The Haylien

Mostly Harmless

[the-haylien]

[the-haylien]

This looks really good.

[the-haylien]

WAR MACHINE

One of the toughest fights you'll ever see. Science Fiction now streaming on Netflix. Highly recommend if you like military science fiction.

7/29/26

[the-haylien]

I read Oryx and Crake some time ago. It is high time I finished the Atwood trilogy. The second book is The Year of the Flood. It's a waterless flood...told from several different viewpoints...sometimes out of order. The main narrators are two women, Toby and Ren. They live in a post-apocalyptic world after the pandemic. The story is about their survival and the impact of a religious sect called God's Gardeners, who focus on environmental conservation and predict the disaster that ultimately wipes out most of humanity.

I'm not really good with metaphors. My brain is logical and thrives on realism. a+b=c This is a descriptive book, rather than an action based book, so it feels slow moving to me -- interesting enough, but tiresome. When I go back to it and think, "Where was I? What happened last time?" Mostly it is something along the lines of, they got high, they vomited, they didn't follow the rules because they don't really believe in their religion, or they followed the rules in spite of not really believing in their religion.

Somehow the story still works for me and it reflects the current world. I can't help but feel like I am missing some deeper meaning. Although that could also be part of the story: there is no deeper meaning. Life is absurd. Try to avoid the pain. Just go along for the ride and collect as many good things as you can find.

7/25/26

[the-haylien]

A retiring hit-man becomes the target. At first I wondered how this action movie got on my sci-fi list, but yeah. It's mostly about the action, the intrigue, and the angst. All that is what makes this sci-fi movie so great! Streaming on Pluto.

7/24/26

[the-haylien]

PROSPECT 2018 Streaming on Roku

On a last run to collect gems from a toxic moon, a girl and her father hope to resolve all their financial woes. Will they get the gems? Will they make it to the transport? Will they even survive? Great Sci-Fi.

7-20-26

[the-haylien]

Movie: DARK CITY 1998; Speculative Fiction

Rufus Sewell, Kiefer Sutherland, William Hurt

Streaming on Roku, Tubi

Bleak setting, perpetually dark. The day starts at 9pm and everything resets at midnight. Aliens are in control, but why? Why are they doing this? Nothing is as it seems.

This is a great movie. Dr Schreber's (played by Kiefer Sutherland) accent was annoying. Other than that the noir setting and weird events entertain well. Low key action.

19 July 2026

[the-haylien]

SYSTEM COLLAPSE

The seventh book in The Murderbot Diaries series by Martha Wells, was published in 2023. Redacted. System Collapse continues the story of Murderbot... redacted...as it navigates complex human situations involving colonists and corporate staff. Redacted. It takes place immediately following the events of the previous book, Network Effect.

So, yeah that "redacted" stuff got real annoying real fast, and left me nonplussed through the full first half of the book. I see that it is Wells' intention to make Murderbot more human as the series progresses. But that doesn't mean I have to like it. Perhaps the aim of the series is for Muderbot to achieve "humanity," or even to exceed humanity.

It has expressed in no uncertain terms that it does not want to be considered human. But with bits of brain matter and humanity as part of it's make-up, can it evade being taken as human?

7/15/2025

[the-haylien]

At chapter 23 there are 23 pages remaining in the book. This is no coincidence. It had to be in order for this book to exist in this universe.

Ellie, her sister Chris, their cousin Daniel explore variations. They create a mystery. They are sad when they solve the mystery. If you get lost or confused just keep reading. It will all unfold in the end.

Do you like the way it ended?

I dunno, but I love this book. If I read it again, will the ending change?

July 14, 2026

[the-haylien]

That was intense. 66 pages of notes on a steno pad over the last few days, plus downloaded charts and glossary. I laughed. I cried. I learned. I think I will buy this book. It is a user manual for my brain. For now, I need a break. I'm gonna go take a shower.

June 25, 2026

I start not from where I want to be, but from where I am.

[the-haylien]

Absolute Martian Manhunter: Martian Vision, Deniz Camp, Javier Rodriguez

A mind bending, weird, psychedelic, comic book with a message if you can find it.

6/24/26

[the-haylien]

Network Effect and Other Books and Movies

I was reading 2 or 3 books when my Library Hold for How to ADHD became available. I finished the other books as fast as I could, then started in on ADHD with heavy note-taking. I left Network Effect to be read later. Not too far into the ADHD book, McCabe shared a story about how she took a math class (I don't remember what level), and she did really poorly at it. Her instructor suggested she review some background material, or lower levels of math that support the class she was attempting. It worked well, and she performed well when she took the upper math class over.

Network Effect is the 5th book in the Murderbot series. It is the first full length novel. I was having trouble figuring out what was going on and who all these people were in this book. It was hard to follow. It felt like a complete divergence from the previous books.

After I read McCabe's experience with the math class, I read an online summary of Network Effect. I then went back a few chapters and read them over. It was like someone turned the light on. I realize that in the past I frequently read summaries and reviews of books and movies before I view them. A lot of people hate "spoilers," they want to be surprised. For me a good short summary enhances my entertainment experience.

It's like the first time I watched Star Wars when I was a kid. I had no idea what was going on and I didn't really enjoy the movie. 40 years later and the rest is history.

Network Effect is a fine story with plenty of battles, some brain work, and personal growth. I enjoyed reading it, and even enjoyed reading some of it twice. I wish the movie was on Netflix.

[the-haylien]

Men in my family from the 1800's. The one in the upper left corner is Charles Rockefeller, My great grandmother's father or uncle.

[the-haylien]

They really don't look alike -- I mean they're not even close enough to look like brothers.

They were both born in 1971. They are both actors.

Anthony Rapp played Mark Cohen in the Broadway musical Rent. He is more widely known as Paul Stamets from the television series Star Trek: Discovery.

Alan Tudyk played Wash on the series Firefly, and more recently played the title role in the series Resident Alien.

[the-haylien]

Season 4 of Resident Alien is on Netflix now. Rumor is, this is the final season. Don't miss it.

[the-haylien]

Next up in Murderbot Diaries, HOME is actually a short story that takes place just after Exit Strategy. This story is freely available, but won't make much sense if you haven't read Exit Strategy. It is probably also not really essential reading for the series.

[the-haylien]

BLACK CRAB

"Black Crab" is a 2022 Swedish action thriller film directed by Adam Berg, featuring Noomi Rapace as a soldier on a dangerous mission across frozen sea ice during a war. I really like the concept of sending out a covert team on ice skates to cross a frozen sea. But it takes more than concept to make a good movie. Have you seen it? Did you like it?