Friday, March 15, 2024

STARSHIP TROOPERS, HELLDIVERS II, And Military Memes. Do You Want To Know More?

A new Substack piece on the connections between science fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein, director Paul Verhoeven, Internet memes, and the Swedish hit game HELLDIVERS II. Read it HERE:

"STARSHIP TROOPERS, HELLDIVERS II, And Military Memes. Do You Want To Know More?"


#Helldivers2 #starshiptroopers #games #gaming #Helldivers #sciencefiction #books #movies #satire

Monday, January 22, 2024

Free Ebook Weekend Jan. 26-28: ALIEN BEACH (Science Fiction)

   

FREE EBOOK WEEKEND:
Get the sci-fi novel ALIEN BEACH for free
Jan. 26-28, 2024 (Pacific Standard Time) here:

PLEASE NOTE: The freebie will be available longer, until Monday Jan. 29, in certain timezones (especially Europe).
About ALIEN BEACH: A VISIT TO THE ISLAND CALLED EARTH...

What might have happened if aliens had visited our world, the real world, in the very recent past? What would NOT happen?

On a tiny Pacific atoll nicknamed ALIEN BEACH, a group of men and women come face to face with amphibian visitors from space.

They must learn to understand these enigmatic visitors, before the planet is thrown into a war that cannot be won... and in doing so, come to understand themselves. 
#books #freebooks #literature #scifi #sciencefiction #aliens #alien #ufo #uap #scifibooks #kindle

Monday, January 08, 2024

Essay: Earth Becomes a Disney World?

My new essay "Earth Becomes a Disney World?" speculates about the future of animal life on an Earth dominated and shaped by human civilization.

What if mice might evolve into something that actually resembles Mickey Mouse...?

Read it HERE.


#disney #MickeyMouse #animals #evolution #nature #culture #cartoons #Anthropocene #satire #TheLionKing #comics

Monday, December 25, 2023

My Retro Games You Can Play For Free On Your PC

 Click these links to find my retro games that you can play for free on your PC.
(They are also available for emulator software.)

Super Silverfish
A side-scrolling shoot'em up with great music and lots of power-ups.

Zap Fight 2
A vertically scrolling shoot'em up with lots of power-ups.

Spearhead
A side-scrolling shoot'em up.

Split Second
A vertically scrolling shoot'em up with a twist...

Flying Cobra
A vertically scrolling shoot'em up.

Droid Rumble
A side-scrolling action game where you fight robots.

Double or Nothing
A vertically scrolling shoot'em up with a twist: You play two games at once!

Cosmic Combat DX
An homage to arcade classics like GALAXIANS.

Fulgur
An unusual shoot'em up...

#gaming #games #retrogames #retrogaming

Tuesday, October 10, 2023

Book review: THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE by Shirley Jackson (Reposted)

 

THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE (1959) by Shirley Jackson

I had heard many good things about this novel - Stephen King has praised it - and I had seen the movie adaptations before I finally read it. (Haven't seen the Netflix series, though.)

And I think it's a remarkable piece of fiction - a successful fusion of psychological horror and the "haunted house" story.

The novel centers around the character Eleanor, who starts out with a clear hint of mental problems... and grows increasingly unhinged as she stays in the haunted Hill House. Somehow Hill House comes to haunt Eleanor, until she loses her mind. How this happens is never really explained, but it works perfectly as an uncanny tale.

One detail struck me: Even for a novel written in the late 1950s, all the characters have way too good manners. No one swears, whatever happens - and they're Americans! (I've grown so used to Americans cursing all the "effing" time...)

A recurring theme in THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE is parental issues. Eleanor seems to have been psychologically damaged by having to take care of her sick mother. Hill House was designed by a terrifying, creepy father figure. One character laments that he "never had a mother." I leave it to you to figure out how the parental issues are woven into the haunted house itself...

Another striking subtext - not a value judgment, just an observation - is how "gay" the principal characters are. Not one of the male characters seem the least bit sexually interested in women, but the female ones flirt with each other repeatedly and become infatuated with each other.

(I'm not sure how important this subtext is to the story. In any case I assume it was too sensitive for 1950s audiences and had to be "masked" somewhat.)

As for the ghosts, the reader never gets to see them. Rather it is the house itself that is evil.

THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE is both a psychological thriller about a disturbed, lonely person and a weird, modern ghost story. It will make a lasting impression on you. Highly recommended.


#bookreviews #bookreview #shirleyjackson #thehauntingofhillhouse #horror #classics #literature #supernatural #paranormal


Monday, October 09, 2023

ArtStation Portfolio Open!

I have opened a portfolio page on Artstation.com where you can see a showcase of my work:

https://artstation.com/aryngve

#artwork #artist #graphicdesign #illustration #scifi

Friday, October 06, 2023

FREE EBOOK WEEKEND: "The Argus Project" (Complete Science Fiction Novel)

   

FREE EBOOK WEEKEND:

My old space-opera novel THE ARGUS PROJECT is available for FREE ebook download from Friday, October 6, PDT (Pacific Daylight Time) to the end of October 8, 2023.
Link:
(NOTE: In European time zones, the offer lasts until Oct.9.)
About THE ARGUS PROJECT:
ALL IS FAIR IN LOVE AND WAR...
In the distant future, Planet Earth has become the seat of an interplanetary empire. It wages war on its own colonies to gain control of the Solar System and its precious energy resources.
Two lovers are caught up in this colossal power struggle. They join forces to win back their freedom... and each other. In their way stands the military forces of an entire empire... and the last politician.
This complete 100,000-word science fiction novel has previously been released as a Web serial.

#scifi #sciencefiction #space #books #freebooks #scifibooks #literature #kindlebooks #freebook #bookpromo #bookpromotion #spaceopera