DOCSLIB.ORG

Echo by Jack Mcdevitt

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Echo by Jack Mcdevitt Read and Download Ebook Echo... Echo Jack McDevitt PDF File: Echo... 1 Read and Download Ebook Echo... Echo Jack McDevitt Echo Jack McDevitt A new novel of the fantastic unknown by the national bestselling author of Time Travelers Never Die. Eccentric Sunset Tuttle spent his life searching in vain for forms of alien life. Thirty years after his death, a stone tablet inscribed with cryptic, indecipherable symbols is found in the possession of Tuttle's onetime lover, and antiquities dealer Alex Benedict is anxious to discover what secret the tablet holds. It could be proof that Tuttle had found what he was looking for. To find out, Benedict and his assistant embark on their own voyage of discovery-one that will lead them directly into the path of a very determined assassin who doesn't want those secrets revealed. Echo Details Date : Published November 2nd 2010 by Ace (first published November 1st 2010) ISBN : 9780441019243 Author : Jack McDevitt Format : Hardcover 371 pages Genre : Science Fiction, Mystery, Fiction Download Echo ...pdf Read Online Echo ...pdf Download and Read Free Online Echo Jack McDevitt PDF File: Echo... 2 Read and Download Ebook Echo... From Reader Review Echo for online ebook Helge Moulding says Chase and Alex, two people who sound like they might appear in some of McDevitt's earlier fiction, as well (yup, this is "Alex Benedict #5"), investigate the origins of a mysterious stone tablet found in the yard of "Sunset" Tuttle, an oddball explorer who died two decades earlier (and who did appear in some of McDevitt's earlier fiction). Then someone tries to kill them. Again and again. The story was entertaining enough, but it seemed unfocused to me. Somehow I never managed to believe that Chase and Alex really had their lives threatened. I found both them and their world to be unconvincing and irritating at the same time. I was frankly surprised to find this book nominated for a Nebula. McDevitt has written far better stories than this one. Metaphorosis says I don't understand why this isn't the Chase Kolpath series, rather than the Alex Benedict series, since while Alex is the guy in charge, it's Chase that the books are about. In any case, while just as friendly and readable as McDevitt's other books, Echo isn't the best of the series. Perhaps, as with the Priscilla Hutchins series, McDevitt has simply run out of steam towards the end. Echo is a good mystery story in the tradition of the Benedict series, but it suffers from a couple of defects. First, it sets up what seems a token effort at Chase-Alex conflict, which brings a welcome uncertainty into the book, but which McDevitt never really commits to. Second, the book has Chase and especially Alex pursuing an investigation at a very high cost - so high that not only is it not really credible, but it succeeds at the difficult task of making our heroes a lot less likeable. The book doesn't really recover from that.It means that while I have the next book in the series, Firebird, on my shelf, I'm less excited to read it. Finally, the final reveal and denouement don't really fulfill the promise of the early chapters. They could have been successful with a different lead in, but here, it's a bit of a disappointment. If you're a serious fan of the Benedict series, by all means, buy this - you'll enjoy, even if it's not your favorite in the series. If you're new to the series, go back to A Talent for War or Polaris and start there. If you've sort of enjoyed the series, but not loved it, skip this and go one to one of McDevitt's other excellent books - try Eternity Road or The Engines of God. Bill says This is a classic McDevitt, classic Benedict SF mystery. It is somewhat darker than prior novels in the series. The protagonists actually question some of their motivations. Several new threads perhaps fortell the direction of Alex Benedict novels. Tim Hicks says PDF File: Echo... 3 Read and Download Ebook Echo... [(1) The Mutes are alien and telepathic, and somehow they don't count as Out There? And they are never explained. Nor how we seem to have killed a lot of them but now their children are playing with ours. (2) The people on Echo II are JUST like us in a zillion ways, but only have 42 chromosomes. J Jeffrey says This is extremely well written, but shows signs of being a really great short story or short novella that has been padded to novel length. I really had the feeling that it was going to be one of those novels where in the end, nothing has happened. BUT... that was not the case: in the last few chapters the pace picks way up and there is a lot of action. Am I grumpy. Yes. Because of this novel? Not really, but it wasn't helping. If you like alien artifacts, you will like this novel. If you like lost civilizations or lost human colonies you will like it (and saying that does NOT give the secret away). Brian says Not up to the standards of the series in the end. It did make me want to immediately reread the entire series, though. The central mystery is great -possibly the best set-up in the series- but the resolution has a major groaner that made me shake my head in disappointment.