Philip K. Dick Author of Sci-Fi

Since the movie Blade Runner: 2049 has been released, I decided it’s time to talk about science fiction author Philip K. Dick. For those of you that don’t know, Blade Runner: 2049 is a sequel to the first movie Blade Runner. The first movie was based on a Philip K. Dick's novel titled, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? I’ll get more into the new Blade Runner movie at the end but first, let’s talk about Philip K. Dick’s writing career.

By the time he passed away, at age 53, Dick had written and published 121 short stories and 44 novels. Even though Dick began publishing his work in the 1950’s, it wasn’t until the 60’s that he began to gain recognition and commercial success. In 1962 Dick wrote the novel, The Man in the High Castle which won the Hugo Award for Best Novel that year. His novel Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said, is the only novel Dick wrote that was nominated for both the Nebula and Hugo awards, but ultimately won the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for best novel in 1974. He was nominated 5 times for the Nebula Award's best novel and won for Do Android's Dream of Electric Sheep?

What makes Philip K. Dick such an accomplished author of science fiction? Dick used the world of sci-fi to explore some serious and deep themes. He often wrote about alternative universes, authoritarian governments and big corporations, which he used to explore philosophical, political and emotional themes about society and humanity. In the story Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Dick deals with the idea of personal identity and what it means to be a human. The questions of humanity and reality are what I find so fascinating about his works. In his short story We Can Remember It for You Wholesale Dick explores the idea of fake memories that are implanted into a person. How does that affect the person's actual memories, and if the experience of the fake memories are so strong then how do we distinguish between what is real and what is not? It is these questions that really drive the science fiction worlds that Dick creates, and I find it just so philosophically intriguing.

His influence on the science fiction genre extends beyond his books and literature. Dick has had an extraordinary impact on film as well. Not just the movies that are adapted from his source material but his work has also influenced movies like The Matrix, Gattica, and Memento, just to name a few. Amazon adapted The Man in the High Castle as a television series, that is quite good. There was a television show based on the movie version of Minority Report, which was based on Dick's story The Minority Report. The show was a crime drama/mystery that took place after the events of the movie. The show was okay, ultimately didn't last. I prefer the movie with Tom Cruise. Of course, not all of the movies based on his stories were successful, no one remembers Paycheck with Ben Affleck, except the select few that saw it in theatres, like me. There is also another show on Amazon Prime called Philip K. Dick's: Electric Dreams, which is fantastic! It is an anthology series where each episode is a live adaptation of one of Dick's many short stories. I highly recommend checking it out, it is similar to Black Mirror on Netflix.

Whether it's in the movies or in his stories, Philip K. Dick will always be remembered as one of the great science fiction writers of our time. A part of the reason his work has resonated with audiences is Dick's ability to address important issues and fantasies. While also creating immersive worlds that engage the readers.

As for the movie Blade Runner: 2049, I saw it without seeing the first movie and having little to no knowledge about either movies. Despite that, I really enjoyed the movie, especially the first 2/3rds. Not to spoil anything but the movie is basically centered around a mystery investigation, that is very intriguing. The visuals are spectacular. You can read my actual review of the movie here, but beware there are some spoilers. You've been warned. Overall, I was impressed with this movie, not only the visuals but the story, up until the last act. Definitely, recommend sci-fi fans seeing this movie.

If you have seen the movie let me know what your thought are or if you are a fan of Philip K. Dick share your favorite stories by tweeting to me @BelleArboreus and on Instagram fantastic_literature. I'll be back next week with my review for We Can Remember It for You Wholesale, which you can read by clicking here. And check out some of Dick's other stories with this link to audio and ebooks.

The Boogeyman Podcast

So here is the audio podcast for The Boogeyman review. Give it a listen.  I do these podcasts for those that don't have time to sit down and read but would rather listen to the reviews. Hope you enjoy. Please give me some feedback, I'm still new to this podcasting thing.

Review for "The Boogeyman"

The Boogeyman by Stephen King, first published in 1973 in Cavalier magazine.
Read the story here The Boogeyman

Summary
A man named Lester Billings visits a psychiatrist, Dr. Harper, in order to tell his side of the story about how his three children died. Lester proclaims that it is his fault, he is the reason they died. Seeming anxious and a bit paranoid, Billings begins to tell Dr. Harper the story of his first son, Denny and how he died. Lester is not looking to repent, he simply wants to get this information off of his chest. He begins to explain that when Denny was two years old, one night he started crying and when Billings checked on him, Denny said the word "boogeyman". Billings ignored this and put Denny back to sleep, later he heard his son scream. When he went back to check on him, Denny was dead and the closet door was cracked open. Just a little, but Lester swears it was closed earlier. Proclaiming that he is not crazy, Lester believes that the Boogeyman is what killed his children.

