Quick Take On Children of Time Series

Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Children of Time series (or trilogy? Not sure if there is any indication that it’s meant to be a trilogy considering the open-ended conclusion in the third book so I am just going to call it a series. The following are thoughts based on the first three published books) is no lean meat but a massive dystopia science fiction that sees humans leaving a devastated Earth in search of life elsewhere through terraforming. Completing all three books will take a significant amount of time but I am proud to say I have done it!

The first book can be read as a standalone, whilst the second and third have references to the previous books.

The first, Children of Time, where the series got its namesake, is a refreshing take on terraforming where humans share the same limelight and play protagonists together with arachnids.

The second book, Children of Ruin, pretty much reminds us of the first but this time with octopuses. Things do spice up and there is a touch of horror in the second half when another entity appears…

Children of Memory, wrapping up the series for now, however, starts off just fine but the storytelling style that moves forward (now) and backwards (recently) in the timeline makes it (although intentional) confusing. While the first two books feel epic, the third instalment reminds me of an episode of Star Trek. It did not feel quite like a saga. I would refer to it as more of a novella or a 2.5 of the second book instead of being a third book except that it is a super duper novel by itself.

The Children of Time series makes a good read especially the first two books. Keeping up the momentum is no mean feat. Although the third book does not measure up to its siblings, it still makes for a good read, especially if you want to complete the series.

Growing a Tree

Photo by Pascal Debrunner on Unsplash

"George, be careful," the father said. "Don't swallow the seeds, all right?"

"Why, Dad?" George asked. He was eating an apple.

"It will cause indigestion. You will feel sick. And," the father replied. He moved closer, a sinister look on his face, "a tree will grow out of your head."

"I'm not a baby anymore, Dad! I'm already six! You can’t trick me!”

"Just go ahead and try it, boy. Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” the father said with a wink.

For a brief moment, George saw a shadow pass through his father’s eyes. It happened so quickly George thought he must have imagined it. His father strolled out of the kitchen, humming a tune. Alone, George looked at the half-eaten apple in his hand. Doubt flashed through his mind but pride prevailed so he chomped down and swallowed the rest of the fruit - skin, flesh, core and seeds. The stem was the only part left.

******

The family were asleep, in fact, the whole world was. George, however, was having a fitful one. He felt movement on the top of his head. Subconsciously, reached up to give it a scratch and fell back to sleep. The top of his head started to throb, as though something was pushing his scalp from the inside.

A nightmare began to form. He was in class and his teacher had put him in a spot.

“Spell ‘agriculture’,” she said, glaring at him, “or else...”

George was perspiring. Sweat poured from the top of his head, trickling down the back of his neck. That was the source of the itch. He reached up and scratched. There was no way he knew how to spell it. He had just started school!

Then, his fingers felt something sharp protruding out of his head. A shoot had pierced through his scalp. He looked at his fingers and stood frozen. There was blood.

“What’s happening to me!?”

The twig grew. He looked at his teacher, who stared back without emotion. Slowly, her lips twisted into an eerie smile.

“You swallowed the seeds, didn’t you?”

His teacher laughed and his classmates joined in. Soon, the combined laughter echoed beyond the class, so loud it could drown out the sound of thunder.

George woke with a start, soaked in cold perspiration. He realised he was in his bed, in the dark. His father’s snoring in the other room gave a strange assurance that it was all just a nightmare.

But the pain remained. He reached up and felt it. The twig had grown thicker, almost like... a young plant.

He felt something else. It felt like folds under his scalp — he realised they were the roots. The roots reached deeper, compressing his skull. He thought he heard a crack, a sound he associated with Humpty Dumpty. His goosebumps rose as he stood up and grabbed the plant by its trunk.

He tried to yank it out of his head but the pain was unbearable. And then, he lost sensations in his legs. He fell. The bed frame kept him sitting upright on the floor. In a matter of seconds, he could not feel his hands, too. He no longer had control of his body.