(spoiler:Star Trek Style aliens that are so indistinguishable from humans that they find Chase sexually attractive!) Also, I have the feeling that he (or his editors) pulled back from a much more disturbing truth for some reason. spoiler:It seems they are setting it up for a character to have caused a genocidal incident. Instead, she ends up as merely a witness to a natural disaster. Jack McDevitt books are must buys for me. This series is among my favorites of all time. I desperately want more and soon. It sounds like I am being unduly harsh on this entry. But I had a great time reading it and will undoubtedly read it again. Patrick Hayes says This is my first "Alex Benedict" novel and I will definately be looking for more. Even though this is number 5 in this series, I didn't feel lost at all reading this book. The premise is a antique seller/finder (Alex) is called by a local woman to pick up a rock/post she's had in front of her house for years. To Alex, the writing may be alien--which would be the first proof of alien life in the galaxy. However, when Alex's movers go to get it, the item has already been taken by someone else. The mystery is then on: who took it? Why? Is it alien writing? Will it change humaniy's vision of the galaxy? These and other questions are answered cleanly, PDF File: Echo... 4 Read and Download Ebook Echo... though the ending, fitting as it is, may be a little of a let down for some (think the movie version of 'Contact'). Still, highly enjoyable, easy to read science fiction adventure/mystery that left me looking for more by this outstanding author. Leather says Echo is one of those bad McDevitt's books: very boring in his first half, not terrible in his second, despite some good passages. The issues glimpsed at the beginning of the novel slowly deflate throughout the book. The characters are bland. There was material to write a good novella, no more. In the end a very minor opus of the duo Chase / Alex, far removed from the two previous masterpieces (Seeker and The Devil's Eye). Scott says Another decent space mystery featuring the Holmes-Watson-esque team of antique dealer Alex Benedict and his assistant Chase Kolpath. I do have to admit that at this point the basic stories are becoming slightly formulaic, and I think I groaned inwardly when once again there was an attempt on their lives while they were in pursuit of this volume's mystery. Even the detective in the story asks them if they have any idea "who wants [them] dead this time." (At least this time it does not involve a sabotaged skimmer.) Other than that I enjoyed it, and as always I like the science that's worked in. But they are becoming increasingly cozy and I hope the author tries something different next time. I already have the next book on the shelf. Walt O'Hara says Well, I've often said about this writer: "it's true, they tend to blend together and resemble each other after a while, but a day with a bad Jack McDevitt novel is better than a day without ANY Jack McDevitt novel". This story, ECHO, is set in the "Alex Benedict Universe" which is the setting for what I consider McDevitt's finest novel to date, A TALENT FOR WAR. The Alex Benedict sequence is uniformly narrated by his assistant, Chase Kolpath, and perhaps he is allowing her to become more blase as the series matures, but I'm not as charmed by her I once was-- maybe because we've all read about Chases' motivations and concerns several times in the past and they never seem to progress beyond "I work for a guy who gets no respect" and "I guess I should settle down some day, but not this week". The plot is concerned about Aliens.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Souveneir & Program Book (PDF)
    1 COOMM WWEELLC EE!! NNVVEERRGGEENNCCEE 22001133 TTOO CCOO LCOOM WWEELC MEE!! TO CONVERGENCE 2013 starting Whether this is your fifteenth on page time at CONvergence or your 12, and first, CONvergence aims meet to be one of the best them celebrations of science all over the fiction and fantasy on course of the the planet. And possibly weekend. the universe as well, but Our panels are we’ll have to get back filled with other top to you on that. professionals and This year’s theme is fans talking British Invasion. We’ve about what they always loved British love, even if it is contributions to what they love to science fiction and hate. The conven- fantasy — from tion is more than H.G. Wells to Iain just panel discus- Banks or Hitch- sions — Check hiker’s Guide to out Mr. B. the Harry Potter. It’s Gentleman Rhymer the 50th Anni- (making his North versary of Doctor American debut Who as well (none on our Mainstage), of us have forgot- the crazy projects ten about that) and going on in Con- you’ll see that reflected nie’s Quantum Sand- throughout the conven- box, and a movie in Cinema Rex. tion. Get a drink or a snack in CoF2E2 or We have great Guests of Honor CONsuite, or visit all of our fantastic par- this year, some with connections to the theme and oth- ties around the garden court. Play a game, see some ers that represent the full range of science fiction and anime, and wear a costume if it suits you! fantasy.
