Scientific Based Novels

Scientific Based Novels

Introduction

Science fiction is a kind of writing based unfounded opinions speculative fictions which consists of only imagined characters and storyline that do not exist in the real-life situation. Science fiction stories traverse between a wide range of topics that in most cases adventure in space and time travel and mostly deal with the outcomes of the technological development and scientific improvements.

Basically, science fictional writings are considered to be one of the most creative genres in English literature. The science fiction stories tend to take the readers on a beautiful adventure from away from the stars to the world underneath and back to the space in between the heavens and the underneath world. In so doing the novel introduces its readers to another world of fascinating characters technologies. For a long time, fictional writings based on science have been written by several writers. This piece of work seeks to analyze three science fictional novels: Frank Herbert’s Dune, Ursula Le Guins’s The Left hand of Darkness and Nancy Kress’s Beggars in Spain.

To begin with, Dune is a fictional story which was written in 1965 by an American writer by the name Frank Dune. Frank Herbert’s Dune is a science fictional writing story which has been set in a space empire far away in the future.  The book has gone ways when it won the Hugo award holding the same position with the ‘this immortal by Roger Zelany and it later won the first Nebula award as the best novel. In 2003 Dune by Frank Herbert was declared the highest selling science fiction novel in the whole world. The book majorly focuses on how some social factors such as technology, religion, and politics among others interact.

One of the things depicted in this fictional story is the prohibition/ banning of the computer usage. In the story, the people are not allowed to use computers, instead they are forced or rather urged to use their brains to think as fast as the computers could do and if possible do the same work the computers would do. The human beings being taught to act as computers are termed as ‘ Mentats’ according to the book. Consequently, the person who rules the planet is being directed by a House and the House has no choice but to obey House Corrino. This is because the head of House Corrino is as well the Emperor.

A young character by the name Paul Atreides is depicted in the story. He is fifteen years old and the heir to the Atreides House. The emporer forces him to leave his original planet Caladan and take over planet Arrakis. By then the ruler of Arrakis was House Harkonnen which is considered to be the only place where melange (a spice) can be found. People of the planet presumed mélange to be the most valued thing in the world. They said that it made one to travel to the future and also enabled one to think faster than usual. In addition the people believed that mélange after taking it you live a longer life than you would have lived like even 100 years more and also enables a person to travel long distances at an extremely high speed.

As much as arrakis was the only land with Melange which was important to the people, it is a planet with a great part of it a desert. Frank considers it dangerous because harmful giant worms dwells in the sand and it also lacks clean drinking water. The group of native people who lives in the planet are known as fremen. They have their ritual ways for keeping water usable for drinking otherwise they would die due to lack of water.

According to frank, after the death of Paul’s father, paul and his mother resorts to run to Arrakis to seek for refuge with the fremen. They invests much on their abilities in order to overthrow the Fremen and later use them against the Harkonnen armies who had taken control over the planet. Paul’s mother joined Bene Gesserit a group of religion which only consisted of women. They argued that men did not have the right capability to learn their ways of doing things. The objective of these women was to protect the human race as long as they lived. There secret achievement was to come up with a man whom could be a Bene Gesserit so that they can use him to control the people in an easier way.  Paul’s mother takes the opportunity to train Paul to be able to use intellectual and physical powers.

In conclusion, the Dune shows a world of realpolitik shown by the cold war in the story. In the story paul is considered a hero because from the beginning he shows no shock about the demise of his father which stuns his mother. This shows cold war for instead of him grieving about the departure of his father, he starts planning on how to overthrow Harkonnen.

Secondly, the book, ‘The Left Hand of Darkness’ is also a science fiction book which was written by Ursula K.Le Guin in 1969.  This novel is considered as one of the books that dramatically changed the world for through reading, it helped people to grow.  It broke the monotony of the domination of the male in the field of literature. It has attracted attention of the people beginning with its unusual focus on the social science and relationship than the on the natural science and technology.

