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