At one point, Lester asks Dr. Harper to open the closet door so that he can make sure there is nothing in there before he continues telling his story. About a year after Denny dies, Billings second child Shirl begins to cry saying the words "boogeyman" and "claws". This scares Lester but he does not move his daughter out of her room. Like with Denny, Billings doesn't want to coddle his children and feels overprotection will make them weak. Later he finds her dead, with the closet door cracked open. Billings then talks about a dream he had about a black-green creature with long claws and seaweed hair.This scares Billings into thinking that the Boogeyman might just be real and perhaps it is haunting him. Almost two years later Lester and his wife, Rita, have their last child named Andy. Lester claims to have loved Andy the most out of all his children, even going so far as to spoil him with toys a little bit. So he decides to leave his old home and move into another one. Hoping that the Boogeyman won't be able to follow him.

At the new house, Lester decides to let Andy sleep with him and Rita in their room. Rita ends up leaving to take care of her ill mother for a month. After Rita left, Billings began to notice the closet door was cracked open more often. Andy was two years old when he died. Getting worried that the Boogeyman was after him, Lester moved Andy into his own bedroom for the night. When he heard Andy scream, he knew what it was. Lester ran into the room to check on his baby boy. Like Denny and Shirl, Andy was crying "boogeyman". Lester leaves Andy and later that night he hears one last scream. He finds Andy dead on the floor out of his crib. In shock, and being a coward Billings leaves the house to go to a diner, before returning and calling the cops.

Billings explains that all of the deaths were labeled accidents. Despite this, he implies that Rita blames him. Lester begins to cry a little, covering his eyes with his arms. Dr. Harper insists that Billings make another appointment with him to deal with his guilt. Reluctantly Billings agrees and walks out of the office to make an appointment at the nurse's desk. With the nurse gone he walks back into the office. Dr. Harper seems to have disappeared when he hears a voice from the closet that is now cracked open. He hears a voice chanting "So nice". The Boogeyman drops a Dr. Harper mask and walks out of the closet.

Analysis
A few themes that Stephen King explores in this story are imagination vs reality, fear, and guilt. An underlying message about not neglecting children is also present throughout Lester's story. From the way, Lester describes his wife Rita and how he deals with the kids the audience gets the impression that his family is a burden to him. It's possible that his subconscious desire to get rid of his family is what drives him to ignore his children's screams.

Lester implies that Rita did not get pregnant on accident because "children tie a man down". He then says that sometimes when the kids cried at night he wished he could just throw them and Rita out a window. These are suspicious things that make the audience consider whether or not Lester himself is the boogeyman, as a split personality.

Throughout his own story, Lester says a few things that seem sexist which make him seem like less of a good man. At one point he mentions wanting to slap his wife because he thought she is the one that taught the kids to say the word "boogeyman". Even though Lester claims to not be insane, the way he talks and describes things make the audience question his sanity.

At the very beginning, Lester immediately proclaims that he killed all three children. This clearly shows that he wants to get rid of his guilt. He then quickly makes the distinction that his children were murdered, but it's his fault because he let them get murdered. Certain moments during his story he beings to cry and show remorse. This would suggest that Lester is telling the truth about his children being killed by the Boogeyman and that he simply feels responsible. This goes against the idea that Lester is the Boogeyman.

It's not until Andy's death that the audience really feels that Lester is responsible for the death. With Denny, Lester had no idea there was a boogeyman. Yes, he could have moved Denny when he was crying but he really had no knowledge that not moving him would lead to his death. With Shirl, Lester does move Shirl into Denny's old room, and just hoped that nothing would go wrong. But the difference with Andy is that Lester knew the boogeyman would go for Andy instead of him, so he consciously let the boogeyman kill him. This is where the audience can feel his guilt. Lester let his fear turn him into a coward and it cost him his most beloved child.

Lester raises an interesting philosophy about what is real and what we believe. He says that perhaps if we believe in something strongly, then that makes it more real. The idea being that the more fear Lester has of the boogeyman, the more he believes in the boogeyman, the more real the boogeyman becomes, and the stronger it gets. It's an interesting concept that is a recurring theme in fiction. King even reuses this idea in his story IT.  There are often demons that feed on the fear of their victims. Which would make sense if the boogeyman has been listening to Lester tell his story?

It's implied that Dr. Harper was actually the Boogeyman the whole time. A great twist because Dr. Harper acts as a typical therapist, never do we question he's not a therapist. The only clue I could find in the story that would suggest Dr. Harper is the Boogeyman is when Lester says Shirl said the word "craws". Which Lester thought she meant "claws" and Dr. Harper says maybe she meant "crawset" as in "closet". Could be that since he's the boogeyman, he was there when Shirl died and maybe knows what she was actually trying to say. That's the only clue, and it's very subtle, that the doctor might not be who we think he is.