His voice rose to his throat. He wanted to scream but no sound came out. The roots were feeding off his brain. Instead of flashing before him, his memories faded away as his brain matter became fertiliser. He started to lose consciousness. His world faded away like sand being blown away in a storm as he was transported into a grassland. The plant grew and became a tree. The tree began the conquest of its host, to become one with it, to stay rooted to the ground and immobile, swaying only with the wind in a slow dance.

In a matter of minutes, the human host in a room had disappeared and in its place, a lone tree in a vast grassland.

End

If you are looking for a happy ending, continue here...

A fluorescent blue bird with a patch of yellow perched on George the Tree. It built a nest and generations lived there. One day, a young descendant started pecking on the trunk, no doubt looking for food.

Peck, peck, peck...

And it slowly turns to tap, tap, tap...

"Wake up, George!"

His mother was tapping him on the shoulder.

"You're late for school!"

End

Medium

I have been blogging for ages since creating Ionbuck’s Blog in January 2007 up until the more recent Random Shuffles in July 2018. IonBuck’s Blog is inspired by all the news aggregating sites out there. Random Shuffles exists because of my passion to write, especially stories, and to fulfil my dream to achieve financial independence as a writer.

Unfortunately, a decade and a half later, I have yet to achieve any of my blogging goals. The news that I shared and the short stories that I wrote hardly earned more than a few cents. Demotivated, my posts suffered but I soldiered on. And then, someone created Medium, an online publishing platform that allows writers to focus on creating content. If the content is popular and monetised, the money gushes in. Or so, I read. Needless to say, I tried it.

I am not having much success with Medium either but at least it generates enough income for a cup of coffee every year. You read it correctly. On average, I managed a few cents a month. Hahaha, but I’m still trying. I have managed to join a few publications for my short fiction so let’s see how it goes from there.

As a result, I have been reducing my content in Random Shuffles. Besides that, I have not been writing content for IonBuck’s Blog for years now other than the occasional post). At this moment, I am focused to publish my fiction on Medium. Given a choice, I would post my stories here, too, but due to the terms and conditions, I am not supposed to publish elsewhere.

The following are my latest short stories (in publishing order) on Medium. Do feel free to visit!

1. I’m Who’s Boss? 

It mocks the higher echelons on how they bully their subordinates but still have to submit to their customers. My original title was “Who’s Boss?” but somehow, when The Creative Cafe published it, they’ve changed it to the above. Doesn’t sound right but still, it was my first story posted via a Medium publisher. 

2. Yellow, Yellow 
A self-centred guy tries to impress his girlfriend but in the process, drags his friends along.

3. Danger in the Woods
A family goes back to nature but the city kids are not too keen until they discover what lies within the forest.

4. Rotten Baker
A baker drives away a hungry boy and gets what he deserves.

5. Breakfast for Granted
A kid takes his parents for granted his whole life until they decided to teach him a lesson.

6. Magic Seed
A lonely child visits his grandparents and brings back an unusual seed with magic that goes beyond his wildest dreams.

More to come. Stay tuned!

Dirty Water - A Short Story

A few recent incidents where our water source - a river - was polluted caused water treatment plants to be shutdown for days without warning. These prompted me to write a short story to illustrate unscrupulous people only interested in profits without any care to the effects they cause to the environment and to the people.

Dirty Water

It was a dark and stormy night. Rain pelted on the windows, trying to force its way in. However, Gridy the Boss was oblivious to the noise. He was smoking an expensive cigar with his legs propped up on his grand table, made out of a chunk of a once magnificent tree he ordered chopped down. His personal office, although spacious, was filled with smoke. He liked the feeling because it gave him the illusion of being in the Swiss Alps and not this hot and humid dump.

No matter. At the rate he was going, within a year he will be able to afford a luxurious house and live a promiscuous life, wherever he chose.

But at the expense of a lot of people.

