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
I’ve written in the past about peer review (and links therein), particularly my annoyances with how some referees don’t seem to be constructive about it, and in fact can be condescending assholes. I made my suggestions about improving it while keeping it anonymous. Another option is to remove anonymity, which I think does have drawbacks, […]
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »>I don’t think so…but it’s a classic lesson in how not to get into grad school. I recently had an exchange with a student who queried me about why they had not been admitted into our graduate program. I won’t name names, or say where they were from, or their gender, and I won’t quote […]
Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »>Academia and writing are two systems where mentors are still common, something like the old system of Apprentice/Journeyman/Master. I think in nearly every field of individual excellence that requires serious expertise, you’ll find mentors. Tiger Wood’s had his dad teaching him golf. The Polgar sisters had rigorous chess coaching. Every scientist these days has or […]
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »>While I guess I always feel busy and sometimes overwhelmed, I’m usually getting more done than I think and it’s often worthwhile. I spent a lot of time running on Sunday (18 miles), and much of my time Friday and Saturday was spent with prospective graduate students. Most PhD programs make acceptances of graduate students […]
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »>I’ve written about applying for jobs and given some tips about on-campus interviews. I wanted to give some brief advice about what to do when you actually get a tenure-track job offer. My advice will be pretty general, but with a few more specific things for science jobs like astronomy. First, celebrate. It’s hard to […]
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »>In my second or third year of graduate school, I went through a period of depression of several months after realizing that the Ivory Tower was pretty dirty, even in a field of pure research like astronomy. I was starting to see how politics and power interfered with my ideal of how science, especially a […]
Posted in Uncategorized | 13 Comments »>I recently posted some thoughts and advice for landing a faculty job. I didn’t mention much about what to do, and not do, on the actual live interview short-listed candidates get. I’ll try to stay general, but my expertise is based on experiences on both sides of the process in the field of astronomy and […]
Posted in Uncategorized | 7 Comments »>We’re in what I hope is the home stretch of a faculty search for a tenure-track astronomer to join our Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Wyoming. I probably should have posted something a couple of weeks ago after the first couple stages of the process were complete, or wait until it’s […]
Posted in Uncategorized | 10 Comments »>In physics, the two-body problem, two objects moving under mutual gravitational attraction, is solved analytically and completely. No uncertainties. Simple. Undergraduates in upper-level mechanics do it all the time. In pursuing a career in academia, and going on my experiences in astronomy, the two-body problem that is much more challenging is having a relationship or […]
Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments »>So as is not unusual at any time, and especially not at a time when unemployment is up, I came across one of those articles about what are the best jobs out there today. Here is there list: 1. Systems Engineer 2. Physician Assistant 3. College Professor 4. Nurse Practitioner 5. Information Technology Project Manager […]
Posted in Uncategorized | 7 Comments »>I’ve never been a big fan of being graded or grading others. Ideally we should all learn for the sake of learning, but I have to admit that grading, from a number to a letter to a gold star can be a stupid but effect motivator. Moreover, the grades are used by admissions committees for […]
Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments »>