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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Academia and writing are two systems where mentors are still common, something like the old system of Apprentice/Journeyman/Master. I think in nearly every field of individual excellence that requires serious expertise, you’ll find mentors. Tiger Wood’s had his dad teaching him golf. The Polgar sisters had rigorous chess coaching. Every scientist these days has or […]
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »>When I was about six or so, I realized that what separated humans from other animals was our intelligence rather than our physical capabilities. Sure, there are other differences, such as the degree of tool use, or the social aspects of our species and how we employ culture and altruism to lead to ever increasing […]
Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments »>One of my more popular posts is Five Qualities Required to be a Scientist. In response, I get a lot of comments and email from kids / teenagers who want advice about how to become a scientist. Now, as a practical matter, being a scientist is like being a writer. No one makes you into […]
Posted in Uncategorized | 32 Comments »>Continuing to think about science this week… A lot of people think they know what science is, and some of them are quite smart and generally well informed, but not on this topic. Let me give an a common misconception: Many people think that there is a progress of scientific knowledge that progresses from hypothesis […]
Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments »>As I look over my list of topics I want to write about soon, it’s clear that I’m thinking a lot about science at the moment. I’m a scientist and do science on a daily basis, or struggle to anyway, but I’ve had a lot of triggers to write about several aspects of science. I’ve […]
Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments »>I wanted to point out two great articles standing up for things I think are wonderful and positive. First, John DeNardo of sfsignal.com writes a thoughtful and balanced positive plea to literary types to read science fiction, in particular knocking down a number of misconceptions that might make some pass. This is the kind of […]
Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments »>In astronomy, and most academic fields, research is published in so-called “peer reviewed” journals. These are the publications that count. At least one other scientist, and sometimes several depending on the field, has reviewed all the papers. That review process means an expert in the field has decided that the research is worth publishing and […]
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »>Scientists and writers take on a burden few others do (although a few other professions have it as bad or worse). They accept that in order to have success in their careers, or just to maintain a longterm career, they will experience intense and frequent criticism. That criticism, when done professionally and with insight, can […]
Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments »>Over on his blog, Jay Lake posted a link to this flowchart showing the scientific process. LOVE IT! It’s funny because it’s true… Every astronomer I’ve shared it with has loved it (one I overheard laughing out loud two offices away). And I just finished working on a NASA proposal to study the hot dust […]
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »>Apparently it’s me: Call Michael Brotherton the Roger Ebert of science fiction movies. Known for his work relating to the study of supermassive black holes in the centers of galaxies, he also diligently pursues another passion: checking if the science is right in movies. An associate professor of astronomy at the University of Wyoming, Brotherton […]
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »>Like me, you may have seen the commercials or trailers for the new movie Limitless coming out in a couple of weeks: It looks like a cool movie. I’ve always loved science fiction about increasing intelligence (e.g., the excellent “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes made into the pretty good movie Charley). However, like me, […]
Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »>A friend sent me a link to an article at Physics Today about The Big Bang Theory. The premise of the article was to ask if the comedy could do more than make people laugh, and to propose it could educate them at the same time. Here is the lead: Could scientists help the cause […]
Posted in Uncategorized | 8 Comments »>