Cyberpunk, The Matrix, and Johnny Mneumonic

Whenever I read a book or novel, the visuals are one of the key factors that determines my level of interest in a story. Johnny Mneumonic was a bit difficult to place at first. I'm not sure I really knew what to picture for until I just happened to rewatch The Matrix for the first time in years. With gauges, strange piercings, lots of black and off-the-wall clothing and makeup, I suppose I imagine Johnny Mneumonic's version of the future to be filled much with people dressed the same way---though with a little more of a 90's feel to it, I must admit. I began to picture some kind of weird ska music video, mixed with techno, Bladerunner, and goth culture. But let's switch gears to The Matrix here.

In The Matrix, the Wachowski siblings created an aesthetic that went against the clean, minimalistic idea of the future that so many filmmakers tend to favor. The idea of a gritty, darker future is something that definitely feels more real, though I'm not entirely sure that I like it. It's just too dark, too seedy, too weird, and too dangerous. Kind of akin to moving backwards towards a future with questionable morality and decay, rather than a future meant to improve the human race. Perhaps body modification and less of an influence on technological aesthetic is an improvement towards a more straightforward, raw culture.

King Rat

Okay. King Rat's pretty gross. That garbage-eating scene was not a walk-in-the-park to read. And from what I've heard, I haven't even made it to the nastiest parts. Granted though, it definitely was interesting for a couple different reasons. Overall though, King Rat wasn't my favorite read so far.

I had very mixed feelings about reading China Mieville's novel. On one hand, the writing was incredibly interesting. There was an urgency to it, and a disjointedness about the thoughts, speech, and actions of each character in a way that I'd never seen before. The mood made everything feel dark, mysterious, cryptic, and gritty. The language itself also felt very fast paced. Yet because of this, often it was hard pretty hard to follow. The chapters that described the Rat King pulling Saul down alleyways, through windows, and over and across the eaves of houses were confusing without knowing the streets of London themselves. That, and British slang really is a whole other animal.

The strange concept of Saul's "ratness," which wasn't defined by the natural laws of science at all was a little tricky to accept. Eating garbage and liking it? Being able to fit through small spaces and go unnoticed? I had a hard time believing the realistic aspects of this world because there seemed to be very few boundaries to ground the story in reality. Also, the idea of the Piper, and King Rat, and all the different titles were a little bit hard to latch onto. With almost archetypal titles like the Rat King and the Piper, it felt like an odd and twisted dark fable, something I wasn't super fond of.  It felt a bit too cheesy, and didn't seem to mesh properly with the real world. Yet the introduction of the early dubstep was something I found interesting---I feel that there's been few books that I've read that have tried to describe sound or music that intensely. I liked the language used to describe the different beats, and the rising swells of the music.

In any case, again, King Rat was not really one of my favorites. Interesting, definitely---But I'm just fine without my share of garbage-munching. :)

Black Maria

Reading Black Maria was a very interesting throwback to The Witches by Roald Dahl. Much like Roald Dahl presented his witches, these women are almost normal, but with something decidingly "off." They are not pinups girls in short striped skirts and stockings (like the horridly short Halloween costumes released every year.) Nor are they echoes of pulp covers. Holding nothing short of hen parties, dressing like "proper" ladies, and following their own Queen Bee, both depictions of older, dangerous witches are quite similar. However, rather than make children their target, men seem to be instead.

I find it really interesting how witches do embody the battle of the sexes, and maternal power and society. When reading about witches in the past, because their stories and portrayals seemed for vary so much, I had never even picked up on it as a kid. For example, the portrayal of witches in Kiki's Delivery Service is VERY different from that of the Wizard of Oz, at least on the surface. One is a protagonist, the other an antagonist. The wicked witch is feared, while Kiki is just somewhat socially ostracized. Looking at that last fact however, perhaps both of them do have more in common than I thought.

I like that Black Maria's action starts to sneak up on you; the little blips in the radar of normalcy managed to keep me on my toe is just enough. I'm especially interested in the battle between men and women that slowly is coming to light, though it also does frustrate me---Mig is the only one who seems to be blind to the gender differences. Unfortunately, I did not get to read all of Black Maria, and have been stopping myself from creeping on the Wikipedia summary to write this. I actually am thoroughly enjoying reading it though. At first, the book felt slow and a bit tedious, but finally has begun to pick up like crazy. I look forward to finishing it!

A Spiritual Education

Like millions of other children, the Harry Potter series captured my imagination at an early age. Restless with ordinary life, I was fascinated by the idea of being whisked away to another country, to learn a "science" of doing fantastical things in a captivating new world running parallel to our own. Like many other children, I too waited for my letter for Hogwarts but to no avail. There is a picture that the promise of a spiritual education paints, gilded in the awe of magic that has been sculpted through generations. In that sense, the Harry Potter series is much like a Peter Pan story---at first.

Unlike Peter Pan, the world of Harry Potter is not frozen in a forever-young perspective. The story of Harry's spiritual education is about growth, and a coming of age. Almost like a second childhood, the Wizarding World provokes amazement and curiosity. Entering that world forever changes the individual, the Muggle world becomes boring and vaguely safe. We are at first amazed, then trauma breaks our built up ideal, and then we grow. From my own experience, my education has been the lifting open of a window to the world. If elementary school was grabbing the bottom rail, high school and college were a series of manic pulls, sliding it open inch by inch. With every event, we all just learn as we go, and change with each new experience.

One of the most profound (and conflicting) concepts the series offered was that mental and emotional aging of the main character. The feelings of wonder, decaying into anger, a sense of duty, and everything between takes the reader for a rollercoaster, akin to the ups and downs of any struggling teen. Holistically, magic takes a backseat to the larger picture of Harry's determination of good from evil. At the series' finish, this ultimately culminates with the answer that there IS no black and white. Good and evil is no longer as simple as it was a the start of the series. Nothing broadcasts this more clearly than Severus Snape's character, and the reveal of his involvement with Harry's past.

With the acknowledgement of these grey areas, J.K. Rowling adds a level of believability to an otherwise straightforward character arc. While there is a definitive evil force, many of the underlying characters are humanized as cowards, or victims to fear. Also, there is all a manner of post-Hogwarts wizards who mirror the typical graduates we'd expect today. Hagrid, the man who, years later, never left school after being expelled. Tom Riddle, the seemingly good student gone bad who was never right in the head to begin with. Quidditch players who become famous athletes professionally. All a manner of alumni are mentioned, and the archetypes are not unheard of in everyday life. And much like graduation will be for us, Harry leaves school with a plan with it's fair share of risks and danger for the next stage of his life.

With that, I leave you with a quote, from the great Albus Dumbledore himself.

"It is important to fight, and fight again, and keep fighting, for only then can evil be kept at bay, though never quite eradicated." --Albus Dumbledore