******

He operated a shabby factory hidden in a secluded part of a small town. His factory was legally registered as a food processing plant but that was just a front. Hidden inside, he employed illegal immigrants to manually strip and process precious metals out of electronic waste. The chemicals were easily discharged into the river that conveniently ran along with the backyard of the factory.

Recently, he landed on a job to dispose of electronic components from an international conglomerate of tech companies. He employed even more illegal immigrants and bribed many officials. He expanded his factory and, naturally increased discharges to the river. The once clear river was now reduced to a source of murky liquid. Withered foliage ran in parallel with the river, death and misery spreading by the day.

“Hey boss, I’ve got an idea for ya,” his sleazy factory manager said.

“Spell it out. I ain’t got all day,” Gridy was irritated. He did not like to be interrupted when he was counting his fortunes.

“You know those rubbish we paid to that company to dispose of every week? The tens of thousands of dollars that dumpster guy rips us of -“

“Rips ME off, Rat. This is MY company and mine alone,” he reminded his manager whom he always called Rat for the whiskers and protruding nose that reminded him of the rodent.

“Yes, your company,” Rat corrected himself. “I’ve got an idea that could save us... you, save YOU hundreds of thousands of dollars.”

“Get to the point!” he was getting impatient. Despite their similar alignment towards unscrupulous practices, he was well aware nothing good would come out of a rat.

“Yes sir. Behind this factory are acres and acres of nothing but an endless jungle. I would suggest we dump the waste there, bury them and when the shrubs grow back, no one will be the wiser.”

“Well, I don’t know...,” it took Gridy thirty seconds to decide that Rat was on to something big. “Make it work and you will be handsomely rewarded.”

Rat made it work and became Gridy’s second in command. Together, they compounded their riches... and the suffering for those that lived within the radius of the effects.

******

While Gridy was dreaming of bigger plans in his office and Rat planning to open up another dumping ground, the storm grew in intensity. Lightning turned the dark, night sky as bright as day before surrendering back to the blackness. Defying physics, the lightning ignored the nearby trees and stroke down into the river. The energy transferred caused even the dark, murky water to glow.

Mixed with clean, crystal clear rain, the polluted river water started to rise and rise and rise like a huge column of wall. The polluted liquid struggled to expel the onslaught of clean rainwater. The dark and the clear separated and morphed into two giant monsters the size of mountains.

Both appeared like blobs of jellies but in contrast to the smooth curves of the crystal clear monster, the dark one had sharp spikes protruding out of its body. The lightning flashes were relentless, just like strobe lights used to stop motion, illuminating the two giants as they engaged in battle. In a flash, the dark blob connected an uppercut to the clear blob’s face, sending it stumbling backwards.

In another flash of lightning, the clear monster retaliated with a head butt. In the next few subsequent flashes, both were tumbling into the forest. Whichever tree the dark blob touched or enveloped into its mass, the tree withered. On the other hand, the clear blob’s touch brought life back to the trees. Although it tried to save as many trees as possible, the fight was too intense for it to focus.

There was no clear winner until both monsters clashed and rebounded onto the ground. The clear blob recovered first and took the opportunity to heal the surrounding trees and plants. With its attention on the greens, it did not notice the dark blob slithered behind, its arm morphed into a stake. The evil monster stabbed the clear blob, its dark poison quickly spread through its body.

The poisoning was swift. The clear blob lost its powers and collapsed into a pool of dark liquid. The victorious dark blob absorbed its nemesis and grew twice in size. It let out a growl into the night so loud that even the storm could not suppress. The force was so great that it pushed the storm away, revealing that dawn had arrived. The rain and thunder stopped, there was silence.

The dark monster turned towards the factory, aware it was the source of its powers. It towered over the fourteen storey building twice over. It bowed down and stared through the factory’s thirteenth-floor windows at the back of Gridy and Rat. Oblivious, the two men continued talking about their fortunes and how to earn more.

