Nick DiChario - A Small and Remarkable Life - Essay Example

DiChario's short fiction has appeared in science fiction, fantasy, mystery, and the following publications in the United States: The Year’s Best Science Fiction, The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror, and The Best Alternate History Stories of the 20th Century, among many others. (www.cybling.com, Nick DiChario as a guest).

DiChario has also been nominated for a John W. Campbell Award, two Hugo Awards, and a World Fantasy Award. In addition to writing stories, some of his plays have been presented in Geva Theatre’s Regional Playwrights Festival in upstate New York, and he is the workshop coordinator for Writers & Books. (Id.) It is clear that DiChario does not take himself too seriously which may be the reason why his writing is so successful. He chatted on a blog with fans from the Green Room at “Chicon, the 58th Annual World Science Fiction Convention”. Research across the web also indicates that he enjoys the feedback that he receives from his fans and avidly writes back.

The largest impression that I received from this novel was that it made me wonder what would happen if I were in Tink’s shoes. A small and remarkable life is a fitting title for this novel because, in the grand scheme of life, Tink could hardly be considered influential. However, it was remarkable in that we have a wonderful impression of what it would be like to be a fish out of water. The adaptation has suffocated a person, and DiChario shows us what it would be like realistically for an alien. Based on his description, I guess it would be the same for us if we ever visited “Wetspace”. This novel tells us the story of Tink Puddah, a strange being mostly conveniently referred to as the “foreigner”. Tink comes to us from a place called “Wetspace”. It looks like Tink may be the child of Nif and Ru, also two aliens from “Wetspace”. The Three decided to come to earth and adapt themselves to the planet and its’ people in the mid-1800s.

I also thought that it was interesting to begin the story with Tink’s funeral. I loved the idea of the preacher being the public enemy instead of the alien. In fact, in his review of the book, Corey Redkop from “Shelf Monkey states “DiChario propels the story through startling imagery that pays homage to the tenets of the genre while at the same time raising the bar”. The novel allows us to examine our own consciousness while enjoying science fiction at the same time. It also demonstrates that all persons are fallible. One of the most interesting aspects of this book is that it is a “first contact” novel. Taking the form of a ‘first-contact’ novel (i.e. a story based on the presumption of Earth’s first contact with an alien life form), this really does seem like we are almost experiencing this story ourselves. What I appreciate most about this novel is that despite the subject matter, we are still taken through unexpected roads which for a moment seem ludicrous, yet afterthoughts are logical.

My favorite quote from this novel is: “Their metamorphosis had begun—they had each developed two miniature spherical structures of jelly-like eyes with which to see the new world. Bodies shrinking, rounding, bending. Bones to support the eco-matter. Small, bipedal, humanoid creatures they would become. Atoms, molecules, joints, nails, skin, glands, hormones, blood.” I chose this quote because to me it completely breaks down our makeup as humans in a gruesome way that I have never considered.

I cannot specifically say why I find the description gruesome, I just have this vision of an amoeba suddenly developing bones and nails, which to me is gross. I never thought of my eyes as being jelly-like. They simply exist and I use them to further my goals. But if we really consider these descriptions of our bodies, we realize that an alien may very well describe us in this way. I also loved the relationship between Tink and the preacher. There seemed to be a moral judgment on Tink that was absurd but almost understandable considering that this took place in the 1800s. Read More