- i.e. the inescapable advent of time and death
Or why we want the hero/heroine to die
[ WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW- LOOK OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]
Sorry about the tardiness of my Lake House review
Just pretend that I already keyed this and through the magical technobabble
work of slipstream / tachyon pulses / string theory
It has popped into your June 17 RSS feed
Great, so I’m right on time
I loved the movie; it was charming, quaint, emotionally captivating
Yes I’m a chick and the movie did it for me
It goes up into my hall of fame with You’ve Got Mail and 50 First Dates
Now for the sci-fi spin
In order to do that I must issue a comment on Aeon Flux, also recently viewed
Enjoyable but slightly disappointed by its linear nature and the story outcome
In the forums there seems to be some sick, homicidal death wish for Keanu’s
character in the Lake House (haters, haters, every where haters)
Many feel that the movie would have been more poignant and impacting if the
character met with a less traditional fate
I totally disagree
Why are we fascinated with destruction?
Why do we associate the death of a beloved imaginary entity with strong drama?
I was QUITE glad the movie ended the way it did
For once the Hollywood Formula worked
Although I must confess I did get the morbid pleasure of anticipating a fatal end only
to experience the relief of being left off the hook
whew!
But my Americanized desire for victory of the Grim Reaper
was dashed with Aeon Flux
And why in this instance did I have the blood lust?
Well, continuity with the old scary Liquid TV spots
If Hollywood had taken that approach it would have eased over the irritation
of once again experiencing a remake in name and superficial similarities
Plus, it would have given the film that final kick that would have differentiated it from
the current action / sci-fi flick fair
It would have taken this mostly standard comic action flick and moved it to the
‘kick butt’ shelf of my DVD collection
So I ask- why do we want our heroes / heroines to die?
Mankind in general, as evidenced by the Hanso Corporation, is constantly, desperately
Searching for immortality and a way to cheat the march of time
Who isn’t geeked over the time travel plot line that allows our favs to gain a new lease on life?
Yet what the current mentality seems to be is- we’re all tired of seeing the good guy win
Let the blood splatter on the final screen frame; we’ll venerate the production if you do
Are we all sons of Sam? (available on Vongo for your degenerate viewing pleasure)
Hmmm
and when will Hollywood head our call for tragic, startling finales?
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Thursday, June 15, 2006
hmm...All this xmen stuff
Sin City is a movie that is so true to the comic it's unreal.
Even the way it was filmed, was like the comic....half black and white with random colors (eyes, a red dress.., etc) Truly filmed like a comic.
This is an actual scene from the movie.
"an old man dies, a young girl lives." That's Bruce Willis Right there, exactly how it looks in the movie. He does it for Nancy.
Skinney Little Nancy. Aside from Batman Begins, this is so true to the comic, there is just nothing more to be said.
It's an all star cast and they do an amazing job. It surprised me that Quinten Tarentino was involved at all. The entire viewing of the movie is like watching a comic book come to life...sorry I am so short winded...
I had to post this after all the x-men let downs though
5 stars from a woman hard to please.
Even the way it was filmed, was like the comic....half black and white with random colors (eyes, a red dress.., etc) Truly filmed like a comic.
This is an actual scene from the movie.
"an old man dies, a young girl lives." That's Bruce Willis Right there, exactly how it looks in the movie. He does it for Nancy.
Skinney Little Nancy. Aside from Batman Begins, this is so true to the comic, there is just nothing more to be said.
It's an all star cast and they do an amazing job. It surprised me that Quinten Tarentino was involved at all. The entire viewing of the movie is like watching a comic book come to life...sorry I am so short winded...
I had to post this after all the x-men let downs though
5 stars from a woman hard to please.
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Not exactly sci fi, but...
I remember something in Star Trek about glass made from aluminum polymer... we're on our way. -NF
June 14, 2006 2:58 a.m. EDT
Novelis Unveils New Process To Solidify, Roll Aluminum
By PAUL GLADERJune 14, 2006 2:58 a.m.
