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 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 »>I’ve had some time to read more about what is going on and think I’m getting a clearer picture. Let me restate the basic issue with greater understanding than I did before. Martin Gaskell is an astronomer in my subfield, and a pretty good one, and someone I consider a friend. He’s also pretty religious […]
Posted in Uncategorized | 14 Comments »>I was going to write about something else today, but saw this story about Martin Gaskell, a friend of mine. There’s also a blurb at the Chronicle of Higher Education with a few really interesting comments. Atheist blogger PZ Meyers has a post about the story, most of which I agree with, frankly, but I […]
Posted in Uncategorized | 4 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 »>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 »>Warning: this post is practical advice for the individual and risks breeding cynicism toward science. I am a tenured professor of astronomy at the University of Wyoming, a category I research university where I enjoy a relatively low teaching load and decent pay, and where I lead a research group that has brought in close […]
Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »>