Science Forums 2

[Moontanman]

I can agree, the best science fiction is written by scientists. I like hard science fiction but soft or science fantasy is good too if it's written well. Star Trek which I love dearly in all it's many different versions is really science fantasy, they include real science when possible but most of it is tecno-babble. Larry Niven is a very good writer, he has some of the most outrageous premises of any author but it's still hard science fiction. His "the Integral Trees" is just wild and is based on real science. Others like John Varley and his trilogy Titan, Wizard, and Demon stay inside the realms of real science and the solar system to write a book of epic proportions. "Across Real Time" by Vernor Vinge is a great time travel book but not the type of time travel you expect. Then of course you have post apocalyptic novels like Hieros Journey by Sterling E Lanier, Great writing but weak on science with ever really violating the laws of science. I rather like alternate time line novels like the Draka novels by S.M. Stirling. Science fiction is often used by scientists to show case a new theory or a new way to look at the Universe or use new technology. Robert L Forwards "Dragons Egg" is an example of this.

Oh one more thing, from what I've noticed i would say that science fantasy does a better job of predicting the future than hard science fiction, As in Star Trek and cell phones, personal computers, talking computers, beam weapons, antimatter, and various other small items. None of the really big stuff like warp drive or transporters has cone true yet but Hawking says he's working on them!