MONTREAL -- Executives from aluminum roller Novelis Inc. say they have a new process for solidifying and rolling aluminum called "fusion" that will create a higher quality aluminum product to rival steel and other materials on applications ranging from high-end stoves to automobile doors.
But outside observers say the company will have plenty of challenges as it launches the material to compete with other aluminum products by rival companies as well as steel and other materials as cost comparison is still a factor for premium metal products.
Executives from the Atlanta-based aluminum rolling company say they plan to make about 70,000 tons of the new products at their rolling mill in Oswego, N.Y., this year, which is less than 10% of the aluminum capacity at that mill. Novelis CEO Brian Sturgell said about 25 customers have purchased and are using the material. But the company hopes to ramp up production at that plant and other plants if consumer demand -- among architects, designers, car companies and other manufacturers -- grows for the new product.
Mr. Sturgell announced the process and product during his presentation at an aluminum conference in Montreal on Tuesday. "This is a game-changing technology," he said. "It's the first technological breakthrough in aluminum solidification in decades." The company said it spent well under $100 million to develop the project and retrofit its mill equipment to make the metal.
While Novelis executives described their process as a breakthrough, rival aluminum company Alcoa Inc. said it has a similar process that has been in operation since November of 2005.
Alcoa, the Pittsburgh-based aluminum giant, calls its process "simultaneous multi-alloy continuous casting," or SMACC, and says it also has patents on its technology. Alcoa spokesman Kevin Lowery said their product can be used in aerospace applications while Novelis is not likely to do so. "I think people will see the difference between our products and others," he said. "We have significant points of difference."
Novelis didn't claim its product would be used in aerospace but cited several other markets including automotive, appliances and architecture applications.
Most traditional ingots are made with a single alloy rather than combining alloys in such a sandwich fashion, according to Novelis executives. They said that many companies, for many years, had used a lower-tech and higher cost method of coating ingots with other alloys but the process was mechanical rather than metallurgical. But the new processes by Novelis and Alcoa are changing that scenario.
Novelis said its technology creates an aluminum ingot in a sandwich fashion, with one or more layers of aluminum alloys that are bonded together metallurgically. The large ingot can then be rolled into a sheet product with different properties on the inside and the outside of the sheet. Tomas Eager, a materials engineering professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a consultant to the company on the project, said the result is aluminum with "a new level of flexibility on an industrial scale."
"It is clearly a major development," said Adam Rowley, a commodities and mining analyst at Macquarie Bank Ltd in London. "You can see all the different opportunities but you have to see how the customers react to it." He said Novelis and other aluminum companies could be focusing on improving aluminum products in the future to rival other materials but noted that the industry sometimes leaves product development to each individual company and lacks the cohesive research and development efforts among companies in the copper and steel industries.
Ron Krupitzer, an executive with the American Iron and Steel Institute in Detroit, said the Fusion and SMACC materials could represent a new round of competition between steel and aluminum in the automotive industry but said the steel industry has a cost advantage. "If they are talking about competing in automotive with a higher cost product, they have to be very careful," he said. "When it comes to the cost of materials, aluminum is already at the higher end."
Novelis is the largest company focused solely on recycling aluminum cans and making aluminum rolled products from ingots. It was created in 2005, when spun off from Canadian aluminum company Alcan Inc.
Write to Paul Glader at paul.glader@wsj.com1
URL for this article:http://online.wsj.com/article/SB115026750219379889.html
Hyperlinks in this Article:(1) mailto:paul.glader@wsj.com
Copyright 2006 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com.
June 14, 2006 2:58 a.m. EDT
Novelis Unveils New Process To Solidify, Roll Aluminum
By PAUL GLADERJune 14, 2006 2:58 a.m.
MONTREAL -- Executives from aluminum roller Novelis Inc. say they have a new process for solidifying and rolling aluminum called "fusion" that will create a higher quality aluminum product to rival steel and other materials on applications ranging from high-end stoves to automobile doors.
