Quantum Storytelling

With titles like The Road nabbing the Pulitzer, World War Z being a popular title, and remake of The Omega Man, myself and others have been noticing that interest in post-apoc seems to be growing, at least from a creative standpoint.

Why has there been a recent surge?

According to Wil Wheaton over on Suicide Girls:

“…a lot of the same fears and geopolitical conflicts that dominated the post-WWII era when apocalyptic fiction really got started are alive and well today. We don’t have the Cold War, but we have terrorism, global warming, and a government that does everything it can to keep us in a constant state of fear and uncertainty. When we feel like this, one way we cope is by creating worlds where the worst of our fear have been realized, worlds where we can walk away if it gets too scary, and maybe it prepares us to deal with that world, should we create it for real.”

Smart guy. I think he’s right. The themes of my post-apoc universe are synthesized out of many of my personal fears, and looking at issues of the day and thinking, “What’s the worst that could happen?” More importantly, “How would we deal with it?”

It’s the essential what-if of all good sci-fi, post-apoc, and dystopian stories.

Thanks to our buddies over at SF Signal for the heads up on that one.

I was reading M.J. Rose’s explanation on why college kids are a bad market for your novel, and it reminded me of when my wife was in college. She was always studying. And when she wasn’t studying, she was working to pay for books, tuition, and other bills.

Novels were the absolute last thing on her list of priorities.

Worse though, her required reading during college made it so that reading was transformed from an ‘enjoyable leisurely activity’ and instead became ‘work.’

Although she’s no longer burdened by the task of studying, one of the long-lasting effects of college on her is that reading is still just another form of work. It ranks up there with doing the dishes, and other mundane chores.

I have heard of other people who were similarly burned out on reading by their journey through college. The very idea of it gives me chills.

Do colleges destroy reading and readers by turning the very act of reading into an agonizing chore?

As I continue to work on my draft there’s not much new to report so I thought I’d rundown the various entertainment that’s caught my attention.

Books

Old Man’s War

A bunch of geriatrics trade in their old bodies for new ones from the military, the catch being that they can never return to Earth and have to go fight in the Colonial wars. Interesting and humorous, I’m starting to see why this won the Hugo.

Ender’s Game

Ender Wiggin is recognized as being special from a very young age. He is recruited by the government to go to battle school, where his intelligence and aptitude are proven in mock battles with other boys his age.

It soon becomes apparent that nobody can beat Ender, and the military advances Ender to become the youngest military commander ever. But young Ender is still a child, and often laments over the fact he is not allowed to enjoy his childhood. He soon grows to despise his military benefactors.

Can Ender ever escape the hero’s burden placed upon him? How can he, when mankind needs him to save the universe from the evil Bugger threat?

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