Published 06/19/12
The weather was perfect for the Lyme Old Lyme High School 2012 Graduation Ceremony which was held on Monday 18 June on the high school varsity field. Hundreds of proud parents and friends gathered under clear skies and 65 degree temperatures to watch the class of 2012 graduation. See more pictures of the ceremony.
OK. You know who you are, you purveyor of science fiction literature hereto unreviewed by me. You are now solely responsible for my little head wandering off to space. With a few exceptions (The Host (12/05/08), I don’t read a lot of sci-fi and I think that’s about to change.
Many, many brilliant minds (not pompously including myself here – just sayin’) write and read sci-fi for the same reasons theologians like Phillip Pullman write fantasy. Things that are inexplicable in our day to day lives may have an explanation that lies outside of the realm of normalcy.
Religion and science have long sought to face these conundrums. Funny they should fight against each other as often as they do because, with a few idiotic closed minded exceptions, they are both have the same goal.*
People want answers. Indeed we all lie awake in bed and ponder existence. Alastair Reynolds has a PhD in Astronomy. He trained as an astrophysicist. Now he tells us what he lay awake in bed thinking about..
Six million years ago a girl named Abigail Gentian wanted more. She wanted to explore and be free. She wanted power and love. We all do, but she had a means at her disposal that we do not. She clones herself. She actually “shatters” herself into one thousand male and female copies.
They explore a world, a universe … what even to call it? Of empires both human and otherwise. Intellectual capabilities are beyond reason. Travel is beyond reason. Virtually anything is possible but the existence of some human qualities we recognize — love, anger, betrayal, sorrow — make it relatable. Its really cool.**
Campion and Purslane are two “shatterlings” who have bonded. There are mysteries afoot. Someone is killing off the Gentian line. Do they know too much or have they missed the point and need to start again? The book can be a little verbose (don’t even…) and I caught my mind wandering, but hang in there. You need to get to page 565 on your own.
The ending is worth it.
The full circle, theological, scientific proposal is truly wonderful.
Really, really wonderful.
*I will restrain myself to saying that the best religions are the open-minded, exploratory, all-encompassing ones. Those that condemn, pigeon hole and exclude infuriate me.
**cool
The best way to say something is neat-o, awesome, or swell. The phrase “cool” is very relaxed, never goes out of style, and people will never laugh at you for using it, very convenient for people like me who don’t care about what’s “in.”
Homestar is cool. The Red Sox are cool. Twinkies are cool.
Right now my toenails are pink. They look very nice and I enjoy smiling down at them, but I can’t help feel a bit like a total spank. Cheryl Strayed lost six of hers. I’m guessing the remaining four were not visions of loveliness. Frankly, it’s a small sacrifice to have made in light of the enormity of her accomplishment both internally and externally.
She was lost and she decided not to rely on someone else to pick her up, not to whine, not to accept her state complacently but to get the hell up and do something. Ninety percent of success is showing up.
Cheryl had a tough childhood with no fatherly support and made subsequently predictable choice regarding men. She pushes away one man who could save her – knowing deep down she has to do it herself, and remains attracted to other men who will only make her feel worse. The loss of her mother sends her over the proverbial edge.
She is not a professional outdoors person. She is not a skilled backpacker. She has virtually no money and lots of time. She decides to do something alone. Something tough. Something where she will be left to face her inner demons with no distraction. She decides to hike the Pacific Crest Trail. Eleven hundred miles. From the Mojave desert up through California to Oregon to Washington state.
“When I had no roof, I made audacity my roof”.* It really is brilliant. I admire her audacity. She does too. Imagine the sense of accomplishment. The sense of pride in overcoming her own obstacles on her own terms. She just keeps on keeping on. She meets wonderful people (with the exception of the nasty old couple at the Whitehorse Campground.**). Everyone looks after one another in a way that is reminiscent of World Made By Hand. (1/09). I love that small community tenderness. It serves her well.
Not only is her trek worth discovery, but also her telling of her tale is quite well done. She has a natural ability to capture detail that makes wild an excellent book.***
Author’s Notes: * Robert Pensky “ Samurai Song”
**WHITEHORSE CAMPGROUND
Quincy, CA 95971-6025. Tel: (530)
Guess what, they closed. HA! What goes around comes around, meanies …
*** re read A Walk In The Woods, Bill Bryson (3/10) for a grand story of The Appalachian trail.