But outside observers say the company will have plenty of challenges as it launches the material to compete with other aluminum products by rival companies as well as steel and other materials as cost comparison is still a factor for premium metal products.
Executives from the Atlanta-based aluminum rolling company say they plan to make about 70,000 tons of the new products at their rolling mill in Oswego, N.Y., this year, which is less than 10% of the aluminum capacity at that mill. Novelis CEO Brian Sturgell said about 25 customers have purchased and are using the material. But the company hopes to ramp up production at that plant and other plants if consumer demand -- among architects, designers, car companies and other manufacturers -- grows for the new product.
Mr. Sturgell announced the process and product during his presentation at an aluminum conference in Montreal on Tuesday. "This is a game-changing technology," he said. "It's the first technological breakthrough in aluminum solidification in decades." The company said it spent well under $100 million to develop the project and retrofit its mill equipment to make the metal.
While Novelis executives described their process as a breakthrough, rival aluminum company Alcoa Inc. said it has a similar process that has been in operation since November of 2005.
Alcoa, the Pittsburgh-based aluminum giant, calls its process "simultaneous multi-alloy continuous casting," or SMACC, and says it also has patents on its technology. Alcoa spokesman Kevin Lowery said their product can be used in aerospace applications while Novelis is not likely to do so. "I think people will see the difference between our products and others," he said. "We have significant points of difference."
Novelis didn't claim its product would be used in aerospace but cited several other markets including automotive, appliances and architecture applications.
Most traditional ingots are made with a single alloy rather than combining alloys in such a sandwich fashion, according to Novelis executives. They said that many companies, for many years, had used a lower-tech and higher cost method of coating ingots with other alloys but the process was mechanical rather than metallurgical. But the new processes by Novelis and Alcoa are changing that scenario.
Novelis said its technology creates an aluminum ingot in a sandwich fashion, with one or more layers of aluminum alloys that are bonded together metallurgically. The large ingot can then be rolled into a sheet product with different properties on the inside and the outside of the sheet. Tomas Eager, a materials engineering professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a consultant to the company on the project, said the result is aluminum with "a new level of flexibility on an industrial scale."
"It is clearly a major development," said Adam Rowley, a commodities and mining analyst at Macquarie Bank Ltd in London. "You can see all the different opportunities but you have to see how the customers react to it." He said Novelis and other aluminum companies could be focusing on improving aluminum products in the future to rival other materials but noted that the industry sometimes leaves product development to each individual company and lacks the cohesive research and development efforts among companies in the copper and steel industries.
Ron Krupitzer, an executive with the American Iron and Steel Institute in Detroit, said the Fusion and SMACC materials could represent a new round of competition between steel and aluminum in the automotive industry but said the steel industry has a cost advantage. "If they are talking about competing in automotive with a higher cost product, they have to be very careful," he said. "When it comes to the cost of materials, aluminum is already at the higher end."
Novelis is the largest company focused solely on recycling aluminum cans and making aluminum rolled products from ingots. It was created in 2005, when spun off from Canadian aluminum company Alcan Inc.
Write to Paul Glader at paul.glader@wsj.com1
URL for this article:http://online.wsj.com/article/SB115026750219379889.html
Hyperlinks in this Article:(1) mailto:paul.glader@wsj.com
Copyright 2006 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com.
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Deepness in the Sky
Vinge is one of those writers that rewards readers who pay attention to small details. He gives enough subtle clues to make you think that something could be a possibility before he springs it on you. The effect does not make the novel seem predictable though. It makes you feel rewarded for your attention. Deepness centers around two spacing groups emerging simultaneously on a strange spider planet in orbit around a star with a dormancy cycle. One of the groups ambushes the other which leads to both fleets being almost totally destroyed. Meanwhile on the planet, the spiders are going through an information age. There are two superpowers on the planet and they are played against each other in a U.S./Russia cold war type scenario. The book is long but fairly quick once you get into it. It is well written and the characterizations are well done. The alien spider species first person lulls the reader into a comfortable acceptance of the species, and the humanoid view, presented later in the story, revulses the reader. This revulsion is also seen in the humanoid character as well that mirrors the readers. If you enjoy space operas, you will enjoy this book. You will also enjoy this book if you just like a great story told exceptionally well. This book does contain some violence and some sexuality, but neither is graphic.
