The Non-Existent Book Was Better

The Non-Existent Book Was Better

A couple days ago I wrote about how Stephen Spielberg predicted the impending doom of Hollywood Blockbusters and what not. Which was odd since we're right in the middle of them - so it's a simple matter of looking to see if the latest films that came out and are coming out in the next and past few weeks make the grade.

Oddly enough, Warner Bros. must not have been paying attention as they optioned up a huge Alien-invasion movie based on a novel that hasn't even been published yet. Will McIntosh's Defenders doesn't come out till October of 2014. Which seems like a pretty big lead in time from when Warner Bros. But hey, you can read Will McIntosh's short story here. 

 For those of you who don't want to read a lot - which it really isn't, here's a little excerpt from it.

In an eyeblink, Lila lost all contact with the rest of the world. The silence was shocking, the sense of isolation unnerving, partly because she knew it meant the jet had penetrated the Defenders’ cloak and entered Australian airspace. For a moment she stared blankly at the stray tufts of gray hair visible over the seat back in front of her. That would be Gayatri Nadal, the Ambassador from India. Then she thought to look out the window

There was nothing to see yet; they were still above the smoky cloud-cover. It was hard to believe Australia was down there. Over the past twenty-eight years it had taken on almost mythical dimensions in Lila’s mind, and knowing she would see it any moment, see what it had become, set her heart pounding.

The Spanish ambassador, in the seat next to Lila, turned, as if noticing her for the first time. “Nervous?”

She nodded. The word didn’t begin to describe the shades and layers of what Lila was feeling, but it would do as a rough approximation.

The Spaniard’s white eyebrows pinched. “Were you even alive when the Luyten invaded?” Bolibar: His name came to her as he spoke. “Have you ever seen a Defender?”

Lila laughed, not sure if he was trying to flatter her, or if he really thought she was still in her twenties. “Oh, I’ve seen Defenders. And Luyten.” She closed her mouth. That was all she wanted to say on that topic. The last thing she wanted, given that she was the youngest ambassador on the plane, was to seem immature by getting upset on the flight in.

“Ah. I’m sorry,” he said, reading her face. “You were a young girl? I’m sorry.”

The second apology was for bringing up the painful topic, no doubt. It was impolite to bring up the Luyten invasion if you weren’t sure the person you were speaking to was amenable to the topic.

It's a pretty good short story, if you ask me. But it does beg the question on how anyone is going to be able to make the claim that the book was better when the book doesn't even exist yet and the movie is getting optioned off. Oh, it's a new low for book readers everywhere.

On the flip side, it's a glorious day to be a science fiction reader.