Sunday, September 9, 2018

Mother of Invention - with new storylines

BREAKING NEWS! Jungle Red Writers win the Anthony Award for Best Online Content! Announced last night at Bouchercon 2018.

For a blast from the past, have a look at our very first Jungle Red Writers blog entry, March 22, 2007(!!) entitled, appropriately enough, "On First Efforts." It was Hank and Hallie and other early Reds, Rosemary Harris and Jan Brogan.


HALLIE EPHRON: Something a little different today... science fiction. I grew up as a huge fan, starting with A Wrinkle in Time, going on to The Day of the Triffids, Stranger in a Strange Land, Slaughterhouse Five, Sarah Canary, The Martian Chronicle… And of course television shows like The Twilight Zone and Star Trek and  I Robot. (I also have a soft spot for The Tick.)

Today we’re hosting some of the authors of a new anthology of sci-fi short stories that explode gender stereotypes. Mother of Invention editor Tansy Rayner Roberts puts it this way:  
"We hope readers of Mother of Invention are inspired to explore new and innovative Artificial Intelligence storylines that go beyond the old-fashioned trope of ‘straight white cis-man as lone genius, creates woman as robot body or computer voice." 
The collection is published by Australian publishing house, Twelfth Planet Press, and funded by a Kickstarter campaign. A quote on the book cover says the stories it take the “familiar tropes of mad science and the creation of artificial life get turned on their heads in the most gloriously feminist way.”

I asked the authors to talk about their short story, what inspired it, and whether there’s a a mystery in it? 

“Fata Morgana”
An old woman walks out of the desert encased in a mighty war machine.

There’s a mystery in my story, alright. Having saved Bethany, its creator, from the flaming ruins of a corporation’s bunker laboratory, Mach, a battered, autonomous Legionnaire-350, tramps across miles of burnt and blistered desert to bring her to Fata Morgana, a tiny outback settlement in the middle of nowhere. Is it trying to protect her, or something else?

“The Legionnaire-350s were not noted conversationalists, but Mach had mellowed over time. She was proud of the way it had deduced for itself that words had power, sometimes more than firepower itself. But nothing she could say would stop it walking. Not this time. Not until the machine believed them safe.”

I write a lot of science fiction set in climate change-ravaged near futures where technology is running rampant, largely because I don’t think any of it is science fiction. I think this is exactly where we’re headed. My story explores collaboration despite diversity: three disparate characters doing what they can to make a difference in the world: an aged, disallusioned scientist, an evolving robot and a young woman surrounded by violent, stupid men. Between these three, the future might just stand a chance. 

“Mother, Mother, will you play with me?”
My room is bright and all my toys are here, even the ones Mother thinks I’ve outgrown.

I am a toy collector, and I can track my childhood back through well-loved things, charting the way I played with and loved them through the patterns of ware.  When approaching "Mother, Mother, Will You Play With Me?" I looked to the toys, and the way they kept a record no one else could see.  

There's a mystery in the story, absolutely, but it's not central; it informs the shape of the story, rather than directing it completely. 

Rosaleen Love
“Bright Shores”
This is the story of how Mei lived her life and met her death, and the story of what came after. She was our mother of re-invention. On this day, the day of the spring equinox, we meet to honour her life on earth, and her brave passing to brighter shores.
  
The idea came from a random item on the news. It was reported, in a straightforward manner, that two robots sent into a nuclear disaster zone had ‘died’. They ‘lived’ long enough to beam out images of the destruction, before being destroyed by radiation. If the robots have died, how then, might they have lived, in their previous lives? And as for the life to come, what might that be? 

The mystery at the heart of the story is the cosmic mystery of existence.

HALLIE: Are you a sci-fi fan? What are you reading and watching today?
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30 comments:

  1. Congratulations, ladies, for the Jungle Red Writers Anthony Award!

    A science fiction anthology with women holding the central role in each story? “Mother of Invention” sounds like a great read . . . .

    Definitely count me as a science fiction fan . . . I’ve just re-read Isaac Asimov’s brilliant “Foundation” series for the umpteenth time; I still watch “Star Trek” and “The Twilight Zone.”

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  2. Congratulations on the win for the Reds! Having watched Han Solo die last night (and cried even though you could see this coming), yes, I'm a science fiction fan. The short stories sound interesting--I'll often choose short stories for science fiction to introduce myself to new-to-me authors. And who was it who said that there's a mystery at the heart of every story?

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    1. I like to think that, at the very least, there's a secret at the heart of every story. Some kind of twist. With a short story, I often don't see it until I've read the story and then go back and read the story's title.

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  3. I read less SF now than I did thirty years ago, but yes, I'm a fan. I always liked the way the genre opened up new horizons and invited me to think about the world I live in differently. It's a marvelous way to explore social and political ideas. Often short stories are more fun than novels because they give you just a taste of what might be, then leave you to chew on the central idea for yourself.

    It's interesting that this would come up now, since I spent most of Thursday and Friday researching what Brian Aldiss has called "the first science fiction story." Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein: or A New Prometheus," was first published in 1818. Even back then women were writing about creating new life in other-than-traditional ways. This new anthology sounds like fun.

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    1. Gigi, research? Are you writing a "frankenstein-ish" story?

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    2. Not this time. I'm researching program notes for our October concert, where we will play a live score under the classic 1931 Frankenstein film. Since we get a lot of students in our audience, and since the young ladies don't usually find many role models among the male composers I profile, I thought I'd pointi out that this immortal monster was created by an 18-year-old girl.

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  4. Congratulations to the JRW for winning the Anthony Award! Well deserved I say. This remains the only book related blog that I read on a daily basis. It is usually one of the very first sites that I visit when I turn the computer on in the morning.