Monday, June 05, 2006
X-Men Shmex-men
SPOILERS IN HERE, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
Yeah, I said it. Not anyone would be so severe in his taunting of a movie.
Okay, so it's not that severe, shhh.
I saw X-Men 3 Sunday 6/4/06. My reaction - ehh. It was okay. It had plenty of action, but that isn't usually a problem for Hollywood. Something was wrong with the character development. I don't have my crit totally nailed yet, but I'm working through it as I type.
Jean Gray felt kind of wrong to me. JG was designed as multiple personality. It seems to me JG was more powerful thane before, but lacked control. Phoenix had power and control but she was all Id, no ethics. JG/P killed Scott for no apparent reason. JG would have been loss of control & therefore I'd have liked to see more remorse. If Phoenix killed him, why? Killing Scott to get him out of the way to mess around with Logan makes no sense, because if you are all Id you don't care about propriety and would have 2 or more men you mess around with.
I can understand JG killing Prof X, given the blockages and Phoenix resentment, so I'll let that slide. Although I don't know if I like it.
JG disappears and Phoenix seems to be in control after joining with Magneto. Phoenix acts like a zombie who exists to use her power alone. This is not consistent with Phoenix as Id/hedonist. It is just blankness. When Phoenix is blank she is kind of like Akira from the anime/manga of the same name. Akira has a certain vacancy about him. But Phoenix seems to flip back to Id mode sometimes (angry/destructive/self-gratifying) much like Tetsuo from Akira. Id chick and blank chick are not the same type of person. Either her power has vacated her psyche or she expresses her most petty desires. Flipping back and forth makes no sense to me. I don't even understand why she bothered to go with Magneto. She could just spend the rest of her life in siteseeing, partying and making a palace out of gold. Or she could try and take over the world rather directly not as Magneto's tool. She is either magnified desire or she is pliable, she cannot be both.
I also would have liked JG to more gradually lose control. I think a weird slow revelation of JG going evil would have been better. More work for Famke Janssen internally. She always played JG a lil flat, like she doesn't really get her. Maybe this would have given her more character to grab onto.
Other minor problems...
Magneto busts the whole bridge and moves it, when it would have been easier to steal a bunch of cars or a large boat and float it over there. Why do the bridge thing? I would think structurally it would have fallen apart the second he let go his magnetic control. Bad idea to me. Dramatic, but silly. Secondly, it was daylight in the beginning of the stretch and night by the time the bridge was in place. Either - A. they messed up continuity, or B. Magneto is an idiot - 1 ocean liner floating there would be quicker & give authorities less time to nuke alcatraz.
Colossus, who is my fave and a fricking tank was basically ignored. He could have had a few more ploughing through some badguys. A Colossus Juggernaut battle would have been nice with Kitty saving the day, maybe. I dunno.
I like Halle Berry generally, but I think she was miscast. I think Angela Bassett or Iman were more the vibe of Storm than she. Although, they themselves may have been too old to play the parts, someone like them would be better. I liked this wig the best so far, but would have preferred some funky white locks and a lil bit weird looking eyes (white iris contacts maybe).
Miscasting can be a major factor. Do you think Christopher Walken, Al Pacino, or Robert Deniro would be able to do Prof X seriously? But they are good actors. I think Halle Berry is in the same boat, although not necessarily as good as those guys.
That's my 2 cents
Yeah, I said it. Not anyone would be so severe in his taunting of a movie.
Okay, so it's not that severe, shhh.
I saw X-Men 3 Sunday 6/4/06. My reaction - ehh. It was okay. It had plenty of action, but that isn't usually a problem for Hollywood. Something was wrong with the character development. I don't have my crit totally nailed yet, but I'm working through it as I type.
