Spider Star
The human colony on the planet Argo has long explored and exploited the technology left behind by an extinct alien race. But then an archaeology team accidentally activates a terrible weapon...
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"Seldom does a storytelling talent come along as potent and fully mature as Mike Brotherton. His complex characters take you on a voyage that is both fiercely credible and astonishingly imaginative. This is Science Fiction."
-- David Brin"Star Dragon is terrific fare, offering readers a fusion of hard science and grand adventure."
-- Locus Magazine"Star Dragon is steeped in cosmology, the physics of interstellar travel, exobiology, artificial intelligence, bioscience. Brotherton, author of many scientific articles in refereed journals, has written a dramatic, provocative, utterly convincing hard science sf novel that includes an ironic twist that fans will love."
-- Booklist starred review"Readers hungry for the thought-provoking extrapolation and rigorous technical detail of old-fashioned hard SF are sure to enjoy astronomer Brotherton's first novel."
-- Publishers Weekly"Mike Brotherton, himself a trained astrophysicist, combines the technical acuity and ingenuity of Robert Forward with the ironic, postmodern stance and style of M. John Harrison. In this, his debut novel, those twin talents unite to produce a work that is involving on any number of levels. It's just about all you could ask for in a hardcore SF adventure."
-- Paul di Fillippo, SCI-FI.COM
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American Film Institute’s Top 10 Science Fiction Films: A Cultural Failure?
June 17th, 2008
There’s a TV special on tonight with AFI’s 10 Top 10 films, covering ten genres. I’ll skip ahead to give and discuss just the science fiction:
Science Fiction
Rank  |
Film |
Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | 2001: A Space Odyssey | 1968 |
| 2. | Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope | 1977 |
| 3. | E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial | 1982 |
| 4. | A Clockwork Orange | 1971 |
| 5. | The Day the Earth Stood Still | 1951 |
| 6. | Blade Runner | 1982 |
| 7. | Alien | 1979 |
| 8. | Terminator 2: Judgment Day | 1991 |
| 9. | Invasion of the Body Snatchers | 1956 |
| 10. | Back to the Future | 1985 |
OK, I’ve seen them all, and agree with a lot of the choices. Even most of the ones that I disagree with, I have to admit that there’s a case to be made.
I’d toss Back to the Future, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and replace Star Wars with The Empire Strikes Back. I’d add Aliens and Contact, and do some reordering, potentially moving a few more onto the list. Maybe Gattaca, the Terminator, the Matrix…
You know something sad, though? With the exceptions of 2001, A Clockwork Orange, and perhaps Blade Runner, I don’t know that I can say these movies compete with most of the others on the other top 10 lists (except for the animation category, which also seems weak). Now, Alien and T2 are fine movies, but they’re not moving or classics at quite the level of so many other categories. I mean, here are the number 10 movies in the other categories: Finding Nemo, Big, Jerry McGuire, Cat Ballou, Scarface, The Usual Suspects, Sleepless in Seattle, Judgment at Nuremburg, and the Ten Commandments. Compare those with Back to the Future with its theme park rides, Huey Lewis soundtrack, and Michael J. Fox’s less than Oscar-winning performance.
I guess I’m griping that there aren’t more great science fiction films. So many seem so small, so focused on the special effects, on a snappy plot over deeper meaning. I suspect that many movie makers just try to make a “sci-fi flick” rather a great movie.
Well, suppose I’m just griping. I love science fiction. I love movies. Too few science fiction movies seem to hit the mark of greatness. I mean, really, Back to the Future is a fun movie but is it really one of the ten best of the genre ever made?! If it is, there’s been a massive cultural failure.
Looking at AFI’s top 100 list issued in 1998, we have Star Wars at 15, 2001 at 22, ET at 25, Dr. Strangelove at 26, A Clockwork Orange at 46, Close Encounters of the Third Kind at 64, and Frankenstein at 87. There are a number of fantasy films I haven’t listed, but I wouldn’t call Star Wars at 15 a top showing.
Now, lists like these are subjective by nature, but there’s been nothing close to The Godfather of science fiction, and I don’t see any reason why there couldn’t be except that perhaps no one is even trying.
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Pah! A pox on their list. Where is ‘Lathe of Heaven’ (WNET version) or ‘Slaughterhouse Five’? I suspect the ratings have more to do with box-office take than artistic merit.
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