Shot with Canon 80D
Canon 100mm Macro
Powell Butte
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Sunday, December 26, 2021
Friday, December 17, 2021
Book Review: The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton
I had almost zero expectations going into reading this book other than that Michael Crighton is a great writer and I enjoyed Congo a lot and I enjoyed the Jurassic Park movies. I could tell that it was about some kind of virus as the term "strain" usually means something bad and biological and there are lots of strains of viruses and viruses are on the mind of late. Based on the previous titles I was expecting some kind of action-adventure story but that is not what I found with this book. Instead, I was slowly taken on a cerebral journey through a subtle world of science fiction in a way that I haven't experienced before.
The Andromeda Strain starts off in a small town where everyone but two people has died from a mysterious cause. Some of them have committed suicide while others choked to death and some had their blood solidify in their veins. The only survivors are a baby and an old man. The connection between the two unlikely survivors will become the key to understanding the solution to the problem. In an effort to understand this potential threat a covert government agency known as Project Wildfire is put into action. Project Wildfire was created for the purpose of preparing for the inevitable event that an alien lifeform, likely bacterial-sized, would end up on Earth and potentially cause a threat to humanity. Millions of dollars were allocated to the project which allowed for a state-of-the-art laboratory to be built in order to study and contain anything the potential threat had to offer.
It turns out that something did hitch a ride on a government satellite and fell from space into the small town. The satellite is taken to the Project Wildfire facility and studied by the elite group of scientists selected for the project. From there it is up to the team of scientists to study this potentially life-ending strain of unknown life before it is too late. With nuclear protocols in place to destroy the town if needed, the facility if needed, and anything else, if needed, the scientists go to work around the clock to come up with a cure knowing that they will be left to die if they are contaminated by the unknown strain.
Michael Crighton takes some of the most potentially boring material and makes it somehow extremely interesting. With historical fiction about the underworld of government activities adding to the intrigue and an immense sense of impending dread, the story is compelling without any of the typical action one is expecting. Scientific technologies and methods are the keys to saving humanity and are the real heroes here. Biochemistry, virology, biology, and physiology could easily bring boredom to a story but I found the writing made these technical things accessible and interesting. The story does seem a little slow at times but has good pacing that kept me interested throughout and by the end, I was on the edge of my seat for the climactic finale.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a more scientific mystery that is both thrilling and thoughtful. Michael Crighton put a lot of research into the science here and it shows. If you like biology, viruses, alien encounters, and government conspiracies this book is for you. With Covid 19 existing and permeating culture I am sure that this book might freak people out a little so if you have a hard time separating fact from fiction then this may not be the book for you but you probably won't admit it any way that so go ahead and read it.
Sunday, December 12, 2021
Photo Journal 12/12/2021 (Powell Butte)
Shot with Canon 80D
Canon 100mm Macro and Tamron 70-300
Powell Butte
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Sunday, November 28, 2021
Photo Journal 11/28/2021 (Blue Lake)
Shot with Canon 80D
Canon 100mm Macro and Tamron 70-300
Blue Lake
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Sunday, November 14, 2021
Photo Journal 11/14/2021 (Smith and Bybee Wetland Nature Preserve)
Shot with Canon 80D
Canon 100mm Macro, Canon 24mm Pancake,
and Tamron 70-300
Smith and Bybee Wetland Nature Preserve
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Wednesday, November 10, 2021
Photo Journal 11/10/2021 (Rooster Rock In Fall)
Shot with Canon 80D
Canon 100mm Macro, Canon 24mm Pancake,
and Tamron 70-300
Rooster Rock State Park
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Saturday, October 23, 2021
Book Review: The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
This book sat on my shelf for quite a while and I was planning on letting it sit. My aunt gave it to me and I figured it was a book that was more suited to a 60-year-old woman. I thought it was some kind of spiritual journey biography or some kind of allegory for the ills of modern capitalism. I don't know why I thought this and I was very wrong. It is one of the most engaging fantasies I have ever read. It was a surprise to find out that it takes place in a fictional future where the earth has turned on its inhabitants by way of violent tectonic activities. Volcanoes, lava flows, earthquakes, and tsunamis are the real enemies to humanity and can take out an entire city with hundred's of thousands of inhabitants in a moment and every once in a while the earth becomes completely covered in ash forcing humans to hide and survive in the ancient ways outlined by rules called stonelore.
The story follows three female protagonists, Damaya, Syenite, and Essun but before I explain who these characters are I need to explain what they are. They are all orogenes, or, the less polite term roggas. Orogenes are born with the ability to manipulate minerals. They are trained and employed to soothe the earth, stop earthquakes, prevent tsunamis, and help with engineering projects. They are feared and hated by normal people as the most powerful roggas can destroy cities and activate volcanoes. The only thing that can stop a rogga is a guardian, who is a person that can track down, nullify, and, if needed, kill a rogga.
We meet a young girl named Damaya in a cold and damp barn where she has been imprisoned by her family who fears her newly discovered powers. She is then taken to Fulcrum, the orogene college, by a guardian. At Fulcrum, she learns how devious other children can be and how to harness her powers. She also meets a girl who introduces her to a secret that will be the key to fixing everything or destroying it all.
We also follow Syenite, who is a Fulcrum Trained four-ringer orogene that is partnered with a ten-ring orogene named Alabaster for the purpose of learning, fulfilling Fulcrum contracts, and reproduction. Alabaster is the most powerful oregene in history and he is very likely insane. He and Syenite engage in unsatisfying coitus and getting on each other's nerves. On their travels, Syenite has to challenge her ideas of what an orogene is and what Fulcrum is really doing. As she learns of the harshness of the real world she also learns how powerful she can be and how Alabaster probably went crazy.
Essun is you and you are Essun. At least the book says this. She is the main, main character and the book uses the term you to make sure that the narrator knows who they are. She is also the mother of two rogga children, one who has been killed by her husband. He has taken the second child and disappeared. She is determined to find her child and kill her husband. Essun leaves her small village just as the world is ending due to a massive volcano that is covering the earth with ash starting the next season of death.
I was so pleased to find what I found when I opened this book and started to read it. It is the only example of geology-based fantasy I have ever heard of. The tone is conversational and unpretentious making it very accessible. The story is both mature and playful. The chapters are long as shit. I usually try to finish a chapter if I start it but I often would stop mid-chapter just to go to bed or do something else. The Fifth Season offers a charming and suspenseful adventure in a world that is both relatable and foreign. I enjoyed the ride very much and recommend it to anyone interested in a world that is unique and dynamic.
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