Author Archives: Jeremy Glasser

Kingdom of Animals

Although the book title contains the name of an animal, I am surprised at the excessive use of animal imagery and comparison in Nancy Farmer’s The House of the Scorpion.  Most of the characters introduced in the first fourteen chapters are matched with animal attributes through simile and idioms. Being less than human, the clone […] Continue reading

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Going Down with the Ship

I can barely breathe.  The end is near.  My survival no longer matters. After protecting the Meat for so many years, they disappear one by one.  First, the alien vessel stole Unit Szpindel from me.  His injuries were too severe for me to repair him like I had healed the others.  Now, the replacement Unit […] Continue reading

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“Life isn’t either/or. It’s a matter of degree.” (250)

As I conclude my reading of Blindsight by Peter Watts, my thoughts continually reflect back to the lines “Life isn’t either/or.  It’s a matter of degree.” (250) spoken by Robert Cunningham to Siri Keeton.  Their specific discussion involves a debate about whether the scrambler creatures from Rorschach should be considered alive in the absence of […] Continue reading

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My Unexpected Son

Historical Letter from the First Awakened to the First Human-born Male.  Located in the Ruins of Lo on May 3, 2957: “My dearest Akin, I wanted to write to you in case I do not survive long enough for us to fully know each other.  Life has been difficult as we attempt to reclaim Earth.  […] Continue reading

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…To Those Who Wait

Sure, I could choose to write about the easy “alien” elements of Octavia E. Butler’s Lilith’s Brood: Dawn.  There are plenty of strange things in the story like a living spaceship or creatures covered with writhing tentacles and no eyes or ears.  Or I could focus on the shifting walls of the vessel and the […] Continue reading

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Hit Me with Your Best Shot

Wow.  I am blown away by the violent nature of WE3 by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely.  It’s not that I’m shocked by the excessive use of weapons, blood and death.  Our entertainment industry has already numbed me with murder in movies and television and with shoot ‘em up action in video games.  Instead, I […] Continue reading

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Time After Time

As I reached the end of William Gibson’s Neuromancer, I was struck by the novel’s interesting use of time.  Throughout the story, the measure of time was shown as a fluid concept, starting with the abstract Dali clock hanging at Julius Deane’s place.  Defeating its purpose, “it never told the correct time” (12).  Back in […] Continue reading

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Character Sketchies

William Gibson’s Neuromancer continues its difficult ways in the second assigned section, Chapters 7-12.  As I read on, it becomes blatantly clear that Gibson is purposely trying to keep the reader off-balance and overwhelmed.  Similar to the first section, my biggest challenge has been the quickly shifting scenes.  One of the clearest examples of this […] Continue reading

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If You Can Make It There, You’ll Make It Anywhere

I was thoroughly enjoying W.E.B. DuBios’s “The Comet” as it explored the issues of race relations and the fear of being alone.  Being set in New York City, it almost felt like a thoughtful episode of Sex and the City.  But instead of another round of cosmos (the martini cocktails), the characters deal with the […] Continue reading

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Storm Warning

One of the most important scenes in the story was when Frankenstein changed his mind and decided to “never to resume [his] labours” in creating a female mate for the monster.  In breaking his promise, he directly defied the monster and knew that the creature will seek revenge and retribution in some form.  Throughout Chapter […] Continue reading

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