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
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I try not to use this blog as a platform only to rant, but I do rant from time to time. Things do get me upset, and strong emotions (good are bad) are good starting places for meaningful writing. I have a strong sense of justice and fairness, so I never have a lack of […]
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »>An author friend of mine sent an email to a list I’m on: I’m about to start teaching an Honors science and lit class and I have a whole bunch of various definitions of what science fiction is, but many of those are from academics or dead people (I have some who are still alive […]
Posted in Uncategorized | 12 Comments »>One of my old, fairly innocuous posts has been climbing up the popularity lists: The Importance of Science in Our Lives. It’s just a link to an article online with a little commentary. I see on my statistics pages that a lot of people arrive using google searches of “Importance of Science.” I wonder if […]
Posted in Uncategorized | 59 Comments »>By “expert” I mean world-class, whether or not you’re super smart or super talented. I’m starting to lose my faith in innate “talent” after some recent reading. Two of the books are Talent is Overrated and Outliers. I’ve got another book on this topic coming, too, more on the inspirational side of things. Some of […]
Posted in Uncategorized | 7 Comments »>This is a true story. It’s kind of funny, kind of stupid, but it’s true and that’s the important thing. I was a smart kid growing up, usually at the top of my class, always fiddling with one project or another. I was into the stars, dinosaurs, chemistry, science fiction, making movies, writing stories, chess, […]
Posted in Uncategorized | 8 Comments »>Here’s the letter below asking for input (until March 19th). I am particularly thrilled about NASA’s questions and especially the only about video game development (question six). This is a potentially very powerful way of getting at the younger generation before college level. I wish I’d seen this sooner and had more time to participate. […]
Posted in Uncategorized | 2 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 »>I missed our astronomy journal club today, so I thought I could take some of that time I “saved” and invest it here in talking about what is journal club. In the sciences, you generally finish classes in your second year of graduate school, and are not likely to take more. Teach more yes, but […]
Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments »>Passing on some news about an educational project I contributed to: Science educators Stephanie Slater (University of Wyoming), Janelle Bailey (University of Nevada, Las Vegas), and Michael Gibbs (Capitol College) have compiled and edited a coherent set of IYA2009 educational materials that provide both content knowledge for classroom teachers and classroom-ready materials suitable for use, […]
Posted in Uncategorized | No 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 used to think I didn’t have heroes. Not in the sense that most people mean, and not being allowed to count superheroes. But I realized I did, and had had a lot of them growing up through college. Mine are biased toward physics and astronomy. Here they are, in no particular order. Einstein. Sort […]
Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments »>So I’ve been talking about being at the International Astronomical Union’s General Assembly in Rio, and mentioned a few things in a Living in Brazil post, but thought I’d say a few things more general about attending an astronomy meeting. Every one is a little different, similar to the way that every science fiction convention […]
Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »>