Sci-Friday Review December 27, 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.
, , , , , ,, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,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.
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, making friends.
Two For
Not being published yet, in the queue after some of the current books, is my story ‘Two For’. A colony that has gone just a bit primitive. High tech is allowed, but heavily taxed. And there are these aliens…
Feel free to DM me if you want more info about this story, or to start reading it:
It was an oddly cold day. Lorcan and his uncle Farsten walked down the street. He was glad to get out of the house, glad that clan headquarters was an hour’s walk away. He and his uncle had been cooped up in his father’s office for a day and a half working on his proposal and so Lorcan had jumped at the chance when his uncle had proposed they get pre-authorization for his desired army speciality.
So the cold wind blowing in off the ocean didn’t bother him. And now that they were off their own street he wasn’t embrassed either. Everyone on their street knew what he was working on, and had shouted some crude comments as they walked, but here, in the city proper no one knew why he was on this walk with his uncle, or even that he was his uncle. Walking together they looked like pretty much any other people abroad on business. He could be an apprentice in his uncle’s shop.
He liked to walk in the new city, pretty much anywhere, but he particularly loved business districts. The buildings were all at least three stories, all mostly the same slate grey, with strong doors below, strong windows above, but not as strongly built as houses were… no families to protect. A hopper wave here would be forced to work through armed men firing down stone corridors even if they did get in. He couldn’t remember the last time a hopper had killed anyone in the heart of the new city.
“Here it is,” his uncle said, breaking his reverie.
Lorcan looked. It was a building like so many others they had passed, stone faced, five stories tall, and a smattering of people coming in and out of it. The only difference he saw was the Crencha beast emblem, the emblem of their clan, beside the main door.
He followed his uncle in, looking freely about. If had been an apprentice he would have been expected to be looking about, learning where everything was. And he didn’t see how it could be embarrassing to do so now.
“Excuse me,” his uncle said to the clerk at the desk in the lobby, “We’re looking for the army liaison.”
“Second floor back office,” the clerk said. “Going out for the army, lad?” he asked, looking at Lorcan.
“Yes,” Lorcan said, “Working for an exchange.”
“Good for thee,” the clerk said. “Onward the clan.”
“Onward the clan,” Lorcan echoed, and then followed his uncle up the stairs.
The door marked ‘Army Liaison’ was open, and all that was in the room was an older man in an army uniform sitting behind a desk, a table really, with a few papers scattered over it.
“Good morning,” the older man said, coming forward, gripping their wrists, and waving them to chairs. “How can I help you?”
“We’re writing an exchange and a proposal,” his uncle said, “And wish to get pre-authorization.”
“Ah, wise. Much more likely to get a good exchange that way. I hear some lasses put the specialty right down in the proposal. I hear that first drop can bring a good match…?” He asked, looking at Lorcan. “What specialty doest thou want? A few tests and we can see if thou wilt qualify.”
“I want to go for Far Colonist,” Lorcan said, and the man sat back, stunned.
“I can tell thee without moving a step that thou wilt be accepted for that!” He said. “We take scum of the earth for that. Had one in just this morning, brought from the prisons. Won’t even sully my mouth telling you what he did, but he got shipped off the same hour.”
There was a pause, then, “Art thou sure, lad? Tis a very lonely life.”
“I like research,” Lorcan said. “I read through all of the specialities and it seems to fit the most in a couple of ways. I haven’t done any farming, but I really like the idea of seeing how various plants work out on a brand new planet.”
The man shook his head slowly, “Never did think of it like that myself, but that makes some sense. Assuming thou survive. Which, come to think of it, married men tend to do. Forward colonist has a high death rate, almost the highest, but that is mostly unmarried men. No one to watch their backs, get caught out by the hoppers…”
“Anyway, I’ll have you a pre-authorization written out in an instant. Have forms already mostly done, just have to fill in the name and the specialty. Then you’ll go downstairs and get it sealed up all right and proper.”
The man pulled out some papers and Lorcan let his eyes wander to the walls, which were full of charts and graphs, and even star maps. His eyes were drawn to one, entitled, “Financial opportunities in the Armed Services.”
The man was still busy so Lorcan got quietly up and looked at it.
Top Paying Army Specialties
Scout: Estimated total Earnings/20 year term: 200,000
Earned by: Divide 10% of all land sold profits (Estimated time on planet, three months)
Creeper: Divide 10% of all land sold profits (Estimated time on planet, four months)
Forward Colonist: 0% interest in land sold, Variable profit from land developed (Estimated time on planet, two years)
Forward Sentry: Divide 30% of all land sold profits (Estimated time on planet, three years)
Engineer: Divide 20% of all land sold profits (Estimated time on planet, seven years three months)
“I’ve walked many a lad through that chart,” the man said, startling Lorcan. “I always skip right over Forward Colonist. Practically all prisoners. It’s been right there in front of my nose the whole time, though.
Think on it, lad. Most people that join the army why, they have to provide food and housing for their family. But those specialities, including yours, get given that free! A tremendous start to making your fortune.”
Lorcan nodded nervously and went and sat back down.
—
After they got the document sealed, and were back in the street, Lorcan turned to his uncle. “Uncle, wasn’t that man an army officer?”
“Aye, all but retired, quiet office job.”
“Why was he using street language with us? Aren’t officers at least shop class?”
“Ah, yes, lad. But the army uses street language for the most part. They won’t insist on it, only shop class tend to do much insisting for language use, but it is the regular thing. Everyone in the army, most of the time. The navy tends toward street class for the men and crystal class for the officers, or the upper ones. Not as much use of shop language in the navy, at least, well, those dealing with goods tend more toward that.”
He looked at Lorcan, “Are you willing to marry a street class wife? It’s a common thing if you go for the army. Some of the best street class lasses go for the exchange, better their families.”
“I’ve been thinking about it and I think I need to leave myself as open as possible in that area.”
His uncle shook his head, “You’re an odd lad. Most lads at this point are still talking about what measurements they want in a lass. You’ll do the family proud, lad, I’ve no doubt of that.”
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.
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
Ah, I see, here’s one list of Sci-Friday participants — not as large as mine, but I do see folks here who aren’t on my list.
I appreciate your review (and being included on it), Von. I’m thinking of trying to collect up names and curate a tag list all in one place. Not a review like yours, just a list of participants, so folks have an easier time finding other folks as well as opting in or out of Sci-Friday. Do you know if anyone keeps a comprehensive list somewhere already?
Thanks for staying on top of this!