Chapter 2 guide

Robert.Charles.Wilson and "Whirlwinds of Time" Lin Hanchang, Master of Science Fiction Studies, University of Liverpool, UK Robert.Charles.Wilson can be regarded as one of the most important Canadian science fiction writers in recent years, since the novel "A Hidden Place" (A Hidden Place, 1986) was shortlisted for Philip.After the Dick Award, he gradually established his position in the science fiction literary world.Four of his latest five works were shortlisted for the Hugo Award, and "Winning Time" even created a career peak, winning the award in 2006 in one fell swoop.However, such an achievement is not achieved overnight; by gradually examining these recent works that have entered their peak period, we will find out how the creators, while establishing their own style, tried again and again to deploy various novel elements, and finally achieved perfection Proportional effort process.

It is Wilson's forte to start the story with a huge mysterious event of unknown cause.Whether the continent of Europe was replaced by a completely alienated Darwinia in an instant, or a super-dimensional monument that commemorated the dictator who ruled the world in the future suddenly emerged in the interior of Thailand, or even surrounded the earth, the passage of time inside and outside The isolation layer has a ratio of 100 million times, and these major changes have impacted the society we live in head-on, forcing it to reveal its fragile side of disintegration.But even Wilson himself does not think that what he wrote is a disaster story, although the book describes the uneasiness and chaos that people have when they face the predictable fate of the end of the world, and even make all kinds of misdeeds in despair ;Readers are also facing the magnificent present to appreciate their own insignificance, and rethink the position of human beings in the universe. Wilson still has the tradition of the golden age of science fiction: more ink in his works is a group of people who are unwilling to bow to fate. With the limited level of science and technology they can only master, people persevere in the pursuit of the truth of the incident, and try to reverse the ending that seems to be done at first glance.Even if the truth is still unclear and many efforts may be in vain, the process of struggle is definitely a full display of human value.

Wilson's writing on human nature is also unique in the science fiction literature.The protagonists in his novels are dealing with mysterious incidents, and at the same time face complex entanglements between family members or friends. Tyler in "Whispers of Time".Dupree is an excellent example.The protagonist is often not a powerful person, but he is involved in the incident with the people around him by chance; he may have his own opinions and standpoints, and he will resort to action under certain circumstances, but through his perspective, Readers can view the development of the whole story from the perspective of a more balanced and inclusive outside observer.Wilson once admitted in an interview that this has something to do with his vision of both Canadians and Americans. In the eyes of Canadians, everything is very familiar, but there are subtle differences.Take Taylor as an example. When faced with major issues, he obviously lacks self-confidence, and his understanding of things can be regarded as an afterthought, but on the other side of the emotional system, he is 100% an actor.Such a protagonist makes Wilson's novels not only have deep reflections on how human beings can survive in the universe, but also full of strong human care.

The science fiction genre has its own historical context. Over the years, different participants have voiced their voices through various channels, accumulating and shaping contemporary complex and changeable science fiction theme images.Science fiction writers engage in dialogue with their predecessors through creation. For experienced readers, it can evoke past reading experience and double the fun through cross-comparison. New readers can also extract information from it and use it as a reference for future extended reading.Taylor's status as a sci-fi fan makes his encounter with the Martian Vanovan instantly become a key review of the sci-fi theme of man and Martian; however, "Time Cycling" is not limited to this existing sci-fi theme: Earthization Project , ship colonization, genetic modification of the human body, self-proliferating life forms similar to von Neumann machines, and even the space portal that finally appeared in the Indian Ocean. The work successfully integrates the content that can be written into articles or books with a single concept in the past. The description and explanation of science and technology are detailed but not difficult, which encourages readers to review the past and learn the new, and can easily grasp the background information.

There seems to be an argument in the Chinese sci-fi circles: seeing fantasy works winning the Hugo Award for several consecutive years, they believe that sci-fi has begun to decline. The dilemma of exhaustion of ideas. The success of "Time Cycling" can just get rid of the fallacy of this statement.Good sci-fi works often do not need to come up with new tricks that have never been seen before. Mixing, recreating, and re-starting of existing themes, coupled with superior storytelling ability, are the indispensable elements of new century sci-fi.At the same time that the Chinese translation of this book is published, the sequel "Axis" (Axis), which is the first sequel in Wilson's creative career, will also make a grand debut in the United States.After 30 years of honing and tempering, "Time Turns" was born. I believe that the road to human ascension described by him will not disappoint readers.

Wilson's last five works are "Darwinia" (Darwinia, 1998), "Bios" (1999), "The Chronoliths" (2001), "Blind Lake" (Blind Lake) , 2003) and "Time Cycling".