    [Show full text]
  • Asimov's SF, March 2010 by Dell Magazine Authors
    Asimov's SF, March 2010 by Dell Magazine Authors Dell Magazines www.dellmagazines.com Copyright ©2010 by Dell Magazines NOTICE: This eBook is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution to any person via email, floppy disk, network, print out, or any other means is a violation of International copyright law and subjects the violator to severe fines and/or imprisonment. This notice overrides the Adobe Reader permissions which are erroneous. This eBook cannot be legally lent or given to others. This eBook is displayed using 100% recycled electrons. 2 Asimov's SF, March 2010 by Dell Magazine Authors Cover art for "The Mechanic" by Donato Giancola 24" x 36" oil on panel © 2009 Donato Giancola 3 Asimov's SF, March 2010 by Dell Magazine Authors CONTENTS Department: EDITORIAL: AFFECTING ETERNITY II by Sheila Williams Department: REFLECTIONS: SHOWING AND TELLING by Robert Silverberg Department: ON THE NET: THE PRICE OF FREE (PART ONE) by James Patrick Kelly Novelette: HELPING THEM TAKE THE OLD MAN DOWN by William Preston Poetry: MARBLE PEOPLE by Bruce Boston Short Stories: CENTAURS by Benjamin Crowell Poetry: CRAZY MAN by Mark Rich Novelette: BLIND CAT DANCE by Alexander Jablokov Short Story: TICKET INSPECTOR GLIDEN BECOMES THE FIRST MARTYR OF THE GLORIOUS HUMAN UPRISING by Derek Zumsteg Poetry: OUR CANINE DEFENSE TEAM by Vincent Miskell Short Story: THE SPEED OF DREAMS by Will Ludwigsen Department: NEXT ISSUE Novelette: THE TOWER by Kristine Kathryn Rusch Department: ON BOOKS by Paul Di Filippo Department: SF CONVENTIONAL CALENDAR by Erwin S. Strauss * * * * Asimov's Science Fiction. ISSN 1065-2698.
    [Show full text]
  • Science Fiction Stories with Good Astronomy & Physics
    Science Fiction Stories with Good Astronomy & Physics: A Topical Index Compiled by Andrew Fraknoi (U. of San Francisco, Fromm Institute) Version 7 (2019) © copyright 2019 by Andrew Fraknoi. All rights reserved. Permission to use for any non-profit educational purpose, such as distribution in a classroom, is hereby granted. For any other use, please contact the author. (e-mail: fraknoi {at} fhda {dot} edu) This is a selective list of some short stories and novels that use reasonably accurate science and can be used for teaching or reinforcing astronomy or physics concepts. The titles of short stories are given in quotation marks; only short stories that have been published in book form or are available free on the Web are included. While one book source is given for each short story, note that some of the stories can be found in other collections as well. (See the Internet Speculative Fiction Database, cited at the end, for an easy way to find all the places a particular story has been published.) The author welcomes suggestions for additions to this list, especially if your favorite story with good science is left out. Gregory Benford Octavia Butler Geoff Landis J. Craig Wheeler TOPICS COVERED: Anti-matter Light & Radiation Solar System Archaeoastronomy Mars Space Flight Asteroids Mercury Space Travel Astronomers Meteorites Star Clusters Black Holes Moon Stars Comets Neptune Sun Cosmology Neutrinos Supernovae Dark Matter Neutron Stars Telescopes Exoplanets Physics, Particle Thermodynamics Galaxies Pluto Time Galaxy, The Quantum Mechanics Uranus Gravitational Lenses Quasars Venus Impacts Relativity, Special Interstellar Matter Saturn (and its Moons) Story Collections Jupiter (and its Moons) Science (in general) Life Elsewhere SETI Useful Websites 1 Anti-matter Davies, Paul Fireball.
    [Show full text]
  • PRESS RELEASE Breaking News from SFWRITER.COM Robert J
    PRESS RELEASE Breaking News from SFWRITER.COM Robert J. Sawyer Wins World’s Top Juried Prize for Science Fiction Robert J. Sawyer, 46, of Toronto, has just won the world’s top juried award for science fiction: the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Novel of the Year. The award, which Sawyer won for his latest novel, Mindscan, was presented Friday night, July 7, 2006, at a banquet at the J. Wayne and Elsie M. Gunn Center for the Study of Science Fiction at the University of Kansas. With this award win—his 38th for his fiction—Robert J. Sawyer now joins the most- select club in all of science fiction: the seven writers who have won all three of the field’s top awards for best novel of the year: • the World Science Fiction Society’s Hugo Award, which he won in 2003 for his novel Hominids; • the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America’s Nebula Award, which he won in 1996 for his novel The Terminal Experiment; • and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award, which he has now won for Mindscan. (The full list of winners of all three awards: David Brin, Arthur C. Clarke, Joe Haldeman, Frederik Pohl, Kim Stanley Robinson, Robert J. Sawyer, and Connie Willis; Sawyer is the only Canadian to win all three.) The John W. Campbell Memorial Award was created to honor the late editor of Astounding Science Fiction magazine (renamed Analog Science Fiction and Fact in 1960). Campbell, who edited the magazine from 1937 until his death in 1971, is often called the father of modern science fiction.
