CAMERON, RODRIGUEZ FAIL TO WOW WITH ALITA

With a writer like James Cameron (TITANIC, AVATAR, et al) and a director like Robert Rodriguez (DUSK TO DAWN, SIN CITY, GRINDHOUSE, et al) you would think the SF action film ALITA, BATTLE ANGEL, in theaters now, would be a slam-dunk. 

In fact, I couldn’t wait to see what the collaboration of these two cinematic visionaries would produce. After all, we have hundreds of science fiction romance novels and stories being published every year—plenty of raw material to work from, right? The state of the art in computer-generated imagery is phenomenal. If you can imagine it, someone can put it on the big screen. And with guys like Cameron and Rodriguez on board, money will be no object.

But, though it’s true ALITA, BATTLE ANGEL is chock-full of CGI visual delights, it is sadly lacking in narrative cohesion or any kind of depth. Even the angst that usually affects Rodriguez’s charismatic antiheroes is missing here, replaced by a predictable cyber-teenage coming-of-age theme. The director’s touch is apparent, though, as [spoiler alert] romance falls by the wayside in favor of the tragedy that spurs our heroine on toward her ultimate fate.

The film has its moments. There is no denying the technology that allows actress Rosa Salazar to become the cyborg Alita onscreen is amazing. The incredible array of human/machine, animal/machine and machine/machine combinations that litter the screen staggers the imagination. And, of course, the fight scenes, chase scenes and rolling arena battles (think ROLLERBALL on steroids) between and among these cyborgs are a heck of a lot of fun to watch. This is a Rodriguez film, above everything.

The A-Team actors perform their jobs admirably, too, though they are given precious little to work with. Mahershala Ali, Jennifer Connelly and Christoph Waltz (who plays Dr. Ido, Alita’s savior and father-figure) behave as if they are in a real movie, while I’m sure with every break in filming they went back to their trailers and consoled themselves by repeating, “I won an Oscar!”

Much of what is wrong with ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL lies in the fact that it has nothing new to say, despite all its visual flash. The powers that be in both publishing and filmmaking persist in thinking that SF is the realm of teenagers, so we get coming-of-age themes, whether the protagonist is a young Jedi, a rebellious winner of deadly games or a rebuilt cyborg. If that protagonist falls in love, it is first love we see, and likely tragic.

In this particular case, Scarlett Johansson’s THE GHOST IN THE SHELL (2017), like ALITA originally based on a manga story, addressed the themes of identity and humanity much better because Johansson’s Major was an adult. She had agency; she could act for herself from the beginning of the story (though the question of who is really in control is central to the film).

We don’t get much of those themes in ALITA. We get a lot of action, a lot of teen yearning. We get some “who am I?” We get bad judgment from both our heroine and her teenage love interest that leads to plot turns. But nothing unpredictable enough to be called twisty or even thought-provoking. We’ve seen this before.

And that’s a shame. With all the resources behind this film, we should have been open-mouthed with awe.

Cheers, Donna

The Greater Good depends on your point of view

Ever since I wrote Eye of the Mother, I had in mind that the couple in that book deserved another story. Brent Walker was still a nice guy – but he wasn’t ordinary anymore. And Tian Axmar hadn’t been ordinary for a very long time. Besides, it would give me an opportunity to include Admiral Ul-Mellor and his lovely wife in a new story. I’d left a lot of unanswered questions in Eye of the Mother – most particularly what had happened to Tian before that book started. And I liked the idea of exploring how the two of them would fare in their brand new, rather different, relationship. They’re both Imperial agents, working for Admiral Ul-Mellor, dancing on that tightrope between the Yrmaks and the Empire – and finding out about life together.

Even so, I wanted to introduce a new character. I’ll admit I was encouraged by the success of the Pets in Space collections, and I’d loved the furzels in Linnea Sinclair’s Games of Command. But Puss isn’t really anybody’s pet. Although she resembles a cat in appearance and in some behaviors, she’s an alien species with more abilities than your average moggy. So she’s very smart indeed. Back in another life I was owned by several Siamese cats (and a few German shepherd dogs but that’s another story). I felt confident to be talking about cats and what they do.

I had the pieces for a new story – Tian and Brent, the mystery of whatever had happened to Tian before she met Brent, simmering conflict between the Empire and the Yrmaks. And Puss. One thing I wanted to weave into the story became the title - for the greater good. What constitutes 'the greater good' depends so much on the point of view of the person with the opinion. And not everyone will agree.

For the Greater Good

A Human settlement is destroyed and all signs point to an Yrmak raid as Imperial agents Tian Axmar and Brent Walker scour the site for clues. One thing they never expected to find was a survivor, a rare alien feline with unusual talents.

As tensions between Humans and Yrmaks ratchet to the point of no return, Tian and Brent must bring all their cyborg skills to bear as they follow a dangerous trail of deception and misdirection.

The feline, now dubbed Puss and strongly bonded to Tian, holds the key to many of the questions driving the investigation. Unfortunately, that bond drives a wedge between Brent and Tian’s working relationship, leaving Brent with second thoughts about his decision to become a cyborg.

As the evidence unfolds, it becomes clear that a devious plot to incite an interspecies war will strike at the very heart of the Empire. With lives at risk, there’s no time to waste. Racing against the clock, Brent, Tian, and Puss must stop the planned carnage, and this time for Brent and Tian… it’s personal.

 🌟

In this excerpt, Brent and Tian (and Puss) travel to Ootzpah, following the trail of stolen weapons. The local customs officials are the corrupt sort who won’t hesitate to gouge small traders. Two of them have just searched the ship, and they’re closing in for the kill, having recognized Puss as a rare, valuable species, worth thousands to collectors.
***

"What is this?" the fellow said, waving the bottle in front of Tian. He shook it, and crystalline particles scattered inside.

