Lit. of Fantasy, Horror and Sci-Fi: The Aquatic Uncle

"The Aquatic Uncle" 

This story was about the events of evolution when animals would venture from the sea to the land and adapt to live there, while some remained in the water and evolved differently. It also adds a familial element to the creatures and applies real-life scenarios, such as a grumpy prejudiced uncle who remains in the "good old days" while other relatives move on.

The main character whose name I won't even attempt to pronounce seems to resemble a frog of some kind, or an amphibious creature since he's often referred to as "tadpole" which is associated with the frog life cycle. He tries to get his uncle to join the rest of the family on land but the stubborn fish refuses to conform and stays in the water, eventually becoming more and more fish-like.

The uncle's viewpoints are understandable and true based on actual science--creatures in the ocean seemed to evolve slower and much different compared to land creatures, and change occurs drastically on land than below the surface. He is practically predicting the evolution of the Earth and its inhabitants. These viewpoints captivate the main character's fiancee, and she ditches him for the uncle and returns to the water. Ouch.

This is essentially a fictional tale about evolution with an added element of familial quarrel that the reader can relate to. The story was alright, in my opinion, but it's not exactly a favorite. The names in this story are even harder to pronounce compared to last week's reading; I didn't even bother trying to say the names. I'm not sure if it has to do with the possibly identity of the creatures they represent, but it was just ridiculous. It seemed like the writer just mashed a bunch of buttons on the keyboard and stuck with what he thought looked appealing.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Lit. of Horror, Fantasy and Sci-Fi: The Ocean at the End of the Lane

"The Ocean at the End of the Lane" This was quite an intriguing story; just when I thought I'd figured out the story, another curve-ball is thrown at me and I end up with more questions as to what the heck is going on in this story.  It starts out normal, the unnamed protagonist attending a funeral then strolls down memory lane--almost literally--and we, the reader, are catapulted into the past and go on the most bizarre adventure imaginable. In order to understand what is happening, you have to throw rationality out the window; rational thought does not exist in this world. I'm not even sure what kind of world this is, or what the inhabitants are. Clearly something walks among the humans, hidden in plain sight like the Hempstock family. One would think, from an outsider's perspective, the events of the story are nothing more but the fabrications of a seven-year-old boy who spends more time in the world of books than in the real world; it would be the o
Read more

Lit. of Horror, Fantasy, & Sci-Fi: House of Usher

"The Fall of the House of Usher" Edgar Allen Poe is well known for his writings of the macabre and supernatural. When people think of gothic literature, Poe is what many instantly picture. His work in poetry and short fiction was perfect in creating senses of dread and madness. That is essentially what "The Fall of the House of Usher" is about. The story is as gothic as it comes--with a dark and depressing atmosphere recognized by our unreliable narrator (a classic in Poe's writings) that lingers evermore throughout the story and seems to worsen as the story itself progresses. Our narrator is deemed unreliable because the negative energy within the House of Usher has an effect on him to the point he's unable to differentiate reality with fantasy. So how are we, the readers, supposed to know what he says is true? Indeed supernatural elements are used throughout the story, evident as to how the House of Usher seems to deteriorate along with twins Roderick--
Read more

Lit. of Horror, Fantasy and Sci-Fi: The Star

"The Star" For this week, I read the short story, "The Star" by Arthur C Clarke in 1956. With how short it was, there was a lot in it that piqued my interest.  The story crosses science fiction with religion, two topics that always seem to clash. The study of science had a way of calling the works of God into question, either causing people to doubt or outright prove this couldn't have happened. There are those, of course, who believe regardless, but none of those people are featured in this story. I had no idea how much it involved Earth's Christianity until the very end, that the dead star the explorers go to investigate--the white dwarf whose death wiped out a civilization on nearby planets--is actually THE Star, the Star that shone over Bethlehem to guide shepherds and the Three Wise Men to where Jesus was born.  Upon discovering this and finishing the story, I did sit for a moment to reflect; the story is basically saying that the death o
Read more