MultiReal - Future Histories and Past Thoughts

I posted my review of MultiReal today, the second (wonderful) novel in David Louis Edelman’s excellent Jump 225 trilogy. I know I tend to throw around the superlatives when I like something, but I try to be genuine with what I like. David’s novels are no exception, and this has nothing to do with my name appearing in the acknowledgments. Maybe it’s because he’s throwing some different ingredients into the mix, I don’t know. His books really work for me on a lot of levels. I said of the first book that "it may be THE Science Fiction novel of the year," something of a passive positive. I can only question my reviews in hindsight because at the time, one doesn’t know what one will read in the future. Where does MultiReal stand in this year’s slew of (SF) book releases? At this point it’s right at the top with Cory Doctorow’s Little Brother. I’m also in the middle of conducting an e-mail interview with David for SFFWorld (which is on the fritz again, sorry folks).


That having been said, re-reading Heroes Die just after recently reading David’s books is an interesting experience. Matt Stover touches upon some of the future corporate politics in the novel that so strongly characterize the milieu Edelman create. This is my second reading of Heroes Die and I’m sucked in just as much as the first two readings. One other thing which is striking me about the novel is how much Hari Michaelson was a tool of the studio before going into Overworld to take down Ma’elKoth (one of the few acceptable fantasy uses of the apostrophed name). Other things are brimming to the top, too, but I’ll hold off on some until I do a proper overview of the novel. For now, I’ll just pepper in some thoughts on my semi-regular postings here.

I caught Wall●E over the weekend and enjoyed it, but I have to admit to being let down. I was expecting to be blown away, based off of what I’ve been reading and seeing about it. I guess my major problem is how much this is marketed as a kid’s movie and I don’t know that many kids will enjoy it, at least depending on their age. But that line of thinking is more expectations versus delivery. Also,

[SPOILER ALERT] Roll cursor over, I put it in white text.

I didn’t know plants could grow in a closed, dark (no sunlight for photosynthesis since it may have been closed for upwards of 700 years), quite possibly un-temperate refrigerator AND the vacuum of space. That’s one magic plant.

[/SPOILER ALERT]

I went with Mrs. O’ Stuff, a friend and their soon-to-be 4 year old son. The first portion of the movie is a bit too drawn out – no human voices (which is OK for adults), no real action either. The beginning sets the mood and atmosphere pretty well, but for a young kid there isn’t enough to grab their attention. As a fan of Science Fiction and SF films, I appreciated a lot of the homages thrown into the film and the plot itself. I thought the cynical commentary about fat, lazy, humans in the future was handled pretty well. Overall, I liked the movie quite a bit. I think I’d like to see it again and will likely pick up a copy on DVD if for nothing else to really appreciate the animation and can give the film a solid recommendation.