On Tue, 28 Jan 2003, Jon Gabriel wrote: > So would the former category eliminate FTL?
Not necessarily; but it would treat FTL as something whose consequences must be explored in a thoughtful way, or it would try to put an innovative twist on FTL that respects reality even if it violates it. I think the Foundation series counts as quintessential SF, even though it has FTL and psychics. :-) > What about humanoid-type > aliens? Arguments abound on the net that neither seem particularly > realistic or likely. I guess our hero couldn't be fondling wild alien > hoochie mamas if humanoid-type aliens aren't present.... :) Presumably our hero or heroine will be an open-minded sort. (Not to mention the xenohooch.) ;-) I've also noticed that winsome shape-changers are a popular form of alien. > Such a scheme will shunt most sf into a sci-fi category. Certainly the > only fiction book Dr. Brin ever wrote that could fit would be 'Earth'. I think Kiln People & the Postman might qualify. Maybe Sundiver. I'm pretty lax about these things, though, and there's nothing that says a story can't combine elements of both storytelling strategies. IIRC SF puritans tend to regard most science fiction as sci-fi. I think I should emphasize the "puritanical" nature of the bias - I think it's a genuine distinction (thoughtful scientifically literate stories vs. techno-sensationalism) but that the line between the camps is broad and blurry. There are a few who get huffy about the need to draw hard and fast distinctions, though. I have a CD that contains a conversation between Gene Roddenberry and Isacc Asimov. They're talking about why Star Trek (TOS, natch) is better than, say, Lost in Space. Asimov makes a distinction between two kinds of writers, those who know enough to know that they are breaking the laws of physics and who do so intelligently, and those don't know or don't care and who are just breaking the laws for the sake of having a certain gimmick that has become an "essential" sci-fi cliche. Using this kind of barometer, most of DB's work is SF I think. Perhaps it shouldn't be the number of rules you break, but how you break them. It's kind of a nebulous guide, though. Marvin Long VFP Xenohooch Austin, Texas Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Poindexter & Ashcroft, LLP (Formerly the USA) http://www.breakyourchains.org/john_poindexter.htm _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
