Darwin IV? An Expedition to Darwin IV!?

Okay, okay. Calm down. Breathe deeply. I cannot express the thunderstuck awe experience when I abruptly learned that the Discovery Channel will be premiering Alien Planet on May 14. How is it possible that this project escaped my notice? How did such a monumental event fly under my radar for so long? They've got Arrowtongues fer crying out loud:



Okay, a bit of breathless explanation. Back in 1991, at the Texas A&M Bookstore, I stumbled across a profoundly odd book, Expedition : Being and Account in Words and Artwork of the 2358 A.D. Voyage to Darwin IV, by Wayne Douglas Barlowe. It caused what can charitably can be called a seismic shift in my perceptions of what science fiction could--and should--be doing with the alien life populating the genre. Barlowe literally created a non-human ecosystem of an alien world and lavishly illustrating it as a wildlife naturalist. It effectively destroyed forever my acceptance of human analogues as viable alien races in my own work. It profoundly soured me on Star Trek, and many, many other works of science fiction. Why do all species humanity encounters have to be bipedal with bilateral symmetry and distinct male-female genders? Why do they all have to be the same as humans, with the exception of odd nose and brow ridges?

It is a stunning book. And I'm utterly floored by the faithful renditions of these bizarre alien creatures the production team has re-created. Sight-unseen I will be buying the DVD the instant it comes up for sale. You can seen more examples of the species from the book at Barlowe's web site. I simply cannot express what absurdly high esteem I hold this book in, nor how deeply its visuals and philosophy have affected me. I dashed off a maniacal email to him a little bit ago, asking if this Discovery Channel production means the original book is coming back into print, and (more importantly to my point of view) if his long-rumored follow-up volume might become a reality because of this. You see, in the storyline of Expedition, Darwin IV is an old, tired world that is becoming less vigorous and viable for the life that inhabits it. In the would-be companion book, the Expedition next visits a young, violent world where life is full of energy and fiercly competitive for every conceivable niche in the ecosystem. I desperately want to see that world, and wait (in vain?) for Barlowe's answer. But until then, damn, we're getting Darwin IV!

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