Thoughts
So there are a few ways that this story can be interpreted. There's the straightforward way of reading the ending, where Billings has been talking to the boogeyman disguised as Dr. Harper. There is some evidence in the story to support this, as I mentioned. This means that the boogeyman is real and that Lester Billings was not crazy but indeed telling the truth.

But there is an argument to be made that perhaps Mr. Billings is actually the boogeyman. Maybe he has developed a split personality or is schizophrenic like he claims not to be. In the story, a lot of his has some eerie expressions such as smiling when talking about horrific things. Are these brief smiles a result of his inner boogeyman coming out when talking about the kids' deaths? Not to mention his thought about slapping his wife and seeming to have a short temper.

The last interpretation is that Billings was talking to the real Dr. Harper, but because he was talking about believing in the boogeyman and how that makes him more real, the boogeyman then shows up in the end, killing Dr. Harper. This is less likely the case, but still an interesting idea to explore. In the end, the boogeyman takes off a mask of Dr. Harper. But what happened to the real Dr. Harper? Did the boogeyman simply eat him and use his skin as a disguise? The story is open to a few interpretations and depending on what kind of person you are, you chose to believe a different one.

When I first read the story I was surprised at the ending to find out that Billings had been confessing the whole time to the real boogeyman. Or had he? It made me think of what was real and not. I like the idea that the because Lester was finally talking about the boogeyman, that it was able to find him, then ate Dr. Harper in the closet. Although I tend to believe the story's actual ending that the Boogeyman was posing as Dr. Harper the whole time. What I like about the story is the build-up to the Boogeyman. King is excellent at building the suspense. The story also does a good job at showing married parent life from the perspective of a young man in the late 1960's. The guilt that Lester feels is slowly revealed and by the end of the story, the audience is convinced in his regret.

This is my first Stephen King story I've ever read, and I will continue to read more short stories from him. So hope you enjoyed this review. If you've read the story please share your thoughts and comments below. Which interpretation do you believe to be true? Tweet to me @BelleArboreus and check out the blog's Instagram page @fantastic_literature. Thanks for reading and it has just been "so nice"!

Be sure to read my review for his short story "The Man Who Loved Flowers" 

Get ready for Halloween by reading my spooky/thriller inspired stories!

"Grave Little Witches"

"Through the Blackout"

CW Arrow/Flash Crossover podcast 

Available on PodBean and YouTube

Stephen King and IT

Stephen King is one of the most well known authors, with over 50 books published. Even if you haven't read one of his stories chances are you have seen a movie or TV show adaptation of his work. From movies like The Shining and Carrie to shows like the new Mr. Mercedes and Under the Dome, King’s work can be seen everywhere. With the new release of the movie IT based on King’s novel of the same name, I thought I'd take this week to talk about Stephen King, his legacy and impact on literature.

Known as the King of Horror, it's no wonder that several well known horror movies are based off of King’s work. But he's not limited to the horror genre. King has written well known works of fantasy, science fiction and drama as well. His epic fantasy series The Dark Tower was recently made into a movie, of little success. The period drama The Shawshank Redemption, known to many fans as a great movie, is based on a novella by King. There is a reason that so many of his stories have been adapted for visual media, it's simply because King knows how to tell a great story filled with suspense.

Given his ability to write several genres and variety within the genres themselves, it's no wonder King has been incredibly successful. Not just in book sales, but King has received several awards and achievements for his literary work. He was won the World Fantasy Awards, The British Fantasy Society Awards, the O. Henry Award, and the World Fantasy award for Life Achievement, just to name a few. While these aren't the most prestigious awards, and some literary snobs would even say that King is not a serious writer. But does he have to be?

Stories and works of literature are written for several different reasons but the main ones are to entertain and inform the readers. Not everything has to have deep themes and philosophical questions. In that context, King is a credible writer and should be respected for the work that he has done and the influence he has had on other writers and filmmakers as well.

So back to the new IT movie. I have seen it (no pun intended) and I've also seen the 90's mini series of IT and this new version is very different, while keeping the spirit of the book. As a suspense/horror film, the movie does a good job building the intrigue and mystery of the town of Derry and Pennywise the Clown. The story is focused on the kids and their fears. This very much feels like a young coming of age story in the vain of another Stephen King adapted movie, Stand by Me. There are some good jump scares but the movie does not overly rely on those and uses impressive special effects for the demon clown and what IT is capable of doing. One thing that the movie does overly rely on is the music cues. The scare beats become a bit predictable. But what this movie succeeds at is telling the story of all of the young kids. The child actors all do a great job, and the characters are really engaging which allows the audience to become sympathetic. The movie touches on some of the mythology about Pennywise and the town of Derry, but it's important to remember that this is the first part in the story and there is going to be a sequel that can delve deeper into some of the material from the book.

Are you a fan of Stephen King? If so, what's your favorite story of his? Go watch the new IT movie and share your thoughts.

