tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18991145.post8456424001394199341..comments2023-10-09T09:11:58.065+00:00Comments on Ben's Blog: Life is too short for bad fictionBenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02152545728675983286noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18991145.post-87234686392885616942010-03-10T21:13:32.814+00:002010-03-10T21:13:32.814+00:00I'd like to second Mr Anonymous in agreeing th...I'd like to second Mr Anonymous in agreeing that you have made many excellent points. <br /><br />Having said that I still feel that you haven't followed through your observations to reveal the nub of what is so great about certain SF. You know, the stuff that does manage to explore a SF idea to its deserved depth. It's the depth itself. <br /><br />Maybe Mr A has already said this quite concisely with "It's not 'proper' SF if the science isn't part of it", but it gets my wick to so I feel like a bit of a rant.<br /><br />So much SF is basically the same script as Neighbour and just happens to be on a spaceship (give or take a tentacle or two) and has correspondingly as much SF depth as when Bouncer learned to read minds.<br /><br />The great SF essentially devotes the whole story and the purpose of every character to exploring the one SF idea. Blade Runner is a great example. The flying cars were not explored because we had our brains full enough with the who was and wasn't human, and did it matter. <br /><br />Even in DW (before he started fancying his companions) there was a main SF idea that would allow us to compare our cosy lives to an alien tech/moral/way-of-life. And then they would be chased down corridors.<br /><br />But then what is a SF idea? Does it have to be an original idea or can it be the rehash of an old story but this time with 3D dragon-riding tree-loving giant smurfs?<br /><br />I think I'll enjoy a SF idea that isn't just an excuse to use tackyon beam and actually makes me think; much the same things that make me enjoy any story really.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12831219957679570796noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18991145.post-30971492691306571902010-03-08T17:16:39.706+00:002010-03-08T17:16:39.706+00:00I had a prolonged debate with a friend about the n...I had a prolonged debate with a friend about the need for logic / science in fiction, particularly games - I thought it was a bit silly for the ultimate bad guy in a science-fiction story to be big and strong when the actual conflicts he's feared for are fought with antimatter weaponry and glassing the site from orbit.<br /><br />My main criticism was one of your (many, excellent) points - that science fiction often throws in a concept (replicators, transporters, FTL comms) but doesn't bother the explore the consequences at all, and what I felt was 'purer' SF would be more concerned with "how would man-portable antimatter tech change the world?" than "how will Gideon Gorgonzola defeat the Emperor's antimatter suit?". It's not 'proper' SF if the science isn't part of it, just like 'proper' crime fiction is about the criminals and the crimes not the detective's love-life.<br /><br />That's pretty OT, mind...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com