Jul 2009
Mack Reynolds
07/17/09 22:43 Filed in: off-on-a-tangent
htp (peace)
Okay ... so I told y'all on my previous post that I'm taking a break; getting the urge to create again, but yeah ... I'm recharging the batteries. So anyway, during my perpetual search for speculative fiction from the African diaspora, I luck-up on Mack Reynolds. I've never heard of this guy ... have no idea what race he is. It was the title of the first piece that caught my eye. "Blackman's Burden." Right ... now peep the sub-title of the second novel, "Africa blazes in tomorrow's world".
"Given the growing attention to postcolonial SF in recent years, it's a surprising oversight. Reynolds' novels describe a near-future Africa that has been abandoned by the developed world. With the exception of a few unfunded, below-the-radar humanitarian teams from the Reunited Nations, the people of Africa are on their own—until one of those teams decides to take the reigns of the struggling continent and give it a united government that works. Homer Crawford, an African-American aid worker, rechristens himself "El Hassan" and becomes Africa's benevolent tyrant. There's more than a little paternalism in the concept, but you get the sense that Reynolds is aware of the irony of this postcolonial intrusiveness. Ultimately, the idea comes across as a kind of philosopher-king utopianism: it asks, why can't we just make things work?"
Naturally I had to snag both copies. Can't wait to read them. I just hope they arrive before the creation-lust flood my spare time... read more
Djehuty Graphics!
07/09/09 18:46 Filed in: off-on-a-tangent
htp (peace)
I'm kinda taking a break from the creative process. And just in time too. Over at our sister site, I was made privy to an outstanding web page. Djehuty Graphics! The above pic is just one of the stunning images found on this site. Djehuty Graphics even features an online graphic novel detailing the history of humanity. Naturally I've added the link to Djehuty Graphics to this site, as well as our companion site, NETERS. Read more.