Horror, Fantasy, and Science Fiction

Nothing is real, and the answer to the universe is 42. At least, according to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. I think it’s safe to assume that most people, at the very least, have heard about Hitchhiker’s guide and some of its more memorable jokes from word of mouth. I only just got around to listening to the radio play (the narrative’s original format) and found that I loved several parts about it. At some point, all of the characters fall into the trope of being a “straight man” in an otherwise crazy world. Of course, when one character falls out of being the straight man to act extremely silly, another takes their place, keeping the balance of one sane character at a time. So no matter how the plot is moving forward with the quirky characters making a mess of things, their designated sheepdog keeps some amount of order. Another thing that I absolutely love about the Hitchhiker’s Guide is its dedication to nihilism. The fact that the answer to the entire

It may be a little hard to get into the concept of “The Aquatic Uncle” by Italo Calvino, as one rarely reads stories about the social lives of the prehistoric reptiles/amphibians who evolved from ocean life. Though, while the concept is strange, the topics Calvino discusses in this short story are almost domestic with how much we read about them, especially today: the progress of society and how one progresses with it. Like in our world, the characters live in a world where society progresses at an exponential rate. Their ancestors began as near fish, but their society has been moving onto land more and more, with very few still staying within the water. Our protagonist’s uncle is one of these few. Although his family begs him to return to land with them, he doesn’t budge an inch and stays within the water. Some are already evolved almost fully for land, such as the protagonist’s fiancée, who hasn’t seen a water-dweller before meeting the uncle. Then there are those in between, suc

The short story Bloodchild by Octavia Butler perfectly combines disgust and intrigue, as well as a big heap of detachment. My first thought after reading was it’s an interesting take on the parasitic alien trope; more domestic, more normalized, just as traumatizing. It’s obvious the race of the Tlic is based on insects, which of most organisms looks the most alien to humans as well as having members that are parasitic in nature, so the connection makes sense. As in certain insect species as well, it seems as though the Tlic are matriarchal - which adds to the interesting role reversal to the men who bear Tlic children. The Terrans in this short story are implied to be minorities, as T'Gatoi mentions them leaving the planet due to subjugation. Terrans are thought to be given an equivalent exchange, as they have access to shelter as well as nonfertilized eggs, which make the Terrans live longer lives. Of course, objectively, being put on a preserve like they are and having to b