SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

With the barber's being closed in the UK for the last three months due to lock down I'm beginning to think that's the case myself

XD

Would you rather live in a world where stories can't bounce between mediums (it can only be a book, or just a movie, or just a TV series, etc). However you enjoy your favorite tales is the only way it will ever be enjoyed.

Or?

Stories are freely shared, but everything is rebooted once a new decade begins. You get updated effects and tighter stories. They may branch off differently with each interpretation, but things like the MCU would have to be condensed by a year to make it all happen.

part two seems to be what's actually happening today (witness the reboots of movies and TV series). Plots in books are always being rebooted. Someone once said there are only x (actual number) number of plots and they're all being used.

I guess I'll go with two.

I like options so I'll go with number two too.

I would rather have no. 1, TBH. I almost invariably hate film adaptations of books and prefer the books over films, if I happen to see the film first, so I feel like I would be missing anything if that couldn’t happen anymore. And it would force film and TV makers to be more creative.

Good point about new ideas, Diane. Also, option two means books are rebooted too.

Phillip wrote: "Good point about new ideas, Diane. Also, option two means books are rebooted too."

Books are always being rebooted - how many different versions of Lord of the Rings (The Sword of Shannara for one), Little Fuzzy (Fuzzy Nation), etc. Read The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories for more information

I'm leaning towards two. As much as I HATE a lot of movie adaptations and remakes, it sometimes brings new people to the discussion and that's always nice. I'll suffer a few "That's not how it happened in the book/show/original" tantrums in order to share my favorite stories with people who wouldn't have otherwise given them a second thought.

(The tantrum thing is legit, too. You should have seen me in the parking lot of the theater after watching The Host. And don't even get me started on The Last Airbender...)

LOL Kristin... It's been a while since I have that kind of tantrum. Kinda miss it.

Would you rather

(a) Solve ecological problems on earth and master a perfectly sustainable existence, with no FTL travel

or

(b) let our situation on earth develop as it is currently (with whatever possibility of future remediation we already have), but master FTL travel and terraforming technology. For this option, we have the technology on earth, but we don't know any more than we do now about the details of any planets outside our solar system.

Definitely a. I don't love the idea of infecting humans on other worlds, but this one already knows how to put us in timeout as need be.

I'm with Allison on this one. It reminds me of a Carl Sagan quote:

"If there is life on Mars, I believe we should do nothing with Mars. Mars then belongs to the Martians, even if the Martians are only microbes."

We need to stay on our own little blue rock. At the very least until we can learn to play gently within our own home and with each other.

Would you rather "live backwards" where you were born old and get younger as time moves chronologically (like Merlin) OR be unsure what time period and age you'll be every day upon waking (sort of like Time Traveler's Wife)?

Definitely the Benjamin Button syndrome for me.

Backwards. At least then you could still have consistent, if awkward, relationships.

I'll take the absurdity of random periods.

random for me too

I'll be a rando too. There is no way I want to go back into my mother's cha-cha. That's just … weird.

Although … it would mean I'd get to see her alive again.

Hmm … NO. That would still be too weird!

Would you rather have extreme intelligence but have zero empathy (like, psychopathy inability to relate to people) or be well below the bell curve in intelligence, but be extremely compassionate to an almost telepathic level?

Allison, how do you always pick things that make me want to say NEITHER!?

Anna wrote: "Allison, how do you always pick things that make me want to say NEITHER!?"

https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/d9f0db32...

I'll take intelligence. My ego will force me to create things that will still improve billions of lives.

I’ll take empathic imbecile.

I would take the intelligence. Then you could still understand others emotions, just not relate to them or care

The imbecile for me!

I've already made this choice!

Intelligence versus empathy. Always reminds me of Spock versus Doc. The humor always happened when the non-emotional Spock who was guided by just logic would let some emotion seep through. I would have to go with Spock over Doc.

I would rather live in the future. Any place without electricity is not the place for me. I'll deal with my hackability. But I gotta have some light to do it.

Would you rather relive 2020 or welcome the Elder Gods (Cthulhu et al) as our new rulers?

2020 - at least I'd get a lot of reading done

Well... if it's just an automated repeat: relive 2020; come back to this moment in another year. (Same question then again? Then we have to think of a cleverer solution to get forward).

do cowls and plague masks count? because then yes

haha

Will I get to live underwater under the Elder Gods? I mean, with rising sea water now and sunken cities soon, might as well get used to it. Also I no longer need those expensive scuba equipment and can explore more.

(sipping my morning coffee and daydreaming)

that would likely depend on the honor the Great Ones bestow upon you. you can ask to be sent to the cult of the Deep Ones

I've quite enjoyed 2020 on a personal level. I acquired proof that I'm the person that I suspected I would be in a major crisis. In the UK we have a bit of an obsession with the second World War and the sacrifices made by the population that has frequently been used against later generations. I can justifiably tell people what to do with themselves in response to that nonsense now.

The Elder Gods don't have anything to offer that can compete with that.

Aw, Ryan, I was expecting you to say something silly, but that's really sweet. I am glad to hear this (though I never doubted the quality of your character!)

Would you rather be able to travel forward through time or backward?

You may always return to the present, but you can only go one way. You may not bring anything back or interact with the past/future, but you will see events. In other words, you must become rich by locating lost treasures from the past or memorizing future lotto numbers.

The question becomes if you are more interested in seeing the historical events of the past or getting a sneak peek at the advancements of the future?

I would pick the past. I'm more interested in seeing how historical figures/events actual behaved/went down. I don't know the futures, so beyond seeing new technology (which I can't interact with) and checking up on my children as the oldest living members of the family, I don't think it has as much allure as witnessing Ancient Rome or positively confirming what happened to Jimmy Hoffa. And trying to change the future by finding out what politicians messed things up or which event caused World War III would be maddening.

The past, but I'd almost exclusively use it to figure out where I left something.

For example, I lost a toy pony when I was 8 somewhere in Georgia, and I really don't know how I did it.

Allison wrote: "The past, but I'd almost exclusively use it to figure out where I left something.

For example, I lost a toy pony when I was 8 somewhere in Georgia, and I really don't know how I did it."

That would be fun, but I'm definitely finding buried treasure and getting paid. I'll need a bunch of free time so I can enjoy my new hobby.

past - I wanta discover the royal jewels and treasury lost by King John, the location of the Amber room lost during WWII, and the missing Faberge eggs

Tower of Babel and Library at Alexandria!!!

there's the Russian Library that vanished too

"Would you rather be able to travel forward through time or backward?"

It depends, can I take a look before I jump in?

I would be really curious about the future but only if it's not a gloomy dystopia, or a place where everybody has their brain so developed that a human from the present would be completely outdated. ;-) or if it would be like Star Trek and it would be like that episode where Data asks what a housewife is, it would be awkward indeed.

Backwards... and I'd totally be rock and roll groupie, following my favorite bands on tour.

Attend Monterrey Pop? HELL yes. Woodstock? sure. SRV and Double Trouble tours? sign me up!

Oooo, back! There are so many things I would love to see!!

I'm going to the future so I don't have to wait to read sequels.

Forward! Waayy forward. I just really really really REALLY wanna know what happens to humanity, earth - Foundation style, but real life, this dimension right here. That would be great. No more speculating. :)

Assuming I was immune from pests (e.g. worms, lice) and disease? The past.

Much as I’d love to see how the far future turns out, I wouldn’t be able to resist touring all of the major civilisations in history.