Traditional monsters always reflect both our primal fears and the time in which a particular story is told. Just as vampires represent perennial concerns about lust and death, so do zombies embody loathing of disease and dread about the hordes of nameless others that threaten to overwhelm us — communists in the 1950s, race riots in the 1960s, and terrorists in the early 2000s.
Max Brooks, son of Mel Brooks, takes a Ken Burns-like approach to zombies in World War Z. His conceit of a onetime U.N. observer traveling around to get firsthand accounts 15 years after the outbreak of the living dead does convey the global nature of the conflict. However, it also drains the narrative of a single protagonist and the suspense needed for a good zombie tale.
The upcoming movie adaptation, starring Brad Pitt, diverges significantly from the source material, with “only one man can save the world” and fighting against fast, free-running zombies rather than the typical shambling undead.
Brooks effectively evokes pop culture portrayals as he shows the gory struggle to survive the zombie apocalypse. On the other hand, he uses too much military jargon, many characters sound too much alike, and more characters should have been tied together sooner.
I’d give World War Z a B-, and my book club gave it a C-. I’d recommend the novel to anyone who’s a fan of horror literature and movies and doesn’t mind stock characters.
By now, genre entertainment fans may have seen the news that Disney is buying Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion. I’ve already seen lots of snarky comments online, but this purchase might be good for the franchise, and by extension, space opera.
George Lucas and Walt Disney’s creations
I have no love for megacorporatedeals, some of Lucas’ more stilted dialogue, or the “nerd rage” of manyfans. Get over Jar Jar Binks already — yes, the character is unintentionally offensive, but most small children I observed loved him as previous ones loved R2-D2, Yoda, or Ewoks.
On the other hand, the fact remains that the Star Wars movies and multimedia helped rescue science fiction from obscurity in the late 1970s, and Lucas handing off his creation to the next generation of directors isn’t necessarily a bad idea.
The “expanded universe” of Star Wars novels, comic books, games, toys, and TV shows has generally maintained consistent quality (notwithstanding the occasional cheesy Christmas special). As much as I love other franchises from my youth, such as Doctor Who, Star Trek and Planet of the Apes, I’ve become more of a Star Wars buff.
In one future, humanity has begun to colonize the Sol system, but environmental degradation, population pressures, and internecine conflict persist. The rediscovery of mystical abilities and open and official First Contact with galactic societies, themselves at war, threaten Terra’s very survival. Can heroes rise to the challenges?
“Hector Chavez“ [Beruk A.]-male Latin American Terran human, former spy and communications expert/engineer of the Appomattoxand Gryphon
“Jasmine“ [Sara F.]-female Martian Felinoid (Synth, “Uplifted” tiger), former professional pit fighter and onetime crewmember of the Appomattox, now apart from the grifters in “MarSoupAiL” with boyfriend Darcy
“Chris McKee/Agent Prometheus” [Josh C.]-male Terran human cyborg, former sniper for the North American Aerospace Marine Corps. and eugenicists at Black Box Security Co.; onetime crewmember of the scout ship Blackbird
“Jax“ [Robin H.]-male human from the Asteroid Belt, vain space pirate and pilot of the Slipstream and Gryphon
-“Dr. Srinu Pahul“ [Byron V.O.]-male Indian Terran “near-human” (bioengineered) xenobiologist, shadowed by scandal and confident in survival skills
Elysium Station, capital of the Jovian Commonwealth in “Vortex”
Hector Chavez arranges a rendezvous with onetime rival Annamaria Balzana at Club Hedonism, a touristy nightclub in Elysium Station, capital of the Jovian Commonwealth.
Jasmine thanks pilot Jax for helping to rescue their crewmates from the Encegulan (slug-like alien) submarine. The tiger woman and Darcy plan to meet Shortwave and Quickfin, two Delphines (“Uplifted” cetaceans) in the Synth Liberation Front, at a clock tower at midnight.
Dr. Srinu Pahul asks engineer Hector to work on a gun that can emit both an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) and stun. The scientist agrees to go with Hector to Club Hedonism and makes plans for a farewell party as the Gryphon leaves the Sol system.
Chris McKee asks Jasmine to accompany him to “Tazer’s Tavern” in Port Edillon. The sniper is wary of his reunion with Lt. Brock Ellis, a colleague among the secretive eugenicists at Black Box Security Co. Meanwhile, Orion Starchaser wanders off for more sightseeing.
At Elysium, Hector parties with other high-society types while Hector chats with the attractive Annamaria. She agrees to discreetly inquire into the whereabouts of Hector and Jasmine’s former cohorts aboard the Appomattox, which hid its smuggled cargo of Vatican artifacts in deep space.
