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Spider Star
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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Praise for Star Dragon
"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
Science Fiction Haiku: SciFaiku
February 1st, 2010
I’m not big on poetry as a rule. It’s a taste I think. I like rock and roll, but not country. I like colas, but not coffee. And I prefer novels to short stories, and short stories to poetry. I think I’ve always been more enamored of the idea of something than its presentation, although I do prefer a nice presentation. Still, I think as a writer, developing skill with poetry is valuable and I have written poems. I’ll read the poetry in science fiction magazines when I see it, and usually like it, although rarely love it (could be me, or the quality, not sure).
Haikus I’ve always liked pretty well. They’re short, usually grasped in a moment’s reflection, and sometimes surprisingly profound or memorable. From Wiki, a very short definition:
Haiku (俳句 haikai verse)
listen (help·info), plural haiku, is a form of Japanese poetry, consisting of 17 moras (or on), in three metrical phrases of 5, 7, and 5 moras respectively.[1]
I’m about science and science fiction, and it’s fun to insert these into old, traditional forms. A lot of haikus are about nature, but why not technology? Or other science fictional concepts?
There is a lot of science fiction poetry out there already, of course, and, as it turns out, a lot of haiku in particular. There is in fact, a whole webpage and wike about SciFaiku. I love it! Check some out here and here, and a list of links here.
I thought I’d share a few efforts.
Never questioning,
Always working, the robot
Saves us time for what?
A big universe
too giant to comprehend
makes me feel little
My greatest nightmare
An evil robot monkey
Eating at my face
Teleport our team
To the blue planet below…
Wait! Wore my red shirt!
An ugly spaceship
Manufactured for vaccuum
Not for atmosphere
Quantum mechanics
Makes many worlds in my mind
And reality
A ray gun is fun –
until the alien pulls
out a bigger one
Have a favorite one to share yourself? Write it in the comments or send a link.
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February 1st, 2010 at 5:01 pm
If only it was possible to make a living writing scifiaku.
Or short stories, for that matter.
February 1st, 2010 at 5:10 pm
And I just don’t think I’m subtle enough for poetry, where that seems the ideal to many fans.
February 1st, 2010 at 8:14 pm
Hi Mike,
Hm, an interesting coincidence. Check out this:
http://www.tor.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=blog&id=58679#comments
Cheers!
February 11th, 2010 at 7:15 am
Beat count not enough.
Seasonal reference too
must haiku have. Spring!
February 11th, 2010 at 10:16 am
Ah, but are there seasons in space?
Maybe…
Need to give that more thought!
February 17th, 2010 at 7:45 pm
Sci-Faiku
Hard Science Fiction Frustration!
No Gravity Floors?
No Faster than Light Travel?
Goddamn you Einstein!
(Just Kidding!)
May 8th, 2010 at 5:12 pm
A Soong-Type android
Wanted to be human, but
Died saving Picard
May 9th, 2010 at 8:51 pm
Good one!