US science fiction writer whose novels combined a wide-ranging view of future technical developments with political speculationThe American science fiction writer Greg Bear, who has died aged 71 following heart surgery, was, as he put it “all over the map” as far as interests and subjects were concerned: genetics, starships, politics, artificial constructs and combat in space were among the themes explored in his 35 novels. The work he did to research them with thinkers and institutions made them remarkably prescient, not only scientifically – he is attributed with the first descriptions of nanotechnology – but also politically.His near-future technothrillers Quantico (2005) and Mariposa (2009), for instance, deal with domestic terrorism, a conflict between federal government and states that threaten to secede, and the rise of a populist president who manipulates the supreme court to his own ends. He developed big ideas, conceptually and physically, into exciting and compelling stories, able to evoke a sense of wonder while possessing a depth of characterisation not often found in novels about cutting-edge science. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2022-12-29 17:19:10 UTC ]
Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Wed, 20/04/2011 - 09:45 The BBC is broadcasting an item on The Culture Show about science fiction next month, in the wake of a row about the broadcasters approach to genre fiction. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Mon, 18/04/2011 - 09:19 Authors including Iain M Banks and Michael Moorcock have written to the BBC's director general Mark Thompson, attacking the treatment of genre fiction in its recent World Book Night coverage. In total 85 authors, across the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this