You’re killin’ me, Nathan. You really are. I get that Sci-Fi is sci-fi and military adventurism is this or that and all that, but do people really believe this stuff? Someone’s gonna set off the magical gigantic EMP from which the devices, etc. will not recover, that will bring us all to this apocalyptic future?
Well, for one thing: Is any other SF subgenre has to answer the “You really BELIEVE this stuff?” question? “You really believe there’s a galactic federation?” “You really believe that faster-than-light travel or time travel is possible?” Um, no. It’s FICTION. I also don’t believe that Tom Cruise can do all the stuff in the MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE movies, or that the Super-Soldier Serum really turned Steve Rogers into Captain America.
I don’t know why this particular unlikely scenario is such an affront to you. I don’t recall you yelling about how they dead can’t REALLY come back to feast on the flesh of the living every time a zombie cover has shown up here.
Of course, and as I recently said, Anne McCaffrey was an acquaintance/friend and I mean…telepathic, flying, gigantic dinos. Not saying that SciFi has to be believable, thank GOD. In fact, isn’t that what SciFi is? The unbelievable side thereof? Or the aspect you pray does not happen? (Although, Fire Lizards might be cool….)
What makes me Bork it is that it seems to be–just seems–that some people think of it as being far more probable than most other scenarios. More probable than Zombies and all that rot. I’m pretty sure nobody believes in flying, telephathic dragons or dragon-o-sauruses, really, right? So…I shouldn’t owrry about this.
But we’ve all seen it. We see people around the net–and this isn’t some teeeeeeny-weeennny number, either!–regurgitating plot lines from movies or shows as “Historical fact.” Or the like. I realize I’m not the Fact Police, but…IDK. I guess ever since that day that I realized that Flat Earthers weren’t a joke, they were real people, I’ve been overly-sensitive to what people choose to believe is possible and what isn’t (OR, is wildly improbable,. but yes, maybe, like a solar flare, COULD maybe, kinda, someday happen.)
[shrug] Didn’t mean to rain on your SciFi parade, sweetie.
I think part of the appeal (again, judging from the outside) is that, apart from the initial inciting premise, everything can proceed completely naturalistically.
In contrast, if the inciting premise were an alien invasion, you’d have to then explore the nature of the aliens, their technology level, their goals in invading…
If it were a zombie apocalypse, you’d need rules of contagion, how intelligent the dead are, what happens to people who die of non-zombie causes…
With the EMP story, the only necessary suspension of disbelief is in the first paragraph. “Okay, nothing electronic works anymore. Wat doo?”
Okay, can’t argue with that. Holly Lisle sent out an hilarious blog post one day, some years back, when that (horrible) remake of The Day The World Stood Still came out, (with Reeves) talking about “oh, happy happy joy joy,” we’ve been spared! and what would REALLY happen starting about 3 days after the “near-End.” LOL.
Thanks for the yammer.
Charles Cassady Jr.own
6 months ago
Illustrates the Alice Cooper song “Lost in America” : Can’t go to school / Cause I don’t have a gun.
The cover designer only knows how to draw two poses. Both of them as stiff and unnatural as Egyptian hieroglyphs.
So the fence posts cast shadows but the “people” and buildings don’t? I had no idea that EMP attacks shredded shadows along with electronics.
OMG, another with the bloody EMP as if it’s some big magical weapon. ARRGGGHHHH!!! AUTHORS! Read up on this dammit!
Hate to tell you, Hitch, but it’s a well-established subgenre. You might as well rail against shifters or billionaire romances.
You’re killin’ me, Nathan. You really are. I get that Sci-Fi is sci-fi and military adventurism is this or that and all that, but do people really believe this stuff? Someone’s gonna set off the magical gigantic EMP from which the devices, etc. will not recover, that will bring us all to this apocalyptic future?
I guess it’s not really worse than Flat Earthers.
Well, for one thing: Is any other SF subgenre has to answer the “You really BELIEVE this stuff?” question? “You really believe there’s a galactic federation?” “You really believe that faster-than-light travel or time travel is possible?” Um, no. It’s FICTION. I also don’t believe that Tom Cruise can do all the stuff in the MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE movies, or that the Super-Soldier Serum really turned Steve Rogers into Captain America.
That said, my understanding of the mainstream of the genre (ain’t read any myself) is that a solar flare is the usual culprit, which is within the realm of possibility: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2021/09/27/the-electromagnetic-pulse-threatcant-we-just-paint-over-it/?sh=232191f91883 Unlikely, sure, but so what? If all we could write about were likely scenarios, there would be nothing on the shelves but lit fic.
I don’t know why this particular unlikely scenario is such an affront to you. I don’t recall you yelling about how they dead can’t REALLY come back to feast on the flesh of the living every time a zombie cover has shown up here.
Of course, and as I recently said, Anne McCaffrey was an acquaintance/friend and I mean…telepathic, flying, gigantic dinos. Not saying that SciFi has to be believable, thank GOD. In fact, isn’t that what SciFi is? The unbelievable side thereof? Or the aspect you pray does not happen? (Although, Fire Lizards might be cool….)
What makes me Bork it is that it seems to be–just seems–that some people think of it as being far more probable than most other scenarios. More probable than Zombies and all that rot. I’m pretty sure nobody believes in flying, telephathic dragons or dragon-o-sauruses, really, right? So…I shouldn’t owrry about this.
But we’ve all seen it. We see people around the net–and this isn’t some teeeeeeny-weeennny number, either!–regurgitating plot lines from movies or shows as “Historical fact.” Or the like. I realize I’m not the Fact Police, but…IDK. I guess ever since that day that I realized that Flat Earthers weren’t a joke, they were real people, I’ve been overly-sensitive to what people choose to believe is possible and what isn’t (OR, is wildly improbable,. but yes, maybe, like a solar flare, COULD maybe, kinda, someday happen.)
[shrug] Didn’t mean to rain on your SciFi parade, sweetie.
I think part of the appeal (again, judging from the outside) is that, apart from the initial inciting premise, everything can proceed completely naturalistically.
In contrast, if the inciting premise were an alien invasion, you’d have to then explore the nature of the aliens, their technology level, their goals in invading…
If it were a zombie apocalypse, you’d need rules of contagion, how intelligent the dead are, what happens to people who die of non-zombie causes…
With the EMP story, the only necessary suspension of disbelief is in the first paragraph. “Okay, nothing electronic works anymore. Wat doo?”
Okay, can’t argue with that. Holly Lisle sent out an hilarious blog post one day, some years back, when that (horrible) remake of The Day The World Stood Still came out, (with Reeves) talking about “oh, happy happy joy joy,” we’ve been spared! and what would REALLY happen starting about 3 days after the “near-End.” LOL.
Thanks for the yammer.
Illustrates the Alice Cooper song “Lost in America” : Can’t go to school / Cause I don’t have a gun.