“Agent Prometheus,” Jasmine, and Jax find armored Lt. Ellis at the soldier bar. As they exchange pleasantries, Jasmine notices people moving away from them. Chris realizes that he has been poisoned and draws his pistol on Brock, wounding him.
More of “Tazer’s Tavern’s” patrons draw guns, and furred Jasmine knocks over a table as a shield. One Black Box agent [Byron/Non-Player Character] circles around and shoots, but Jasmine dodges a few bullets.
Another “near-human” [Josh/N.P.C.] fires a needler but misses at first. A third [Beruk/N.P.C.] also misses with a net gun. Chris slumps to the floor, as Jasmine picks up the table and slams into Brock. The burly wrestler grabs Chris and heads for the door.
Jax emerges from the toilets and shoots at a chandelier, briefly pinning one of the goons. Jasmine gets hit by hollow needles containing an anesthetic and is slowed. One of the gunmen [Byron/N.P.C.] runs after her.
Another would-be kidnapper [Josh/N.P.C.] ignores Jax, who radios Hector and Chris for backup. They commandeer a ground-effect vehicle and race to “Tazer’s Tavern.” The Black Box agents close in on Jasmine and Chris, with Jax close behind.
Srinu weaves through the colony’s traffic and slides the speeder between the snipers and his companions. Hector shoots one gunman, and Chris regains consciousness in time to finish off the man with the needler.
Jasmine recommends avoiding the tavern, but Chris runs back to confront Brock. Unfortunately, he is gone. Hector uses his microcomputer to block local surveillance. He also finds that the Black Box agents carried police IDs.
Jax takes the wheel, and the crew of the Gryphon makes a swift retreat to the space dock, losing one of the gunmen [Beruk /N.P.C.] who had tried to cut them off on foot.
Back at the ship, Dr. Pahul and robot nurse MEGAN attend to Chris and Jasmine’s injuries. Jax recommends heading to the Asteroid Belt as soon as possible, noting that the group should be able to find other contacts there.
Hector puts the speeder in the cargo hold near Jasmine’s hoverbike for future tinkering. The former spy also tells Annamaria that he hopes to reconnect with her another time. Jax doesn’t mind leaving lady friend Bonnie Kawagura behind.
Disappointed Jasmine cancels her meeting with the Delphines but still hopes to find friendly fellow “Synths” (bioengineered humanoids) before leaving the Sol system. Mystic Orion returns from his rambles in time to head out.
No longer just a cold-blooded killer, Chris is angry with himself for allowing Black Box Security forces to get the drop on him, months after he fought Terra Prime on the Blackbird. Orion points out that he has probably also gotten the attention of higher-ranking people who might be more interested in talking.
The Gryphon leaves the Jovian system. Jasmine, Chris, and Jax rest, while Srinu cancels his party and finishes his report for the Union of Solar Nations on the Zarkonian threat. Hector checks his aliases and monitors scanners.
Darcy and PEPE, Srinu’s valet robot, continue to make repairs as the Gryphon heads to Ceres, the largest colony in the Asteroid Belt….
Please note that the “Vortex” telecom game won’t be meeting on Oct. 28 because I’ll be meeting former co-worker Ken G. for a Raiders of the Lost Ark screening in Cambridge, Mass. I expect to resume on Nov. 4 after attending the Rhode Island Comic Con.
In the meantime, I hope that Monday’s “Vanished Lands: Vistel’s Circus” fantasy session won’t be affected by Hurricane Sandy. Take it easy, -Gene
In one future, humanity has begun to colonize the Sol system, but environmental degradation, population pressures, and internecine conflict persist. The rediscovery of mystical abilities and open and official First Contact with galactic societies, themselves at war, threaten Terra’s very survival. Can heroes rise to the challenges?
“Hector Chavez” [Beruk A.]-male Latin American Terran human, former spy and communications expert/engineer of the Appomattox and Gryphon
“Jasmine” [Sara F.]-female Martian Felinoid (Synth, “Uplifted” tiger), former professional pit fighter and onetime crewmember of the Appomattox, now apart from the grifters in “MarSoupAiL” with boyfriend Darcy
“Chris McKee/Agent Prometheus” [Josh C.]-male Terran human cyborg, former sniper for the North American Aerospace Marine Corps. and eugenicists at Black Box Security Co.; onetime crewmember of the scout ship Blackbird
“Jax” [Robin H.]-male human from the Asteroid Belt, vain space pirate and pilot of the Slipstream and Gryphon
The Gryphon docks at the orbital habitat of Elysium, capital of the Jovian Commonwealth. Hector Chavez stays aboard the luxury ship to continue his research into the items smuggled from the Vatican Museums.
The burned op also reviews the case files of murders possibly connected to the Zumiz Krott/Harbingers of the Righteous Order of Submission (biomechanical probes of the Zarkonian Armada). Hector considers contacting Annamaria Balzana, a onetime rival referred to him by handler Max.
