Sense of Wonder meme
Jun. 29th, 2005 09:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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seawasp who wrote thusly:
List your top 10 - 15 "Sense of Wonder" characters, stories/shows, words/phrases, and explain what they make you feel, and why, if you know -- when you encountered it first, what caused it to "hit" so hard, etc., and perhaps where they rank in your personal mythology.
1. Beowulf Shaeffer (from Larry Niven's Known Space series) Beowulf was what I wanted to be as a child, an explorer and adventurer who didn't need guns and flying fists to have amazing adventures. Stories like At The Core and The Borderland of Sol still make me stare off into space thinking about taking off for the odd corners of the universe.
2. Doctor Who Yes, the budget was minuscule, and the effects cheesy, but for pure sense of wonder you can't miss with the renegade Time Lord and his ever-changing cast ofMary Sues companions. Some of the stories had you on the floor laughing, others had you on the edge of your seat, and still others had you cowering behind the sofa, lest the Daleks get you.
3. Honor Harrington The universe created by David Weber in these books is rich and gritty, filled with real humans with real failings that make their heroics that much sweeter. While it's obvious that the entire thing is a thinly disguised retelling of the Napoleonic era in space, it still manages to surprise and excite the reader. On a side note, I'm happy that Weber is shifting focus from Honor to other, younger characters. Face it, a character who is a Manticoran Duchess, a Steadholder on Grayson, and a full admiral in both navies is a bit hard to write for!
4. "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed." Eight words. And our world would never be the same.
5. Star Wars While i was raised on Star Trek, seeing the first (and best) Star Wars movie changed me. From the first moments where the blockade runner simply roars over your head to the final destruction of the Death Star, you are held breathless by pure unadulterated adventure! I wish Lucas had stopped at three...
6. The Stars and Stripes Forever by John Philip Sousa. This one takes a little explaining. While stationed at Fort Benning, Ga, my unit was tapped to march in Columbus' 4th of July parade. Much grumbling, since this was Georgia in July, and we would be marching in dress greens. They day was in fact very hot, and as we approached the main portion of the parade route the high school band ahead of us began playing Stars and Stripes. People cheered, and waved flags. Little boys looked at us in awe, and it struck me more at that moment than any other.. i was a soldier! A member of the United States Infantry. Never before or since had
I felt such immense pride as marching in the summer sun listening to the band play Sousa's best march.
7. The artwork of Frank Kelly Freas. For me, he simply defined SF illustrations.
8. The shot heard round the world. No, not Concord Bridge! The Polo Ground! The Giants win the Pennant!" I never get tired of hearing Russ Hodges' call of the homerun that sank the '51 Dodgers
seawasp who wrote thusly:List your top 10 - 15 "Sense of Wonder" characters, stories/shows, words/phrases, and explain what they make you feel, and why, if you know -- when you encountered it first, what caused it to "hit" so hard, etc., and perhaps where they rank in your personal mythology.
1. Beowulf Shaeffer (from Larry Niven's Known Space series) Beowulf was what I wanted to be as a child, an explorer and adventurer who didn't need guns and flying fists to have amazing adventures. Stories like At The Core and The Borderland of Sol still make me stare off into space thinking about taking off for the odd corners of the universe.
2. Doctor Who Yes, the budget was minuscule, and the effects cheesy, but for pure sense of wonder you can't miss with the renegade Time Lord and his ever-changing cast of
3. Honor Harrington The universe created by David Weber in these books is rich and gritty, filled with real humans with real failings that make their heroics that much sweeter. While it's obvious that the entire thing is a thinly disguised retelling of the Napoleonic era in space, it still manages to surprise and excite the reader. On a side note, I'm happy that Weber is shifting focus from Honor to other, younger characters. Face it, a character who is a Manticoran Duchess, a Steadholder on Grayson, and a full admiral in both navies is a bit hard to write for!
4. "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed." Eight words. And our world would never be the same.
5. Star Wars While i was raised on Star Trek, seeing the first (and best) Star Wars movie changed me. From the first moments where the blockade runner simply roars over your head to the final destruction of the Death Star, you are held breathless by pure unadulterated adventure! I wish Lucas had stopped at three...
6. The Stars and Stripes Forever by John Philip Sousa. This one takes a little explaining. While stationed at Fort Benning, Ga, my unit was tapped to march in Columbus' 4th of July parade. Much grumbling, since this was Georgia in July, and we would be marching in dress greens. They day was in fact very hot, and as we approached the main portion of the parade route the high school band ahead of us began playing Stars and Stripes. People cheered, and waved flags. Little boys looked at us in awe, and it struck me more at that moment than any other.. i was a soldier! A member of the United States Infantry. Never before or since had
I felt such immense pride as marching in the summer sun listening to the band play Sousa's best march.
7. The artwork of Frank Kelly Freas. For me, he simply defined SF illustrations.
8. The shot heard round the world. No, not Concord Bridge! The Polo Ground! The Giants win the Pennant!" I never get tired of hearing Russ Hodges' call of the homerun that sank the '51 Dodgers
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Date: 30 Jun 2005 07:10 (UTC)no subject
Date: 30 Jun 2005 12:56 (UTC)http://www.baen.com/series_list.asp
Dr. Who
Date: 30 Jun 2005 14:36 (UTC)Have you seen the new Dr. Who?
It's being written by the guy who created the original (British) "Queer as Folk") and it's pretty damn good... One of the new Doctor's companions is an American Time Agent who has a thing for both the Doctor's companion, Rose, and the Doctor himself...
-Tom
Some interesting stuff...
Date: 30 Jun 2005 22:49 (UTC)Yours has some interesting ones, though. The idea of a baseball game inspiring the same awe/sensawunda as the things on my list simply shows that We Are All Aliens.
Re: Some interesting stuff...
Date: 1 Jul 2005 01:31 (UTC)In 1951 the Giants were out of contention at the All-Star Break. 16 games out of first place, and looking horrid. Then they turned things around in August, pulling off an amazing run of success to force a playoff with the hated Brooklyn Dodgers. Bobby Thompson's homerun one the series and pennant for the Giants. From the depths of dispair to the heights of victory. I like that sort of thing.
And the call itself is magic. (http://baseballhalloffame.org/exhibits/online_exhibits/1951/sounds/thomson_sound.mp3)