Terry Ballantine Bisson

Life and Literary Career Born in 1942 in Madisonville, Kentucky.

Worked as an auto mechanic and as a magazine and book editor.

He is American science fiction and fantasy writer.

He mixes well science fiction and humor.

Terry Bisson has written novelizations of many films, including William Gibson's JOHNNY MEMONIC; VIRTUOSITY...

#source:http://www.terrybisson.com/page1/page1.html

Speculative Science Fiction Speculative fiction is a term, attributed to Robert Heinlein in 1941.

Addresses fiction that includes Weird Tales, Amazing Stories, and Fantastic, Mysteries, Alternate Histories, and Historical Fiction.

In other words when you've come across a story or movie or game that both is and isn't science fiction, fantasy, and/or horror, then you've discovered speculative fiction.

One of the roles of speculative fiction is to make us look again at our world and re-evaluate what we are doing to it.

#source: http://www.greententacles.com/articles/5/26/

Characters Uncle Bobby

Wallace

Wallace Jr

Mother

Place Western Kentucky

Time Modern America.

Plot

The natural hybernation cycles of wild bears has been disrupted. This causes the bears to remember or learn how to use fire for warmth. With this knowledge, the bears no longer have a need to hybernate during the winter.

There are reports of the bears on the news. It is reported that they have begun to travel along the highway, making dwellings near there, and ultimately heading somewhere on a journey of some kind.

The elderly mother of two brothers escapes from the nursing home and sets out to meet these bears. Apparently she did hear the interesting information about them all along and wanted an adventure of her own before she passes away.

They find her at night sitting in a circle around a camp fire tended by the more intelligent of the bears.

The son sits with her and experiences the bears with her. It is later that the grandmother peacefully passes away.

The next morning, as is expected, the bears are blamed for her death, even though the son and his dad and uncle know that this is not the case.

Themes Family Relations

Aging

Evolution

Individuality and Community

Hypocrisy

Family Relations ”Wallace was wearing Sunday shirt, so he didn't offer to help while I pulled

magazines...«

”…I combed her long white hair with the shell comb...”

“EVERY OCTOBER, WALLACE Jr. stays with me while his parents go to camp. I realize how backward that sounds, but there it is.”

Aging “I usually find her sitting in front of TV… The nurses keep it all the time.

They say the old folks like flickering. It soothes them down.”

“I've drove a million miles and I’m ready to pass over to the other shore. I won't have long to linger here."

Evolution “Mother said. What'll they think of next!"

“They had quit hibernating, and were apparently planning to spend the winter in the medians of interstates."

Individuality and Community “Though they were gathered together, their spirits still seemed solitary, as if

each bear was sitting alone in front of its own fire.”

“It looked like only a few of the bears know how to use fire, and were carrying the others along. But isn’t that how it is with everything?"

Hypocrisy “My brother is a Minister but he makes two-thirds of his living in real estate.”

Fire-A Spark of Civilization

Strongest Western symbol of civilization--even of intelligence.

When human managed to control the fire, they started to invent a lot of tools.

Mastery of fire as the defining moment that separates humans from the animal kingdoms.

Fire is the spark of civilization.

Question

How is this story an example of science fiction?

Oddity of bear activities throughout the story makes this work science fiction. And by emphasizing bears' good behaviors like enjoying company writer want us to re-evaluate what we are doing in our real world.

And that is the task of speculative science fiction.

The EndCihat Damar