A Modest Construct | science fiction

Posts tagged `science fiction`

¶ 2001: A Space Odyssey

2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke: Publisher: Roc; Year: 1968/2000; Pages: 320

The cinematic version of 2001: A Space Odyssey is widely considered one of the best films ever made, and certainly one of the high points of Kubrick’s career; slightly less known—or perhaps just as well known by a much different demographic?—is Arthur C. Clarke’s novel of the same name. Uniquely, one was not a novelization or screen adaptation of the other, but rather were written at the same time in a partnership between Kubrick and Clarke. The differences between the two have more to do with changes made by Kubrick for budgetary or stylistic reasons.

§6366 · January 24, 2011 · 2 comments · Tags: Book Reviews, books, fiction, reviews, science fiction

¶ The Engines of God

The Engines of God by Jack McDevitt: Publisher: Ace; Year: 1994; Pages: 432

Every so often, I get on a kick about “hard” science fiction, which is science fiction writing which eschews the easy plot device of using advanced technology to explain away plot holes, and instead tries to ground itself on plausible technology and math. This can vary in its implementation; Charles Stross’ stories are always wildly advanced (e.g. Singularity Sky), but “hard” in the sense that it focuses heavily on technological detail, and uses them to color the story, instead of smoothing away poor writing (e.g. Star Trek).

Jack McDevitt’s The Engines of God is often categorized as “hard” science fiction, though I think perhaps the term isn’t quite correct in this case. McDevitt has no qualms about using FTL travel, energy bubbles called “Flickinger fields”, and other handy imagined technology to avoid narrative complications. I think the reason McDevitt is so often called a “hard” science fiction writer is because he is interested less in interstellar wars, laser guns, and ship battles than in xenoarchaeology and politics.

§6208 · January 2, 2011 · (No comments) · Tags: anthropology, archaeology, Book Reviews, books, fiction, reviews, science fiction

¶ Conrad’s Time Machine

Conrad's Time Machine by Leo Frankowski: Publisher: Baen; Year: 2002; Pages: 352

In the last years of his life, Leo Frankowski’s books had veered from their previous character—a solid bit of science fiction with occasional quirks. Conrad’s Time Machine was, strictly speaking, a sort of prequel to Frankowski’s somewhat famous Adventures of Conrad Stargard; certainly his publishers wanted to stress this fact, even though the book technically had nothing at all to do with (and certainly no mention of) Conrad.

§5365 · September 17, 2010 · (No comments) · Tags: Book Reviews, books, fiction, reviews, science fiction, time travel

¶ Kren of the Mitchegai

Kren of the Mitchegai by Leo Frankowski: Publisher: Baen; Year: 2004; Pages: 384

Kren of the Mitchegai was the last book that Leo Frankowski published through a major publisher before his death in 2008. Ostensibly the third (of a seven-part series never to be completed) entry in the timeline begun in A Boy and His Tank, it spends most of its time narrating the life of Kren, an alien on a distant planet who will eventually go to war with Mickolai, the series’ protagonist. The book is notable for a number of reasons, not least of which because it highlights Frankowski’s general inability to write believable villains; it’s no wonder that Jim Baen (his publisher at the time) believed the series to be dead.

§5599 · June 8, 2010 · 1 comment · Tags: Book Reviews, books, fiction, reviews, science fiction

¶ Solaris

Solaris by Stanisław Lem: Publisher: Mariner Books; Year: 1961/2002; Pages: 224

Solaris is considered one of Polish writer Stanisław Lem’s greatest books—certainly, it’s his most popular, having been adapted for film three times. But, while the original book was written in Polish, there has not, and still is not, a direct Polish-to-English translation available. The book available in your neighborhood bookstore is in fact an English translation of a French translation of the original Polish. I can’t speak to its quality, since I’m not familiar with the original Polish, but the things I’ve heard have been mixed.

§5601 · June 4, 2010 · (No comments) · Tags: Book Reviews, books, fiction, philosophy, reviews, science fiction