Read my review for King's short story "The Man Who Loved Flowers"

If you like to read stories on WattPad, then you're in luck! Because I have recently posted some short stories on WattPad! Get ready for Halloween by reading my spooky/thriller inspired stories!

"Grave Little Witches"

"Through the Blackout"

CW Arrow/Flash Crossover podcast leading up to Crisis on Infinite Earths

Available on PodBean and YouTube

The Virgin Suicides Podcast

Hopefully you have read my review for the novel The Virgin Suicides. But if you haven't (or even if you have) then go ahead and listen to my podcast review for the book. Hope you enjoy the podcast, if you have any suggestions for improvement please let me know.

Review for "The Virgin Suicides"

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides, first published in 1993 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Summary
The story takes place in Michigan during the 1970's and is told from the perspective of the neighborhood boys who seem to be obsessed with the Lisbon girls. The book opens with an ambulance taking away the last daughter who committed suicide. It then jumps to the past events, thirteen months ago, that led up to the suicides. It all started with the youngest daughter Cecilia, thirteen, after her first attempt to commit suicide. The Lisbon parents kept the girls on lockdown in the house for the rest of the summer. During a party that was suppose to cheer Cecilia up, she instead decides to jump out the second story window of the house to commit suicide. She succeeds and is impaled on a fence. The story is then about the aftermath of Cecilia's death and how the four remaining sister are dealing it. The local community and narrating neighborhood boys are also constantly discussing Cecilia's death and the Lisbon family as a whole. The boys even steal Cecilia's diary in hopes of finding something that will explain her death.

                                                                                         Imagesource

Once school starts the girls tend to keep to themselves. The next youngest girl Lux, fourteen, starts to take interest in a boy named Trip. Trip then get's Mr. Lisbon to agree to let him and his friends take the four girls to the Homecoming dance. Lux and Trip leave the dance and she arrives home late, after curfew. Her action gets all of the girls in trouble and Mrs. Lisbon restricts them to the house, taking them out of school. The Lisbon house begins to fall apart remaining unkept and dirty. After Trip and the other boys fail to call the girls again, they become depressed and stay in their rooms all day. To make matters worse, Mr. Lisbon loses his job and the city attempts to cut down the Elm tree in the front yard. The one thing that reminded the girls the most of Cecilia.

 After months of being locked up in the house, the girls begin to contact the boys with paper notes and eventually brief telephone messages. Determined to help the girls the boys make a plan to drive the girls away, one night. Lux invites the boys in the house and tells them to wait for her sisters. She insists on waiting in the car after some time has passed the boys walk around the house looking for the other girls. That is when it is discovered that all of the girls have committed suicide. Therese, the oldest, by sleeping pills, Bonnie by hanging and Lux from asphyxiation. Mary attempted to kill herself using the oven, and the paramedics were able to save her, although she did die a month later by overdosing on sleeping pills. The Lisbon parents then sell their house and move. The new residents erasing the last traces of the Lisbon girls as the boys watch the neighborhood slowly forget what happened.

Analysis 
In the book the author deals with themes of conformity and happiness within society. The neighborhood tries to not mention the word "suicide" after Cecilia first makes the attempt. Even at the school remembrance of Cecilia, no one mentions her suicide. The story is set in a mundane suburban area outside of Detroit. The neighborhood tries to keep the facade of a happy, normal American society. The death of the Lisbon girls signify the downfall of the suburban community.

The title of the book, The Virgin Suicides is symbolic. The virgin represents the innocence of the girls and their journey puberty and teenage hormones. The suicides are literal but also figurative in that it brings up the notion of virgin sacrifices. Also the card with the Virgin Mary appears several times, also representing the innocence of the girls.

As a way to show the time of year, Eugenides uses fish flies to signify the summer season. They are a great way to show the passage of time. The elm trees are a symbol of the decay of the Lisbon family as well as the neighborhood. The elm tree in the Lisbon yard gets a sick and is then cut down. The last reminder the girls had of their sister Cecilia. At the end of the book, all of the elm trees on the block are cut down and the community see this as a spread of the disease that started with the Lisbon family.

A good piece of imagery comes at the end of the story. With Mary being carried out on a stretcher. She had a veil on her head and the firework sounds in the background. As if a "national figure is being laid to rest" (Eugenides, Pg. 232. pp. 2). This shows the tragedy of the death of the five girls as well as an end to the suicides.

Image source

Thoughts 
When I started reading this book, I knew of the movie but not exactly what the story was. So I went in not knowing what to expect. After reading the first two chapters of the book, I got curious and decided to watch the movie. Which was a mistake because after knowing the ending I sort of lost interest, resulting in it taking longer to finish the book then I had planned. I did enjoy the movie though. Now the book opens with the last suicide before jumping back in time to tell the story from the beginning. So the ending is not really a surprise. Since it's in the title, we expect the story to end with the suicides. The narrating boys go a bit further to give a short epilogue of what happened to the Lisbon parents and the neighborhood as a whole.

