The Future of Science Fiction

New Scientist magazine recently asked authors to weigh in on the future of science fiction.  Margaret Atwood, Stephen Baxter, William Gibson, Ursula K. Le Guin, Kim Stanley Robinson and I all got the call.

It's an honor and a thrill, and also a profoundly humbling experience, to have been invited to take part in this, with my opinions included among those of five hugely influential SF luminaries.  

Award-winning writer Marcus Chown kicks off the discussion with the provocative and provocatively-titled article, Is Science Fiction Dying?  Highly recommended--you can read it here. 

Our thoughts on the subject:

Margaret Atwood
Stephen Baxter
William Gibson
Ursula K. Le Guin
Kim Stanley Robinson
Nick Sagan

Comments

[Audrey Harper]

Interesting point you made regarding the reflection of the public's indifference toward science in the sci-fi literary and cinematic world. I think you're absolutely right, but I hadn't made the connection until now. I too, am tired of all the sequels, and prequels in Hollywood over the last decade. Nothing seems original anymore. Perhaps it's time to start production for what will soon become the next epic trilogy in film - Idlewild, Edenborn and Everfree. :)

[Cyborgelf]

Nick, I think your comment is right on point. Americans (as an extreme over-generalization) have been trained for the last twenty or thirty years to care more about ergonomics than about mechanics. When I was a kid, we all wanted to be astronauts. Now kids just want to buy iPods.