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sci-fi: Stranger in a Strange Land.

Well, so far, and while preparing a new entry that took some time ruminating on the topic of apocalyptic sci-fi to correct the assertion that once made about the death of the genre in the late 90's, seen the rise that has taken a while this part, I leave here another old article I saved this weekend, hosting directories on my hard drives on a classic novel, Stranger in a Strange Land

Stranger on Earth
Strange is probably the most controversial novel in itself controversial and science fiction author Robert Anson Heinlein . Detailed enough as that for the first edition of this novel, in 1961, had to be censored several passages that the editor simply did not dare to publish as they were, and that the complete edition of the book was not published until 1990.


The initial argument is quite simple. A first international expedition to Mars, made to avoid both the problems of sexual abstinence during the long journey as social taboos related to sex, marriage four astronauts, lost contact with Earth while preparing to landing. Twenty-five years later can not send a second expedition that to his surprise, but to discover that Mars is a planet inhabited by reach is also a survivor of the first: Michael Smith, the illegitimate son of two members of the first issue, an orphan from a very child, who has been raised and educated by Martians.

-eye, the text below contains some plot details, but I have tried to reduce to a minimum- spoiler

The strange as our world has this character, human body, Mars mind, Heinlein serves as an excuse to attack everything set: family, state, law, press, religion, army, capital, bureaucracy, tradition ... nothing is safe from the biting satire of Heinlein. Special mention of the characters, "heinlenianos" to the core of the work: the cynical people who make a virtue of a philosophy of life hedonism, individualism and the only valid guide their actions, guys who enjoy facing the authority for the sheer pleasure of it and who see humanity as a herd of cousins \u200b\u200beager to be fleeced, appear in the role of "good", while the nations "law", respectful of authority, struts society, formed in the ranks of the "bad" and his fate is to suffer all kinds of humiliations.

The plot moves forward with the transfer to the Land of Smith, and his detention in a hospital for the duration of their adaptation to the environment earthling. Apart from being the heir to the not inconsiderable fortune to his parents, and rebound the rest of the first crew members, by an absurd legal precedent the young castaway space could also claim the dignity of colonial viceroy of the planet Mars, which, obviously not like a hair earthling confederal government, which would welcome character so uncomfortable that he suffered an unfortunate accident during their stay in the hospital, before becoming aware of their rights. However, the chance that the nurse wanted to keep an office romance with a pretty sensationalist journalist facing the government, which convinces her to help the patient to escape from the hospital and they take refuge in the house of an acquaintance of the aforementioned journalist , Jubal Harshaw, a key character of the work.

Vividor, cynical, cantankerous, individualistic, but above all insightful and very smart, Jubal Harshaw is both doctor and lawyer, but does not have any of these professions, preferring to earn more than comfortable living as a writer of pulp literature . This extravagant character immediately adopt the role of master of Smith, explaining in a way quite particular bases earthling culture, and help you get out of the huge legal mess that has been gone without eating or drinking. He shall also make a key discovery for the advancement of the narrative: the Martians are consummate mentalists, and educated the young Smith in the use of all kinds of parapsychological abilities. Once

solved with the help of Harshaw his legal problems, and become the man of fashion, Smith will launch the world in the most outrageous possible. Rather than devote to appear on the covers of fashion magazines, Smith and Jill, the nurse who helped him escape and later became his lover, undercover join a traveling variety show that will travel to more provincial cities of the United States. Later the couple set in Las Vegas, where he found employment in the gambling business and entertainment, all experiences that will help them undertake the project of their lives: the founding of a sect that would pool the Martian philosophy learned hedonistic individualism Harshaw, and with his popularity threatens to undermine the very foundations of society.

- end spoiler danger zone -

cult novel, won the prestigious Hugo Award science fiction novel in 1962, and became a cultural icon of the hippy generation, which immediately tune to the song to free love and sexual freedom brought along all the work, which inevitably made it a cause celebre for the more puritanical layers of American society. A black legend of the novel also contributed to the fact that the famous psychopath Charles Manson sure to be inspired in the process, meticulously detailed, organization and operation of the imaginary cult novel for the creation of their own sectarian community murderers. Therefore, Stranger in a Strange Land is, even today in the XXI century, reading a book disturbing. A work ultimately can not miss in the library of any fan of science fiction that seeks to claim the title of geek.

