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.

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!

The Metals - A Short Story

No man’s land - a vast stretch of destruction caused by two warring factions - split a once peaceful country in half. It started with a government that was not willing to relinquish its century-old rule despite the opposition’s overwhelming majority in a democratic election. Sounds familiar? It could happen to your country but let’s focus on this fictional one.

The war had ravaged the country’s economy and taken a toll on her divided citizens. Everyone just wanted it to end but the fire was being fuelled by two leaders who refused to back down. They began as a loving couple but they were not able to contain their domestic quarrels. The arguments extended beyond their professional lives. Eventually, they split and joined opposite factions. The husband, now known as Admiral Teak continued to lead the ruling coalition while the wife, commonly known as Lady Iron, joined the opposition. Through clever manipulation of their divorce by positioning herself as the victim, she led the opposition to a landslide victory in the elections.

When words were no longer sufficient, both parties took to violence as the only solution. Initial underground tactics became a full-scale war that went on for years and without any signs of either side winning. The country’s once rich reserves continued to dwindle.

******

“You have one month to figure it out,” Admiral Teak said to his chief scientist.

“Admiral, there is not enough time! Our team would need at least two years to-“ the chief scientist was cut off before she could finish her sentence.

“ONE MONTH!” the admiral reiterated with his index finger before he strode out of the room.

"The only thing that managed to get past security are flies. Anything bigger gets fried by those damn lasers! There is just no way to send anything past that rat-infested, godforsaken wasteland,” an assistant mumbled.

Then there was silence. When the assistant looked at the chief, all he saw was a grin. The lab laboured during the cold winter month to design and mass-produce robotic metal mice.

******

While Teak’s faction was busy with the master plan, spies - there will always be espionage involved - alerted the Lady’s faction.

“We have to counteract immediately! We cannot wait for their mice to come and attack us!” the advisor said.

“We don’t know that they will come and attack. Perhaps they are created to infiltrate,” said his deputy.

“Fools! If they can penetrate our defences, they can do anything! They can bring in explosives and blow all of us apart!” The Lady admonished them. “I want a plan and I want it now!”

“We can create our own rodents and-“

“Is there no originality in you, advisor?” the assistant interrupted the first advisor. “Instead of something smaller, I propose something larger, much larger so that it can carry enough explosives and give it a bigger bang.”

The advisor’s face was impassive but he felt the sting. His ambitious young deputy was getting impatient to replace him. Chosen among a pool of genius strategists, she was the most compatible with him. Perhaps too compatible - they shared the same hunger for power. She was doing unto him what he did to his predecessor. He had framed and kicked him out in a power struggle.

“What do you have in mind?” the Iron Lady asked, eager for a solution.

“I would suggest a horse, My Lady.”

“A brilliant idea indeed!” the advisor jumped in. “But a horse might prove difficult to create. The agility, the speed, might require additional time to figure out. I feel we should go for something more common in these parts. The ox is more appropriate. All brute and strength, it can stomp those rats flat and then some.”

The Iron Lady’s eyes narrowed. Her advisor might still prove useful after all.

“Good. We shall have our metal oxen. With their strength and large bodies, they will crush the rodents and for the last time, destroy our enemies once and for all. Victory is ours!”

******

One month later, late into the night, the Teak factions unleashed thousands of metal mice into the wasteland. Covered with artificial skin and equipped with tiny speakers, the mice were virtually indistinguishable from real rodents. Most of the metal mice were loaded with explosives but some were designed to squeeze through border control.

It was questionable why they chose to release the metal rodents all at the same time because it was this mistake that alerted the Lady’s faction.

“Lady Iron, the other side is pouring out their mice. They are on their way!” the military chief said.

“Very well. Let loose our very own metal oxen!” Lady Iron commanded.

The military chief punched his fist into a huge red button. Alarms blaring, thick metal doors cranked open. Behind those doors, hundreds of glowing red eyes turned on. Unlike her husband, the lady did not bother to disguise her oxen. The red flashing lights reflected off their metallic bodies. The ground shook as the creatures stormed out. They left behind a trail of dust as they rushed out of the gateway to no man’s land.

From a bird’s eye view, it could be seen thousands of tiny rodents swarm toward a large herd of oxen. The robot mice moved fluidly, consuming anything that was in their way. The oxen took a different approach. They crashed and stomped on all the obstacles to clear their path.

When the mighty clashed with the tiny, sparks flew. The sound of crashing metal followed by explosions echoed through the night. The oxen crashed head-on into the rodents. Some rodents exploded but the oxen were unscathed. Those mice that the oxen missed jumped on the giant bodies. They hung on and covered the metal beasts. In a coordinated effort, these mice exploded at the same time. The suicidal attempts took the oxen with them.

