The Sky is Waiting.
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Why read old scifi? We’ve often heard this question kicked around in the darkened corners of science fiction conventions and on ye’ ole cyber webs. Hey, it’s true that we now live in an age where such red-letter sci-fi dates as 2001 and 1984 have come and gone… and even The Terminator’s Skynet was to have been long since operational by now. [Read more...]
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The John Grimes saga is an addictive one. Spanning the worlds of the Galactic Rim, Grimes takes us on thrilling adventures of uncharted worlds. A solider, an opportunist and an all-round loveable character, Grimes is an old space hand that you can root for.
We recently had the pleasure of finishing First Command. Out in re-issue courtesy of Baen Books, First Command is a compendium of the four novelettes Spartan Planet, The Far Traveler, Big Black Mark and The Inheritors. [Read more...]
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I love Niven’s Known Universe saga. I was first introduced to this hard sci-fi future world via his landmark novel, Ringworld, still one of my all-time faves.
One enduring race in the Known Universe tales is the Kzinti, an intelligent and aggressive cat-like species. The Kzinti (or Kzin) are one of the most fascinating alien races in all of science fiction. I remember eagerly picking up and reading the very first installment of The Man-Kzin Wars series as a young Airman while stationed at Misawa Air Base, Japan.
And it’s hard to believe that it has been 25 years. This week’s review is The Man-Kzin Wars: the 25th Anniversary Edition created by Larry Niven. This new edition, out from Baen Books includes a new forward by the author and an introduction by series cover illustrator Stephen Hickman. The series is one of the longest running serializations in science fiction, and has cranked out thirteen volumes thus far. Number fourteen is due out in December of this year.
Niven reminiscences that he was at first reluctant to hand over the keys to the Known Space universe, but is now glad that he did. The first volume features two short stories and one novelette; The Warriors, by Larry Niven, Iron by Poul Anderson, & Cathouse by Dean Ing.
The Warriors is the original introductory tale by Niven himself outlining the fateful first contact between Man and Kzin. This comes at a time when humans have forsaken conflict for centuries, and have virtually no weaponry. The imperial Kzinti, however, are taken aback by a key piece of our technology, which, in turn, saves our primate hides. I always love how Niven’s stories are grounded in hard science and astrophysics— he’s the Clarke of his generation. Niven himself also notes in the new intro that he “doesn’t do war stories…” Perhaps it was for the best that he allowed other writers to create a new take on the Kzinti universe.
Poul Anderson was a wise choice for Iron, a tale of humans and Kzin clashing over a lost technology. Anderson’s style is much like Niven’s, in that he can paint a convincing planet-scape. The Kzin, while aggressive, have actually co-opted much of their space-faring technology from other races, much like the alien invaders in Niven’s Footfall.
Cathouse by Dean Ing rounds out the book with a fascinating look at the often bypassed female Kzin. As unveiled in the Ringworld saga, contact and war with humanity has also forced the Kzin to evolve as well.
It’s also a small wonder that Niven’s novels (especially Ringworld) have never made it to the big screen. Perhaps this is actually a good thing, as special effects technology is just now reaching the point where it can finally do justice to Niven’s vision. Fun-filled fact: did you know that the Kzinti were animated in the Star Trek universe of the early 1970’s?
Be sure to check out the anniversary edition of the book that started it all… expect more Man-Kzin Wars reviews on this site soon!
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Heinlein is one of the greats, an American Science fiction master on par with Arthur C. Clarke and Isaac Asimov. I grew up reading such works by the seminal great at Space Cadet, Farmer in the Sky, and Friday. To date, die-hard fans still rave about his Starship Troopers as “Star Wars before there was a Star Wars” and lament its 1997 movie adaptation. And with his naval background, Heinlein can arguably be called the grandfather of military sci-fi to boot. [Read more...]
This week, we here at Astroguyz are taking a break from bringing you the cutting edge commentary on up and coming science fiction and groundbreaking works of science that you’ve come to know and love and are instead reaching into our way back machine and reviewing a tale from our copious shelves. This week’s offering is Alpha Centauri by William Barton and Capobianco. Alpha Centauri is a tale of the first interstellar mission to the nearest star system, a mission that departs a desperately over-crowded and socially collapsing solar system. [Read more...]
Dune is a landmark Sci-Fi novel. The original book eventually spun off several sequels and prequels, as well as a movie and a much improved Sci-Fi channel adaptation. [Read more...]
Hitchhikers’ Guide fills in a much needed void in Sci-Fi; that of the long form comedy.
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Pictured is a Delta IV rocket launch from Cape Canaveral on November 21st, 2010. The image is a 20 second exposure taken at dusk, shot from about 100 miles west of the launch site. The launch placed a classified payload in orbit for the United States Air Force.
Difficult but not impossible to catch against the dawn or dusk sky, spotting an extreme crescent moon can be a challenge. The slender crescent pictured was shot 30 minutes before sunrise when the Moon was less than 20 hours away from New. A true feat of visual athletics to catch, a good pair of binoculars or a well aimed wide field telescopic view can help with the hunt.
The Sun is our nearest star, and goes through an 11-year cycle of activity. This image was taken via a properly filtered telescope, and shows the Sun as it appeared during its last maximum peak in 2003. This was during solar cycle #23, a period during which the Sun hurled several large flares Earthward. The next solar cycle is due to peak around 2013-14.
Located in the belt of the constellation Orion, Messier 42, also known as the Orion Nebula is one of the finest deep sky objects in the northern hemisphere sky. Just visible as a faint smudge to the naked eye on a clear dark night, the Orion Nebula is a sure star party favorite, as it shows tendrils of gas contrasted with bright stars. M42 is a large stellar nursery, a star forming region about 1,000 light years distant.
Orbiting the planet in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) every 90 minutes, many people fail to realize that you can see the International Space Station (ISS) from most of the planet on a near-weekly basis. In fact, the ISS has been known to make up to four visible passes over the same location in one night. The image pictured is from the Fourth of July, 2011 and is a 20 second exposure of a bright ISS pass.
Next to the Sun, the two brightest objects in the sky are the Moon and the planet Venus. In fact, when Venus is favorably placed next to the Moon, it might just be possible to spot the two in the daytime. Another intriguing effect known as earthshine or ashen light is also seen in the image on the night side of the Moon; this is caused by sunlight reflected back off of the Earth towards our only satellite.
A mosaic of three images taken during the total lunar eclipse of December 21st, 2010. The eclipse occurred the same day as the winter solstice. The curve and size of the Earth’s shadow is apparent in the image.
Review: The Man Who Sold the Moon & Orphans of the Sky by Robert A. Heinlein
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This week, we return to “Lessons from Science Fiction 101,” with a look at a master of scifi.
We’re talking, of course, about American science fiction author Robert A. Heinlein. One of the “Big 3” next to Clarke and Asimov when it comes to golden age science fiction, no one was better a weaving in sociological issues into their future mythology. [Read more...]