 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source .(September 2018) |
This Alien Shore is a science fiction novel by American author Celia S. Friedman. It was originally released in hardcover in August 1998 and in paperback in June 1999.
This Alien Shore, which explores the second age of space colonization, was selected as a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. [1]
An explosion in her habitat sends young Jamisia Shido scrambling through the corridors to an escape capsule. Intercepted by an interstellar passenger ship, she sets out for the stars pursued by inner demons, as well as terran and galactic pursuers. Demons hide in the depths of jump-space as well, much as killer whales pursue seals diving from one ice-floe to the next.
The book takes place in the far future when interstellar flight has caused mutations in the human race. Some were minute differences, some to the point of grotesquerie. These mutations eventually lead to the cessation of interstellar flight, stranding a majority of the population away from their culture and supplies that were rooted on Earth. This causes worlds to reinvent themselves, with some coming out stronger. Eventually, one planet discovers a method of interstellar travel that does not cause adverse effects. They create a company called the Outspace Guild. Due to the mutations, the Guild is the only one that can use this method of travel, and it quickly becomes a monopoly.
Throughout this time, computers have advanced to a point that they are necessary for all facets of life. It is introduced early in the book that each person is entitled to have a computer installed in their brain at birth. Unfortunately, it is impossible to reinstall different computers due to the complexity of the nervous system and how it is intricately tied into the body. It is possible to have additional "brainware" installed later in life, though this is both dangerous and illegal. Even so, some people have it done; they refer to themselves as "moddies" or "being mod". In this future, it is extremely important to make sure that the best hardware is installed. The government in this future has guaranteed that all people shall be entitled to hardware, but the rich will tend to upgrade it for their children to guarantee them a better lifestyle.
The computers that are integrated into the brain help regulate bodily functions, such as causing a regular release of adrenaline at a scheduled time. They can also set up tasks and reminders for the mind, and can be used for communication with others. Computer viruses have become more dangerous, as the computer can control base functions, thus making a person vulnerable to attack on a much different level.
Dr. Kio Masada - A scientist from the Guild planet that works to learn about a virus that shows up as something that could destroy society in the current state.
Jamisia Shido - A female from a space habitat near Earth. Secret illegal therapy for a disaster that killed her parents has left Jamisia with an acute form of dissociative identity disorder and may have made her the key in the fight against the virus.
Alternate personalities residing in Jamisia Shido
Derik - One of only two (confirmed) male personalities residing in Jamisia, he is violent and reckless and considers himself the protector of the group. He usually swears profoundly when things go wrong.
Raven - A smart person taught how to fly spaceships by Shido Corporation as part of their plan to unseat the Guild monopoly.
Verina - The smartest person residing in Jamisia's body, she knows a lot, and gives the impression of being a more mature woman.
Katlyn - A female who enjoys seducing men and pleasures of the flesh.
Zusu - A girl who is always frightened, though not as much as the unnamed one. Her whimpering often annoys the Others, who usually tell her to shut up.
The Children - Several unnamed personalities who don't play much of a role in the story, but when they do appear, they usually just voice a child's concern about what is happening.
The Unnamed One - This unnamed boy spends much of the story curled up in a tight ball in a corner of Jamisia's brain, alone with his monstrous fears. He only speaks at the end of the book, to help Raven and Jamisia navigate the ainniq. He has Outpilot's Syndrome, the insanity required to see the sana (the most vicious predators known to humanity, they reside in the ainniq and feed on human souls).
Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction is a subgenre of science fiction in which the Earth's civilization is collapsing or has collapsed. The apocalypse event may be climatic, such as runaway climate change; astronomical, an impact event; destructive, nuclear holocaust or resource depletion; medical, a pandemic, whether natural or human-caused; end time, such as the Last Judgment, Second Coming or Ragnarök; or any other scenario in which the outcome is apocalyptic, such as a zombie apocalypse, cybernetic revolt, technological singularity, dysgenics or alien invasion.
Snow Crash is a science fiction novel by the American writer Neal Stephenson, published in 1992. Like many of Stephenson's novels, its themes include history, linguistics, anthropology, archaeology, religion, computer science, politics, cryptography, memetics, and philosophy.
Mind uploading is a speculative process of whole brain emulation in which a brain scan is used to completely emulate the mental state of the individual in a digital computer. The computer would then run a simulation of the brain's information processing, such that it would respond in essentially the same way as the original brain and experience having a sentient conscious mind.
