Science Fiction as History
I’ve read plenty of tales that put humanity in the driving seat, but how do we get there? The tale of Western Civilisation is that the advanced colonise the primitive. Early Science Fiction made the universe a playground for future human propagation, informed by recent Western history. The narrative of the West can deliver entertaining Cowboy v Indian fantasies but this isn’t a great model. A more plausible state of affairs would be the efforts of humanity to bypass the constraints of much more advanced and powerful species. It’s worth putting the rise of the West into context.
Sometimes, better planning can overcome the more advanced but we have to go back to the time of the Mongol Empire for a powerful example. For those who find interest in history, the negotiating and haggling, as the protagonist deals with the main villain, are inspired by the arrogance of the thirteenth century Mongols who, following their destruction of the Khwarezmian Empire, had their pick of artisans, whores, loot… and scribes. If the iron fist decides who lives or dies, it can surely decide who frames the threats it makes to the empires it plans on looting. Consider the brazen threat made in 1260 by Hülegü, grandson of Genghis Khan, to Qutuz, who then headed up the newly formed Mameluke Empire in Cairo. It’s much more direct than the toadying utterances of today’s politicians. Hülegü’s demand was a precursor to the battle of Ain Jalut, a battle that, arguably, forestalled Mongol ambitions to make vassals of the rest of Europe. The Mongols were capable of fielding well-organised armies of 100,000 plus — we were well out of the Mongol civil war that followed… our fledgling Renaissance was let be. Those names will of course mean little to the average man, yet they are fundamental to understanding the origins of the West …and their actions contain important clues to unpicking the mess in Central Asia and the Middle East. The past resonates through to the future. Enough with the history.
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Plausible Galactic Empires
The genre is about questions. What kind of universe do we live in? Are we alone? Even if we’re not, we might be only beings to develop space flight and to colonise new worlds. Imagine that – a federation of human colonies, an empire of the stars. Would we really be the first to space? Seems unlikely. If something out there is technologically advanced, why would it not colonise us as less advanced and thus inferior beings? Let’s hope there’s rules – rules to govern when the powerful can colonise, patronise, stomp on or otherwise exploit the weak. Maybe they’ll trade with us.
That handily drifts us towards Space Empires. Assume a long established interstellar society of which we’re the newest member. Would we be strong enough to survive it and even keep our identity? Will we be allowed to make our own way? Humanity wants to be on the top table with the rest of interstellar society and it needs space travel technology to make the transition from planetary to interstellar civilisation. The cost might be crippling – a big investment for potentially no return – but assume we acquire it. What next? survey the stars and colonize? What if all the best worlds are taken? Interstellar society will have rules about that kind of activity. The new kid on the block doesn’t make the rules, he makes compromises, so will we. If so, what?
Some species will have nothing better to do than watch for greenhorns making mistakes. The stars have traces of ancient races that simply vanished. Do the wrong thing and your species joins them, you’ll become a future subject for xeno-archaeologists. Keep secret, keep quiet, especially if it’s not working out, because if you holler for help loud enough, things could get a whole lot worse. Watch out humans, you’re under the microscope
This leads on to my new book:
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The Tau Device
War isn’t just big conflagrations of hyped up technology, even in space. It’s also a battle of wits and making the best use of your assets, no matter how mismatched they might be. Out in the stars are traces of ancient races that simply vanished. Do the wrong thing and your people will join them. Knowledge is power. Lory Gato, is a businessman travelling the stars and doing deals; to be more precise he’s an interstellar gourmet accustomed to a life of drink, eat, ask for the bill, repeat (don’t forget to tell the folks back home).
On T’negi 36 he meets Liasse, a xeno-archaeologist. She’s t’negi, a human seeming but alien species. Despite this, a friendship forms and he gets to explore their culture. She makes a discovery that could have profound consequences in her field of archaeology, however, trouble is brewing. Lory falls foul of Earthers, a movement that believes in overthrowing aliens, stealing their advanced technology and using it to terraform and colonize. Events spiral out of control, humans have outstayed their welcome on the planet, Earthers make a grab for power and Lory is stuck in the middle. Somehow he has to protect Liasse so she can complete her research, but an ancient and terrifying menace returns and they are caught up in a desperate struggle to just survive.
08 Mar 16
Science Fiction as History
New Worlds
…Originally started life as a fanzine: Novae Terrae. It became New Worlds in 1939 when John Carnell became editor and converted to professional publication in 1946. John, who also edited Science Fantasy as well as New Writings in Science Fiction, continued editing New Worlds until 1963. These publications helped kick-start the careers of writers such as Damien Broderick, Brian W Aldiss, James White, J.G. Ballard and Michael Moorcock.
The latter succeeded John Carnell as New Worlds editor and his letter to John set out his position: that science fiction needed: Editors who are willing to take a risk on a story and run it even though this may bring criticism on their heads. In his opinion, New Worlds should seek to publish all those writers who had become demoralised by a lack of sympathetic publishers and by baffled critics; it would attempt a cross-fertilization of popular sf, science and the work of the literary and artistic avant garde.
Moorcock’s first issue was dated May/June 1964. His editorial included a quote from William Burroughs “If writers are to describe the advanced techniques of the Space Age, they must invent writing techniques equally advanced in order properly to deal with them.”
