Sci-Friday Review December 13, 2024
Science fiction is a fascinating genre. For one thing, because it includes so many sub-genres, and so much mixing of the sub-genres. Time travel, Lit-RPG, aliens, cultures, advanced tech, a time after advanced tech, utopias, dystopias, utopias which are really dystopias, hard sci-fi, soft sci-fi, space opera… it is a big list.
And lots of these are here on Substack. And you can find some of them. But not easily. So I have decided to try to make a list, check it twice (not really, I suffer from whatever the opposite of OCD is), and post it here. In two parts: static lists of authors and sources, and recent publications that have crossed by desk.
I am completely open to having people comment and adding their works to my list. This list is not moderated, in the sense I haven’t read a tithe of it. It is moderated, in the sense that there are things I will not link to.
The Library
“The Library” is a great place to go to find Substack books to read. They even have a specifically Science Fiction section. “The Writings” also has a list of authors and editors.
Sci-Friday
Sci-Friday is a great group to join to find science fiction. I have tried to list below some of the authors who participate. Again, I am perfectly willing to add authors to this list.
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This Week in Sci-Fi
Science fiction is something that could happen - but usually you wouldn't want it to.
Fantasy is something that couldn't happen - though often you only wish that it could.
― Arthur C. Clarke
Especially because I’m part of ‘Sci-Friday’ I get sent a variety of posts about science and science fiction. Full confession, I’m so busy writing that I haven’t read them all. If you wish your post to be included, make sure you tag me. I do not limit myself to a ‘recent’ post, if you have one from two years ago that you want included, DM or tag me. If I missed you, DM me.
https://thesingularitychronicles.com/shop/human-behavior-psychology-and-personal-development/elephant-riding/
My Works
I love writing science fiction. I find it a marvellous vehicle for exploring culture and morality. We live in an era of shifting cultures and shades of grey. Well done science fiction (along with well-done fantasy) allows the author to paint in different colours, bringing out an evil tyrant, or a loving step-mother. To take the rules of inheritance and turn them on their head, or to explore what a society would like like with different sexual ethics and marriage rules.
I am currently posting three different Science Fiction stories, two of which seem like science fiction. In all of them I explore different cultures, aided by different physical environments. A spaceship doesn’t make the man, but we can see something of the man by how he lives on the spaceship.
I’m going to try to start separating these into categories. Right now I have: Essays (ie talking about sci-fi), hard sci-fi, space opera, cultural sci-fi… and am trying to think of more.
Note: I’m going to be out of town on Friday, so I hope to be able to put some of the offerings in the post. If I miss yours, please, put it in the comments!!
Contract Marriage
Contract marriage is an adult dystopia examining the issues of marriage. Like 1984 and Brave New World, Contract Marriage treats the relations between the sexes as a fundamental aspect of how a society is formed and, thus, how a society can go wrong.
Unlike those dystopias, Contract Marriage isn’t all horrible all of the time. The characters for the most part have a good time and get along in their society. But the issues of sexuality, of marriage or not, monogamy or not, faithfulness or not, and gender roles… keep coming up and causing tension and conflict and joy and pain.
My desire is that my readers would be thinking along with my characters about these issues and perhaps even arrive at the same place (minus the flying cars).
Article 17
She was pretty, popular, snobby, and a planetary governor’s daughter. He was the son of shopkeepers, a social misfit, and a decorated hero. She thought she was there to dance. He had other ideas.
Article 17 is a military science fiction story with aliens and romance. It is set in a future reminiscent of Napoleon era Britain. The war was going very poorly until the military installed a dictator. This story follows one of the dictator’s great men: Cladin Tomirosh, Leader, and thrice decorated hero.
Island Peoples
Island People is a young adult fantasy (but really science fiction) series centring on a young prince. The book starts with his kidnapping and follows his adventures as he not only escapes from his kidnapper but gains critical allies and friends.
Our current story, the third story in the series, concerns a young Dwarf headed out to a new colony, who is upset that he can’t swim. So he ropes in a gang to help him.
These entire books are scheduled on Substack. All of them are in a bit of a rough form, I am posting them as I write them, or I am posting from old copies. Critiques and comments are more than welcome, they are requested. When these are posted I have a dozen more stories to post.
Restore
A book that wouldn’t leave my brain and so I decided to type some of it in (237k words so far) is ‘Restore’. The original idea was a boy caught in a time loop, where he basically redid four years of his life over and over until he got it right. Then it got all science fictiony and political… kept the four years bit, though.
This scene comes three loops in. Twice he has gone through the agony of watching his best friends mother die of cancer…
“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming,” I said, putting down my book and getting up. “Sorry. I would have met you on the street but I got caught up in that book.”
“I still can’t believe that you homeschool yourself!” Amic said, as we walked downstairs.
“It’s fun,” I said.
“Well, I wouldn’t have the discipline.”
“How did school go?” I asked him.
“Oh, fine. I wish I had your gift of imagination. Crazy English teacher just says, “Two thousand words about an eagle that gets lost,” I and I’m the one thats lost. I bet you could come up with a story in an instant.”
