CSFF July Blog Tour – Starlighter - Day 3

A few more thoughts on Starlighter on this final day of the tour:

I’ve noticed several reviews have called into question Starlighter’s blend of science fiction and fantasy, finding some of the sci-fi gizmos like the photo gun a little odd in a setting that seems primarily medieval. While I certainly agree that sometimes genre bending can be a little confusing, I didn’t get that with Starlighter. A few points:

First, it is possible that a society may remain somewhat primitive in many aspects, but yet may be more developed in other areas. So the idea that swords and armor are co-existing with photo guns, or in Jason’s case, a messaging device that requires genetic code to activate, shouldn’t be too unusual. The setting of the humans’ world seemed sufficiently advanced enough that they could credibly have such advanced technical items-they all live in man-made dwellings instead of say, caves or a series of primitive huts. I would also point out that there’s a lot of room to see more of Darksphere/Major Four’s civilization. It’s not as if we got the detailed tour of every aspect of their lives. It’s also possible they were a more advanced society in the past but fell from an earlier glory, and their spotty technology is just leftovers.

I think the more interesting stories have tended to merge ideas from different genres. Take an example from Bryan Davis’ Dragons in our Midst series. The first book in the lot, Raising Dragons, was an Arthurian fantasy set in modern times. It had dragons, Merlin, Arthur, swords, and a villainous black knight. The sequel, The Candlestone, was very different. Much of it revolved around a secret underground lab that seemed like it parts of it were inspired from a James Bond movie, a Frankenstein movie, or any Star Trek flick or episode. The plot revolved around the bad guys’ efforts to extract the dark knight from the previous book from a small stone, inside which matter is converted to a light energy and stored within. The lab has a machine that transforms people into light energy so they can venture inside the stone, and then extract them back to their solid forms. I must imagine that some readers must have wondered where a series that seemed like it was reinterpreting Arthurian legends suddenly turned into an episode of Star Trek.

Some might say that the DIOM books are contemporary while Starlighter is a completely fantasy work. In that case, we could examine one of the most famous fantasies of all: Star Wars. People would say it’s science fiction, but on what basis? That it has cool futuristic machines? What then would you call the Force? I don’t know what the scientific basis of “Use the Force, Luke,” is. When you look at science fiction, its primary function is to examine the effect machines and technology have on mankind. It’s not so much the tools as the attitude the narrative takes toward the gadgets. If you look at the original Star Wars, it’s a fairy tale re-garbed in a universe of advanced technology. Darth Vader is the black knight/sorcerer who wields mystical powers. Obi-Wan Kenobi is much like Merlin. Both engage in a sword fight whose only difference between their archetypal counterparts is that their swords are not metal but made of energy. The story is about a group of plucky heroes who rescue a princess from an enemy stronghold. In the end, Luke blows up the Death Star by exercising a spiritual force, not by using his targeting computer. That’s definitely in the realm of fantasy. By contrast, a franchise like Star Trek is more interested in how mankind uses technology for the betterment of his own race, in exploring the universe and expanding his realm of knowledge.

So I think if one were to characterize Starlighter as fantasy, I’d say they’re right. But the fact that it has advanced machinery should not be disconcerting. It’s the attitude the story takes toward that technology.

One more time for the other blog tour members:

Brandon Barr
Beckie Burnham
Jeff Chapman
R. L. Copple
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Andrea Graham
Tori Greene
Nikole Hahn
Ryan Heart
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Dawn King
Leighton
Jane Maritz
Rebecca LuElla Miller
John W. Otte
Donita K. Paul
Crista Richey
SarahFlan
Chawna Schroeder
Rachel Starr Thomson
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Dona Watson
Phyllis Wheeler
Jill Williamson
KM Wilsher
Jason Waguespack