Mute - Cyberpunk Sound and Fury, and Light

Just saw Mute on Netflix, latest movie from director Duncan Jones, of Source Code fame, and starring mainly Alexander Skarsgård (True Blood, and Big Little Lies) with supporting acting by Paul Rudd and Justin Theroux. Wikipedia reports that Mute "drew unfavorable comparisons" to Bladerunner, but that's just dumb (the comparisons not the report), since there are no androids that I know of in Mute.  There are all kinds of cybernetic body enhancements and replacements going on - like in The Six Million Dollar Man - and the flavor is definitely LA cyberpunk, even though the action takes places in a future Germany.

Germany is no accident in Mute.  The hero, Leo, is Amish, and he's mute because his Amish mother didn't allow surgery on her son when his neck was injured in some kind of boating accident, or in some accident in the water.   (By the way, although I suppose a given Amish bishop could tell his followers not to accept modern medical care, that's not something that most Amish do.  It's a common misconception that the Amish say no to all technology, when in fact they carefully pick and choose - see my The Amish Get Wired - Wired? published in Wired way back in 1993 for more.)

But back to Mute, Leo's Amish heritage is a good touch, because it helps him fit into this brave new world in Germany (Amish are of German descent).  The movie is superb on detail in this future, including Leo not being able to order food - which could be delivered to his dwelling, when he gets home, via droid - because he's mute, and the ordering app can't respond to anything other than voice.  And the violence, though sometimes a little hard to take, makes some logical sense in this future, in which most body parts are as replaceable as the parts of your car.

The plot is a little obvious and slow at first, but tightens up with a strong wave of well-motivated developments at the end, and a dedication to Jones's father David Bowie and his childhood nanny Marion Skene.  Recommended for fans of Bladerunner, The Six-Million Dollar Man, and Banshee - and, hey, you can see it for free on Netflix if you're a subscriber.

                     more Amish in science fiction

            more science fiction with David Bowie

Banshee 2.3: Sneak Preview Review

Continuing with my sneak preview reviews of Banshee - this time, episode 2.3, set to air January 24, 2014 - courtesy of a screener disk provided by Starpulse.  As always, these reviews will deal in generalities and avoid specific spoilers.

Among the highlights of Banshee 2.3:

• The action picks up - if that's possible, given the intense action including beatings in every episode of Banshee - but episode 2.3 has a flat-out brutal murder, and thus sets in motion something of a classic whodunnit.   Suspects abound.
• The conflict between the Indians (Alex) and Amish (Proctor) picks up.  And, in fact, this is one of the best Amish episodes we've seen in a while, and maybe in the entire series.
• Come to think about it, it's one of the best Kinaho tribe episodes, too.
• Hood gets the worst unexpected jolt in the series thus far regarding the maintenance of his false identity.
• But Hood also gets yet more good loving.

Getting back to the Amish, the situation of Banshee in an Amish community has to some extent been an untapped resource in the story.   Proctor is of course a major character, and one my favorites - as is Rebecca - but their Amish background is just that, background, and certainly in Proctor's case he could be just another mob boss with a strong code of ethics.   In episode 2.3, we finally get significant focus on the Amish community, because it figures so centrally in the murder.

The set-up of a town with an Amish as well as  native American population may seem a little much in the abstract - are there any towns in reality which actually have this duality? - but the double barrel works well in Banshee, and provides a compelling foundation for the tension and violence that erupts in every episode.   I like these stories a little better than the neo-Nazis and even more than the Rabbit story which played such a central role in the first season and will no doubt return in the second.  But, so far, I'm enjoying the second season of Banshee even more than the first, which is saying a lot, since the first was outstanding.

And I'll be back here between January 24 and 31st with my sneak preview review of episode 2.4

See also Banshee Season 2 Premiere: Sneak Preview Review ... Banshee 2.2: Sneak Preview Review

Like crime stories that involve the Amish? Try The Silk Code

#SFWApro

"Author's Cut" Kindle Edition of The Silk Code published by JoSara MeDia

I'm delighted to announce that JoSara MeDia has just published Kindle and ePub editions of my first novel, The Silk Code.

The Silk Code, originally published by Tor Books, won the Locus Award for best first novel of 1999, and reached #8 on the Locus paperback Best Seller list in February 2001. The novel received praise from The New York Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, and reviews in dozens of other places.

I'm especially excited about this new edition because it is an “author’s cut” of The Silk Code. The Tor edition, like all books brought out by big publishers, went through extensive copy editing. In this new eBook edition, I reinstated a lot of my original wording, which I always liked better. I see such author’s cuts as a major step forward in publishing. The Silk Code is not only available as a Kindle, but as an eBook on Barnes & Noble and all the digital outlets.

The Silk Code ebook sports a new cover, created especially for the novel by Joel Iskowitz, whose designs have appeared on stamps around the world, US coins, and NASA murals.

I chose JoSara MeDia because I wanted for The Silk Code a savvy, small publisher, unencumbered by baggage from the pre-digital age. JoSara MeDia has published award-winning authors in multiple formats, including print, eBook, and enhanced eBooks in the form of iPad and Android applications. JoSara MeDia also works with non-profit organizations, such as the Texas State Historical Association, assisting them with strategies and solutions to get their content available in these multiple formats.