The Lisbon girls are described to be ordinary and the only thing unique about them was their suicides. It's what they will be remembered for and are seen as the start of the decline of their neighborhood. Throughout the whole book, the boys are constantly trying to find reasons for why the girls committed suicide. Even as adults they still go through the evidence the gathered, seeking answers. The narrating boys state that the girls simply refused to accept the flawed world that they lived in and that's why they committed suicide (Eugenides, Pg.239, pp.2). In the end the author does not give a clear reason for why the girls decided to end their lives. Instead he keeps the suicides as a symbol and reflection of the problems in society. 

While this is not really the kind of book that I would be interested in reading. Eugenides has a style that is detailed oriented and slow paced. It is still a good read and is sort of a coming of age story. I'm not sure that I will ever read this again, but I would recommend it to those that are interested in American literature. It does a good job at showing the a typical suburban town in America during the 1970's and what the pressures of societal expectations were like during that time. Even though I was not that impressed with this book, I would still be interested in reading other works from Jeffrey Eugenides. Specifically his Pulitzer Prize winning novel Middlesex.

Eugenides, Jeffrey. The Virgin Suicides. New York, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2015.


Well that's my review for the book. I hope you all enjoyed it. It's not an extensive analysis. There's a lot of other things that could be covered, but unless I read it a second time it's hard to fully discuss everything in detail. If you have any thoughts about the book please feel free to share them in the comments or tweet at me @BelleArboreus. You can also find the blog on Instagram @fantastic_literature . I will be posting a short audio podcast of this review. I will also be starting a new review segment on Fridays, so look out for both of those. Thanks for reading!

The Great Gatsby Podcast

So I finally got a new microphone, and figure out how to record for better sound quality. Hopefully. I finally recorded an audio version of my review for The Great Gatsby. It's a little bit longer than I wanted it to be, at just over 30 minutes. My aim is to keep the podcasts around 20 minutes. Listen to it and please give me some feedback on how I can improve the podcast as well as the blog. If you enjoy listening to the podcast then leave a comment, just so I can see who is interested. Thank you all for reading the reviews and listening to the podcast. I hope you enjoy! Next week I'll post my reviews for The Virgin Suicides, written and hopefully audio as well.

Introduction to the Podcast

So I finally made an introductory podcast about what the audio reviews will be like. The audio is very poor, so please be patient, I am getting a new microphone. But enjoy and the audio review for The Great Gatsby will be up next week! Please give me your feedback on this, again the production quality is low, there's a gap of silence towards the end. I'm still familiarizing myself with the podcasting website and I'm not used to speaking into a microphone. With some time the quality will improve. Thanks again for listening.

Review for "The Great Gatsby"

The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald, F. Scott. First published in 1925 by Charles Scribner's Sons.

Summary
The Great Gatsby is told from the perspective of Nick Carraway, the neighbor of the mysterious Jay Gatsby. Nick is the cousin of Daisy Buchanan, who is married is an old Yale schoolmate of Nick's named Tom. Tom and Daisy live across the bay from Nick in Long Island, New York. One night Gatsby invites Nick to his party and Nick runs into Daisy's friend that he met once named Jordan. To his surprise he finally meets the elusive Gatsby, who takes a keen interest in getting to know Nick. We find out that Gatsby knows Daisy and has been in love with her for years. Nick also spends time with Tom who he discovers is having an affair in the city with a married woman named Myrtle. Nick is slowly being drawn into the world of the rich and party lifestyle. He helps Gatsby to meet with Daisy and the two begin to reconnect with each other. This upsets Tom who is determined to prove that Gatsby is a fraud and from what Gatsby tells Nick, Tom is right. One day Tom insists that Daisy, Gatsby, Nick and Jordan all go into the city for the afternoon.

A confrontation between Tom and Gatsby occurs, both bidding for Daisy's love. Daisy tells Gatsby that she does love Tom and can't just leave him immediately. Upset, Gatsby and Daisy leave the city to head back to Long Island. On the way back Gatsby's car hit and kills Mrytle, and drives off. Following not long behind them is Tom, Nick and Jordan who see the accident on the road. Tom is sad to learn of his mistress' death, and implicates Gatsby in the crime. Later that night Nick runs into Gatsby who confesses that Daisy was driving when the car hit Mrytle. After that Daisy does not call Gatsby and while swimming in his pool at the end of summer, Mrytle's husband comes from behind to shoot and kill Gatsby. Nick is surprised to find that no one attends Gatsby's funeral. Disgusted by the behavior of these rich people including Daisy, Tom and Jordan, he decides to leave New York and move back to his hometown.