Jean Gray felt kind of wrong to me. JG was designed as multiple personality. It seems to me JG was more powerful thane before, but lacked control. Phoenix had power and control but she was all Id, no ethics. JG/P killed Scott for no apparent reason. JG would have been loss of control & therefore I'd have liked to see more remorse. If Phoenix killed him, why? Killing Scott to get him out of the way to mess around with Logan makes no sense, because if you are all Id you don't care about propriety and would have 2 or more men you mess around with.
I can understand JG killing Prof X, given the blockages and Phoenix resentment, so I'll let that slide. Although I don't know if I like it.
JG disappears and Phoenix seems to be in control after joining with Magneto. Phoenix acts like a zombie who exists to use her power alone. This is not consistent with Phoenix as Id/hedonist. It is just blankness. When Phoenix is blank she is kind of like Akira from the anime/manga of the same name. Akira has a certain vacancy about him. But Phoenix seems to flip back to Id mode sometimes (angry/destructive/self-gratifying) much like Tetsuo from Akira. Id chick and blank chick are not the same type of person. Either her power has vacated her psyche or she expresses her most petty desires. Flipping back and forth makes no sense to me. I don't even understand why she bothered to go with Magneto. She could just spend the rest of her life in siteseeing, partying and making a palace out of gold. Or she could try and take over the world rather directly not as Magneto's tool. She is either magnified desire or she is pliable, she cannot be both.
I also would have liked JG to more gradually lose control. I think a weird slow revelation of JG going evil would have been better. More work for Famke Janssen internally. She always played JG a lil flat, like she doesn't really get her. Maybe this would have given her more character to grab onto.
Other minor problems...
Magneto busts the whole bridge and moves it, when it would have been easier to steal a bunch of cars or a large boat and float it over there. Why do the bridge thing? I would think structurally it would have fallen apart the second he let go his magnetic control. Bad idea to me. Dramatic, but silly. Secondly, it was daylight in the beginning of the stretch and night by the time the bridge was in place. Either - A. they messed up continuity, or B. Magneto is an idiot - 1 ocean liner floating there would be quicker & give authorities less time to nuke alcatraz.
Colossus, who is my fave and a fricking tank was basically ignored. He could have had a few more ploughing through some badguys. A Colossus Juggernaut battle would have been nice with Kitty saving the day, maybe. I dunno.
I like Halle Berry generally, but I think she was miscast. I think Angela Bassett or Iman were more the vibe of Storm than she. Although, they themselves may have been too old to play the parts, someone like them would be better. I liked this wig the best so far, but would have preferred some funky white locks and a lil bit weird looking eyes (white iris contacts maybe).
Miscasting can be a major factor. Do you think Christopher Walken, Al Pacino, or Robert Deniro would be able to do Prof X seriously? But they are good actors. I think Halle Berry is in the same boat, although not necessarily as good as those guys.
That's my 2 cents
Thursday, June 01, 2006
The Paratwa Trilogy
The Paratwa Trilogy was one of my favorite science fiction trilogies. It is a bit dystopian and is quite a bit like an action/intrigue series, but its just a great ride. It is one of the most underrated series in my humble opinion. Here are some quick summaries & a couple reviews I've found on the net. The plot has many ins and outs, but I don't really want to ruin it for you if you pick it up.
