My only sci-fi experience as a teenager was to watch and re-watch episodes of the original Star Trek TV show. As an adult, I have viewed my share of sci-fi movies, and I honestly enjoyed watching some of them, for example: Aliens, Battlestar Galactica (the newer series), Terminator, Avatar, and Interstellar.
So, what am I doing on a sci-fi blog?
My husband is a true sci-fi enthusiast, he is an avid consumer of “everything sci”. Early on, he insisted upon introducing me to Star Wars, on reading to me some of his thousands of paper back sci-fi books. He tried and tried. I know I shouldn’t say this but to be honest I must admit (when it comes to reading preferences), I am a bit of a snob: I read novels, I read drama, I read classics, I read award-winning authors. The crime/detective genre is at the “acceptability limit”, but sci-fi, well …even the covers seem tacky…
So, why am I writing about sci-fi literature?
Star Wars, The Force Awakens is why.
My husband took us to watch the movie when it hit the theaters. I cannot speak to the quality of the dialog or plot. Not being used to the genre, I find it difficult to process the large quantities of sensory input while attempting to critique the other aspects of the movie (unless they are painfully and obviously bad). I really did enjoy the movie, but it left me with a really, really bad taste: The taste of “END”. I won’t reveal any spoilers, but I can say that I left the theater thinking, no, FEELING that… This is it, my generation is now definitively in the “has-been” category. Star Wars, which my generation elevated to ultra cult classic status, is making a point, to let us know the story will continue on for sure, only it will do so with other, newer heroes for a younger generation. I know this is totally normal, indeed it is how the world rolls. The world maybe, but not the universe! How can sci-fi have an “end” after-taste? It just seems wrong. When I look up at a night sky, or when I voyage deep into space at a planetarium, I always feel insignificant but infinite. The universe doesn’t “end” you, it includes you in its infinity. So, to change that lingering and unsettling feeling of end, I decided to discover that unknown (to me) genre of sci-fi literature. An end will lead the way to a start, the start of my journey.
I will write about my discoveries here, on FTL.com
I would really like to hear from you: How did you become a sci-fi enthusiast? Are there any stories which left deep or indelible impressions upon you? Do you have book/author recommendations for a newbie?
I leave you with this thought, from a person whom my husband says is one of the greats:
The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond them into the impossible.
– Arthur C. Clarke
Until next time,
Marie