Advertisement
Philosophers like to think science works in an orderly way, in which scientists propose hypotheses, conduct experiments to validate their ideas, then emerge triumphantly from the laboratory to publish their results. Sometimes that happens.
We all face loss, and we all face how cold and harsh reality can be at times. To see or feel that this is shared by all of us is powerful, even through as simple a vehicle as a science fiction story.
Just as a single important equation in physics can hold a myriad of solutions and describe a dazzling array of behavior, so too a sufficiently rich story.
The Cold Equations” was originally published in Astounding Magazine in 1954, and was Godwin’s fourth published story.
Welcome to issue fourteen of Lightspeed! Here’s what we’ve got on tap this month … Fiction: “The Cold Equations” by Tom Godwin, “The Old Equations” by Jake Kerr, “Sweet Sixteen” by Kat Howard, “Face Value” by Karen Joy Fowler. Nonfiction: “The Cold Legacies” by Mike Brotherton, “The First Step to Enlightenment is Abject Failure” by Jeff Hecht, “The Superpowered Potential of Epigenetics” by Ekaterina Sedia, “Feature Interview: Mary Doria Russell” by Kat Howard.
The world turned digital some years ago, but I like to be in touch with pencils and paper during the preparatory phase. A few strolls in the lush woods surrounding my studio help definitely!
Eunuchs are the way to go—avoid all the soap opera, all the falling in love and the anger and the possible murder and jealousy, definitely.
It’s a cliché that when the aliens arrive, they appear over the White House, or Tiananmen Square. But why shouldn’t they arrive in the developing world?
Sure, there are shining examples of A.I., but for every Lt. Commander Data or Number Six, there are a dozen mainframes just waiting to ruin your day.
Let’s face it: Crash landings are no one’s preferred method of parking. Mostly because you will die screaming if you crash land.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement