WELCOME TO THE FARTHEST FRONTIERS OF KNOWLEDGE....
Present-day science, as Carl Sagan observed, is more like science fiction than most science fiction. Where does the dividing line lie today?
Charles Sheffield, an internationally respected scientist and an equally renowned science fiction writer, whom The Washington Post and others have compared to Arthur C. Clarke, surveys with an expert eye the current state of physics, astronomy, chemistry, biology, computers, and other fields, and brings the reader up to date on just how strange the universe is turning out to be.
When exploring strange territory, a knowledgeable guide is a necessity. Fortunately, Dr. Sheffield is eminently qualified to explain the nature of the new mysteries which science is just beginning to explore. The readers will be in good hands as they are taken on an expertly guided tour of the
BORDERLANDS OF SCIENCE
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Good, imperfect:
This is a suitable summary of potential breakthroughs in science over the coming years, and how you, as a potential science fiction writer, can exploit w/ a degree of expertise that speculation for your own work. Sheffield wants you to get your science right, he wants substance to your verisimilitude, and that's a good thing. It covers the types of rockets that are possible, where alien life is possible, new forms of energy, quantum physics, non-locality, robotics and A.I...ect. There are some... more info
Good Introduction to the Major Areas of Modern Science:
There are two primary audiences for this work. The first is anybody interested in understanding a wide variety of scientific topics. Though not as thorough and wide ranging as Isaac Asimov's science guides, Sheffield writes with the same clarity and and his own style of wit. Even somebody who regularly reads popular science magazines may find some new insight here.
Sheffield delves into the origins of life, subnuclear and quantum physics, possible mechanisms for space travel, physical descriptions of the... more info
Not bad, not the most accurate subtitle:
This book doesn't teach you to think like a scientst, nor how to write science fiction, but this subtitle may be the fault of the jacket writer and not the author.
This book is a readable summary of a number of areas of science: physics, astronomy, chemistry, biology, etc., with an emphasis on topics most likely to concern a science fiction writer. The solar system and space flight both get long chapters to themselves, for example. Chaos theory gets a big chapter too -- bigger than it deserves probably --... more info
An interesting book, but writers will need more:
Charles Sheffield is one of the hardest "hard SF" writers, and seems to know the material inside and out. As such, he has a great sense for how speculative your speculation can be and still carry the reader. This book is an overview of how to use science in SF, but it isn't a complete reference. It's interesting for readers who wish to be better informed, and is certainly a good starting point for writers. But most writers will need further reference if they expect to go into any detail in their... more info
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