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 pulled some pranks in my day. There’s nothing like hearing a blood-curdling scream from a good friend in the middle of the night, in a good, healthy, fun way of course. (Okay, he might not fully agree, but I don’t feel *that* guilty about that one. It was clever and he was high-strung.) When [...]
Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »>Here’s the trailer: My wonderful wife, knowing nothing about the villain of the movie, insists that we eat Chinese tonight out at the Mandarin. Seriously! It amuses me… Share/Bookmark
Posted in Uncategorized | 5 Comments »>My dad knows me, my interests, and my sense of humor pretty well. Check out the card he sent me for my birthday! The front has a wheel to let you dial in the appropriate phase of the moon. Half moon, full moon, waxing crescent, etc. My mom made sure to tell me that [...]
Posted in Uncategorized | 10 Comments »>I still have two big deadlines looming Monday, and it’s been a pretty sad, sobering week in the news, so here’s a baby monkey: (Thanks Brian!) Share/Bookmark
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »>I think this is hilarious…like Christopher Nolan doing Harry Potter. Busy tonight getting caught up, preparing class, and writing, but some Dragoncon stuff coming this week. My wife must have taken 100 pictures… Share/Bookmark
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »>I want to call these folks idiots, rant about them, and froth at the mouth over their sheer stupidity, but honestly, they’re making me snicker and I fear I will eventually, literally, for real, LOL: and These guys are right up there with Kirk Cameron’s banana. Actually, I think we should have annual awards for [...]
Posted in Uncategorized | 7 Comments »>OK, this is the kind of thing that strikes me as funny, but you need some background to appreciate this. It’s a little over-the-top gross as well. I’m afraid the combination of scatalogical humor with a detailed background of my sub-field in astronomy will make this fall flat, but bear with me and we’ll see. [...]
Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments »>Sometimes it seems people send me, or I stumble across, a bunch of the same sort of thing all at once. Here’s some for the holidays and more. Awake Ye Scary Great Old Ones, just in time for the holidays… And if you want an alternative to Christmas, you might try another religion, like Pastafarianism: [...]
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »>My buddy Brian Malow doing a bit on the bad science, specifically the misuse of the term “parsec,” in the movie Star Wars. I do a version of this rant when I teach intro astronomy, but he’s a little funnier than me. OK, a lot funnier. Definitely worth 3-4 minutes of your time. Share/Bookmark
Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments »>The world is a cool place sometimes…I can’t believe I missed this when it came out (Milky J on TV, not the Hubble), but I’ve found it now and must share these awesome, educational videos. Endure the ads. It’s worth it. Meanwhile, tonight I’m hoping that WIRO got me, as a I wait for the [...]
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »>No, really! SMBC says so: A few more comments. The astronomer looks like the Bad Astronomer Phil Plait. Forget your tv show, Phil, now you’re really famous! I’ve compiled some of my favorite SMBC science-related cartoons in the past (and XKCD, too!). Share/Bookmark
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »>I got pointed at the first one (very funny if you have seen the Old Spice Commercial it parodies) and then discovered the other ones. Enjoy. Share/Bookmark
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