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
This is a repeat of an article I originally posted at Amazing Stories. There have already been a lot of scientists and science popularizers and others looking at the science of Christopher Nolan’s ambitious film Interstellar. Kip Thorne, the eminent Caltech scientist powering much of the science, has written a book and there’s even a […]
Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments »>I took the weekend off the big proposal deadline Friday. I’ll do a starlinks post soon, but in the meantime, the video of my recent talk in Gillette, WY, on the science of superheroes is now available. Enjoy! Comments welcome. Share/Bookmark
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »>I have my interview up at Amazing Stories today. Why not click through there, read it, and leave a comment if so motivated? Share/Bookmark
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »>To take the 50 question test below, give yourself two points when you answer “yes” to the questions below beginning, “Have you ever…” 1. Attended a small (< 2000 people) science fiction convention? 2. Attended a one of the major science fiction conventions (e.g, Worldcon, Dragon*con)? 3. Attended a Comic-Con or media-oriented Convention (e.g. Shoreleave)? […]
Posted in Uncategorized | 10 Comments »>I am inspired today by Starship Century, a symposium at UCSD May 21-22, involving Gregory Benford, David Brin, Geoffrey Landis, Joe Haldeman, Neal Stephenson, Alan Steele, etc., almost everyone you might think of from the science fiction side, and a lot of folks involved from the science side (Freeman Dyson, Robert Zubrin, John Cramer, etc.). […]
Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments »>What’s wrong with giant bugs? Or human bodies exploding in the vacuum of space? Or the answers to any of a bunch of other questions science fiction writers need to know to craft their story? I’ve written blog posts about some of these in the past, but started noticing videos with similar explanations and thought […]
Posted in Uncategorized | 15 Comments »>This is a repeat of a post that just went up earlier today at Amazing Stories. I encourage you to check out the link and join the conversation over there. Feel free to comment here, too, of course! Onward… Recently I wrote about eight science fiction tropes of convenience, mainly about unlikely or impossible technology […]
Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments »>There are a number of tropes that I see popping up over and over in science fiction, even though they are not very scientifically plausible and border on the impossible given our current understanding. They are used and will continue to be used, especially in movies and tv, because they’re very convenient. I find it […]
Posted in Uncategorized | 13 Comments »>I did a list for SFWA, all of which feature physics and/or astronomy. Without all the introductions and discussion, here’s the list: 1. Mission of Gravity by Hal Clement 2. The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Clarke 3. Ringworld by Larry Niven 4. Dragon’s Egg by Robert Forward 5. Timescape by Gregory Benford 6. The Black Cloud by Fred Hoyle 7. Tau Zero by Poul Anderson 8. The Moon […]
Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »>The reason we’ve probably never seen a dramatic TV series involving scientists in the tradition of ER or CSI or Newsroom is that the actual work is usual tedious, boring to most non-experts, with low stakes most of the time (cancer doesn’t get cured every week, or even nearly cured). This is also the reason […]
Posted in Uncategorized | 8 Comments »>I came across a kindred spirit today, finding an article titled 10 Classic Mistakes in Sci-Fi Movies. His list takes some well deserved but easy potshots at some large targets, and perhaps more tv shows than movies. 1. Aliens Speak English, often without evidence of translators or any previous interaction with modern English-speaking humans. Let’s […]
Posted in Uncategorized | 6 Comments »>In the past I would have called him a “stupid smart person,” but I’m moving away from that term, I think, as it’s too prejudicial, in favor of being more specific. Ridley is primarily a writer doing various sorts of science journalism, and definitely a smart guy, but also something of a provocateur. Controversy brings […]
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