What looked like a victory to the mice quickly shifted to a win for the oxen. When the oxen fell, their own explosives took out a big group of mice. In the end, when all had perished, only metallic carcasses remained. Thick, black smoke billowed up from the smouldering, convoluted mess. The wreckages merely added to the landscape of the wasteland.

With all their resources used up for the creation of the beasts and the rodents, both factions were penniless. Both Admiral Teak and Lady Iron were weary but they were not able to rest. The guilt of plunging their broken country into poverty overwhelmed their consciousness. A thought came to them. A thought that should have come sooner.

******

“A truce?” Lady Iron tried to sound surprised.

“Yes, and you very well know that is the only option.”

They agreed to meet at dawn. They were shocked at how the years of anger and hatred had consumed their physical forms. All skin and bones, they looked so fragile that a feather might lay waste to their bodies. Still, their minds were sharp as tacks.

“You’ve lost quite a lot of weight,” Teak said, showing concern on his wizened face.

“So did you,” replied the lady, her eyes filled with sympathy.

Suddenly, memories of their early, love-filled years came flooding back. It felt like just yesterday that they had split up and started the war.

“You know, we could end this right here and now,” Teak reached out and took Lady Iron’s hand. She retreated at first but he held fast.

“What has become of us?” she asked as her armour crumbled.

They both felt guilty over the years of violence and lives sacrificed just to satisfy their whims.

“We will have to take things one step at a time. We started this. Now we have to fix it,” Teak said.

No longer alone, they felt confident they will be able to rebuild the nation together. They held hands as the sun rose, its warm rays burning through the cold, dark ruins of war.

End.

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 -

Review: Lost in Space (Netflix Series)

Starring: Toby Stephens, Molly Parker, Maxwell Jenkins, Taylor Russell, Mina Sundwall, Ignacio Serricchio and Parker Posey
Director: Various
Maturity Rating: 7+
Studio: Legendary Television, Synthesis Entertainment, Netflix (distributor)
Release: 2018 - 2021 (announced third and final season)
Runtime: 2 (seasons) x 10 episodes, 50+ minutes each


Estranged father. Unscrupulous impersonator. Smuggler. Those are among the personas of the characters featured in this space-faring adventure. Veered off course from their path to Alpha Centauri to start anew. All trapped in the same planet together with a mysterious but powerful and possibly dangerous robot. All lost in space. If you like what you have read so far, proceed.

A remake of the 60s TV series and a movie last decade, Lost in Space is science fiction about colonists leaving behind a devastated Earth (and dark secrets) to start new lives in Alpha Centauri, light-years away. The series centres on the Robinsons, a family of five - John, the father who is a former Navy SEAL; Maureen, a brilliant engineer mother; Judy, an adopted daughter who is a doctor with high principles; Penny, a daughter with developing teenage issues; and a son, Will, with some confidence issue.

On the way to their new home, something happened to their ship, The Resolute, and the colonists ended up stranded on a mysterious planet. It will take the whole season to unravel what happened onboard The Resolute (and all the backgrounds of the lead characters) so be patient. The series is riddled in mysteries - something to expect when everyone is lost in a part of space that nobody knows about. Besides that, the Robinson family is living proof that Murphy's law exists. Everything that can go wrong will go wrong. Along the way, Will saves and befriends an alien robot that will eventually be referred to as... “Robot” who will popularise the phrase "Danger, Will Robinson."

With sci-fi series, one can expect computer-generated graphics and Lost in Space do not disappoint. CGI aliens, robots, spaceships, and the works can be found here. In fact, some of the visuals are on par with the big-budget movies out there.

Review continues after the trailer of season 2:

The entire series regulars are given opportunities to shine and character development is well mapped out with a convincing cast. The weakest link of the family, Penny, a happy go lucky, middle child that rarely has the survival skills that her family has, has moments that make her parents proud. Even Robot that plays a pivotal role has some memorable moments.

Lost in Space is nice, clean fun with all the right ingredients minus the violence. Heck, even some Star Trek episodes are too violent in comparison. However, I am always against serials that leave the audience hanging and Lost in Space is no exception. In fact, the series is guilty of that on many occasions, sometimes from episode to episode and worse of all at the end of seasons. Well, nothing is perfect.

Balanced with the right thrills and twists when things are not what they seem, every episode has just the amount of content to keep you in your seat. I would not say at the edge of your seat but it keeps you glued to the screen for more. All that plus a strong family theme and there is good in even the worst person, Lost in Space is an all-rounder. Highly recommended.


Note: Netflix had recently announced the third and final season will air sometime in 2021.

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.