Featured Post - Ninja Writer's Story Club - Week 4

Last Contact by Stephen Baxter

Featured Post - This will stay on top of the page for a week - scroll down for newer content.

Now we're rolling.  Tideline by Elizabeth Bear was very well received.  I just want to reiterate that if you can't get interested in the story and decide not to read it, that's completely acceptable.  Just log a comment telling the rest of us where you gave it up and why.  That's just as valuable as finishing the story and saying you didn't like it. 

This week: Stephen Baxter.  This is up against two stories we've already read in the story club: "Tideline"  and "A Small Room in Koboldtown" for the Hugo short story.  I've decided to stick with the short story category for this week.  This one is creepy and dark (although that's a definition in question).

March 15th
Caitlin walked into the garden through the little gate from the drive. Maureen was working on the lawn.

Just at that moment Maureen’s phone pinged. She took off her gardening gloves, dug the phone out of the deep pocket of her old quilted coat and looked at the screen. “Another contact,” she called to her daughter.

Caitlin looked cold in her thin jacket; she wrapped her arms around her body. “Another super-civilization discovered, off in space. We live in strange times, Mum.”

read the rest . . .

CAUTION - as usual with the Story Club, the comments are going to contain spoilers.

Last Contact by Stephen Baxter

Featured Post - This will stay on top of the page for a week - scroll down for newer content.

Now we're rolling.  Tideline by Elizabeth Bear was very well received.  I just want to reiterate that if you can't get interested in the story and decide not to read it, that's completely acceptable.  Just log a comment telling the rest of us where you gave it up and why.  That's just as valuable as finishing the story and saying you didn't like it. 

This week: Stephen Baxter.  This is up against two stories we've already read in the story club: "Tideline"  and "A Small Room in Koboldtown" for the Hugo short story.  I've decided to stick with the short story category for this week.  This one is creepy and dark (although that's a definition in question).

March 15th
Caitlin walked into the garden through the little gate from the drive. Maureen was working on the lawn.

Just at that moment Maureen’s phone pinged. She took off her gardening gloves, dug the phone out of the deep pocket of her old quilted coat and looked at the screen. “Another contact,” she called to her daughter.

Caitlin looked cold in her thin jacket; she wrapped her arms around her body. “Another super-civilization discovered, off in space. We live in strange times, Mum.”

read the rest . . .

CAUTION - as usual with the Story Club, the comments are going to contain spoilers.

Featured Post - This will stay on top of the page for a week - scroll down for newer content.

Now we're rolling.  Tideline by Elizabeth Bear was very well received.  I just want to reiterate that if you can't get interested in the story and decide not to read it, that's completely acceptable.  Just log a comment telling the rest of us where you gave it up and why.  That's just as valuable as finishing the story and saying you didn't like it. 

This week: Stephen Baxter.  This is up against two stories we've already read in the story club: "Tideline"  and "A Small Room in Koboldtown" for the Hugo short story.  I've decided to stick with the short story category for this week.  This one is creepy and dark (although that's a definition in question).

March 15th
Caitlin walked into the garden through the little gate from the drive. Maureen was working on the lawn.

Just at that moment Maureen’s phone pinged. She took off her gardening gloves, dug the phone out of the deep pocket of her old quilted coat and looked at the screen. “Another contact,” she called to her daughter.

Caitlin looked cold in her thin jacket; she wrapped her arms around her body. “Another super-civilization discovered, off in space. We live in strange times, Mum.”

read the rest . . .

CAUTION - as usual with the Story Club, the comments are going to contain spoilers.

Comments

[Success Warrior]

I think part of the thing that makes it "creepy" is the fact that both woman keep doing things that would be normal in normal circumstances but are completely pointless with the reality that they face. Mum and her garden keeping right up to planting fall bulbs that won't bloom until spring and the daughter trying to figure out how to collect data that no one is going to read. By trying to act like life will continue on as before, it drives home more deeply the point and feeling that it won't.

