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m463

I have to say... good physics and astronomy... does it lead to a good story?

Is it just that some people can't "suspend their belief" without an explainable-in-present-day backdrop?

Some of my most fun scifi stories are NOT explainable using current science.

just off the top of my head

"And He Built a Crooked House" by Heinlein

"Little Black Bag" Kornbluth

(both findable in one web search)

the Gateway series by Pohl

or basically anything with time travel or ftl.

The thing is - the real world can be BORING. With present-day physics and astronomy - we are alone in the universe with real difficulty escaping our planet, let alone our solar system, galaxy or more.

I think the answer to real-world physics and astronomy in science fiction is -- better character development :)

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I just finished the very nice Anubis Gates by Tim Powers, that mixes time travel with magic.

One of the most well-plotted time travel novels ever. The breadth of Powers’ creativity is a thing of wonder. There were ideas in that book which were just bits of throwaway color, which I still think about years after having read the book.

That being said, his other books were a slight let down after Anubis Gates.

Major agreement with you there, and glad i'm not the only one. After reading the incredibly rich, beautifully rendered world of The Anubis Gates, I expected more of the same from his other books, but no, not quite as good, oddly. That book however remains the single best time travel fantasy novel I've ever read to this day.

The blend of nearly phantasmagoric horror, fantasy and a touch of science fiction is unique too. If anyone knows of any similar novels from other authors, i'm all ears.

Thank you for the recommendation :)

Another novel that I really recommend, which mixes fantasy with social critique and science in one very interesting way, is "Soldiers of Paradise" by Paul Park. Its description of a world with seasons which last for generations and a caste-bound theocratic society that blends magic and touches of the modern world has a certain stark beauty to it.

I would say no, accurate science does not lead to a good story. But I would also say a lot of people who are into writers like Greg Egan really are not there for the story. I just want to see some excellent and plausible speculative science.

Good science does not lead to a good story, but can lead to a good read, for those who are interessted in this. Different people have different fun.

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