Space Opera

The Space Opera is an interesting sub-genre of Science Fiction because in a sense it legitimizes Sci-Fi as a genre. The way I see Space Opera is a standard drama film, just set in space. This makes it more accessible to a larger audience, rather than having to find its niche. Take Forbidden Planet: it is a classic narrative about people battling evil, with a subplot of romance. Anyone can watch the film and relate to it, without having to know any of the tropes of science fiction.

Another way of phrasing this is that Space Opera uses the Science Fiction genre as a setting, but pulls tropes from other genres for the plot. At its core, Forbidden Planet is more of a drama/romance than it is a sci-fi. However, this does not mean that Space Opera is undeserving of being classified as sci-fi. We need Space Opera to bring sci-fi to the mainstream, or else niche movies would never be funded.

An example of this would be the Space Opera The Martian. This novel had such broad appeal that it was adapted into a successful feature film. The story, by Andy Weir, used the science fiction genre as a setting, but the core of the story was about a man struggling to survive, a primal instinct we can all relate to. In the story, the protagonist, an astronaut and botanist named Mark, is stranded on Mars and has to survive on his own by growing crops and finding ways to communicate with NASA. This is a standard wilderness survival story, like Castaway, Robinson Crusoe, Lord of the Flies, and other classic examples. I think that contributes to the commercial success of the book and movie. If Mark were battling aliens or had special powers, the story becomes less accessible and though it caters to avid sci-fi fans, it would not have had the widespread appeal that made it famous.

Contemporary Urban Fantasy

Myths have been around since human civilization first sprouted. Since then myths have been retold and reimagined in countless ways. In present day, myths are still inspiring stories that now take place in modern times. Many current authors retell myths in urban settings with updated understanding of the world. It is fascinating to see myths grow and evolve with human society.

This week I read Coraline by Neil Gaiman. In the novel, a young girl (Coraline) discovers another world through a small door in her flat. The world is a more fantastical version of her own world, but she soon discovers it is an evil world and the inhabitants have sinister motives. I cannot help but connect this to the idea of the Underworld, a concept that that has been around since the first myths were told. Coraline is lured in by temptation, convinced to stay by deceipt, and is almost trapped there and killed, her soul being a slave there forever. It is not exact, but it is very similar to the way the devil character operates in myths, whether it be Hades in the Underworld or Satan in Hell.

Coraline also shares some characteristics with Dante’s Inferno. In both, our protagonists ventures into a dark, sinister underworld. Coraline was able to do more exploring, but in the end both are threatened to be trapped and have to escape with the soul of innocent people who did not belong there. Both escape not by brute force but by using their wits. It may not be a perfect match but the elements are present in both. It truly is fascinating to see how a religious work written a thousand years ago can still inspire story tellers today.

Spiritual Education

One of the most captivating parts of a fantasy novel is the world it takes place in. Each has its unique system of rules that it follows; fantasy novels have many of the same tropes, but that does not always mean they behave the same way. For example, in Dracula, a vampire sleeps in a coffin and dresses in extravagant victorian clothing, while in Twilight vampires dress like cool teenagers and sparkle in the sunlight. Vampires are always undead beings that feed on human blood, but the other mechanics vary from story to story.

That being said, one of the best ways to teach an audience how these rules work is to take them to school! If you put the reader in the position of a character who is young and learning about the way this magical world works, you allow them to learn about this world directly from the source. It may be too on the nose for some, but if you have a lot of information to cover it can be very interesting.

The most obvious success story to come from this would be J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter Series. It takes place in a school for wizards and follows Harry over his full seven-year education there. The audience gets to learn all the spells and what they do, all the potions and their effects, every magical beast they encounter. Outside of the classroom they get to see how these skills and practices are used out in the wizarding world. The education that the readers receive in the story makes the external plot more fun and accessible. It also makes everything marketable!

Bloodchild

Bloodchild was confusing at first because I had no clue what was going on. However, the world they live in is slowly revealed as the story progresses, so it became easier to understand and more interesting. This writing technique can be very interesting but in a story as outrageous as this, I could have used a few more clues in the beginning. I was so lost that I was not connecting to the story at all, and if it had not been assigned I would have given up. The part of the story that finally hooked me in was Gan watching T’Gatoi cutting open Lomas during the birthing. It was very descriptive, disturbing, and emotionally scarring needless to say I loved it.

I surprisingly was able to find an emotional connection to main character. During Gan’s confrontation with his older brother, the story establishes a theme of loss of innocence. Gan slowly realizes that Tlic may have darker motivations, and that T’Gatoi might have been lying to him his entire life. I grew up in the Catholic Church, and when I was a little older I started doubting my faith. I can connect to the emotional weight of realizing that your whole life is a lie. I may never had to host parasites in my flesh but it’s the same fundamental idea, probably.

I think this story would make an incredible stop motion film. Similar to Tim Burton’s art style but darker and gorier. The story’s length could lend itself to about a 30 minute long short film. Since there is not much of a market for films of that length, it would needed to be either extended to feature length or shortened to about 10 minutes. To solve this I would probably start the film in media res: the moment before Gan watches T’Gatoi operate on Lamos.

Heroic Journey

The heroic journey is actually something that really fascinates me. Not because I always agree with it, but because I love studying theories about story structure. I am a screenwriter so I enjoy breaking down stories to see how the plot structures the narrative. The heroic journey is a solid theory that many famous epic stories can be fit into, but not all stories like it claims to. Not all stories have a magical mentor, not all protagonists resist the call to adventure, etc. If anything the theory is just an overly detailed glorification of the classic exposition, rising action, climax, resolution format. However, that does not mean it cannot be fun to take classic stories and see how many fit into the heroic journey.

A great example of this would be The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien because it fits the heroic journey quite literally. The character Bilbo’s home is the “Ordinary World” and is heavily described as being an ordinary place where he lives a simple life. He is literally called to adventure when Gandalf arrives and tells him they are going on an adventure. Bilbo initially resists the call but his magical mentor, Gandalf, convinces him to. He crosses the threshold and leaves his ordinary world to a fantastic world with dangers and adventures at every turn. He faces many trials, most famously Gollum, before they reach the destination. In the cliché of all clichés, Bilbo goes to the cave and beats the dragon. There’s a grand war with elves and dwarves and whatnot, and the good guys win. Bilbo’s Reward is a cut of the dragon’s treasure. Then they safely travel home and Bilbo lives happily ever after. The novel is almost a literal adaptation of the hero’s journey.

New Weird

The New Weird genre of fiction is a modern take on the weird genre of the past; stories from Edgar Allen Poe, Mary Shelley, H.P. Lovecraft, and other authors. It is a pretty hard to define, since it is a blend of multiple genres, mainly horror with influences from fantasy, and science fiction. I think the main difference between horror and new weird is that horror seeks to frighten the audience outright, while weird fiction aims to disturb the audience and make them feel unsettled.

China Mielville's novel "Kraken" is a great example of New Weird fiction. It follows museum employee Billy Harrow’s adventure that begins when he discovers that the giant squid at the museum has disappeared out of nowhere. It takes place in some alternate version of London with spirits, a squid-worshipping cult, and a gang lead by a talking tattoo. The premise alone, along with the characters and the setting, is all pretty weird. I mean that in general terms, but also in the true definition of the genre. Already we see the author blending tropes of horror (spirits, cults), sci-fi (giant squid), and fantasy (magic talking tattoo). I found that the plot is not structurally sound or easy to follow, but the plot itself is not the main focus of the story. The plot is only there to link all the tropes and clichés of the New Weird genre together, which is the essence of what the genre is all about.