Mike Nurdenburg’s Corner: Who Says Sci-Fi Is Dead? 03/27/3133
INN - Interstellar News Network
A new year has come, and with it the inevitable flood of new holovid and novel
releases that this reporter, for one, always looks forward to. This year, however, has
seen a surprise departure from the Immortal Warrior series and other action films, as
the biggest box office and bookshelf draws have actually emerged from the often-
scoffed genre of science fiction.
Still in theaters, with an astonishingly refreshing storyline, believable characters, and
some of the most realistic acting this reporter has seen in many a year, the smash hit
Divergence brings us our first glimpse of a trilogy set in A. H. Baker’s Altered
Spheres sci-fi novel series. In this film, Adrian Delaurel plays Kirk Damons, a
mercenary commander whose unit is loosely attached to the SLDF just after the
defeat of the Clan Crusades. In this alternative time line, however, the Word of Blake
Jihad is shattered before it can begin when hordes of aliens appear right in the middle
of the Chaos March to launch a war of conquest and annihilation. Damons, starting
out as little more than an errand boy for the League, spends much of the movie in
fierce competition with a Steel Viper Clan Commander, Paul Andrews, played by
Damian Remora, whose unit is also assigned to serve as part of the SLDF’s reserve
action force. The film ends with a cliffhanger, of course, as the alien invasion first
begins by smashing several worlds. Among the most striking scenes is the brutal
overrun of Blakist defenders at Dotara on Kawich, in a battle that almost makes one
feel sorry for the fanatics. This drama is sure to win awards at the next Irian Film
Festival!
Also in bookstores this month, echoing the success of Divergence, is the latest sci-fi
thriller by Bryn Charlotte. The Unnamed is a speculative-fiction tale that begins with a
monumental discovery, as researchers discover the real truth behind the
disappearance of the fabled Clan Wolverine, and explodes with action as the team of
mercenary explorers travels beyond the reaches of the Inner Sphere to discover a
vast, malignant empire poised to strike at all humanity, beginning with the Clans.
With hits like these dominating the box office and bookstores now, all I can say to
you ’Mech-jaded types who think sci-fi is dead is, well, “Neener, neener!”
INN - Interstellar News Network
A new year has come, and with it the inevitable flood of new holovid and novel
releases that this reporter, for one, always looks forward to. This year, however, has
seen a surprise departure from the Immortal Warrior series and other action films, as
the biggest box office and bookshelf draws have actually emerged from the often-
scoffed genre of science fiction.
Still in theaters, with an astonishingly refreshing storyline, believable characters, and
some of the most realistic acting this reporter has seen in many a year, the smash hit
Divergence brings us our first glimpse of a trilogy set in A. H. Baker’s Altered
Spheres sci-fi novel series. In this film, Adrian Delaurel plays Kirk Damons, a
mercenary commander whose unit is loosely attached to the SLDF just after the
defeat of the Clan Crusades. In this alternative time line, however, the Word of Blake
Jihad is shattered before it can begin when hordes of aliens appear right in the middle
of the Chaos March to launch a war of conquest and annihilation. Damons, starting
out as little more than an errand boy for the League, spends much of the movie in
fierce competition with a Steel Viper Clan Commander, Paul Andrews, played by
Damian Remora, whose unit is also assigned to serve as part of the SLDF’s reserve
action force. The film ends with a cliffhanger, of course, as the alien invasion first
begins by smashing several worlds. Among the most striking scenes is the brutal
overrun of Blakist defenders at Dotara on Kawich, in a battle that almost makes one
feel sorry for the fanatics. This drama is sure to win awards at the next Irian Film
Festival!
Also in bookstores this month, echoing the success of Divergence, is the latest sci-fi
thriller by Bryn Charlotte. The Unnamed is a speculative-fiction tale that begins with a
monumental discovery, as researchers discover the real truth behind the
disappearance of the fabled Clan Wolverine, and explodes with action as the team of
mercenary explorers travels beyond the reaches of the Inner Sphere to discover a
vast, malignant empire poised to strike at all humanity, beginning with the Clans.
With hits like these dominating the box office and bookstores now, all I can say to
you ’Mech-jaded types who think sci-fi is dead is, well, “Neener, neener!”
| March 27, 3133 |