The most outstanding theme in the book is social relationships in the society where gender stands no meaning. In the world of her own, she did away with gender to get what was left.  The novel is more of feminism based. The book majorly focuses on planet Gathen which has also been referred to as ‘winter’. The book uses a female character from Chiffewar and one of the characters depicted is Genly Ai who is a black man from the earth. He is mentioned to be darker than the Gethenians.

Genly Ai is sent to beseech Gethen to join Ekumen which was a coalition of humanoids in the universe. He first arrives in Getheninan where he stays for two years trying to convince the government officials to join the Ekumen. Estraven the prime minister seems to believe in what Ai is saying but again he disappoints him on the night Ai was supposed to speak to the king. Estraven breaks the news to Ai that unfortunately he can no longer support him this makes Ai doubt his loyalty. The next day Ai gets information that Estraven has been accused of betraying the government and sent on exile. Still Ai met with the king but the king refused his invitation he felt discouraged and resorted to travel through Karhide. He travels faster and comes across foretellers whom he asks if the Gethenians will agree to join Ekumen in the next five years. Expecting a complicated answer, the only answer he got was ‘yes’.

During his travels he comes across orgota politicians who allows him to present his persuasion to the council. One of the council members happens to be Estraven. EStraven still supports him and warns him not to trust the orgota council. Ai is blind-sided by the leaders and with no alarm he was arrested one night questioned and sent to the furthest northern camp. He suffered and became ill to a point of dying. But again Estrraven came to his rescue. Estraven pretended to be one of the prison guards and takes him out. They learnt to trust one another and Ai taught Estraven the concept of mind speech. And as a result of the good friendship they had developed, Estraven heard the voice of his sibling and lover speaking though the mind of Ai. Eventually Ai completed his mission when Karhide anad later orgoreyn agreed to join Ekumen.

Conclusively, from the analysis, no matter the hardship that Ai went through he never forgot his mission. He was determined and ready to persevere to see that which he was sent for come to pass.

Thirdly, the novel ‘Beggars in Spain’ is also a science fiction which was written by Nancy Kress in 1993. This novel was based on a society that follows the philosophy of objectivism whjere the importance of the citizens is only related to their productivity. The book is written in the future where by it depicts the technological improvements from 2023.

Leisha Camden as one of the characters is as well 15 years old and possess genemod which is a genetic modification for lack of sleep. This is a rare gene that only a few can be found with, and blesses them with high IQ, jovial and more socially oriented. In the story Camden meets another genemod- Richard with whom she falls in love with. On the other hand Tony Indivino argues that the sleepless people form a different society and despite of his aggressiveness, his future idea that the Sleepless will soon be persecuted by the rest of the society gradually comes to pass. After one of the sleepless dies in a car accident with mortal wounds, necropsy shows that the sleepless people are not able to die of old age. Indivino is later murdered and this gives Camden and Alice the chance to save one of the sleepless children who was being mistreated by the parents.

Leisha Camden was as bright as his father had hoped. She shined in all aspects with an IQ that required no moment of sleep.  Amy Camden Leisha’s sister being the opposite of Leisha was totally ignored by their father she then rebelled against the name Camden, she became pregnant and disconnected the ties between her and her parents.

As the years went by, the nature of the sleepless became more known to the world and separation between the Sleepers- the normal people and the Sleepless- the abnormal existed. The sleeper seemed to be annoyed of the Sleepless. Hatred grew and trans passed to public discrimination and humiliation and social fights. The Sleepless became confused and this was more than a philosophical exercise. They were torn in between living as a separate society or working with the sleepers which may be could make the world a better place for them.

The analysis shows that as much the Sleepless and the Sleepers lived in separate worlds, the Sleepless had a great contribution to make in the society in order to make it a better place for both the sleepers and the sleepless.

Conclusion

In conclusion, they analysis of the three novels depicts three main characters who had different missions both of them young and in their teenage early years. Paul in the Dune story is seen striving to conquer the Hakonnens and he fought to see his dreams come true. Ai in the ‘Left Hand in Darkness’ is also depicted so determined to complete his mission of ensuring that the Karhide  join the Ekumen. He only rested when it came to pass. Leisha in ‘Beggars in Spain’ becomes torn in between remaining to be Sleepless or join the Sleepers to make the world a better place.