Aquarian Stories

Aquarian Stories

Bruce Von Stiers

Several months ago, a comedy sci-fi film titled The Second Age of Aquarius was released. It was about a computer programmer who created an avatar of a long dead rock star, Russell Aquarius. That avatar somehow came to life, bringing forth bizarre and hilarious circumstances. The screenwriters and producers for the film were Staci Layne Wilson and Darren Gordon Smith. Staci also directed the film.

While not putting together films, Staci and Darren were busy writing some stories. They collaborated on a short story collection titled Sex Death Rock N Roll.

That book went over so well, that a second volume of stories was put together. This volume is titled Sex Death Rock N Roll 2: The Russell Aquarius Edition . The stories feature characters from the film.

This new volume not only has stories by Staci and Darren, it also includes stories written by members of the cast of The Second Age of Aquarius. It is a decidedly fun set of stories.

But I have to say something right up front. You really need to see the film first to enjoy all of the nuances of the stories in the book.

The book has seven stories in it and has one hundred -thirteen pages, including an author's bio page and one with a synopsis of the film. It was published by Excessive Nuance.

The first story is Rock Paper Scissors. Its narrator is a rock journalist. He is interviewing Tawny Stevens, the mother of Alberta Stevens. Apparently, Tawny had been a major rock groupie back in the day. The story is about getting go know Tawny, her daughter Alberta and Tawny's history as a groupie. Tawny may or may not be holding the secret to the disappearance of a budding rock icon. Alberta was the lead female character in the Aquarius film. This story was written by Staci and Brooke Lewis Ballas. Brooke played Tawny in the film. It was a fun and interesting story, especially as it depicts a too cool slightly aging rock groupie.

The second story is Old Soul and Asshole. It was written by Darren. It starts out with the survivor of a shooting at a fast-food drive thru. And gives the story of a man whose life takes several wrong turns.

The third story, written by Staci, is The Ghost In The Machine. It is an interesting tale combining teen angst over being bullied and an accommodating ghost.

Helen, the landlady character from the film, gets an enticing backstory in Oh, Helen. It was written by Nancy Long, who played Helen in the Aquarius film.

Sid Greenblatt was Russell Aquarius' old manager, who plays an integral part near the end of the film. A major part of his backstory is covered in the tale, Fist Through The Glass. It details how Sid got his eyepatch and fell in love with Russell's stalker. The story was written by Martin Olson, who played Sid in the film. The story was a bit tawdry and strange, but fits.

Darren wrote the story The Case of the Singular Man. A psychologist is making notes on a patient. This patient seems to think his girlfriend is trying to upload his soul to the cloud. It is an appealing story that fits right along with the avatar theme in the film.

And the final story in the book was written by Staci. Basically, a sidebar sequence of a scene in the film, Trust Nobunny is an amusing tale that is a fitting close for the book.

Sex Death Rock N Roll 2: The Russell Aquarius Edition is a fun collection of stories that act as a companion piece to the film The Second Age of Aquarius. The stories are well written, and the characters are well thought out. But as I mentioned in the beginning, it is best to see the film first. That way, you can understand and appreciate the nuances of the stories in the book.

Sex Death Rock N Roll 2: The Russell Aquarius Edition can be found at major book outlets such as amazon.

To learn more about the film, the book and Staci Layne Wilson, visit her official web site at www.stacilaynewilson.com .

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