Analysis
Fitzgerald uses the time and setting of 1920's New York to explore the concept of the American dream and more importantly the disillusionment of the American dream. The setting of 1920's New York is a perfect backdrop for the characters and their story. During the 1920's lots of people like Gatsby were starting their own businesses and creating their own wealth outside of their family in big cities like New York. As a result of big industry prospering and the popularalirty of automobiles people started to live a new lifestyle. It's a great setting to show the various social classes and the party lifestyle that everyone was trying to live. As well as how money can change or influence a person and their values.

The more involved with this extravegent lifestyle, the more Nick discovers the immoral behavior of his friends and the carelessness that comes with the rich. Nick says that Gatsby "paid a high price for living too long with a dream." (Fitzgerald, P.161 pg.3). Gatsby was chasing a dream that has long past him by. As the story goes on, the tone of the wealthy is no longer seducing Nick, but he decides that it does not line up with his personal morals.

Gatsby represents "new money" and Daisy "old money". The book defintely explores the difference in societal classes. Tom is a man from old money who marry's Daisy who is also from old money. However, Tom has an affair with Myrtle Wilson who is married to a man that owns a garage and live a fairly poor lifestyle. Nick is from an old money family, but he himself does not have a lot of money and is trying to work his way up in business, like Gatsby did.There's very interesting relationships from each of the characters in regards to money. In the end Daisy decides to stay married to Tom despite both of their infidelities. In contrast, Nick decides to decline Jordan's offer to be together.

The book offers great symbolism, some that are subtle and some that are not. The green light at the end of the dock represents the hope that Gatsby has in his dream of being with Daisy. The Valley of the Ashes represent a space in which the rich have exploited resources thus creating a land of the poor. A land where the dreams of Americans are not being fulfilled. This space is where Mrytle and her husband literally and figuratively live in.

The starring eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg on a billboard over the Valley of Ashes is mentioed  several times throughout the book. The character of Mr. Wilson looks out at the eyes of and thinks that it is the eyes of God (Fitzgerald, Pp 159-160). While the eyes are merely a painting on a billboard they represent the idea of not being able to get away with immoral behavior because someone is always watching.

Thoughts
I first read The Great Gatsby in high school, and then saw the Leonardo DiCaprio movie a few years ago. Not really thinking highly of the book, or film I thought it only be fair that I give the book another read. When I had to pick two American books to read for a class, I immediately chose The Great Gatsby. As I began to read the book I was not impressed with the first chapter or so. But as a I read on, I found the story and mystery of Gatsby to be very compelling. I quickly realized that it's a book about the relationships of these people and their connection to money. Yes, there is a love story between Gatsby and Daisy which drives the plot of the story, but that is never really the message or focus that Fitzgerald is trying to tell. Fitzgerald does a great job at showing the different ways people try to achieve their dreams and how they can be corrupted by wealth.

The ending is a bit of a surprise but in terms of the character of Gatsby, his ending was a result of the lifestyle that he chose to live. There's a sense of irony to it, being that Gatsby did everything in order to win the love of Daisy, when in the end he losses her, and his own life. I feel there's also a moral lesson to be learned in that, we can't buy people's love, they have to love us for who we are, whether or not we have money. Daisy says she loves Gatsby, but was she ever interested in him as a poor farmer? And even with his new money, she still wasn't willing to leave Tom for him. So Gatsby changed himself for something he was never going to get. As a result it's his downfall. So for me  the message is be yourself and don't chase people that don't love you the way you are.

I started reading The Great Gatsby with one question in mind. Is this truly an American classic and why? After reading it and analyzing it I have reached the conclusion that, yes, this is an American classic piece of literature. It's because of the themes that Fitzgerald writes about and the personal relationships between the characters that make it a compelling story and interesting look at people of different social classes. This is a book that everyone should read, and most likely I will read again.


So that's it, I hope you all enjoyed my review. If anyone has any suggestions for stories then please leave your recommendations and general thoughts in the comment section below. You can find me on Twitter @BelleArboreus and on Instagram @Fantastic_literature

I have begun putting together a podcast for the blog, so be sure to look out for that soon. I will do an audio review of The Great Gatsby, pretty much everything that you have just read. The next story review will be for The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides.

Coming Back Soon

Hello, everyone! I took a long break to focus on school, as I had some books I needed to read there (I'll post reviews for those) as well as receive my degree. I then took the Summer off to deal with a tragic loss and to spend time with my family. I will be returning next week, with some new reviews of books. That's right! I'll review my first books for the blog, before getting back into reading short stories.

I'll start off by doing one review a week, working towards my goal of doing at least two reviews a week. I've also been thinking about doing an audio podcast version of my reviews. For those that don't have time to sit in front of the screen and read, but still want to hear the reviews. If anyone has any ideas on how to help my improve my blog please leave a comment or send me a tweet @BelleArboreous . Maybe on the podcast I'll properly explain that name. Lol. So look out for a new review up next week, sorry for the 6 month long delay, please come on back and enjoy the blog. Thanks!

