Science vs Science Fiction
Something that is always in the back of my mind when I’m writing science fiction is not wanting to write derivative material. With so many interesting ideas that have been popularised for decades this is often an issue. Pondering on it on the bus today however, I was reminded of how it isn’t just advances in science that influence science fiction but also vice versa. Many authors have coined terms and explored concepts which the scientific community are considering seriously now. So with that in mind, perhaps certain ideas that have become what could be considered hallmarks of scifi should not be avoided but rather regarded as what they are. Well thought out, practical examples of good hard science fiction predictions.
The next story we’re writing for the Future Perfect series (after Africa Rising which we’re currently working on) follows the development of artificial intelligence, while this area has of course been featured in a number of distinguished works I feel there is still lots to explore. Some of the concepts I’ve not encountered before and I find an interesting implementation. The characterisation of the AI is something I’ve been having a little difficulty with, Clarke’s 2001 of course is renowned for its depiction of the malfunctioning pyschotic AI, while the recent film Moon likewise features a malfunctioning AI but in a different light. With the characterisation I hope to avoid the traditional depictions and find something new, which I believe there is ample room for (I just need to find it!)





I’m currently playing through the original Mass Effect on Xbox 360 (of course.) Enjoying it so far, but the game could do with a much clearer objective system and some of the combat feels a little counter-intuitive. Apparently the sequel fixed a lot of these issues, so I’ve got that to look forward to.