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...
Read More.
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
Recent Posts
Recent Comments
Meta

What I Love About Fantasy

December 1st, 2008

I’m a hard science fiction guy, but I enjoy reading fantasy and writing it sometimes, too. A few novels number among my favorites of all time: Replay by Ken Grimwood, Glimpses by Lew Shiner, American Gods by Neil Gaiman, A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin, and even the Harry Potter books.

The first thing I like is what I like about science fiction, and speculative fiction in general: you can see how people respond to situations that don’t exist in the world today, situations that are more revealing of character than you’ll ever see in mainstream fiction. What is more revealing than three wishes from a genie? Or a deal with the devil? Or the price of power literally being your first-born son?

The second thing is the world-building and creativity. Fantasy, like science fiction, should have new elements that an author must invent. I’m going to get to spend time in a new world that is likely to be fascinating.

The third-thing is escapism. Science fiction is my first love, but I find that more than ever I read it critically, both as a writer and as a scientist. I am less likely to ready fantasy critically, and as a result I find it easier to slip into and enjoy as pure entertainment.

Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.