According to Time, science fiction is “stuck in a rut of hopelessness” with “cynicism and surrender at its core.” And Time isn’t looking at dystopian sf, but doomsday sf, like Oblivion and After Earth. Then there’s World War Z, which seem even bleaker than the others, and even Elysium. These are all good points, and will the pendulum swing the other direction? After all, the real world is mired in a sense of hopelessness as well, with persistent economic problems and constant acts of war and terror nearly worldwide. Surely that impacts science fiction books and movies as well?
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Does being branded “science fiction” limit sales and exposure? Apparently so, from the perspective of someone who takes umbrage to a favorite new novel being called science fiction in a New York Times review. Only certain novels fall into sf:
If you’re a strict constructionist, a sci-fi story requires an extrapolation from real science. If you take a more generous point of view, sci-fi must at least provide a science-ish accounting for non-realistic elements of the story. At the bare minimum, there must be some pseudo-scientific babble and hand-waving (hello, warp drive).
One rung up from science fiction? Well, you can “call it fantasy” and that removes the sf taint. Worthy writers apparently don’t write science fiction.
Is “insulting religion” an objective standard, or simply a way for some people to crack down with the weight of government and the courts on something certain people find offensive? Here’s another test case from Turkey.
The Libertarian Futurist Society has announced the finalists for the 2013 Prometheus Award, first awarded in 1979 and annually since 1982.
The finalists in the Best Novel category of this year’s Prometheus Award, for the best pro-freedom novel of 2013 are (in alphabetical order by author):
- Arctic Rising, by Tobias Buckell (TOR Books)
- The Unincorporated Future, by Dani and Eytan Kollin (TOR Books)
- Pirate Cinema, by Cory Doctorow (TOR Books)
- Darkship Renegades, by Sarah Hoyt (Baen Books)
- Kill Decision, by Daniel Suarez (Dutton – Penguin)
The finalists for the Prometheus Hall of Fame award for Best Classic Fiction are:
- “Sam Hall”, by Poul Anderson (a short story, published 1953 in Astounding)
- Falling Free, by Lois McMaster Bujold (a novel, published 1988)
- “‘Repent, Harlequin!’ Said the Ticktockman”, by Harlan Ellison (a short story, published 1965 in Galaxy)
- Courtship Rite, by Donald M. Kingsbury (a novel, published 1982)
- “As Easy as A.B.C.”, by Rudyard Kipling (a short story, published in London Magazine in 1912)
- Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson (a novel, published 1999)
Watch The National perform some songs from their forthcoming album.
[Update 4/8/2013] And now a quality recording of a song from the new album, Demons.
Fascinating story about the potential real gold ring source for J.R.R. Tolkien’s one ring from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Sounds almost too good to be true, but what’s a neat story if true. Shows how something simple and physical can inspire a tale of fantasy. A cursed ring, indeed.
Over at NPR the economics debate between libertarian John Papola and Keynesian James Livingston continues, with a rebuttal from Papola. For a recap, watch the classic rap video econ-off between Hayek and Keynes that Papola created a few years ago, “Fear the Boom and Bust.”
Book news round-up from NPR, including mention of a publishing company planning to bring back forgotten young adult novels from the 1930s onward.
Positive run-down on the Arthur C. Clarke Award shortlist, which seems fairly well-represented by dystopian fiction this year. Glad to see Ken MacLeod’s Intrusion among the books, even a front-runner, possibly.
From reason.tv, a video interview with Peter Bagge about his new graphic novel, Reset.
