Take Us to your Chief
And Other Stories
Book - 2016
"A forgotten Haudenosaunee social song beams into the cosmos like a homing beacon for interstellar visitors. A computer learns to feel sadness and grief from the history of atrocities committed against First Nations. A young Native man discovers the secret to time travel in ancient petroglyphs. Drawing inspiration from science fiction legends like Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov and Ray Bradbury, Drew Hayden Taylor frames classic science-fiction tropes in an Aboriginal perspective. The nine stories in this collection span all traditional topics of science fiction--from peaceful aliens to hostile invaders; from space travel to time travel; from government conspiracies to connections across generations. Yet Taylor's First Nations perspective draws fresh parallels, likening the cultural implications of alien contact to those of the arrival of Europeans in the Americas, or highlighting the impossibility of remaining a "good Native" in such an unnatural situation as a space mission. Infused with Native stories and variously mysterious, magical and humorous, Take Us to Your Chief is the perfect mesh of nostalgically 1950s-esque science fiction with modern First Nations discourse."--
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Publisher:
Madeira Park, BC : Douglas & McIntyre, [2016]
ISBN:
9781771621311
1771621311
1771621311
Branch Call Number:
SCI-FIC TAYLOR 2016
Characteristics:
ix, 150 pages ; 23 cm
Opinion
From Library Staff
From Library Staff
Taylor is an Ojibwe from the Curve Lake First Nations in Ontario.
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Add a CommentInventive sci-fi writing with a Canadian First Nations twist that is often funny and always thought provoking.
Science fiction among the Native North Americans. Hence the word "Chief" instead of the usual "Leader" in the phrase/title, I guess. Didn't work for me.
This is a very fun and unique collection of science fiction short stories, all with First Nations pov. I liked some more than others like in any short story collection, but some were great and I especially liked how the author uses humor expertly to lighten some of the social commentary.
The best book I've read in this genre.
A collection of sci-fi short stories that touch on past and current realities of Indigenous life (particularly in Canada). The blend of Indigenous beliefs and sci-fi was seamless and added an interesting new angle to sci-fi plot devices (time travel, aliens, hidden messages, etc.).
A collection of sci-fi short stories that touch on past and current realities of Indigenous life (particularly in Canada). The blend of Indigenous beliefs and sci-fi was seamless and added an interesting new angle to sci-fi plot devices (time travel, aliens, hidden messages, etc.).
The author explores classical science-fiction themes from the point of view of First Nation culture. The result: highly original stories, most of them humourous, while others are touching. I should mention that the first nation communities presented all are modern-day communities so it is not idyllic communities living in the woods before Europeens arrived. Highly recommended. And you will never look at a dream catcher the same way again.