This was a grand art project, in those terms it was a success – he had material to call on by the likes of Aldiss, Ballard, William Burroughs, Thomas M Disch, John Sladek and Roger Zelazny. It became an experimental magazine and a flag bearer for New Wave SF. Despite his literary aspirations, the magazine also printed more traditional SF including pieces by Arthur C Clarke, Bob Shaw, Vernor Vinge and early stories by Terry Pratchett.
It was however a risky experiment. Moorcock’s vision soon ran into trouble. Debates raged in the letters page on a sex scene from Langdon Jones’ I Remember Anita. Sales were holding up but by 1966 the publisher, Roberts & Vinter, had fallen into (unrelated) financial problems and it dropped New Worlds.
Moorcock stepped in and found Arts Council funding plus a backer. He aimed for a regular publishing schedule. This proved difficult. Sales dropped and soon his backer backed off. The weight of publishing fell entirely onto Moorcock. The March 1968 issue included explicit sex from Spinrad’s Bug Jack Barron. The Arts Council stalled on funding, WH Smith and John Menzies pulled it from their shelves.
Unfortunately for Moorcock, he was personally liable for the debts; he hadn’t formed a limited company. He put money in and in effect, was writing to keep the project going. It ceased regular monthly publication with the April 1970 issue. Various attempts have been made to revive it over the years. This includes editions by Sphere and Corgi in the 70’s. Later attempts were made by Gollancz, and Michael Moorcock himself. A recent web-digital offering is Michael Moorcock’s New Worlds, active over 2012 and 2013, and still accessible. It features interviews with Alan Moore, Brian Aldiss, fiction, art, reviews and to my mind is only missing a forum (yes I know these things have to be managed but they’re where you interact) anyway, back to the past…
The vision was valiant but commercially doomed. Moorcock ran out of money, and his project ran out of energy, but the baton of change was in play. Other hands such as Harlan Ellison’s Dangerous Visions made their contribution and established authors continued the work. Its achievement was to instil the idea of larger and more complex designs in SF that the reader must work to decipher.
New Worlds 8
Editor Hilary Bailey
Sphere Books, 50p
1975 edition
Cover artist: Patrick Woodruffe
14 Apr 16
New Worlds
The notion of Dark Matter has always interested me. What is dark matter? It's actually a theoretical answer to a problem that's been troubling astronomers and theoreticians for a century - the rotation of our galaxy, The Milky Way - can't be explained by the visible matter i.e. stars, nebulae, novae, planets - whatever. For the scientific minded, Fritz Zwicky first coined the term Dark Matter. Dark matter accounts for the difference between observable matter and how much should be there. Want to know more? It's on the net - but current estimates are that stars and planets etc make up only 20% of the mass in the Milky Way. So... where is this dark matter? What does it look like?
Well for me this was the starting point for my latest piece which is called Dragon Shard. Dragon Shard is currently in draft (I've just finished writing it). Genre? It's Space Fiction / Horror. Ray guns, rockets, and aliens in flying saucers are pretty much absent but there's plenty of space; Space Fiction instead of Science Fiction. it comes to 18k words which makes it just about novella length. In paperback form that comes to 80pp.
Poetry. who likes it? who writes it? Back at the end of 2015 if you'd asked me, I'd have said I don't write much. Since then I've had a look and there was more than I thought. A book full. What's in it? some set local, others far away, World War One, Golden Age Islam, Pets, Haiku... there's even fiction within poetry and you can check it out here: Silt From Distant Lands
Print on Demand direct: http://www.lulu.com/content/18811121
10 May 16
Silt From Distant Lands
Also new to press: The Slow Holocaust and other stories. This is a collection of dystopian fiction. The Slow Holocaust: cars are long gone from the motorways; it's the future, millions are out of work. You've to get on yer bike or walk. Writing Day: Under an immense mound of rubbish is the last library on Earth; a wannabe librarian goes on the run. The Wrong Lane: roadworks ahead and you're late for work again but you know a short cut... Undercroft: Everyone lives in a city-sized building; Broadsquire, a crotchety scribe, is called away from his scribbles to go fix crackle-connect, because only he understands the art of technology.
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I have some copies and you can of course check it out here: The Slow Holocaust.
Print on Demand direct: http://www.lulu.com/content/18784348
The Slow Holocaust
As a youth, I collected the Sphere and Corgi editions – variously edited by Michael Moorcock, Charles Platt and Hilary Bailey – and confess to noticing the influence of this stuff, particularly works such as The Slow Holocaust and other stories. This came to me in bits and pieces. Back in 2011 I dreamed that the last redoubt of civilised life was destroyed along with last library on Earth and its precious cargo of human knowledge. I feverishly wrote it up and it became Writing Day. The Slow Holocaust is a product of speculating on the fate of the motorways that criss-cross our land, on the demise of oil, and with it jobs… But people will still need to travel. The Wrong Lane merges the UK of here and now into an explicitly ageist society. The world of Undercroft is set in a gigantic indoors where domesticity blurs into the artisan and can-do professional. Readers of this collection may note some nods in the direction of author’s works I have enjoyed ranging from John Wyndham, Philip K Dick and JG Ballard to Franz Kafka and Mervyn Peake’s Gormenghast. Dystopian fiction is a broad church.