    Between the writers and the community posters, this has become a place I really look forward to coming to each day. And to get to meet you all and chat, however briefly, about the books you write or the books that we've read or want to read has been the cherry on top of the hot fudge sundae. Even if all the authors and books you've introduced me to will likely lead to bankruptcy. LOL!


    As for sci-fi stuff, I'm not reading much of that anymore. I used to read a lot but other than the Honor Harrington universe stories by David Weber and the various Star Trek prose novel TV tie-in novels, science fiction has disappeared from my reading interests (unless we count comic books as well).


    Still watching stuff on TV and going to movies though. Firefly, Babylon 5, Star Trek, Star Wars, Farscape, Doctor Who and many more.

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    1. Avatar! Ready Player 1! Men in Black! Black Panther!

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    2. Black Panther was a great movie. But I don't consider that science fiction. That's "superhero movie" genre for me.

      As for the other stuff you mentioned, I saw and liked the first Men In Black movie, but not the other and didn't watch Avatar or Ready Player 1 as they didn't appeal to me.

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  5. Congratulations to the Jungle Red Writers! The Anthony Award! So, sci-fi. Until you asked the question I don't think I realized that I'm a visual consumer of sci-fi. I love the television shows and I'm there at all the movies. I appreciate the heads up on the anthology. Again, Congratulations.

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  6. CONGRATULATIONS REDS!!!!!! I'm so excited about your win! This blog is one of the most enjoyable things on the internet for me, and it gives me pleasure every day. I feel a surprisingly personal thrill on all of your behalf.

    I have always been a fan of sci-fi, and especially of science fantasy, but I don't read it very often any more. I can't put my finger on a reason why. But I do agree with several earlier posters that sci-fi lends itself especially well to the short story. Also like others, I still enjoy a good sci-fi movie or tv show, and consume those a lot more often than sci-fi books these days.

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  7. JRW did very well this year at Bouchercon!

    When I was growing up I did read a lot of science fiction, although I don’t remember any of the titles. When I was twelve years old, I was one of the winners of a science fiction writing contest. I invented a planet whose name could not be spoken, but only read, in symbols. (Think Prince when he was The Artist Formerly Known as Prince, except that this was before he was born.)

    In college I went through a phase when I was reading science fiction whenever I wasn’t studying. I devoured Heinlein and Vonnegut, and other writers whose names I don’t remember. Later on I read C.S. Lewis’ Space Trilogy, L’Engle’s books, and others. I do enjoy short science fiction as well.

    DebRo

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    1. Your comment reminds me of the Oz books... in one of them there was a creature whose name was all consonants (including x, as I recall) and that no one knew how to pronounce. Baum was so great at creating mythical creatures that would have been right at home in a sci-fi story. The limoneag. Tick Tock the mechanical man. Of course, Tin Man. The Gump. There was a queen (or princess?) with a closet full of heads.

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  8. CONGRATULATIONS, REDS! Well deserved, too.

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  9. Mega congrats on the blog win!! It is richly deserved. I love this JRW community you have created. Thank you.

    Sci Fi is not my usual go-to genre, but this collection is most intriguing. I know that writers in this area often tackle interesting subjects, topics and perspectives in highly creative ways. I must get myself into reading some of it, so thanks for this introduction, Hallie.

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  10. A fabulously well deserved award!
    Congratulations, all!
    Libby Dodd

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  11. What a thrill! Congratulations, Reds! I am so very happy to be a part of this sensational blog!

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  12. My favorite TV show of all time is Babylon 5. (I really need to rewatch it). I like to say that I fell into mystery and I can't get out. Not that I'm trying that hard. But I would enjoy reading more of it. As if my TBR mountain range weren't about to kill me as it is.

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    1. And congrats to all the Jungle Reds on their win last night!

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    2. Mark Baker, Glad to see another Babylon 5 fan here on the blog! I love the show. I'm in a rewatch of the series and will be starting the fifth and final season soon.

      I've been lucky enough to meet creator J. Michael Straczynski, Bruce Boxleitner, Claudia Christian, Stephen Austin (he played the Pak' Ma' Ra Ambassador) and Tracy Scoggins at various conventions. I might be meeting Bill Mumy and Tony Dow (who directed some episodes) at a convention next month. I'd really love to meet the remaining cast members who are still alive, especially Peter Jurasik, Mira Furlan and Jason Alexander.

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    3. I went to a book signing that Claudia Christian did for her auto biography about 5 years ago. She's the only member of the cast or crew I've been able to meet, sadly.

      I've only ever watched the show with friends, and the people I've watched it with have become some of my closest friends. Not sure if that is why I feel such an affinity for the show, but I'm sure it doesn't hurt. But the show is so good. So very good.

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  13. Congratulations on your win. I used to read and watch a lot of science fiction. Unfortunately most of my authors like Isaac Asimov and Anne McCaffrey have died. I think The Orville has caught the original Star Trek vibe and look forward to the new season. So many other scifi shows are so dark now(often literally that I can't see what's happening).

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    1. Yeah, science fiction, especially stories dealing with the near future, overwhelmingly veer towards the dark end of the spectrum, however more positive, recent novels including Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel, Blue Remembered Earth by Alastair Reynolds, Aurora and New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson are definitely worth a read, and The Expanse TV series, although pretty dark, is utterly engaging viewing.

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  14. Congratulations Reds ! I' m not the only one to think that you are the BEST.

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  15. Congrats on your blog award! I do read some sci-fi, altho I don't think I have any favorites.

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  16. Congratulations Jungle Red on scoring the Anthony Award!

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