Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Why Not?

Over at Byzantium's Shores I found a link to The World in the Satin Bag in which the question “why science fiction” is asked and answered. And that got me thinking.

Why science fiction indeed? I like it for its flash-bang gee-whiz quality. I like it for the freedom it gives to its creators, unbound by the humdrum world of the here and now. I want that sense of wonder. I want my mind to be boggled by an imaginative work that is not mired in the requirements of realism. I love it when interesting, well crafted, engaging characters face challenges beyond our routine. And while I may not love it quite so much, I rather enjoy it when less well crafted characters do daring battle with evil killbots from the planet Flerm. Enough of my drivel. You want a really good answer, check out what Ted Gioia has to say at Conceptual Fiction.

I rather like that phrase, by the way. Conceptual Fiction. Sounds good.

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