“Sure. Young eagle, obviously. Hasn’t been out of the nest long, and is flying up high, higher than his mother said he should go. Pop up storm comes in, he wasn’t paying attention, and he is blown away from home. Crash lands in some girls back yard, she nurse him back to health and, voila, story.”
“You are insane!” he said. “How do you do that? I’ve got to get home and take notes.”
“That really was your assignment?” I asked him as we came in the door.
“Yes! And now I have a story.”
“Well, you still have to write it,” I said, as he pelted up the stairs. I walked by myself into the kitchen and was hit, again, with the upcoming tragedy of Mrs O'brian. I guess I must have stared a little too intsensely because she said,
“Seun, what are you looking at?”
And it hit me! My brain was so boiling over with it that I didn’t even answer right away, which helped.
“I don’t know, Mrs O'brian.”
“Why are you staring at my mother, Seun?!” Amic asked me.
“I don’t know. Its just… something. I can’t even put my finger on it. (Which was, obviously, true, since I was making it up.) Have you been feeling all right, Mrs O'brian?”
And… she flushed. She didn’t just deny it or anything, and for all I knew she had been feeling fine. She flushed and Amic said, “Mom? Are you sick?”
“I… I don’t know. I haven’t been feeling quite myself recently. I didn’t know it showed.”
“Well, I didn’t notice it, but you need to go to the doctor!”
“Oh, Amic, you know how I hate to go to the doctor.”
“Yeah, yeah, that jerk when you were a kid. But not all doctors are like that. I can go with you. Or dad. Or even Trenia or something. But you need to go.”
“I’m sure I’ll feel better…”
“No, Mom. You need to text right now to make an appointment. How long have you been feeling bad?”
“I haven’t been feeling ‘bad’ exactly, just a little…”
“How. Long?”
“A few weeks…”
“Mom! You get on the phone right now. Seun and I will go with you. I’ll even go in when you get examined. That’s the new law. Seun was telling me about it the other day.”
“Well, if you think…”
“I do think, Mother. And if you don’t I’ll…”
“But the kids.”
“I’ll get Trenia over,” I said. “She loves to babysit. You just make that appointment. I don’t know what it is,” I said, trying to help Amic, “but you look really off somehow.”
“Mom!”
“Oh, very well. You’ll both come with me?”
“Of course
I got on my phone:
Seun: Get over to Amic’s. We’re taking his mom to the doctor!
Trenia: On my way! What’s Wrong?!?!
Seun: Not sure. Making appointment now. Get over here.
Trenia: I’m at the door
Seun: Well, open the door!
It was a few seconds before the door actually opened and Trenia rushed in, breathless. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Oh, Dear, I just haven’t been feeling well for the last few, umm, weeks.”
“Well, you look awful,” Trenia said. “Where are the kids?”
“Up napping, actually.”
“I’ve got this, you all get going.”
“Such a rush,” Mrs O'brian said but, between the two of us, we got her out the door and into a passing share car.
Beta Reading
I love beta reading. I won’t read just anything, but I am a very harsh critic. So if that’s what you’re looking for, feel free to DM me, or comment below, and maybe we can arrange something.
Science and Science Fiction
In this sub-species [of science fiction] the author leaps forward into an imagined future when planetary, sidereal, or even galactic travel has become common. Against this huge backcloth he then proceeds to develop an ordinary love-story, spy-story, wreck-story, or crime-story. This seems to me tasteless. Whatever in a work of art is not used is doing harm. The faintly imagined, and sometimes strictly unimagineable, scene and properties, only blur the real theme and distract us from any interest it might have had.
…
A leap into the future, a rapid assumption of all the changes which are feigned to have occurred, is a legitimate 'machine' if it enables the author to develop a story of real value which could not have been told (or not so economically) in any other way.
― C.S. Lewis, On Stories: And Other Essays on Literature
Science, properly done, can be a fascinating study. Science Fiction can be a fascinating vehicle for a story. It isn’t all good, some of it is drivel, some of it nonsense, and some of it flat out evil. But Science Fiction can be, used right, a fascinating vehicle for promoting truth.
As I said above, please feel free to comment and add current works or good resources. I won’t guarantee to add everything, but I’ll give it a look.
#Sci-Friday, #ScienceFiction, #Sci-Fi
Thank you for reading Von’s Substack. I would love it if you commented! I love hearing from readers, especially critical comments. I would love to start more letter exchanges, so if there’s a subject you’re interested in, get writing and tag me!
Being ‘restacked’ and mentioned in ‘notes’ is very important for lesser-known stacks so… feel free! I’m semi-retired and write as a ministry (and for fun) so you don’t need to feel guilty you aren’t paying for anything, but if you enjoy my writing (even if you dramatically disagree with it), then restack, please! Or mention me in one of your own posts.
If I don’t write you back it is almost certain that I didn’t see it, so please feel free to comment and link to your post. Or if you just think I would be interested in your post!
If you get lost, check out my ‘Table of Contents’ which I try to keep up to date.
Von also writes as ‘Arthur Yeomans’. Under that name he writes children’s, YA, and adult fiction from a Christian perspective. His books include:
The Bobtails meet the Preacher’s Kid
and
Arthur also has a substack, and a website.
Thanks again, God Bless, Soli Deo gloria,
Von
