The human colony on the planet Argo has long explored and exploited the technology left behind by an extinct alien race. But then an archaeology team accidentally activates a terrible weapon...
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"Seldom does a storytelling talent come along as potent and fully mature as Mike Brotherton. His complex characters take you on a voyage that is both fiercely credible and astonishingly imaginative. This is Science Fiction."
-- David Brin
"Star Dragon is terrific fare, offering readers a fusion of hard science and grand adventure."
-- Locus Magazine
"Star Dragon is steeped in cosmology, the physics of interstellar travel, exobiology, artificial intelligence, bioscience. Brotherton, author of many scientific articles in refereed journals, has written a dramatic, provocative, utterly convincing hard science sf novel that includes an ironic twist that fans will love."
-- Booklist starred review
"Readers hungry for the thought-provoking extrapolation and rigorous technical detail of old-fashioned hard SF are sure to enjoy astronomer Brotherton's first novel."
-- Publishers Weekly
"Mike Brotherton, himself a trained astrophysicist, combines the technical acuity and ingenuity of Robert Forward with the ironic, postmodern stance and style of M. John Harrison. In this, his debut novel, those twin talents unite to produce a work that is involving on any number of levels. It's just about all you could ask for in a hardcore SF adventure."
-- Paul di Fillippo, SCI-FI.COM
One of the things I’ve learned over the years of teaching astronomy at the university level is that it’s hard enough to get a student to understand a difficult scientific concept, but it’s almost impossible if there’s a strong pre-existing misconception already making itself at home. Christian fundamentalists have realized this, too, and have taken [...]
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »>March 31 is the last official day to apply for the Launch Pad Astronomy Workshop. We’ll be selecting 2011 participants next week. Thanks! Share/Bookmark
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »>I’d like to simply lump all the folks who deny science into one category: idiots. I probably do that sometimes, but I’ve been wondering about the specific types of science deniers recently and what informs their worldview. Some can probably be reasoned with and hold their positions out of ignorance. Others hold their positions out [...]
Posted in Uncategorized | 8 Comments »>In case you didn’t see it, Fringe has just been renewed for season four. Hooray! I’m sure my blog entry last week was the tipping point… Here’s a nice quote from the article that I endorse: “As a sci-fi fan, expert and writer, the renewal and network backing pleases me because it sends a message [...]
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »>I have proof from the bulletin board in the Physical Sciences Building here at the University: Take a closer look: And hey, let’s make it clear, I found the poster this way! College students are mostly liberal even in Wyoming, I’m happy to report. I’ve always found Ann Coulter particularly odious because she’s simultaneously so [...]
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »>Sagecon is a local free convention here in Laramie run by a student group and held at the University of Wyoming (in the new college of business building). It’s free to attend. I’ll be participating in or leading 3 events: Saturday: Science in the Movies, 3PM, room 121 Sunday: From No to Pro (Writing related [...]
Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »>I’m a big Fringe fan. It’s a real science fiction tv series, based on a deep science fiction premise, with a plot and character arcs developed over multiple seasons. Sometimes the science is a little flaky, but it’s there, and it’s fun. There’s a real budget, good acting, cool ideas, and Walter Bishop is one [...]
Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments »>I’ve got a pile of starlinks, but am swamped tonight after taking too much time off recovering from a long run this afternoon. Tomorrow… Just one really good one for now. My friend the science comedian, Brian Malow, has a new Time.com video. This one about Philip K. Dick. Enjoy! Share/Bookmark
Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »>OK, this is the kind of thing that strikes me as funny, but you need some background to appreciate this. It’s a little over-the-top gross as well. I’m afraid the combination of scatalogical humor with a detailed background of my sub-field in astronomy will make this fall flat, but bear with me and we’ll see. [...]
Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments »>Here’s the article: March 19 ‘Supermoon’ May Cause Moonquakes, Scientist Says Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/03/12/supermoon-cause-moonquakes-scientist-says/#ixzz1GtxzihuS So, what does the actual article say? Here’s the relevant bit: On March 19, Earth’s satellite will be at its closest point to our planet in 18 years — a mere 356,577 kilometers away. The event — also called a lunar [...]
Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments »>Here’s a little background with some links there. I’ve got a constant simmer of anger over how many evil, ignorant, greedy, and biased folk like politicians treat science as something to ignore or rail against when they find its conclusions inconvenient. To see a politician have to make a speech like this in Congress in [...]
Posted in Uncategorized | 7 Comments »>Some of these are weeks old, some I just found minutes ago… Most are just super cool and must be shared. Let’s start with this awesome visual map of the history of science fiction. Not sure if I agree with all the little details, but it rocks for sure. OK, a NSFW comedy video based [...]
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »>