the blink times

I can’t help but feel a sense of awe whenever I pick up a good out-of-print book. Besides the fact that I’m one of the few privileged readers who have access to it, there’s also a profound sense of “reverence” in coming to grips with the author’s work. It’s still a mystery that little attention from the American media has been given to Robert Franklin Young; I only knew who he was after viewing the TV anime for Clannad and RahXephon. Details into Young’s life are also shrouded in obscurity — it wasn’t until his death in 1986 that the science fiction community realised he had been working as a janitor in a Buffalo public school.

However, a humble life is not the sole claim to Young’s greatness as an icon in the genre. This anthology, which was first published by The Science Fiction Book Club in 1966, is a testament of Young’s skill in crafting worlds that are both controversial and comforting. Contrary to what mainstream readers may assume, there are no dystopian visions nor complex jargon to turn off those who are not acquainted with the genre. Young’s works are essentially parables of humanity and I’m quite certain that it can even strike a chord in the heart of a supermodel wannabe carrying an iPhone. Given the possibility that I’m the only one in Singapore who has retained a hardbound copy of the book, loans will be highly selective. If you’re looking at getting yourself a copy, I’m happy to recommend the UK site of AbeBooks, which provides a few good listings/links of rare book dealers. For those who need more information, here’s a synopsis to three short stories which are etched in my memory.

The Dandelion Girl
When his wife goes on jury duty, Mark Randolph takes a short retreat in the woods and meets a girl named Julie Danvers. She claims she’s from the future, 240 years ahead of him. She tells him, “Day before yesterday I saw a rabbit, and yesterday a deer and today you,” and an interesting relationship ensues. This short story has often been touted as Young’s quintessential piece and its images and themes have become popular references in Japanese pop culture.

Little Red School House
In an industrial society where parents have no time to be the primary caregivers, children are sent to a red schoolhouse where they are given an “induced elementary education” in the form of intravenous drugs. A boy named Ronnie believes that the kind and gentle “Miss Smith” (an imaginary elementary school teacher) is real and embarks on a dangerous and mind-wrecking journey. For all psychology or Freudian buffs, Little Red School House is a cogent example of how infants acquire the crippling Oedipus Complex.

Your Ghost Will Walk
Two androids escape a harsh taskmaster, who in turn uses a car-fanatic droid to bring them back. The final gem in the book may bear some semblance to the Three Laws of Robotics conceptualised by Isaac Asimov, but the robots in this story are nothing but absolute tools for human control, or so it seems…