astro
September 6, 2015, 5:25pm
1
I was googling this vaguely remembered story “The Death of Dr. Island” by Gene Wolfe and found that it was actually the subject of a lot more attention over the years than I realized.
Wiki link to story here
Link to film here NSFW - Naked people -
The Nebula-winning “sequel” “The Death of Doctor Island” is arguably one of the greatest SF stories, an innovative New Wave story with powerful characterization and style, but at the same time a work of hard SF with the science based on psychology rather than chemistry or physics. Wolfe claims in the afterword: “I suspect that this is my most successful story” (158). It continues many of the themes and concerns of “The Island of Doctor Death,” but with more complex characters that involve the reader more deeply.
The boy Nicholas is placed on Dr. Island, an AI therapist in an artificial satellite near Jupiter, with two other mental patients: the homicidal Ignacio and the fragile schizophrenic girl Diane. Nicholas has been subjected to a surgery intended to prevent severe epileptic seizures, his cerebrum sliced down the middle to separate the two halves of his brain and create a state similar to multiple personalities. This procedure has disturbing side effects. It causes him to constantly move his head around like a reptile, and the left side of his body does things his right doesn’t know about, as when he unknowingly touches Diane’s breast with his left hand.
The first description Wolfe gives of Nicholas outlines his character: He stood and looked about him, the head moving continually as the heads of certain reptiles do—back and forth, with no pauses at the terminations of the movements. He did this constantly, ceaselessly—always—and for that reason it will not often be described again, just as it will not be mentioned that he breathed. He did, and as he did, his head, like a rearing snake’s, turned from side to side. The boy was thin, and naked as a frog (114).
OMFG I don’t know how this thread slipped past me for a day and a half, but WOOHOO!!!
One of my all-time favorite short story collections, the book and it’s contents were a huge influence on me when it was first published in 1980.
Thanks a zillion for posting about this, astro !
I’ve exchanged emails with the director; he’s got me on their mailing list so if I hear about updates on this film, I’ll post them here.
Wow. And thanks, Snowboarder Bo and Astro .