Liege-Killer [Book 1 of the Paratwa Trilogy] by Christopher Hinz
Two hundred years after a nuclear apocalypse forced humanity to flee earth, humans still remember the most feared warriors of that planet--the Paratwa, genetically modified killers who occupy two bodies controlled by one vicious mind. The legendary Paratwa named Reemul and known as the Liege-Killer was the strongest of them all. Now someone has revived Reemul from stasis and sent him to terrorize the peaceful orbital colonies of earth. Is this an isolated incident, or has the one who unleashed this terrible power announced a gambit for control over the entire human race? (Published: 1987)
Ash Ock [Book 2 of the Paratwa Trilogy] by Christopher Hinz
A quarter of a millennium ago, before the nuclear apocalypse forced the inhabitants of earth to flee their home planet, few humans could have imagined the course their path would take. Now, the orbital colonies are the final sanctuary of humanity and life is more dangerous than ever before. The colonists fear the return of their dreaded enemies, the Paratwa--ferocious warriors who are genetically engineered to exist in two bodies, which remain telepathically connected. The new generation of Paratwa is far deadlier than the old, forming a powerful caste of fighter known as the Ash Ock. A mysterious virus infecting the humans database signals the return of their most feared enemies? (Published: 1989)
The Paratwa [Book 3 of the Paratwa Trilogy] by Christopher Hinz
The third novel from award-winning novelist Christopher Hinz. Beginning where the critically acclaimed Liege-Killer and Ash Ock end, The Paratwa chronicles the lives of the Irryan colonists as they prepare for the imminent attack of the fierce and vicious Paratwa assassins. Facing the threat of their dark enemies, an Irryan named Gillian must also cope with his inner turmoil, as the madness of his nature threatens to consume his life. He discovers that he is a genetically modified creature whose purpose is to serve the needs of others, and the course of his destiny is not in his own hands. (Published: 1990)
http://www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/Series6.htm
REVIEW
Title: The Paratwa Trilogy (Liege-Killer, Ash-Ock, and The Paratwa)Author: Christopher Hinz Publisher: St. Martin's PressISBN: 0-312-00065-0/0-312-03291-9/0-312-05489-0Price: $19.95/$18.95/$19.95
Reviewed By: Lawrence Person
Now here's proof positive that any art form can be done right. In this case, it's the Action/Adventure school of science fiction, of which Christopher Hinz's Paratwa Trilogy (consisting of Liege-Killer, Ash-Ock, and The Paratwa) is a particularly skillful example. Though conforming fully to the form's conventions (there are chases and intrigues aplenty throughout, and each book ends with a climatic battle), Hinz has crafted a fictional universe far more intricate and convincing than many a Hugo or Nebula winner I could name.
The setting is some 200 years after a late 21st century nuclear holocaust, a leading cause of that which was the Paratwa, a race of genetically engineered assassins consisting of a single telepathically linked entity inhabiting two bodies. Now the Irryan Colonies live in peace above Earth's battered remains, the last Paratwa thought extinguished. That is, until someone ventures to the Earth's surface to retrieve and revive Reemul, the hyper-deadly Paratwa once known as the Liege-Killer, then sets him loose. To counter the threat, two Paratwa hunters are revived from their stasis capsule and the chase is on. That is, until they learn the situation is far more deadly than it first appeared, that the Ash-Ock, the Royal Caste of the Paratwa, not only survived the holocaust, but have designs for conquest. . .
Telling more than that would spoil most of the fun. There's enough twists and turns in each to keep a roller-coaster junkie happy and the action moving along at high speed. Great plot, good characters, convincing setting, skillful, seamless writing. Indeed, save for a couple of minor elements in the last book, Hinz's makes nary a misstep throughout the entire series.
Liege-Killer (Hinz's first novel) stands well on its own, whereas Ash-Ock and The Paratwa together make up one work set 56 years after the first book's events . Though the phrase "SF Action/Adventure" conjures up images of lowest-common-denominator high tech war-porn rack-fillers, The Paratwa Trilogy is far closer to such recent classics as Hyperion and A Fire Upon the Deep than Star Destroyer #17. Alas, these books received very little publicity when they were first published. It's high time that oversight was corrected.
http://www.sflit.com/novaexpress/13/reviews-13.html
He's right you know.
