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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
Questions about Science and Science Fiction: My SF Writer Answers
November 19th, 2008
In support of the request for the input for the ScienceOnline09 science fiction panel, and wearing my science fiction writer hat…
Questions for Science Fiction Writers
- Why are you writing science fiction in particular? What does the science add?
I have always loved science fiction from the first time I saw Star Trek to the first real sf novel I read (Philip Jose Farmer’s A Private Cosmos). I read everything science fiction I could get my hands on, and watched every TV and movie as well. I had decided by the time I was eleven that I wanted to be a science fiction writer. Writing is a compulsion, and it’s time intensive with small chances for financial success, so you’d better just spend your time writing what you love best.
For me, science adds reality to a story, adding to the writer’s authority and the reader’s suspension of disbelief which is critical to the success of a story. Plus it’s completely fascinating! I mean, you can figure out a fascinating magic system, but it isn’t real. How relativity works is totally fascinating too, and the fact that it is also real adds a dimension fantasy can never have.
- What is your relationship to science? Have you studied or worked in it, or do you just find it cool? Do you have a favorite field?
I am a working scientist, an associate professor of astronomy at the University of Wyoming. I’ve worked at National Laboratories and Observatories as well, and get to play with all the best toys like the Hubble Space Telescope and the Very Large Array in New Mexico. It’s a science fiction lifestyle at times, and when I’m not in a faculty meeting or similar activity, I love the job. It pays better than the fiction gig, too.
- How important is it to you that the science be right? What kind of resources do you use for accuracy?
The science has to be right. Science our best determination of how the universe works, and has certainly outlined many ways in which it doesn’t work. Getting it wrong is the same as getting anything fundamental wrong in a story, like misplacing New York City in Iowa, or having Brazilians speaking Spanish rather thean Portuguese. If it’s wrong, you are too ignorant of the world to write about it correctly.
For me, when I write about science-rich topics, I have it easy. Easier than most, anyway. I have degrees in physics, electrical engineering, and a PhD in astronomy. I have a lot of basic knowledge and assimilate new findings quickly. I can read the scientific journals on the latest findings if I have too. Still, basic resources are usually more valuable and useful as a writer. I’ve compiled some resources that I use: the Hard SF Writer’s Bookshelf and Online Astronomy Resources for Writers, for instance. When I need to learn some science for a story outside my expertise, I will usually start with online resources like wikipedia, which continues to improve in breadth and quality. If I need to know things more in depth, I usually identify a popular science book that covers the topic and read it. I have a lot of contacts with other science fiction writers, and networking can put me in contact with someone who can answer my questions (I wind up helping other writers when it comes to astronomy).
- Are there any specific science or science fiction blogs you would recommend to interested readers or writers?
My favorite science blogs/sites are: Centauri Dreams, Bad Astronomy, Cosmic Variance, Real Climate, and Space.com.
My favorite science fiction blogs are: Sf Signal, tor.com, SF Novelists, Jay Lake, and Tobias Buckell Online.
There are a lot of great blogs out there and starting at these sites and going to places they link to will lead to a lot more wonderful experiences.
Here are my answers as a science blogger.
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May 23rd, 2009 at 11:44 pm
[...] Questions about Science and Science Fiction: My SF Writer Answers [...]