Jasmine plans to go to Jupiter’s moon Europa to meet Shortwave and Quickfin, two Delphines (“Uplifted” cetaceans) in the Synth Liberation Front. The tiger woman also warns her boyfriend Darcy to avoid Tabitha Hanahi, a felinoid (lynx woman) friend of hers.
Chris McKee asks Orion Starchaser to come with him to see Lt. Brock Ellis, a former colleague at Black Box Security Co., at Tazer’s Tavern in Port Edillon. But first, Chris and Orion go with Jasmine to Europa.
Jax has a leisurely breakfast with Bonnie Kawagura in the Gryphon. He gives the woman, who is friends with his wealthy fan Cassandra, a tour of the yacht and its swimming pool. Bonnie eventually leaves, and the pilot ignores the awkwardness among his crewmates, pleased that his reputation will spread among the pirates at the “Floating Cove” on Ganymede.
Dr. Srinu Pahul compiles his findings on the nanite (microscopic robot) samples from the Zurmiz Krott, which can induce cannibalistic madness in Terrans. The disgraced doctor also sends a message to his parents on Earth warning them to evacuate before the Zarkonian Armada arrives.
Jasmine, Chris, and Orion go to Liberation Plaza in Port Reagan. Furred Jasmine is pleased to notice that fellow “Synths” (genetically engineered humanoids) are more common than in the inner Sol system. Jax cleans the Slipstream, his personal vessel.
Orion learns of a deep-sea dive beneath Europa’s 30-mile-thick icy crust and calls Srinu to see if he’s interested. He is, so they rent scuba gear, a sled, and harpoon and net pistols. Wary Chris notices that he and Jasmine are being watched by a maintenance robot and a woman in the plaza.
Meanwhile, back at Elysium, engineer Hector notices Tabitha in the docking tunnel. She asks to come aboard, and Hector gives Darcy some friendly advice about discretion and not angering Jasmine. The tiger “Synth” claims that he is ill and asks to meet Tabitha sometime later. She readily accepts, her tail twitching.
A Delphine in a cybernetic walker drops a note near Chris, and the sniper hustles Jasmine away from the watchful eyes of the robot and woman in the plaza. The S.L.F. members tell Jasmine to meet them at a clock tower at midnight.
Orion and Srinu take a turbolift down and enter Europa’s frigid waters. They see some life forms, although it isn’t clear whether they’re indigenous, of Terran origin, or recently introduced after First Contact with extrasolar species. The alien wanderer checks his plasma blade, and the doctor clutches his harpoon gun.
The two divers soon have other things to worry about when two sleds and a submarine close in on them! Orion senses another alien mind, and Srinu tries to parley. The Ru’ulok (heavy-gravity reptilian alien) pirates order them to surrender, and Orion grabs the sled’s controls and flees.
Dr. Pahul radios Hector. Jax fires up the Gryphon and picks up Jasmine and Chris at the colony of Port Reagan. Chris calls ahead and orders Srinu’s nurse bot MEGAN to fetch his Salvorain (amphibious alien) trident.
Orion uses a telekinetic shield to clothesline one of the pursuing Ru’ulok, and Srinu makes evasive maneuvers around chunks of ice. The enemy sub looms above, but mystic Orion convinces a nearby sea monster to block its torpedo tubes.
Gunner Chris blasts a path for the Gryphon with a particle beam. Hotshot Jax takes the ship plunging through Europa’s crust, as Hector monitors the sublight engines and the ablative armor. Jasmine and Darcy stagger to damage control.
The remaining Ru’ulok close in on Orion and Srinu. The Europan kraken devours one hapless diver, and Orion psionically removes a hose from another’s helmet. Srinu fires harpoons at the Ru’ulok and ducks behind the sled.
The kraken grabs Srinu’s leg with one of its many tentacles, but then the Gryphon arrives. Chris fires at the beast, injuring it, and shines a light as the kraken sinks into the depths.
Orion defies Murchem, the Encegulan (slug-like alien) captain of the Round Hole. Jax plays “chicken” with the enemy vessel, then flips to throw the Ru’ulok sleds into its path.
Wily Hector uses the Gryphon’s electronics warfare suite to partially disable the Round Hole’s propulsion. Brave Jasmine takes the turret while Chris suits up and goes to the airlock to retrieve Orion and Srinu.
Jasmine hits one sled, and Chris is thrown from the yacht as it evades the slaver ship. Orion grabs Srinu and Chris and swims upward. The blue-furred alien also telepathically blocks the Encegulan captain.
Jax swiftly brings the Gryphon around. Chris replaces Jasmine in the turret. The gunner taunts the Ru’ulok and targets their life support. Srinu wishes he could chemically freeze the area around the Round Hole, but he has no delivery system.