[jane]

Hmm... It was okay. Nothing really wrong with it but it wasn't gripping.

[Anna]

I read this over the weekend. It was a new premise to me - I've never thought about things expanding so much it would pull everything apart. Interestingly enough, the husband was reading an article in one of the latest Scientific American that mentions this possibility in a margin note (I haven't read the article myself yet).

To me the saddest part was how the daughter left her husband and two sons alone at the end. As for doing things as normal up to the end....that seems like something some people would do. Probably not me, or not to that extent, but some would. I felt it was in keeping with the character of the mother.

[lyda morehouse]

I just wanted to chime in (late again, as usual,) that I tried twice and stalled out on this story. Usually, I can push through, but this time I was too distracted by my environment to concentrate on the story. I think Baxter is often that kind of author for me. I have at least one of his books on my shelf that I couldn't finish either. I don't know why.

My prediction: it'll win the Hugo.

[lyda morehouse]

OT -- Rick, I wanted to let you know that subjects you got me thinking about (and which we've touched on in this story club) are being talked about elsewhere in the blogsphere: http://www.scifirama.com/index.php/2008/04/27/sci-fi-vs-fantasy-why-is-fantasy-outselling-sci-fi/

Also, you can follow that one through to the Facebook discussion.

[CV Rick]

Success Warrior, I agree that the idea of continuing fruitlessly is kind of creepy. To me that didn't succeed, however. The story itself didn't succeed on any real level for me. I read it all the way through, but only because I'm running this site and wanted to be in the discussion.

Jane, I agree . . . bleh.

Anna, thanks for joining in. Expansionism is a topic that I've had a couple of conversations about, but I'd never read a story featuring it before. The reason seems obvious - it's too abrupt an ending to successfully engage me as a story concept.

Okay, Lyda. Here goes - the beginning sucked. It wasn't gripping and there wasn't a hook. The characters were so dissimilar to me as to be completely unsympathetic. The setting was boring - sorry, not into gardening, yardwork or whatnot - at least not enough to be engaged in a story about it. If it wins the Hugo, I'm going to be pissed. It was my least favorite story thus far.

As far as Baxter goes, he's very successful in the genre but oddly enough, I've never read anything he wrote until now. For as much as I read, that seems an unlikely coincidence, but there it is. This story doesn't encourage that to change.

I'll go look at that post.

[Cele]

Argh, I had a whole long comment then it dun got et.

Two things right off that hit me wrong from the beginning of the story (and why it shouldn't win a Hugo) The dialogue was stilted, no one holds a conversation like that. He needs a continuity critiquer, in the story it is March 15th and Caitlin tells her mom it's October.

What I did like about the story is what bugged others. Maureen and Caitlin continued on with life as they knew and for the most part enjoyed, they didn't roll over and play dead in light of the foreseen end of the world. The thing that the author did well (imo) was showing varied responses to the acknowledged end of the world. I tend to believe that people will respond in three ways
1) panic and run amok - because who needs sanity and brains when the world is ending
2) roll over and play dead - because they can't deal with the reality (oh poor is me)
3) keep on keeping on because it is comforting and what they know, when doing anything else won't help the circumstances.

Caitlin kept working to collect data for two reasons.
1) It's what she does and knows how to do, it is her normal
2) There is also that hope in her that someday, someone, somewhere, will be able to use the data if it can help (and if it survives.)

Maureen on the other hand keeps on doing what is normal because it is what she knows and is comforted by the normalacy of daily life. She can't change the circumstances, but she can't give up either. Plus isn't there that little inkling of a thought, in at least some of us, that what if they are wrong and it's just a new beginning? and Maureen knowing what the messages said, was a great ending.

I am in total solidarity with Anna on Caitlin letting her husband dose her children himself and her being gone. I don't know, maybe I would be different in that senario than I know, but the whole dosing thing sets wrong with me.

Overall the story made me think, try to put myself into their shoes, but it was stilted and poorly written.