Escape to Zombie Land and the Sci-fi World

Just finished watching the first season of "The Walking Dead" (6 episodes only). Though this TV series is relatively well made (if there is such a term for zombie movies), it's lacking of original ideas. The episodes are a mix of "28 days" (protagonist waking up from the hospital), "the Zombie survival guide" (riding a bike and a horse, using crossbows and shovels, the definition of zombies), "Dawn of the Dead" (trapping in a shopping mall), "Resident Evil" (the Umbrella Corporation like CDC), and many other zombie "classics". Like all survival movies, most of the time you find the living is scarier than the dead (oops, the "undead").

Things got interested at the end of episode 6, when the doctor tried to explain how the brain stem got revived after death and caused those "zombies". I suddenly realized we got the zombies wrong. They are fascinating subjects. Because if human body can be resurrected after death, even just the brain stem, it's the first step to immortality. In fact, those zombies can stand all kinds of body decays. They may be ravenous, but they also don't have to eat or drink for a long long time. Nor do they kill, beat, or eat each other. Now, if we can also resurrect the neocortex and other sections of the brain...

Since I am in this Dr. Frankenstein mode, I find Margaret Atwood's new book a perfect companion for this weekend. Atwood dedicates this book to her fellow writer Ursula Le Guin. The book feels less like a collection of essays, but more like her letters to friends. (Now here is what I really think, she says.)  Reading it is like having tea with a fascinating friend. The topic is interesting, the desert is delightful. What more can you ask for?