I have mixed feeling about this strange short story we reviewed in class. I'm not a huge fan of sci- fi stories or films - my favorites limited to only a handful. Perhaps its the fact that most of the time the setting is in the future that none of us have experienced and we are forced to guess. Or it is perhaps other planets, high tech themes, or anything of the sci- fi genre are hard for me to read thus understand.
Bloodchild takes place on another planet where humans live among these "caring" aliens. For these aliens to reproduce, they put their grubs inside a "host" human (a male) and the grubs grow - eating their way out. The story gets a bit gory with an alien caretaker digging the grubs out of a dying man while the alien's human family observes or helps - which amazes me because it seems that they are all used to this like it's just an everyday thing. Bloodchild mostly references the theme of human pregnancy and the idea that the baby is a "parasite"; in reference to the fact that we grow inside our mother's womb, feed from her, etc.
I didn't get the chance to finish this story, and I'm not sure I like it well enough to even give it another chance. It isn't necessarily the gore, just mostly the idea of not knowing exactly what these aliens are or any really detailed descriptions. I always like stories that give you a clear view of the setting and concept.
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