The sight of them somehow irritated the monster. It let out another growl, shattering the windows and threw both men across the room. They stared at the face of death for the first and the last time. The monster gobbled up the factory complex, feeding off the nuclear supply that powered the building.

It felt the energy and then, even more energy as the nuclear reaction warmed its body. It felt satisfaction for the first time in its short life, and then, pain, as its corrupted body started to react with the uranium. It growled in agony. Its body ballooned for a second before imploding into a speck of light. Attracted by the light, a curious blue-green butterfly flew towards it, only to be disappointed as it fizzled out.

People who had dealings with Gridy were puzzled by the sudden disappearance of him and his factory. They searched high and low for him to reclaim their losses but he was nowhere to be found. His vanishing brought the downfall of his equally corrupted accomplices. 

The good and the clean triumphed once more. There was relief for those who wished Gridy and Co. never existed. After a few days, the river started to deliver clear water again from the mountains and life returned.

-End -

Rise of Anthologies

Do The Twilight Zone, Amazing Stories and Alfred Hitchcock Presents ring any bells? These are some of the anthologies that I can remember watching on television. While compilations of short stories are not uncommon in literature, these collections are rather rare when it comes to television compared to the billions of series out there. I wouldn’t have thought any more of them had it not been for Netflix. I’ve spent half of my recent Netflix moments watching Black Mirror. Just a week ago, I’ve discovered another anthology of (mostly) animated shorts called Love, Death + Robots.

Both Black Mirror and Love, Death + Robots tell stories that are just as unique and artistic as the older anthologies. However, as society becomes more open in this Information Age, the contents are much more mature. The stories can be controversial and taboo in more conservative countries. Even the following trailer for Love, Death + Robots comes with a mature content warning!

For better or worse, new unrelated stories and new actors come with each episode. Sometimes they are great, sometimes mediocre and sometimes downright terrible. Every person’s mileage varies because it comes down to personal preferences but I'm sure everyone will welcome a breath of fresh air from long-running serials that will leave you suffocating with a cliffhanger at the end of a season.

I’ve completed the first series (3 episodes) and the first episode of the fifth series (also 3 episodes) of Black Mirror (you can find the list of the episodes on Wikipedia. The anthology uses mature themes to emphasise the consequences of (misusing) technology. Hence, the title Black Mirror which actually means the blank TV/monitor screen when it’s turned off.

For example, the first episode tells the tale of humanity’s focus on television. The British Prime Minister was to perform sexual intercourse on a pig on live television in exchange for the release of a kidnapped princess. She was already released before the PM was due to start broadcasting but nobody noticed because they were all glued to the television.

Meanwhile, other worthwhile anthologies that are currently on TV are The Twilight Zone reboot which is on CBS All Access and Steven Spielberg’s Amazing Stories is on Apple TV+ streaming service. Enjoy!

Review: World War Z

Starring: Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos
Director: Marc Forster
Maturity Rating: PG-13 (Theatrical), 18+ (Netflix)
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Theatrical Release: 2013
Runtime: approx. 116 minutes

Set in the present day (well, the movie was released in 2013), Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) and family are stuck in a very bad traffic jam and things start to go very wrong. Everyone eventually panics and we see our first zombies, straight into the action. As a former United Nations investigator, Gerry has a quick wit so it is not surprising that the Lane family manage to survive the night by taking refuge in another family’s apartment. With his connection, he manages to secure a helicopter evacuation the next day. The family in the apartment and their son, Tommy, decide to stay while the Lanes move to the rooftop for the evacuation. As the zombies invade the apartment complex, Tommy manages to escape with the Lane family onto a supercarrier.

Gerry is given a choice. Either aid a virologist to find a cure by locating patient zero or get moved out of the supercarrier. With little choice, Gerry travels to South Korea where things once again go awry. The film follows Gerry’s globe-trotting adventures, one tense moment after another. Will he eventually find a way to help make the vaccine or is it going to be the end of the world?