A brain transplant or whole-body transplant is a procedure in which the brain of one organism is transplanted into the body of another organism. It is a procedure distinct from head transplantation, which involves transferring the entire head to a new body, as opposed to the brain only. Theoretically, a person with complete organ failure could be given a new and functional body while keeping their own personality, memories, and consciousness through such a procedure. Neurosurgeon Robert J. White has grafted the head of a monkey onto the headless body of another monkey. EEG readings showed the brain was later functioning normally. Initially, it was thought to prove that the brain was an immunologically privileged organ, as the host's immune system did not attack it at first, but immunorejection caused the monkey to die after nine days. Brain transplants and similar concepts have also been explored in various forms of science fiction.
The Spacing Guild is an organization in Frank Herbert's science fiction Dune universe that possesses a monopoly on interstellar travel and banking. Guild Navigators use the drug melange to achieve limited prescience, a form of precognition that allows them to successfully navigate "folded space" and safely guide enormous starships called heighliners across interstellar space instantaneously.
The Rowan (1990) is a science fiction novel by American writer Anne McCaffrey, the first book in The Tower and the Hive series. It is set in the universe of the "Pegasus" trilogy, against a backdrop of a technologically advanced society in which telepathy, psychokinesis and other psychic talents have become scientifically accepted and researched. Telekinetic and telepathic powers are used to communicate and teleport spaceships through space, thus avoiding the light barrier and allowing for the colonization of other planetary systems.
Hackers is an anthology of science fiction short stories edited by Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois. It was first published in 1996. It contains stories by science fiction and cyberpunk writers of the late 1980s and early 1990s about hackers.
Andrew "Ender" Wiggin is a fictional character from Orson Scott Card's 1985 science fiction novel Ender's Game and its sequels, as well as in the first part of the spin-off series, Ender's Shadow. The book series itself is an expansion of Card's 1977 short story "Ender's Game."
An extraterrestrial or alien is a lifeform that did not originate on Earth. The word extraterrestrial means "outside Earth". Extraterrestrials are a common theme in modern science-fiction, and also appeared in much earlier works such as the second-century parody True History by Lucian of Samosata.
The concept brainship in science fiction literature refers to an interstellar starship that is created by inserting the disembodied brain and nervous system of a human being into a life-support system, and connecting it surgically to a series of computers via delicate synaptic connections. The brain "feels" the ship as part of its own body. Flying, taking off, landing, and controlling all the other features of the ship are as natural as moving, breathing and talking are to an ordinary human. Being wired into a computer speeds their reactions, but still allows their human brains to make intelligent decisions based on calculations.
My Teacher Is an Alien is a four-book science fiction children's book series authored by Bruce Coville. The titles include:
Teen Power Inc., now known as Raven Hill Mysteries is a series of books created by notable Australian author Emily Rodda, even though many of the books are actually penned by other authors who receive credit on the inside title page. The series, originally published in the mid-1990s was reprinted under the name Raven Hill Mysteries. As of 2006, the first six titles have been reissued.
The Ship Who Searched is a science fiction novel by American writers Anne McCaffrey and Mercedes Lackey. It is the third of seven books in The Ship Who Sang series by McCaffrey and four other authors, and the only one by Lackey. It was first published as a serial in the monthly Amazing Stories, June to September, and as a paperback original by Baen Books in August 1992.
The Transmutation of Ike Garuda is a two-issue prestige format mini-series published by the Epic Comics imprint of Marvel Comics, with the first issue being released in 1991 and the second issue in 1992. It was written by Elaine Lee, with art by James Sherman.
Charon: A Dragon at the Gate is a science fiction novel by American writer Jack L. Chalker, the third book in the Four Lords of the Diamond. First published as a paperback in 1982, it continues the saga started in Lilith: A Snake in the Grass and Cerberus: A Wolf in the Fold and is concluded by the fourth and last book called, Medusa: A Tiger by the Tail.
The Killing Star is a hard science fiction novel by American writers Charles R. Pellegrino and George Zebrowski, published in April 1995. It chronicles a sudden alien invasion in a late 21st century technological utopia, while covering several other speculative fiction ideas such as sublight interstellar travel, genetic cloning, virtual reality, advanced robotics, etc.
Metroid is a series of nonlinear science fiction action games published by Nintendo, featuring side-scrolling, metroidvania, and first-person shooter elements. The player character and protagonist of the series is Samus Aran, a space-faring bounty hunter who battles Space Pirates and a species called the Metroid.
Biological warfare (BW)—also known as bacteriological warfare, or germ warfare—has had a presence in popular culture for over 100 years. Public interest in it became intense during the Cold War, especially the 1960s and '70s, and continues unabated. This article comprises a list of popular culture works referencing BW or bioterrorism, but not those pertaining to natural, or unintentional, epidemics.