FREE SAMPLE of The Silk Code

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Read more of The Silk Code -  Kindle US ... Kindle UK  ... Kindle France ... Kindle Spain ... Kindle Italy ... Kindle Germany ... Kindle Japan ... Kindle India ... Nook US ... Nook UK ... Kobo

What the critics said:

"As a genre-bending blend of police procedural and science fiction, The Silk Code delivers on its promises." -- Gerald Jonas, The New York Times Book Review

"As twisted as a double helix. " -- Wired

"D'Amato is an appealingly savvy character, and Levinson brings a great deal of invention to the endeavor." -- San Francisco Chronicle

"It is hard to put down, easy to pick up again, and an interesting read. " -- San Diego Union-Tribune

"Mixes up-to-the-minute biotechnology with ancient myth, science fiction with police procedure, and prehistory with the near future. It's an impressive debut." -- Joe Haldeman

"Forensic detective Phil D'Amato is one of my favorite characters, and the puzzles he solves are always imaginative, ingenious, and addictive, but Paul Levinson really outdoes himself this time in a mystery involving murders, moths, mummies, the Silk Road, poisons, fireflies, and forensics, all woven into a mystery only D'Amato could solve! A marvelous book!" -- Connie Willis

"This damn book has everything: interesting science, suspense, characters that live on the page - and that we like! -- and it debuts a new series hero, Dr. Phil D'Amato, forensic detective. I couldn't put The Silk Code down. I'll wager you won't be able to either. Oh, and this is the kicker: The Silk Code is Paul Levinson's first novel. " -- Jack Dann

"At last we get Paul Levinson's superb forensic sleuth, Phil D'Amato, in a full-length novel. If you know Phil from his previous appearances, I need say no more. If you don't, kick back and enjoy a mystery that spans the ages." --Jack McDevitt

"The Silk Code is an intriguing story refreshingly rich not only in action but in ideas. Seldom have I seen a story so engagingly weave together so many seemingly disparate (dare I say it?) threads." --Stanley Schmidt, editor of Analog

"Paul Levinson is an exceptional new writer, behind whose work stands an impressive body of knowledge and a great deal of human understanding. His first novel signals a writer to watch for the provocation and pleasure that he will bring to thoughtful readers. The Silk Code is smoothly written, evocative, and spicy! Highly recommended." -- George Zebrowski

"The Silk Code is a splendidly imaginative novel that explores worlds of ideas both scientific and philosophical, while carrying the reader effortlessly across countries, times, and cultures." -- Charles Sheffield

"The Silk Code is science fiction in the classic style, with an innovative mystery that breaks new ground. Acclaimed for his short fiction and insightful writing on the computer age, Paul Levinson now brings his many talents to a complex novel that will keep you guessing until the last page. " -- Catherine Asaro

"... sheer conceptual verve" -- Robert K. J. Killheffer, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction

"...cerebral but gripping" -- Booklist

"Combining Neanderthals and mechanical looms, cantaloupes and coded butterflies, Levinson's debut novel...offers a flurry of amazing prehistoric technologies, demonstrating that the mysteries of our past can be just as fruitful as those of our future... Levinson creatively explains gaps in both ancient history and biology... providing more wonders than many a futuristic epic." -- Publishers Weekly

"...well-informed and imaginative" -- Kirkus Reviews

"...spins an ingenious web of genetic manipulation and anthropological evidence" --Library Journal

"A rare thriller that actually achieves its goals as a detective tale and a work of boldly speculative sf." -- Gary K. Wolfe, Locus Magazine

"I read this book quite a few years ago but I felt compelled to re-read it because parts of the story have been so firmly wedged in my brain that I needed to experience the entire thing again." -- Cannonball Read

"This is one I don't hesitate to recommend." - Jandy's Reading Room

"Paul Levinson's The Silk Code is inventive. I can't said I'd ever read another SF novel that included Neanderthals, bioengineering and the Amish." - Kristin's Book Log

"I found the genetic manipulation that Levinson describes absolutely fascinating." - Silk Screen Views  "Levinson's first novel - already brilliant." -Jaroslav Bláha

and ... "Daddy, this is the best book I ever read!" -- Molly Vozick-Levinson, 12 years old at the time

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FREE SAMPLE of The Silk Code
The Life and Times of Dr. Phil D'Amato, hero of The Silk Code ...

The Silk Code on The History Channel

The Life and Times of Phil D'Amato
100 members for fans and would-be fans of Dr. Phil D'Amato, the fictional NYPD forensic detective

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Bones 5.3 in Amish Country

The Amish have long fascinated me, ever since my parents took me to Lancaster on a summer trip back in 1960s. Witness is one of my favorite movies. My first novel, The Silk Code, is still one favorites, and the Amish play major role in the story. As an historian of technology, I've written about how the Amish careful selection of technology - not a wholesale rejection, as is popularly (and incorrectly) believed - provides a significant example of humans coming to terms with the technological world.

I was therefore looking very much forward to tonight's episode of Bones (5.3), and I wasn't disappointed. It was a sensitively rendered, emotionally satisfying gem. True to the principles of the Amish faith, and true to the needs of good mystery writing, with an ending that was a real surprise.

An Amish boy, on his Rumspringa - a time to get his "wild" out, before fully committing to the faith - goes from Lancaster to Washington, DC to test of his dream of becoming a great pianist. He has enormous talent. He's murdered.

Who is the killer? The father, angered over his son's apparently imminent rejection of the faith? Or the brother of the pianist's Amish girlfriend, angered that he would likely be jilting her?

Neither - the Amish are nonviolent.

Other less likely suspects prove to be innocent, too. In the end, the murderer is ... well, see the episode, if you haven't already.

Bones continues to be a series that Poe and Dickens would have enjoyed.





5-min podcast review of Bones


See also Bones: Hilarity and Crime and Bones is Back For Season 5: What Is Love? and Bones 5.2: Anonymous Donors and Pipes

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"As a genre-bending blend of police procedural and science fiction, The Silk Code delivers on its promises." -- Gerald Jonas, The New York Times Book Review