Sci Fi
Writing the Future
Andrew Sullivan at the Dish flagged this great piece by David Mitchell: When you’re writing about the future, you simply try to work out what people in that future point will be taking for granted. In The Bone Clocks, there are two future sections. 2025 one is only about 11 years away–there’s just a few gizmos about the place and we’re basically there already. In the 2040s, however, more dramatic changes have taken place. There’s no more oil–or very little oil left. So you think about what people at that point will be taking for granted about travel, about the … Read more
Two Species of Mankind: The Rich and the Poor
The idea for today’s post is from QSFer Thea Nishimori: “A lot of people were talking on the earlier post about the growing socio-economical divide, but what about how that will influence intelligence in the future? If you’re born poor, you can’t get a good education or job; you are more likely to turn to drugs and/or alcohol, which destroys brain cells; ergo your children are born into poverty with lower IQs… a vicious cycle creating almost two different species.” Hmm… as a sci fi/social evolution concept, I really like this idea. Its been explored before in sci fi, at … Read more
Book Review: Assimilation, Love & Other Oddities, by Lyn Gala
Ondry and Liam have settled into a good life, but their trading is still tied up with humans, and humans are always messy. When political changes at the human base lead Ondry to attempt a difficult trade, the pair find themselves entangled in human affairs. Liam wants to help the people he left and the worlds being torn apart. He also wants to serve Ondry with not only the pleasures of the nest but also by bringing human profits. Ondry has no hope of understanding human psychology in general, he only knows that he will hold onto his palteia with … Read more
My Favorite Dragonriders
I just saw the news (in EW, of all places) that there’s finally going to be a Dragonriders of Pern movie. I am thrilled, elated, and scared. This series is one of my most beloved in the sci fi realm – I started reading it in my early teens, and fell in love with it. My mom had this bookshelf in our third bedroom, next to where the dogs were crated at night. The shelves went up and up and up to the ceiling in the tiny home, and about in the middle were her two shelves of sci fi … Read more
Will Anarchy Ever Be a Viable Option?
Will anarchy ever be a viable option? In my heart, I’m an anarchist. I don’t like people who try to control others or tell them what to do. I have no desire to impose my will on anyone, and I don’t want anyone attempting to impose their will on me. However, I’m realistic enough to recognize anarchy would not work in our current society. Left to their own devices, I’m sad to acknowledge many people would take the opportunity to exploit others in every imaginable way. That’s where the human race stands at the moment. Without the threat of consequences, … Read more
Shining a Light on Prejudice
Today’s topic is from QSF’er Tracy Rowan: “Off the top of my head: How do you think about the role of gender and orientation in the future or in fantasy worlds? If you posit a distant future or a fantasy world with the same prejudices as exist in our world, why? If you don’t, why?” Of course, the easy answer is “because I’m the writer and I said so.” But that masks a more complex one. What’s different about a society that accepts its LGBT population, vs. one that doesn’t? We’ve come to a point where we generally have widespread … Read more
Love Among the Test Tubes
Today’s topic comes to us from QSFer Sadie Rose Bermingham: “How to tackle love stories in a world where reproduction is a process that takes place entirely in a test tube and babies allocated according to a means test and regardless of orientation or marital status?” It’s a great question. How does the human element fit in when procreation is entirely done by science? I’ve seen a few books that have tackled this topic, most notably in “Ethan of Athos”, where a planet of men reproduces solely via artificial wombs. Such technology in our current society, if evenly applied to … Read more
Announcement: Murdersphere Mosaic & Blue Collar Immortal by Hank Cannon
Alright, my first “Me Me Me Monday” post. So, I began a project for Wattpad back in June that was supposed to be fanfiction and it quickly skewed off into a science fiction piece all its own. I titled it Murdersphere Mosaic because it took place in the “confines” of a nested matrioshka or Dyson sphere. Murdersphere Mosaic has turned out to be the pre-alpha sequel to my sci fi novel, Blue Collar Immortal. It did not start that way, but once I got going, a lot of things fell into place, namely that despite starting with the intention to … Read more
Government in Sci Fi and Fantasy
Today’s topic comes from QSF member Jerry Lewandowski: “forms of government as portrayed in sci-fi/fantasy and how it reflects reality (or predicts accurately).” There are many forms of government, but the big ones seem to be Capitalism, Socialism, Communism, Facism, and Monarchy – did I miss any? My favorite example of sci fi reflecting the current governmental scene has to be Piers Anthony’s Bio of a pace Tyrant, where he projects modern Earth onto the Solar System, with Jupiter playing the part of the US. Typically, Fantasy stories (at least High Fantasy) typically seem to involve Monarchies, or sometimes a … Read more