KatMullen

This week I read  Mona Lisa Overdrive  by William Gibson and the film  Johnny Mnemonic  (1995) that is based on a story written by the same author. I really enjoyed aspects of  Mona Lisa Overdrive . I adore the integration of advanced technology throughout the story. After finishing the book, I looked up some information about it and the previous two books in the trilogy and from that, I gathered that this was focused on even more so in the other novels. My favorite character, or at least the character that I found myself caring the most about, was Kumiko. The story started with her so from the very start I was very interested to see how she tied into the larger narrative. I don’t feel like my want for her to be involved and important to the plot were ever really satisfied. Even when Kumiko made it her mission to talk to Molly, she was very separated from the action. Their conversation was fairly short and it felt like what information she had to share had ...

           The stories from this week presented a variety of interesting ideas. I read “Repent Harlequin!” Said the TickTockMan and I have No Mouth and I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison, and AYE and Gomorrah by Samuel R. Delany. The stories are beautifully written. They utilize a sense of mystery that keeps the reader engaged and in a way even distracts from the ideas they’re trying to push with the stories.             AYE and Gomorrah is the clearest example of this. There is a straightforward connection between what happens in the story and what the author is highlighting about our lives, or their life at the time. In the story, the Spacers genital has been modified by the government because the spacers will be exposed to radiation in space. The way that spacers and frelks are treated mirror how the gay community was treated then and for sure could strongly relate to how many people think of tra...

For this week I read The Martian by Andy Weir and two stories by Arthur C. Carke: The Nine Billion Names of God and The Star . I found the religious themes in Arthur’s writing fascinating. Religion has played a roll in many stories I’ve written. I generally try to even avoid this as I have some fear that it will turn the audience or my piers off of the story. I don’t feel that the subject really reflects where I am currently in my life but religion was such a huge part of my upbringing that if I’m pulling from what I know to create stories it’s often featured. All of that to say, I think C. Carke does a masterful job of incorporating religion in such a captivating way that even adamantly unreligious readers could find the stories intriguing. The stories aren’t used to sell religion. They simply feature religious aspects to enhance the story and as foundational narrative devices. The author is best at endings. I had a sense of where The Nine Billion Names of God was goi...

This week I watched Lady in the Water and read Anansi Boys. I felt like I was unfamiliar with the genres of both. I was continually surprised by story elements that didn’t fit my paradigm of what should be in a film/ book. However, after spending some time thinking about it, I’ve realized they both had cultural foundations that I’m unfamiliar with. These cultural elements compelled their narratives. Based on this I now question if that has more to do with the differences in what I believe happens in my idea of a standard story and these narratives. Anansi Boys was the first Neil Gaiman book I’ve ever read. Many aspects of it were interesting however I found the tone of the book almost too upbeat. Another issue I had with it was the constant location hopping. Maybe I had a larger issue with this as I’ve flown between Florida and England several times so each time Charles flew between the two I was just imagining the boredom of the hours and hours on each flight. This was the firs...