In science fiction, whenever two characters from different planets or different alien races have to interact with each other, they almost always speak the same language or have some sort of universal translator that magically makes them able to communicate with minimal misunderstandings. This is especially common in Star Trek, though it happens in just… Continue reading U is for Universal Translator
Tag: aliens
A is for Aliens
Alien races–what would science fiction be without them? They’re as fundamental to the genre as elves and dwarves are to fantasy. If you’re reading a book and an alien being from another planet shows up on the page, that in itself is usually enough to make the story science fiction. My first exposure to aliens… Continue reading A is for Aliens
Vortex by Robert Charles Wilson
Almost seventy years ago, the mysterious alien beings known as the Hypotheticals encased Earth in a force field and built a network of giant arches facilitating overland travel to other habitable planets. With access to the fossil fuel resources of half a dozen worlds, humanity is slowly killing its homeworld, even as it expands to… Continue reading Vortex by Robert Charles Wilson
What have you learned from reading science fiction?
While trolling around the new Facebook questions app, I came across this interesting question. Unable to resist, I spent the next hour crafting my answer. This is what I wrote: Gosh, what HAVEN’T I learned from science fiction? Because of science fiction, I do not fear the alien. I do not feel threatened by people… Continue reading What have you learned from reading science fiction?
The Madness Season by C. S. Friedman
In the 21st century, Earth was conquered by an alien collective consciousness known as the Tyr. Now, five hundred years later, humankind has been scattered across the Tyr-occupied worlds as slaves. It is a dark and uncertain existence, under the rule of masters who do not care whether their charges live or die. For the… Continue reading The Madness Season by C. S. Friedman
Take me to Arabia
Recently, I’ve found myself nearly overwhelmed by the sudden urge to run away to the Middle East and go totally and irrevocably native. It may pass, but I still want to go back there–really bad. So I looked up BYU’s TESOL certification program, and figured I could apply in January, start fall of ’11, and… Continue reading Take me to Arabia
Old story notebook, part 2
Alright, here is the second part of my oldest story notebook, the one that I just found a couple days ago. These ideas date from 2007 when I started pursuing writing as more than a hobby, up to the summer of 2008 when I went to Jordan on the BYU study abroad program. The Singularity:… Continue reading Old story notebook, part 2
Why I love Robert Charles Wilson
From Mysterium, which I plan to review here soon: “Do you ever wonder, Howard, about the questions we can’t ask? “Can’t answer, you mean? “No. Can’t ask.” “I don’t understand.” Stern leaned back in his deck chair and folded his hands over his gaunt, ascetic frame. His glasses were opaque in the porch light. The… Continue reading Why I love Robert Charles Wilson
GRRRROOOSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!
Spin by Robert Charles Wilson
What would you do if you knew that the world was going to end in the next thirty years? That one day, before the end of your natural lifespan, the oceans will boil and the forests burst into flames, and life on this planet will come to an end? That you, your children, and even… Continue reading Spin by Robert Charles Wilson