Liege-Killer [Book 1 of the Paratwa Trilogy] by Christopher Hinz
Two hundred years after a nuclear apocalypse forced humanity to flee earth, humans still remember the most feared warriors of that planet--the Paratwa, genetically modified killers who occupy two bodies controlled by one vicious mind. The legendary Paratwa named Reemul and known as the Liege-Killer was the strongest of them all. Now someone has revived Reemul from stasis and sent him to terrorize the peaceful orbital colonies of earth. Is this an isolated incident, or has the one who unleashed this terrible power announced a gambit for control over the entire human race? (Published: 1987)
Ash Ock [Book 2 of the Paratwa Trilogy] by Christopher Hinz
A quarter of a millennium ago, before the nuclear apocalypse forced the inhabitants of earth to flee their home planet, few humans could have imagined the course their path would take. Now, the orbital colonies are the final sanctuary of humanity and life is more dangerous than ever before. The colonists fear the return of their dreaded enemies, the Paratwa--ferocious warriors who are genetically engineered to exist in two bodies, which remain telepathically connected. The new generation of Paratwa is far deadlier than the old, forming a powerful caste of fighter known as the Ash Ock. A mysterious virus infecting the humans database signals the return of their most feared enemies? (Published: 1989)
The Paratwa [Book 3 of the Paratwa Trilogy] by Christopher Hinz
The third novel from award-winning novelist Christopher Hinz. Beginning where the critically acclaimed Liege-Killer and Ash Ock end, The Paratwa chronicles the lives of the Irryan colonists as they prepare for the imminent attack of the fierce and vicious Paratwa assassins. Facing the threat of their dark enemies, an Irryan named Gillian must also cope with his inner turmoil, as the madness of his nature threatens to consume his life. He discovers that he is a genetically modified creature whose purpose is to serve the needs of others, and the course of his destiny is not in his own hands. (Published: 1990)
http://www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/Series6.htm
REVIEW
Title: The Paratwa Trilogy (Liege-Killer, Ash-Ock, and The Paratwa)Author: Christopher Hinz Publisher: St. Martin's PressISBN: 0-312-00065-0/0-312-03291-9/0-312-05489-0Price: $19.95/$18.95/$19.95
Reviewed By: Lawrence Person
Now here's proof positive that any art form can be done right. In this case, it's the Action/Adventure school of science fiction, of which Christopher Hinz's Paratwa Trilogy (consisting of Liege-Killer, Ash-Ock, and The Paratwa) is a particularly skillful example. Though conforming fully to the form's conventions (there are chases and intrigues aplenty throughout, and each book ends with a climatic battle), Hinz has crafted a fictional universe far more intricate and convincing than many a Hugo or Nebula winner I could name.
The setting is some 200 years after a late 21st century nuclear holocaust, a leading cause of that which was the Paratwa, a race of genetically engineered assassins consisting of a single telepathically linked entity inhabiting two bodies. Now the Irryan Colonies live in peace above Earth's battered remains, the last Paratwa thought extinguished. That is, until someone ventures to the Earth's surface to retrieve and revive Reemul, the hyper-deadly Paratwa once known as the Liege-Killer, then sets him loose. To counter the threat, two Paratwa hunters are revived from their stasis capsule and the chase is on. That is, until they learn the situation is far more deadly than it first appeared, that the Ash-Ock, the Royal Caste of the Paratwa, not only survived the holocaust, but have designs for conquest. . .
Telling more than that would spoil most of the fun. There's enough twists and turns in each to keep a roller-coaster junkie happy and the action moving along at high speed. Great plot, good characters, convincing setting, skillful, seamless writing. Indeed, save for a couple of minor elements in the last book, Hinz's makes nary a misstep throughout the entire series.
Liege-Killer (Hinz's first novel) stands well on its own, whereas Ash-Ock and The Paratwa together make up one work set 56 years after the first book's events . Though the phrase "SF Action/Adventure" conjures up images of lowest-common-denominator high tech war-porn rack-fillers, The Paratwa Trilogy is far closer to such recent classics as Hyperion and A Fire Upon the Deep than Star Destroyer #17. Alas, these books received very little publicity when they were first published. It's high time that oversight was corrected.
http://www.sflit.com/novaexpress/13/reviews-13.html
He's right you know.
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