The Game-Changers (part 4): Science Fiction

"In Science Fiction, we dream." - Ray Bradbury

I must begin by admitting that I was enamored of and ensnared by fantasy long before I ventured into science fiction. It once seemed cold to me, too bound up in metal and the darkness of the spaces between the stars to allow for human concerns. Yet, I was influenced by science fiction quite early, without realizing it, when shows like Dino-Riders and He-Man and the Masters of the Universe melded fantasy's magic with science fiction's technology... without seeming contradiction. I didn't even realize how much science fiction had entered into my own writing until I told a professor about my novel and he said, "It sounds like you're staging a fight between genres - science fiction against fantasy." Who knew? Below, you'll find those science fiction titles that continue to resonate with me!

I could include Bradbury under a number of headings (fiction, horror, fantasy) but I think he most often thought of himself as a science fiction writer. I don't think I've ever encountered a better writer for the short story form; his descriptions are positively luminous. This is my favorite collection of his work; I often curl up with favorite stories on rainy nights!

I have no idea what drew me to Vurt in the first place, but I've never gotten its strangeness - its images - out of my head, so I recommend it as a story that will trouble you, get under your skin, and stay with you like the feathers to which its characters are addicted!

 All scholars, especially those who teach English, should probably own a copy of these two. They imagine a universe that's being written out, erased, and over-written like text, a universe in which characters have multiple destinies unfolding on different "folds" or pages. Wildly different from anything else I've ever read, and heartbreaking at times, these ones make me madly envious as a writer!

 I've mentioned before that I once considered Star Trek that corner of nerdom where I was boldly refusing to go, but it snared me in the end, even unto reading the novels! Prime Directive is my favorite for story and I love The Return because it shows that Shatner and I have something in common -- we can't let a good character go!

As a runner up, I must mention the ghastly, purple prose, overdone, The Price of the Phoenix, in which fan fiction sneaks its way into publication. I don't love because it's good; I love it because it demonstrates the strength of the Kirk/Spock myth and its pull on the imagination of others besides myself. Hey, even Roddenberry himself had that little t'hy'la footnote (just sayin')!

For those unfamiliar with the Kirk/Spock myth, it looks a little something like this! :) If you want a better explanation, I'm fond of this article by Henry Jenkins!

And I'm ending things with a book I just finished. It was so freaking adorable that it rekindled my faith in the whole damn genre, and I've been recommending it to everyone I can think of. Chambers creates an entire cast of believable characters that really resonate, while navigating concerns about species, sexuality, and space travel -- and being humorous on top of that! My writerly hat goes off to her in a very respectful sweep! If you have any flickering of interest in science fiction at all, this one's for you!