Update: Sci-fi about the social ramifications of overpopulation, a call for suggestions

May 2, 2011May 23, 2011 / Joachim Boaz / 9 Comments

I need reading suggestions.

After reading John Brunner’s Hugo winning masterpiece Stand on Zanzibar (1968) a few years back I became entranced by science fiction exploring social themes (intelligently) extrapolated from a future Earth condition of extreme overpopulation. In the recent months I’ve read and reviewed a glut of similarly themed works of uneven quality. Many of these works were inspired by Paul and Anne Ehrlich’s non-fiction The Population Bomb (1968) which warned of the mass starvation of humans in the 1970s and 1980s as a result of overpopulation. Continue reading →

Book Review: Earthworks, Brian W. Aldiss (1965)

May 2, 2011August 1, 2011 / Joachim Boaz / 6 Comments

3.5/5 (Average)

Brian Aldiss’ Earthworks (1965) takes place in a future Earth wrecked by the effects of overpopulation and the resulting environmental repercussions of intensive, expansive, and destructive over-farming. In this disturbed world of increasing automation and devaluation of human life, robots are worth more than people and the hungry diseased hordes of mankind have reverted to Continue reading →

Book Review: Rolltown, Mark Reynolds (1976)

April 29, 2011September 10, 2011 / Joachim Boaz / 2 Comments

2/5 (Bad)

Mack Reynolds’ Rolltown (1976) takes place a few decades in the future where democracy has devolved into a meritocracy. The United States has a huge database for every individual and jobs are given based on IQ scores, etc. The most intelligent people get to vote. However, because of the meritocracy all racial tension Continue reading →

Update: Recent Science Fiction Acquisitions N. III

April 25, 2011August 16, 2011 / Joachim Boaz / 2 Comments

1. The Complete Stories of J. G. Ballard, J. G. Ballard (2009)

My girlfriend gave me this MASSIVE (1196 pages) newly released volume of all of Ballard’s short stories (arranged in chronological order) for my birthday. I’m extremely excited because I enjoyed my first Ballard work, High-Rise (1975). Does anyone have a particular story which I should start with? Continue reading →

A Film Rumination: Transatlantic Tunnel (variant title: The Tunnel), Maurice Elvey (1935)

April 25, 2011May 23, 2011 / Joachim Boaz / 13 Comments

6.5/10 (Average)

Maurice Elvey’s Transatlantic Tunnel (1935) inhabits the forlorn ranks of seldom seen early science fiction films. Is it a masterpiece of the genre? No. Is it worth watching for fans of early sci-fi? Definitely! The production value is remarkable (which surprised me) and a few scenes remain to this day awe-inspiring Continue reading →

Book Review: The Missionaries, D. G. Compton (1972)

April 13, 2011August 1, 2011 / Joachim Boaz / 4 Comments

1/5 (Drivel)

I’m often distracted by the smell of old paperbacks — I’d like to imagine there’s a direct correlation between how much I’m distracted to how bad it is — which would make reviewing easier. Perhaps how strongly I’m compelled to write about the smell should be considered an indicator Continue reading →

A Film Rumination: Eccentricities of a Blonde-haired Girl, Manoel de Oliveira (2009)

April 12, 2011April 20, 2011 / Joachim Boaz / Leave a comment

7.5/10 (Good)

The Portuguese master Manoel de Oliveira is the oldest filmaker still making films — he’s 102 at the moment! Even more surprising is the fact that his most productive years have come since the 1990s (often two films a year). Eccentricities of a Blonde-haired Girl (2009) is the first of his I’ve seen and won’t be my last. Despite the fact that Eccentricities has its fair share of flaws it is a gorgeous and timeless tale Continue reading →

Book Review: Downward to the Earth, Robert Silverberg (1970)

April 11, 2011June 18, 2023 / Joachim Boaz / 13 Comments

Gene Szafran

4.75/5 (Very Good)

1971 Nebula Nominated Novel (Silverberg declined the nomination)

The first two-thirds of Robert Silverberg’s masterpiece Downward to the Earth (1970) is easily in the pantheon of the best sections of a science fiction book I’ve ever read. I found it emotionally engaging and often downright nerve-racking, moody and disturbed, and engages in an intelligent and poignant manner with the issue of de-colonization which was coming to the fore in the 1960s.

Continue reading →

A Film Rumination: Sidney Lumet (June 25, 1924-April 9, 2011) and mini-reviews of the films of his I’ve seen

April 9, 2011May 20, 2011 / Joachim Boaz / 17 Comments

The great American director Sidney Lumet (1924-2011) passed away today and in honor of his long and productive career (albeit with brief lulls of average work) here are a few mini-reviews of the films of his I’ve seen in order of preference. I’ve not seen many of his acknowledged masterpieces including Serpico, The Hill, Long Day’s Journey Into Night, The Pawnbroker, etc.

1. Network (1976)