Review for "All Summer in a Day" by Ray Bradbury

"All Summer in A Day" was written by Ray Bradbury in 1954 and published in the March issue of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction.

Summary
The story takes place on the planet Venus where people have been living in underground tunnels because of the constant rain. The planet's weather is cloudy, with thunder and rain storms all of the time. Once every seven years the rain stops, the clouds part and the sun comes out for just two hours or shorter. Scientists have predicted the day the sun will come out and the story opens with school children anxiously awaiting the arrival of the sun. All of the children, with one exception, were born on Venus and were too young to remember the last time the sun came out, seven years ago. One girl named Margot was born on Earth and does remember what it was like to live on a world with plenty of sunlight. She has lived on Venus for the last five years and constantly misses the sun and the planet Earth, hoping to return there in the future.

The children make fun of Margot and do not believe her stories of life on Earth. They find her strange and decide to lock her in a closet, preventing her from playing in the sun that day. Without noticing Margot's absence the teacher lets the children run outside when the rain finally stops. They bask in the glow and warmth of the sun, they run around playing games and observing the animals that have also come out of hiding. The children were excited and happy to be enjoying the sunny weather. After a while, a few raindrops had fallen upon them and their smiles disappeared as they walked back inside to their classroom. Suddenly one of the kids remembered that Margot was still locked in the closet. Scared of getting into trouble the children were silent. Not being concerned as to why Margot was in the closet the teacher waits for one of the kids to go let her out. Margot had stopped crying and was silent by the time the door opened.

Analysis
There are several descriptions and interpretations about the sun and how people experience it. Margot's poem compares the sun to a flower in the sense that it will blossom and be beautiful. She also says that it is like a penny or a fire. The sun is also described as being a flaming bronze color. Gold, a yellow crayon, and a coin are also mentioned as being vague memories of what the sun was like for the children. These are all excellent examples of how to describe the sun to someone that has never experienced it before. It shows that people see different traits and qualities and all can be correct answers.

One of the themes of the story is represented well in the way that Venus is described. The planet's environment and atmosphere consist of constant rain and storms. This is the depression that people deal with, the sadness and darkness in our everyday lives. What Bradbury did in the story was to give people a break from that, to see the very literal light at the end of the tunnel.

For a couple of hours, the sunlight brings joy. It revitalizes the children and gives them hope and encouragement. That is a metaphor for life, there will always be rain and storms but it is the sunlight that gets us through it. This is shown through Margot who was happy living on Earth in the sun and has become saddened living on Venus in the rain. She does not get to experience that brief moment of happiness, so she remains sad and in the dark until the end of the story.

Thoughts
This story reminds me of why I would not want to live in a city like Seatle where it rains most of the year. It feels like a very depressing environment. For a girl like Margot to leave sunny Earth, presumably she didn't live in Seatle, to come to a place with no sun and constant rain would be very traumatizing. It is no wonder she comes off as a weird girl to the other children.

One thing that stood out to me is how terrible the teacher was if you couldn't tell from my summary. The teacher doesn't notice that Margot is nowhere to be seen for almost two hours! Then she is not concerned when she finds out that she's been in the closet that whole time! Now it is not a big deal, and it's just there to let the plot unfold as is, but I find it to be annoying and that woman should be fired. Or at least a little bit more worried that her student was trapped in a closet. I wonder how long it would have taken the teacher to realize Margot was missing is no one said anything?

There are many elements to this story that play out very well. First, it is a science fiction story because it takes place on another planet, that is inhabitable. However, the story does not play out like a standard sci-fi story. It is about the environments that people live in, it's about children being bullied in school, it's about the simply joy of being able to stand in the sun. As a child, I remember days that it would rain and I would be so excited when it stopped to go outside and play in the sun.

I enjoy reading this story because although it is all about the bright sun, it is rather a dark tale. The constant rain sounds depressing, the children are mean to Margot and lock her in a closet, and just when they are enjoying themselves in the sun the rain returns. If the sun represents happiness then it is sad to think that our moments of happiness are far and few in between. If the sun merely represents the hope that keeps us going, then it is sad to think that Margot was deprived of that experience. There are just a lot of levels to this story and it can be interpreted in many ways. There's nothing that is super exciting about the story, it is just an interesting look at people and society.


Thank you for reading this weeks review of "All Summer in a Day", next week I will be reviewing "Robot Nemesis" by E.E. "Doc" Smith. If anyone has any suggestions for short stories then please leave you recommendations and general thoughts in the comment section below. You can find me on Twitter @BelleArboreus and on Instagram @Fantastic_literature

If you like to read stories on WattPad, then you're in luck! Because I have recently posted some short stories on WattPad! Get ready for Halloween by reading my spooky/thriller inspired stories!