Brad Pitt holds his own in this movie and pulls the right punches at the right time. Whether or not if you are a fan of the main protagonist or the zombie genre, the movie is worth watching. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the other characters because the focus is on Pitt moving from one place after another so there is little room for the others to shine.

The movie does not have as much blood and violence as some zombie movies of recent times but this is where it works best. Rather than just mindless zombie culling gore, a better plot balanced with enough action steer the movie in the right direction.

The other zombie movie that I have watched and reviewed is the Korean Train to Busan reviewed here.

A Scary Pumpkin Story - A Horror Short

It was a dark and stormy night. Up in the attic of an old house, its lone occupant, middle-aged Jonathan was working on his Halloween decorations. The rain was beating hard on the window. A single incandescent light bulb barely provided enough light. After some final touches, Jon laid down the knife and held up his masterpiece in admiration.

There you go! Bet you will give everyone a good fright, Jonathan thought. Let's call you… Jack!

Suddenly, the window broke free from its latch and a gust of wind tore through, bringing in the rain. Jack the pumpkin started to vibrate in Jon’s hands. He dropped Jack on the table and backed away. In the tense moment, he forgot about the chair, so he tripped over it and fell on the floor. Fibrous strands and seeds gushed out of Jack’s carved mouth and eyes. Splotches after splotches splat on the floor. Fiery flames burst out of Jack’s eerie eyes and mouth.

Jack let out a chilling groan as a new strand of vine extended from its stem. Instead of refreshing green, the vine was withered and brown. More vines branched out to form a grotesque, thin body with flailing limbs. At the end of the limbs, tendrils split and intertwined to form crooked fingers and toes. It let out a deep, maniacal laugh. Hunched, Jack stumbled towards Jon. With each step, it gained in strength and looked more threatening.

Jon was rooted to his spot, immobilised by fear. The menacing silhouette of Jack loomed above him. Flashes of lightning illuminated Jack, revealing more terrifying details. Jack let out another bout of laughter and raised its hand to strike. In one swift movement, it brought its hand down with the intent to rip Jon’s head off. In a last effort to save himself, Jon raised both hands to cover his head and braced for the blow. With his last breath, Jon closed his eyes and screamed.

The story continues after the break…


Jon stopped screaming. He always thought death came together with excruciating pain but there was none. Relieved, he opened his eyes. He was at peace and knew he was at a better place with angels, rainbows and puffy white clouds. Instead, he was back in his room of terror. Another figure stood between him and Jack.

The similarly deformed, vine-stick figure was Joe, a watermelon that Jon had experimented on earlier before he tried his hands on the pumpkin. Joe’s hand had pierced through Jack’s mouth. Red, hot lava oozed out of the wound. Flames engulfed Joe’s hand before it turned to ashes. In its place, new vines grew to replace it. Jack attempted to swing its hand at Joe but missed. Joe raised its leg and kicked Jack across the room.

Jack crashed and splintered Jon’s bed. It managed to rebound immediately and lunged at Joe. The melon side-stepped and grabbed Jack’s disfigured head with one hand. Joe gripped the stem with its other hand and pulled it out from the pumpkin. Jack’s body shrivelled and crumbled. Joe stared at the pumpkin in its hand. Jacked hissed. With a loud howl, Joe crushed the pumpkin. Liquid lava splattered all over Joe. Its body burnt. There was too much damage to regenerate.

Briefly, Joe stared at Jon and saw his gratitude. It turned and leapt out of the window. It burst into flames the moment it cleared the window and exploded. A ring of energy expanded outwards and sent a shockwave that shook the surrounding structures. The shockwave cleared the storm clouds if only momentarily, revealing clear skies above. Then, the clouds merged again and the storm returned, washing away any remnants of this tale about a scary pumpkin.

-The End-

Coming Soon: A Scary Pumpkin Story

Coming soon, an original new short story from your favourite unknown author, me. Get ready to be chilled.