Genre Upon Genre

Although I usually categorize the Tartarus Trilogy as science fiction, I tend to think of those books more as "space adventure", maybe a sub-genre of science fiction that is not quite "space opera" and not as literary as most "soft" SF. They definitely aren't "hard" SF. That genre is defined as heavily dependent on science to carry the story: physics, chemistry, etc. Nothing impossible can take place, as least as projected into the future, ie: nanotechnology. Writing hard SF requires at least some scientific background, an understanding of the principles the cosmos operates on. "Mission of Gravity" by Hal Clement ( Harry Stubbs ) would be one example of hard SF.

In "soft" SF or "sociological" SF, writers create worlds that spotlight the human condition and its inherent problems. It's not as concerned with true science, for example "Dune" by Frank Herbert. Soft SF tends to be fairly literary.

"Space opera" is probably what most people these days associate as science fiction---lasers and rocket ships and light-sabers. These stories are seldom concerned with scientific accuracy; the tale is told for the sheer adventure of it, the fun! "Star Wars" is a great example of space opera. ( Some SF actually crosses genres---you usually get a taste of fantasy in your space opera. )

In my books I've tried to maintain scientific accuracy as closely as possible, although I've had to cheat a bit in places. Hyperspace and hyperdrive are theoretical concepts that are quite probably impossible; however, SF stories that wish to deal with space travel to distant places have to invent a plausible means of such travel. ( Travel to other galaxies is, at this point, highly implausible and would tend to push a book into the "science fantasy" genre. )

And I realize that concepts such as an "ice-planet" or an "idyllic planet" are implausible, but I chose to use them to get a point across, more as metaphors than reality. Hopefully, people will read and enjoy my books, rather than spending time judging or categorizing them. To me, the story is everything.

MRTighe

Hard vs. Soft

Not all science fiction is created equal! By that I mean that there is an SF book to suit all tastes; many sub-genres exist, so if you don't appreciate what is generally referred to as "hard" SF---which is primarily based upon advanced technology and scientific principles and theories---there is plenty of "soft" SF out there, including space opera.

Although I've read quite a bit of hard SF ( for example, Larry Niven's Ringworld comes to mind ), I actually prefer to read and write "soft" SF---as well as a bit of space opera. If you don't enjoy reading the hard stuff, I recommend Zenna Henderson's People books---actually a compendium of her short stories about a group of aliens who land on Earth and pass themselves off as humans. They have some extraordinary powers, such as levitation and causing musical instruments to play by themselves.

I dearly wish someone would base a movie on that series; it would undoubtedly bring viewers to tears. Some of those stories are so heart-breaking I can barely get through them! They are definitely NOT your typical SF. And if you like dragons, I suggest you check out Anne McCaffrey's Dragonrider series, especially Dragonflight, one of my all-time favorites. I've been hoping for many years now that these books would be filmed; dragon-tech is now so advanced ( ala Harry Potter, Avatar, and Reign of Fire ) that the movie would be spectacular! Well, I can always dream.

All for now,

MRTighe