Article originally published in May 2006, in the late Mondofriki.com site. Revised to add links to the original text and remove typos (some insurance that has been, it never fails.)

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The super-stateless scandal

Sometimes one finds in newspapers with news that, frankly, I do wonder whether we have become and all definitely crazy. Because if you do not quite understand how they can become a matter of debate, scandal or even news like this:

Right U.S., "aggrieved" by rejecting their citizenship Superman

Playing tragic vignette of the moment (source: Daily Public)

I read and the first thing you think is: OK, wonderful, you might have solved all the problems of the world. It must be that the United States, like the rest of the world, are involved in a serious economic crisis, that there are millions of unemployed, hundreds of thousands of people lost their homes not because they can not cope with the mortgage last year , and so we could go the Rosary of misfortune in that country alone. In truth we live in Utopia, if our main concern is the argument of a cartoon superhero. But if we analyze it better, we see that is not as stupid as it seems at first sight, and that basically tells us much about the world and the times in which we live. Let us then that lurks beneath the veneer of this apparently frivolous news.


Let's start. Actually what the article is describing something that had to happen if or if. The character of Superman is too great for the times in which we live. And it was in the 80's and early 90's had to kill him, revive, rewrite, convert it and make thousands of inventions so he could keep it running. Think without going too far in the young Superman series Smallville. Why? Because like it or not, people will grind to a guy on one side has the powers of a god, on the other side is so submissive and lacking critical sense. Never question authority, never raises his place in the world, never has a conflict between law and morality. That, the reader / viewer modern, admittedly, does not suit him. It is a mythical character, an icon, right, and therefore continue to produce comics, series, movies ... but it is obsolete. If a writer entered the day in the office of a publisher with a similar story, I would say that it metiese ass. Heck, since at the time cost to accept him, but then proves a success. In the XXI century, save only his legend.

The mythical home of 1 of Action Comics, the magazine that introduced Superman to the world.

But that initial success has much to do with the time it appeared, and values \u200b\u200bvery different from today. The hero of "New Deal" is not transplantable to today. We can not forget that at 60 there was a great cultural revolution, came the counter-culture, the great figures of protest songs, sacred values \u200b\u200bare questioned, are encouraged to be critical ... things almost unthinkable back in the 40. Notice the difference between the 40 heroes, like Superman, and the characters that appear for 60, namely all those who created Stan Lee and Jack Kirby for Marvel editorial: darker, personally tormented, misunderstood by society, full of existential doubts, persecuted, marginalized, seen as freaks ... if the superhero equivalent of 50 Olympian gods who descend to earth to receive the worship of mortals from the 60 they become monsters, whose actions can the people benefit, but in those who do not trust. And of course that leaves the door open for more interesting stories in which the main character questions his own hero status and what is just or not. That a god can not, as a god after all is a symbolic embodiment of the values \u200b\u200bof their society. You can not question their society without losing his divine, rather than a monster if you can.

is why the characters in the early days have not transplanted well known to modern times. Personally, I think the only one who has converted well known and enjoy a second youth has been Batman. And that taking into account only the impact of the 60's in the genre. Then if we and to consider what happens after 80, when people like Alan Moore is dedicated to reinvent the genre, would never end. So the stories have to be adapted and retrofitted for a new reader who is more critical, more demanding, asking for something more than fighting in a story. But Superman is a problem here, again and again collides with his iconic status. When we read a comic book or going to see a Superman movie we all know what we see: the good-natured guy, a little panoli, town newcomer to the big city, timid in dealing with the girls, when no one sees ; you put the red cape and underpants over the tights tight and so low a kitten from the tree who saves the world from apocalypse without breaking a sweat. And if we give it, we protest. But at the same time we know that this kind of story is old fashioned.

And that, not kryptonite is Superman's Achilles heel. Each time a writer tries to bring back the character, make it more realistic, collides with myth. Now we have Superman giving up his citizenship, something that obviously can not do without destroying the iconic image of great American hero. When the viewer of today applaud their ears if the movie is watching the hero to Wall Street was handing out wafers and bread. But that Superman can not. It is up to other heroes (or antihero) darker, which are those that are fashionable today, and the Superman, admittedly, can not play on the same ground without jumping all alarms.