Rooban. Shit. "I don't know. It is not ours. You know it's not ours."

The fellow smirked, his gaze sliding to his companion. "Do I? It's Rooban. That's illegal here. Handling it is a criminal offence. It'll land you in jail for a loooong time. Oh yes it will."

Tian swallowed. How to shift his mindset? He knew the drug wasn't theirs, so reinforcing that belief was pointless. They didn't have time for this shit, but she couldn't do anything but play along for now. "Okay, we get it. What do you want?"

"Lydis wants your feline. Hand it over, and the Rooban will disappear."

Smiling, the woman stepped forward, her arms outstretched. "Come along, kitty. You'll love your new home."

Tian grabbed her arm and squeezed just enough to hurt. "She's not for sale." She longed to keep squeezing, cut off the arm's circulation, but soothing colors of pale blues and yellows flowed through her mind. Puss wound her tail around the woman's arm, attracting her attention. The avarice faded. Puss unwound her tail and jumped lightly down from Tian's shoulder. Tian let go.

Tomic stepped back, her eyelids fluttering, then gazed down at Puss. "It's just a feline," she said to her companion. "Just an ordinary feline. "

The man stared, frowning. "But you said—" Puss rubbed past the fellow's leg, brushing her tail against him.

"It's a common cat," Tomic repeated. They've got nothing else. We might as well let them go."

Tian reinforced the thought. Nothing to see here, no point in trying to gouge smugglers with nothing. Maybe come back later.

Nodding, the man dropped the bottle of Rooban into one of the many pockets in his trousers. He produced a chip and handed it to Brent. "You're cleared. For now." He waddled down the ramp, his companion behind him.

Brent sank into a chair. "What in hells happened there?"

"Looks like she can do what we can do, only better." Tian sat opposite him, while Puss took up a spot on the table between them. The auralfang's mental images were of reassurance. "We can reinforce a thought, but she touched them and they changed their minds. It was almost like watching a mind-wipe. Sort of like, 'this is not the auralfang you're looking for'."

Brent stretched out slowly and touched Puss. She pushed her head into his hand and he scratched under her chin. "She likes it." His lips stretched into a silly, goofy smile, like a little boy.

Tian raised an eyebrow. "Most felines do. Did you ever have a pet?"

"Me? No. My sisters had a cat, though."

"Did you ever think about taking the cat away from them and selling it?"

His eyes widened. "Huh? Of course not. They'd be furious."

She grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him toward her. "Don't you ever, ever, think about selling Puss. Got that?" She grated the words, reveling in her own anger.

Raising both his hands, he said, "Hey. I just told you what we could get. Not that I'd do that. Honest, Tian. I'm fine with her."

Tian let go. She didn't completely believe him, but she'd made her point.

Puss sent out waves of approval.

***
For the Greater Good is available at  Amazon B&N Kobo iBooks




There’s certainly room for more Tian-Brent-Puss stories. That may well end up being my next project. That doesn't meet the definition of romance, I guess. But I think there's something romantic about learning to live with each other, despite the odds. Don't you?

Cyborgs in Sci-Fi

There are a lot of books around these days starring cyborgs, and I guess we all know what a cyborg is – the definition is "a fictional or hypothetical person whose physical abilities are extended beyond normal human limitations by mechanical elements built into the body". They've been around for ages. The earliest (prominent) one I can remember is Steve Austin in the Six Million Dollar Man. Mm-m Quite the hunk. Then there was Robocop, and as we all know, Cynthia Sax has a series of sizzling cyborg stories. So do a number of other SFR writers. You'll find a whole list of them on Goodreads.

I found a fascinating article the other day about the quest for immortality. It struck a chord for me, because transferring a brain into a kind of robot shell is exactly how the process works in my Eye of the Mother book and its sequel, For the Greater Good. Having put forward the hypothetical plans for making such a transition possible, the article then goes on to talk about the potential societal problems immortality might create. And it's not just immortality: it's greatly expanded lifespans.

Isaac Asimov's novels The Caves of Steel, The Naked Sun, and The Robots of Dawn contrasted the short lives of Earth humans with the three hundred plus ages achieved by 'spacers'. In the end, the spacers lost their vitality, and their planets were all abandoned. Asimov argued that the relatively short life span of ordinary humans meant that they would be more inclined to take chances, since they had less of their lives to lose. An interesting theory, which didn't fit at all with how Tolkien's elves conducted themselves. They are almost immortal, but they sign up for the wars against Sauron.

Elizabeth Moon's Serrano series explores the effect of people being able to regenerate their bodies, thus being able to extend their lifespans indefinitely. Her novels are military, and she makes the point of long lines of able young officers unable to get a promotion because the senior officers don't need to retire. It's all fascinating stuff, leaving the reader with a lot to think about, especially with regard to the ethics of such a process – which would, of course, only be available to the rich.
 

Apart from the cyborgs in the Dryden Universe, my other major cyborg star is Morgan Selwood. She comes from a time after a series of disastrous wars had decimated humanity - wars with machines, or AI's, a bit like the wars depicted in the Terminator movies. Determined never to allow machines to dominate them again, humans use people like Morgan to control their technology. Known as supertechs, they have a supercomputer implanted in their brains soon after birth, and are genetically modified to obey the people who control them. Apart from that, they are completely human. But Morgan's a little bit different from the other Supertechs. Her story starts in a short story, Supertech.

That's the wonderful thing about science fiction. It raises possibilities, then explores the effects – both good and bad.

Please tell me about your favorite SFR cyborgs.