"Grave Little Witches"

"Through the Blackout"

Review for "The Star"

The Star written by H.G. Wells and published in 1897. Here is the link to the story to read "The Star"

Summary
In the year 1900, a luminous celestial object enters our solar system and disrupts the orbit of the planet Neptune. This change was first noticed by an astronomer named Ogilvy a month earlier but was paid no attention by the public. The star then engulfs itself with the planet, Neptune. The star then proceeds to continue on a path towards the sun and the media starts to alert the public of what is to come.

As the star passes through the solar system is affects Jupiter and it's moons. A character called the master mathematician states that the star will either hit Earth or pass by it very closely. He says that the close proximity of the star will lead to apocalyptic conditions on Earth. Lots of people believe he is wrong and thinks there will be no problems caused by the Earth. When the star starts to pass in front of the Earth the planet gets hotter and hotter. Volcanoes start to erupt spewing lava and ash, earthquakes are frequent and because the heat is melting the planet's ice, floods are taking over the lands. All of these catastrophes have begun to affect and worry people all over the world.

The star eventually passes the Earth and does collide with the sun, essentially getting absorbed into its mass. Which leads to more heat output and Earth remains hotter than what it was. Months and months go by and people have begun to move to ice melted Greenland that is now covered in grass.  After surviving the apocalypse people continue to survive and rebuild.

Analysis
In the story, it mentions that some people see the fire in the skies and thinks of the war and pestilence that is yet to come. This is a reference to the biblical four horsemen of the apocalypse, two of which are War and Pestilence. This could be a subtle foreshadowing to the apocalypse that ends the story.
There is also a reference to the apocalypse that people were worried about in the year 1000, which turned out to be a passing comet. The comparison is that people worried a long time ago and nothing came of it and now people are worrying all over again.

The story takes place all over the world which gives it a real feel that the stakes are high and that the whole planet Earth is in danger. The ending is not as to be predicted but rather ends on a positive note.

There is a repeated phrase that appears early in the story, "it is nearer". While the phrase might sound harmless at first glance, the repetition signifies a more tragic meaning. The tragedy comes when it is realized that "nearer" means that the star is coming closer and closer to the Earth.

The character Ogilvy and master mathematician are both intelligent men that foresaw something that people ignored. This shows that the mass public doesn't always believe in what they hear and try to have a more optimistic look at the events to come.

Thoughts
While not a very long story, The Star is very dense in details. It can be easy to get lost in the description of the cataclysmic events. While the story is told linearly, I did found it hard to keep track of how much time had passed from the beginning of the story to the end. What I like about this story is that it reminds me of disaster movies, of which are a guilty pleasure of mine. It has a mixture of the movies Deep Impact and 2012, specifically in regards to people figuring out what is going on, trying to keep things a secret but ultimately preparing the public.

The interesting part about the story is the amount of astronomy that H.G. Wells describes given the fact that we have so much more information about space and stars and our solar system. Wells was always ahead of his time, and this story shows that. Overall it's a good short read for those that like these kinds of science fiction stories.

Glossary-These definitions are according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
Perturbed: To cause to be worried, upset or being thrown into confusion.
Impalpable: Intangible. Cannot be felt by touch; Or not easily recognized by the mind.
Agape: A state of wonder; wide open.
Spectroscope: An instrument used to measure the properties of light.
Pallid: Pale or lack of color; dull or uninteresting.
Zenith: Highest point reached in the sky by the sun, moon and celestial objects.
Phial: Vial.
Obdurate: Stubborn; Resistant to changing your opinion.
Tumult: A state of noisy confusion; Or a state of mental and emotional confusion.
Nowhither: To or toward no place.
Thither: To that place.
Minaret: A small, thin tower of a mosque with a balcony from which people are called to prayer.

Sorry for the long delay but thanks for reading! The next review will be on the Ray Bradbury short story "All Summer in a Day". You can read the story here "All Summer in a Day" as well as watch the short video on YouTube.

Again thanks for reading my blog, feel free to leave your comments below. Follow and comment on social media. Twitter @BelleArboreous and Instagram @fantastic_literature

If you like to read stories on WattPad, then you're in luck! Because I have recently posted some short stories on WattPad! Get ready for Halloween by reading my spooky/thriller inspired stories!

"Grave Little Witches"

"Through the Blackout"

New Year Update

Hello All! Happy New Year, hope everyone enjoyed the holidays!

Now that the holidays are over and work is back to normal hours, I will be getting back to the blog next week either the 11th or 12th. I will return by reviewing The Star by H.G. Wells, continuing with my review of science fiction stories. With this new year I might star trying something new with the blog, so come back next week to read the review and to stay updated with anything new that might be coming soon. Thank you everyone and have a great start to the new year 2017!