The TARDIS

What was Padgett Powell thinking?

Do you think it's possible to write a book using only questions?  Have you heard of The Interrogative Mood by Padgett Powell?  Would you believe me if I told you this 164-page book has no declarative or exclamatory sentences in it at all?  Do you think I can write this entire post using only interrogatives?  Will you keep reading to see if I can?  Would you like to see some examples of the questions from the book?  Do you think I will post some regardless of your desire to see them?

• Are your emotions pure?  Are your nerves adjustable?  How do you stand in relation to the potato? (p. 1)
• Wasn't the world better when the term "haberdasher" was current? (p. 18)
• If you had a loud 400 hp 1969 GTO with a Hurst three-speed on the floor and the Allman Brothers' "One Way Out" playing as loud inside the car, would you not be unstoppable not only in all the serious adolescent ways but even now in nearly all of the serious postadolescent pre-senile ways? (p. 41)
• Have I told you of the time my grandmother escaped the nursing home and I found her a block away on a door stoop expiring in the sun and she said to me, "What took you so long?" (p. 72)
• If you were given a fully restored cherry vintage automobile and a paid-for apartment in a foreign city and could have one other thing to go with these gifts, what would it be? (p. 97)
• If you heard someone say "In America, one word says it all," what would you expect that word to be? (p. 112)
• Does it change things a bit for you to perceive that these questions want you bad?  And that they are perhaps independent of me, to some degree?  That they are somewhat akin to, say, zombies of the interrogative mood? (p. 113)
• Why do "making hay" and "haymaker" have substantially different meanings? (p. 137)
• When a woman wears a pair of men's pajamas and removes the top, retaining the pants, do you find this a sexually stimulating outfit? (p. 153)
• Would we be happier if we had something we do not have, or if we were told something we've not been told, or if we said something we've not said, or if we did something we've not done, or if we did not have something that we do have? (p. 162)
• Are you leaving now?  Would you?  Would you mind?  (p. 164)

Does this all seem random?  Why would someone write an entire book like this?  Was there method to his madness?  Who would then publish such a work?  And, most importantly, who would read such a book, cover to cover?  Would you say such a reader was highly intelligent?  Is there a method to the reader's madness?

Are you curious about this book?  Curious enough to seek it out and read it?  Am I recommending it?  Would a recommendation from me make a difference to you?  What, I wonder, will you do now?

Oh Myyy!

At the end of Star Trek V Captain Kirk tells Sulu to plot a course:  "Second star to the right, and straight on 'til morning."  It seems that Sulu did not make it to Neverland.  Instead, he navigated himself right into cyberspace and has taken over the internet. 

Oh Myyy! is a paperback version of George Takei's journey from science fiction icon to social media superstar, and is a good read for anyone who enjoys humor, social activism, science fiction, and the occasional dirty joke. 

You know, I never thought of Mr. Sulu as a particularly funny guy, but I have to say, that George Takei has a very good sense of humor.  He is a fan and purveyor of the clever, the punny, and the parody, and treats them all as equally as he wants to see all people treated.  Aside from his obvious science fiction connections and interests, it is clear from this book that he feels a great deal of passion for human rights.  Of particular interest, from his own background, are gay rights and the stories of the Japanese internment camps in the U.S. during the Second World War.  "Uncle George" himself spent time in one of these camps, and he has worked hard to bring this story to the forefront of the public's attention (my only other encounter with this part of history was reading A Farewell to Manzanar in high school).  This is, obviously, not a stellar piece of tolerance and open-mindedness in American history, but it should not be ignored, or covered up.  So, much of Takei's internet presence is devoted to the musical, Allegiance, that is based on his own history.

Science fiction, cats, and musical theater.  Truly, George Takei is a Renaissance man.  In Oh Myyy! we see how he, personally, has both drawn attention to particular internet trends, as well as contributed to the popularity of bacon, cats, and the spreading of rumors and false news (unwittingly, of course).

This is a short book, but it is highly entertaining, and along with learning about the George Takei social media conglomerate (really, him, his husband, and a couple of interns), we see some interactions with the people behind Facebook--the men behind the curtain, as it were.

George Takei: actor, social media guru, activist, lover of musical theater, and the most popular senior citizen on the internet.  Hopefully we will have the pleasure of his presence for a long time to come.

What Science Fiction and Fantasy has taught me

I'm a geek.  I fully admit it.  When one tries to play the word "mithril" in Words With Friends, and gets upset when it's deemed "not a real word," it may be safe to say that said person spends (perhaps) too much time in worlds other than our own.  My hand is raised; guilty as charged.  All of those worlds, however, have many lessons.  I'd like to pause from our regularly scheduled discussion of books to list some of those lessons (in no particular order).

1. Always carry a towel. (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy)
2. Time is not a straight line. (Doctor Who)
3. Sometimes, the Cylons look like us. (Battlestar Galactica)
4. Maybe the red pill isn't always such a good idea. (The Matrix)
5. Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards. (The Lord of the Rings)
6. These are not the droids I was looking for. (Star Wars)
7. The Prime Directive is, sometimes, more of a guideline than a rule (Star Trek)
8. 42. (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy)
9. Let the Wookiee win. (Star Wars)
10. Do, or do not. (Star Wars)
11. No capes. (The Incredibles) 
12. I should always pay my debts (like the Lannisters). (Game of Thrones)
13. Soylent Green is people. (Soylent Green)
14. Some days you don't want to be wearing a red shirt. (Star Trek) 
15. A bow and arrow pretty much beats all other weapons (Arrow, Lord of the Rings, Walking Dead, The Hunger Games) 
16. Magic always comes with a price.....dearie. (Once Upon A Time)

There will no doubt be more lessons in my future, but for now, those are applicable to many facets of life.

The Mortal Instruments Series

I realize I've been remiss in posting.  This doesn't mean I haven't been reading.  Quite the opposite, in fact, as I've finished 4 books in the last few days.  In this post I will focus on City of Glass by Cassandra Clare, the third in her Mortal Instruments Series (following City of Bones and City of Ashes).  While not a new series, it came to my attention a year or so ago when I saw a trailer for the movie adaptation of City of Bones.  I liked the trailer, and thought, "oh, they're slayers" (a la Buffy).  Well, perhaps on the screen, but not so much on the page.

I would characterize this series as entertaining, but not enthralling (for me, as a middle-aged man anyway).  Having finished the third book of a series of six, I am done.  This book reached, what I felt, was a good point of closure.  I found the book to be closer to Twilight then Buffy (and I quit after the first Twilight--I am firmly in the vampires-don't-sparkle camp), but also closer to Harry Potter than Twilight (again, my opinion).  There is the assortment of vampires, werewolves, warlocks, and teen angst.  There is a Voldemort-like villain (whose name, Valentine, shares an alliterative element with J.K. Rowling's creation), whose goal, like that of He-who-shall-not-be-named, is to cleanse the blood of his supernatural/superhuman race, the Nephilim (who, as you may guess from the name, have a connection to angels).

If you like this sort of story, or if you share the tastes of 15-year-old girls, you will probably like these books much more than I did, and are likely to read all 6 in the series, plus all of the corollary works which Clare seems to be producing.  Again, this series did not really interest me to the same level as some other YA books lately have (The Hunger Games, Divergent, The Park Service, as examples).

Happy reading, and happy Valentine's Day (although, not the Valentine referenced above).