Tuesday, September 18, 2007

I Spy Sci-Fi

These items from recent news highlights:

Residents become ill after meteor crashes - http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070918/sc_afp/peruhealthoffbeat

Britain approves creation of hybrid human-animal embryos for research - http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070905/sc_nm/britain_embryo_dc

Don't you see the makings of sci-fi/horror there?

Anyhoodles, just finished a really good book last night. A MANKIND WITCH was fun, but was not on the level of this one. Once more, I accidentally brought home the last book of a series, but since I was desperate, I went ahead and read it. I didn't really need to read first two to understand the third, but I'm going to go pick them today just because I loved this guy's writing style. Here's an example where he describes a hunter's dog from a demon's point of view:

That dog, potential insanity on four legs, can be as calm as a dreamless sleeper until danger drops from the trees and then his placid, near-human smile wrinkles back into a snapping wound machine. The crafty beast learns to lunge for my brethren's unprotected areas--wing membrane, soft belly, groin, or tail. I, myself, witnessed that hound tear of an attacking demon's member, slip through its legs, and then shread a wing to tatters in his escape. He has an uncanny sense of certainty about him in all situations, as if in each he is like a dancer who has practiced that one dance all his days. Wood reads Cley like a book, understands his hand signals and the subtle shifting of his eyes. There is no question he will die for the hunter, and I am convinced he will go beyond death for him--a guardian angel the color of night, muscled and scarred and harder to subdue than a guilty conscience.

Doesn't that just perfectly capture the essence of dogs?

The book? THE BEYOND
The author: Jeffrey Ford

11 comments:

Travis Cody said...

I like that paragraph.

Charles Gramlich said...

Yes, good description, especially the closing couple of lines.

Bernita said...

Yes. The archetypal dog, devotion beyond death.

And thank you for your good wishes.

RK Sterling said...

You're welcome, Bernita. :)

Steve Malley said...

We're all waiting for the scientists who keep reassuring the public there's nothing harmful going on in these two news stories to die horribly in the midle of Act II.

Hopefully Mila Jovovovovovich will show up to demonstrate why Half Naked Shooting should be an Olympic event.

My luck, it'd be Gary Coleman...

RK Sterling said...

Nice thoughts, Steve.

Sidney said...

You know, some things do seem to get better in the world. At my local Barnes and Noble anyway they don't seem to have the tendency to stock only No. 2 in a trilogy the way bookstores once did.

Does anyone remember that. You'd find a great book but it was part of a series, and it was the only part of the series they had.

RK Sterling said...

How funny, Sidney. I think my local librarian must have worked at B&N then - I went back to get the others in the series, and they didn't have them. Only #3. I looked for sequels to other series I'd read recently, and in case, at least one was missing. What gives? I picture the reference librarian sitting behind the desk snickering as she rests her feet on unshelved sequels.

Steve Malley said...

Hi Kate,

The game: Desk Tag

It: You.

:-)

RK Sterling said...

Aw, Steve. Dangit. :) I'll have to do this later.

Lucas Pederson said...

Gonna have to check this fella out. He seems very good at the style he has chosen, though, I wonder if it's not too descriptive...
But what the hell do I know. I'm not even published yet!!!
Anyhoo, it was great paragraph and I am going to give this writer a look see. Great post!