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| I Love Sci-Fi/Fantasy Because... |
...of Immortals.
Whether they're Greek gods or Scottish clansmen, immortals spark intrigue. Immortals come in the form of vampires, angels and even resurrected mummies like Imhotep. They sail the seas like Davy Jones or provide guidance like Lorien from Babylon 5.
Immortals fascinate us. We're captivated by their legends and quirks: Merlin living his life backwards, Kronos the Titan god of time swallowing his children to avert a prophecy's fulfillment, and Q continually playing with the space-time continuum--and the crew of the Enterprise.Some walk among us unnoticed like Connor MacLeod while others like Tom Bombadil are larger than life. We marvel at their diverse beginnings. We read or watch, with satisfaction or dismay, their final undoing.
It matters not from where the immortals hail: the highlands, the continuum or childhood storybooks. They're all reasons I love science fiction and fantasy.
I like immortals so much because they constantly remind me of how glad I am that I'm NOT immortal.
ReplyDeleteReally, it would be very sad to outlive everyone I've ever loved.
Awesome choice for I!
Sam
Writing Through College
That would definitely be the downside to immortality.
DeleteImmortals are definitely one of the highlights of fantasy! No matter what type of immortal they are, the back-story behind that immortality is always so fascinating...
ReplyDeleteVery fascinating, and quite diverse, depending on which author is writing them.
DeleteI love Highlander!! Best immortal in fiction ever!
ReplyDeleteExcellent show. (and concept)
DeleteLove the Highlander pic. Immortals will always have fans and admirers.
ReplyDeleteThe movies and television shows were all good.
DeleteI think I'd only want to be immortal if I had someone to be immortal with. Although he's not immortal, Doctor Who fascinates me the most, because he has seen the beginning of time and the end of time... which is kind of the same isn't it?
ReplyDeleteI suppose that's the next best thing.
DeleteI guess that's why I want to succeed as a writer. It's the only way I know to be immortal. You know...now that my head's cut off.
ReplyDeleteImmortals are definitely a good reason to love the fantasy genre. It certainly is for me.
ReplyDeleteThey do add a unique flavor to the genre.
DeleteImmortals are awesome. Maybe that's why one of the most awesome books I've drafted so far involved them. :-D
ReplyDeleteAlways tap into what works--and including immortals works.
DeleteHighlander was awesome and really captured my imagination when I was younger.
ReplyDeleteIn a lot of literature, immortality is considered a curse, as well.
And it could very well be a curse. I'm writing a short story now, in fact, where that is the case.
DeleteImmortals are inherently fascinating, definitely.
ReplyDeleteIt would be interesting to get a taste of it, but there are downsides, I suppose.
DeleteImmortals can be great plot devices and really add to the story, but I don't think I'd like to be one. I guess I like knowing I can end this part of my existence and move on to the next. I'd hate being trapped in one place with no progression.
ReplyDeleteWhere one door closes, another usually opens.
DeleteI hadn't heard of Kronos until last summer. How sad is that?
ReplyDeleteWell, jolly St. Nick he wasn't. :-)
DeleteOh, Tom Bombadil! He was so out of place in the Lord of the Rings and totally broke the flow of the plot and tone, but I loved him all the same.
ReplyDeleteIt was kind of like a short story embedded within the larger tale.
DeleteI bow to your century-distilled wisdom. All those immortals you mention are among my favorite!
ReplyDeleteYou have fine tastes then. :)
Deletei actually enjoyed watching the highlander series when I was younger:)
ReplyDeleteNutschell
www.thewritingnut.com
Makes you wonder what the immortals are up to after their series ends. ;-)
DeleteWe are fascinated by it, although I wouldn't want to be immortal here. (Elsewhere, yes!)
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the senior citizen discounts would still apply. That could be a perk!
DeleteHey Jeff,
ReplyDeleteAh yes, Highlander. Did you know that some of the episodes of the TV show were filmed in my other home of Vancouver,Canada? The opening scene is in front of the Science Centre from Expo 86. They begged me to play the part of Duncan MacLeod :)
Happy alphabeting!
And refusing protected your secret identity? Can't risk letting all our secrets out of the bag now can we? :)
DeleteImmortals make great characters in stories, don't they. They offer so much more possibilities than mere mortals. Great exploration, Jeff. And hope all is going well with your writing-- we haven't touched base in awhile!
ReplyDeleteYes, it's been too long. Trying to wrap up a short story for later this month on another site. Doing a bit of drafting (exploring) in book 2. But mostly I've been writing code instead of prose for the past month or so. (I've got another update on that coming on Sunday Surfing this week.)
DeleteYep, some of the fantasy stories are all about Immortals and I love 'em! Highlander was a brilliant movie!
ReplyDeleteSo many possibilities exist when immortals are introduced into stories.
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