fans of sf, fantasy, horror & whimsy
Short pieces: things to look out for
“an anomaly of the emergence of science fiction in China that while the genre associated its origins with the translations of western imports, ‘science fiction’ (kexue xiaoshuo) began to appear regularly in China as a generic category associated with specific stories before it did so in the English-language press (circa 1904).”
— Nathanial Isaacson, quoted in a very interesting article on the history of SF in China
The Expanse is an American space opera/mystery science fiction drama television series on Syfy, based on the series of novels by James S. A. Corey [ collaborators Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck]. Set in a future where humanity has colonized the Solar System, but doesn’t have FTL spaceships, it follows police detective Miller, ship’s officer Jim Holden and his crew as they unravel a conspiracy that threatens peace across the System and the survival of humanity. The series premiered on streaming services on November 23, 2015, and on Syfy on December 14, 2015.
It’s a familiar setup: Earth has colonised Mars and the asteroids are mined for water and metals. There’s tension between the governments, and a potential revolution brewing.
The TV series looks fantastic, with an interesting Belter patois suggesting the separate development in the different environments. The story is dense, but apparently follows the source material closely.
looks like serious SF on TV again!
At present, The Expanse consists of five main novels and four shorter works (two prequel short stories, one prequel novella and one novella set between Caliban’s War and Abaddon’s Gate). Four more novels are planned, as well as three more novellas.
The series comprises
All of the novels and the novellas have been released as audiobooks, with Jefferson Mays as the narrator for all novels (except Cibola Burn) and the novella The Vital Abyss. Erik Davies is the narrator for Cibola Burn and the first two novellas that were released (Gods of Risk and The Churn).
After the nightmare that was episodes 1 — 3, the new film The Force Awakens clearly harks back to episode 4, even borrowing several scenes and set pieces from that episode.
We get a new bigger, better (eviler?) death star in the form of a sun-powered death ray, a new father/son good/evil conflict, and a quest for an old hero in the form of a map showing his (possible?) location.
The good news is we meet some old friends, the dialogue is sharp and snappy, and we’re introduced to a couple of very interesting new characters: a renegade storm-trooper, and a desert scavenger who seems powerful in the force. Perhaps, one wonders, through a family connection? There’s a cute new ‘bot, hiding a macguffin in the form of a map.
Best of all are snappy action scenes and some very fancy special effects. Newcomers to the series won’t be disappointed — old fans will flock to the episode regardless.
Interesting to note the new characters add to the diversity of key actors: a black male and a powerful woman.
It’ll be interesting to see how the tale develops.
Woody Allen’s latest, Midnight in Paris, has few surprises, but many delights. This small fantasy opens with a panoramic tour of the city of light, to a jazzy soundtrack, echoing the opening of Manhattan.
Owen Wilson plays a budding novelist in Paris on holiday with his fiancee and her family. He’s talking about walking in Paris in the rain; she hates the place and can’t wait to get back to the US.
One drunken night, he decides to walk back to the hotel. Hours later, he is lost and sitting on some steps. An old car pulls up, and drags him away to a party. Cole Porter’s playing the piano, and he’s introduced to F Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. He listens to Hemingway muse on the meaning of love and life, and eventually staggers home in the wee hours.
So entranced is he that he develops a habit of taking these midnight strolls: he meets painters, surrealists, writers and becomes a regular at the open house of Gertrude Stein, who offers some sound advice on his novel. (Kathy Bates steals the show with her portrayal of Stein.) And, of course, he falls in love with an artist’s model of the 1920s.
Owen Wilson makes a remarkable Woody Allen standin, and you can picture Woody speaking the lines as the film proceeds. It ends, as it must, with our hero walking through Paris in the rain.
A gem of a film. Highly recommended.
The Adelaide Fan Review 
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