I read Robert Heinlein’s “It’s Great to be Back” first and was actually a little bothered by it. It was easy to tell where the story was headed what with all Jo and Allen’s defensive comments and weary complaints about Earth… but I thought it was wrapped up far too quickly and nicely. I thought they would’ve experienced more hardship than a broken toilet and a refused sale of tissue before packing up and jetting back. I’ve been there, in a way. I’ve studied abroad and felt homesickness and fantasized about the joys of returning home only to wish (after a short time) that I was back abroad again. It’s quite possible they will never be content. Isn’t the grass ALWAYS greener on the other side? Lastly, the foreboding possibility of a difficult return was far too quickly whisked away- even their apartment was waiting vacant for them! Up against nuclear space travel and moon babies and underground living (ironic that they called the earth-dwellers the ground hogs) I found the easy return the hardest pill to swallow. Wouldn’t it have been much more interesting if they were downgraded in living conditions as punishment for leaving? Or if they were barred from returning altogether? It might’ve been tragic but it’s much more interesting than a cranky couple accidentally moving back to earth for a few weeks.

Next I read “Down and Out On Ellfive Prime” by Dean Ing. Now this was a short story I could really get behind. It had a fancy exclusive ship, dramatic disaster, counterculture, and sacrifice. The little twist at the end (SPOILER) that Almquist liked Zen and the scams and planned to join them himself really sealed the deal for me. It was easy to feel connected to Almquist, especially when he had to deal with Mr. Weston’s privileged demands/inquiries and the tragic loss of his best mate, Reina. I was impressed by the level of emotion and action packed into this short story. The only thing I could complain about in “Down and Out On Ellfive Prime” is having a difficult time understanding certain things. I was quite a few paragraphs into the story before I felt like I knew what was going on and throughout the piece I could never fully picture the ship/ scenery. It could simply be that my imagination is weak from disuse. Spongebob would be disappointed in me I know. I’ll just have to keep reading! …and I’m beginning to think I may be a science fiction fan after all.

Lastly I read Tom Godwin’s “The Cold Equations”. The meaning of the story was summarized for me on page 11 (page 452): “Existence required Order and there was order; the laws of nature, irrevocable and immutable. Men could learn to use them but men could not change them.” All of the sympathies and sophistications of humankind are helpless against the laws of physics. Of the three short stories, Godwin’s was the slowest and the most emotional. It set itself apart from other stories quite clearly: instead of characters grappling with their circumstances (be it through ingenuity or strength or whatever quality they possessed), everyone in “The Cold Equations” could do nothing but come to terms with reality. Yes, the pilot and the commander (and the man in records) worked to delay the inevitable, but the result was unchanging. The story was about an acceptance of fate instead of a triumph over (or defeat by) adversity. I really enjoyed this one despite the sorrow I felt after reading it. Maybe sadness was what made it so great.

The three short stories in this module each told a different kind of tale. I enjoyed reading them and felt a range of emotions while going through them. As stated earlier, I’m beginning to think I may be a science fiction fan myself. It’s like my eyes have been opened for the first time… I have a whole new genre to explore! We’ll see what happens in the next module…