Hector hails the enemy vessel and orders it to surrender, but Murchem says he won’t allow himself to “be taken captive by primitives.” The Encegulan sets his ship to self-destruct, and Jax sprints for the surface, with Chris reblasting a path through Europa’s ice.
Hector and Srinu want to go back to get samples of the alien technology, but Chris notes that local authorities will soon arrive. He sends an image of the kraken to Asdann Fre’vel, a Gustrall (orange-furred, antlered, raptor-like alien) hunter friend back on Mars.
Jasmine and Darcy join Dr. Pahul’s robots MEGAN and PEPE in repairing the ship as it returns to Elysium. They still plan to meet with Delphines Shortwave and Quickfin at midnight. Chris and Orion have yet to meet Lt. Ellis, and they expect trouble from Black Box.
Hector and Dr. Pahul prepare their notes on the Zurmiz Krott and a report on the Encegulan incursion to deliver to Lt.Cmdr. Hiroshi Mbenge of the Union of Solar Nations Navy. They also reach out to Annamaria Balzana and doctors at Cassini University and Crimson Cloud Hospital (Dr. Pahul names the kraken after Jax).
In support of Jax’s plan to use the Gryphon to lure other pirates, Srinu recommends throwing a going-away party as the yacht leaves the Sol system. Hector isn’t sure that many of the crew’s contacts will be able to come to the frontier on short notice. Jax agrees to ask Bonnie if she can arrange to host the party….
Please see my other posts regarding plot threads and Non-Player Characters, advancement, and scheduling. I look forward to seeing the crew of the Gryphon this coming Sunday. Note that we won’t be meeting on Oct. 28.
After watching the latest U.S. presidential debate, I still think that few minds were changed and that the race is too close to call. The 5% or so of the electorate that hasn’t made up its mind is less important than the Electoral College and whose partisans turn out to vote. I’ve made no secret of my political preferences here and on various social media. However, I keep hoping that both parties will do better.
Presidential candidates point fingers
Following the lead of Vice President Joe Biden in his debate with Rep. Paul Ryan, President Barack Obama was much more forceful in his arguments in the second debate. I still think that he could have defended the liberal and Democrat points of view even more strongly.
I would have liked Obama to clearly and unapologetically state the need for government leadership in protecting health care, the environment, and civil rights. Sure, both candidates paid lip service to the importance of education, veterans, and care for the elderly, but neither proposed significant reforms beyond alternative payment schemes. Neither candidate called for sacrifice, patience, or experimentation in dealing with a recession that’s beyond the president’s direct control.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney also missed opportunities to lay out a compelling set of Republican alternatives. Fiscal conservatives want to cut taxes, government regulations, and federal and trade deficits — all worthy goals — but they haven’t really explained how they’d make up the revenue or continue to properly safeguard the public good. If liberals shouldn’t pick winners and losers in industry, neither should conservatives.
Social conservatives want to restrict abortion, promote individual initiative and responsibility, and eliminate programs they don’t like, but many Americans are more concerned with jobs and the social safety net. I’m in favor of renewing the assault weapons ban, continuing to reform health care, and allowing anyone to be married, regardless of race, creed, or sexual preference. The so-called culture wars have wasted as much energy as the well-intentioned but misguided and costly wars on poverty and drugs.
On foreign policy, where I can claim more expertise than in economics, the U.S. should devise a better strategy for the current and evolving state of global affairs. Both Democrats and Republicans have coddled dictators, misjudged security threats, and needlessly rattled sabers.
Why is it that the U.S., which spends more on its militarythan the rest of the world combined and is the No. 1 arms seller, has lost its credibility as a peacemaker? How can we help break the nuclear standoff between Israel and Iran without escalation? How can we encourage democracy without getting embroiled in civil wars in Libya and Syria, continue to engage European and Asian allies amid their own economic turmoil, and contain the threat posed by states such as North Korea?
There are no easy answers, but bad-mouthing our creditor, commercial supplier, and geopolitical rival China doesn’t strike me as particularly productive. We missed opportunities to encourage reform and stability in Eastern Europe after the Cold War, and I believe we’re missing our window of influence on the emerging Asian century.
Both Obama and Romney agree on the need to eventually withdraw from Afghanistan, despite the deplorable acts of the Taliban there and in Pakistan. I hope they’ll do more than mention human rights (if at all) in their final debate. Both men say they want the U.S. to become self-reliant for its energy needs, even if they differ on the means and on the need for global standards and environmental protection.
I hope my fellow citizens will try to be informed and get out and vote. Our neighbors, allies, and foes will all be watching. We may have stumbled, but the U.S. still has considerable natural and human resources, traditions of idealism and innovation, and the ability to serve as a positive example of representative democracy. I hope we choose wisely!
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks
Gene's Worlds 