    [Show full text]
  • Nebula Science Fiction Award Winners Bookmark.Pub
    Nebula Nebula Nebula Nebula Science Fiction Science Fiction Science Fiction Science Fiction Award Winners Award Winners Award Winners Award Winners Established in 1966 by Established in 1966 by Established in 1966 by Established in 1966 by the Science Fiction and the Science Fiction and the Science Fiction and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of Fantasy Writers of Fantasy Writers of Fantasy Writers of America, this award America, this award America, this award America, this award recognizes excellence in recognizes excellence in recognizes excellence in recognizes excellence in science fiction or fan- science fiction or fan- science fiction or fan- science fiction or fan- tasy works published in tasy works published in tasy works published in tasy works published in the United States. the United States. the United States. the United States. 2006 - Seeker 2006 - Seeker 2006 - Seeker 2006 - Seeker by Jack McDevitt by Jack McDevitt by Jack McDevitt by Jack McDevitt 2005 – Camouflage 2005 – Camouflage 2005 – Camouflage 2005 – Camouflage by Joe Haldeman by Joe Haldeman by Joe Haldeman by Joe Haldeman 2004 – Paladin Of Souls 2004 – Paladin Of Souls 2004 – Paladin Of Souls 2004 – Paladin Of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold by Lois McMaster Bujold by Lois McMaster Bujold by Lois McMaster Bujold 2003 – The Speed Of Dark 2003 – The Speed Of Dark 2003 – The Speed Of Dark 2003 – The Speed Of Dark by Elizabeth Moon by Elizabeth Moon by Elizabeth Moon by Elizabeth Moon 2002 – American Gods 2002 – American Gods 2002 – American Gods 2002 – American
    [Show full text]
  • Libertycon 20
    Comfort Inn & Suites LibertyCon 20 is Dedicated to the LibertyCon Rules Memory of ATTENDEES 17 YEARS OLD AND UNDER: All convention attendees Wilson “Bob” Tucker who are 17 years of age or younger must be accompanied by a LEGAL November 23, 1914 - October 6, 2006 GUARDIAN. A Legal Guardian is a person 21 years of age or older who will take fi nancial and legal responsibility for the minor and will sign for Wilson “Bob” Tucker, a few weeks before turning 92, passed away Friday, October 6, 2006 in a Florida each minor person for which he/she is responsible. A parent or Legal hospital. Wilson Tucker, “Bob” and “Pop”, will be Guardian must accompany children under 7 years of age at all times. remembered by many as a father, friend and mentor. BADGES: Badges must be worn in plain sight above the waist at all By Linda L. Bolgeo times. I don’t remember where or when I fi rst met BATHING: Remember, “If in doubt, take a bath!” Your fellow attend- Wilson “Bob” Tucker but I do know that over ees will appreciate your courteous actions. the years he became not just a dear friend DRINKING AGE: To get a drinking badge you must produce a VALID mil- that we would see at many conventions, but itary ID or Drivers License with your picture on it to prove that you are at part of our family. We were not his only convention family though, he had least 21 years of age. Minors caught drinking at LibertyCon will be hung, special people all over the United States that he would spend time with drawn, quartered, and thrown out of the convention.
    [Show full text]
  • SF Commentary 106
    SF Commentary 106 May 2021 80 pages A Tribute to Yvonne Rousseau (1945–2021) Bruce Gillespie with help from Vida Weiss, Elaine Cochrane, and Dave Langford plus Yvonne’s own bibliography and the story of how she met everybody Perry Middlemiss The Hugo Awards of 1961 Andrew Darlington Early John Brunner Jennifer Bryce’s Ten best novels of 2020 Tony Thomas and Jennifer Bryce The Booker Awards of 2020 Plus letters and comments from 40 friends Elaine Cochrane: ‘Yvonne Rousseau, 1987’. SSFF CCOOMMMMEENNTTAARRYY 110066 May 2021 80 pages SF COMMENTARY No. 106, May 2021, is edited and published by Bruce Gillespie, 5 Howard Street, Greensborough, VIC 3088, Australia. Email: [email protected]. Phone: 61-3-9435 7786. .PDF FILE FROM EFANZINES.COM. For both print (portrait) and landscape (widescreen) editions, go to https://efanzines.com/SFC/index.html FRONT COVER: Elaine Cochrane: Photo of Yvonne Rousseau, at one of those picnics that Roger Weddall arranged in the Botanical Gardens, held in 1987 or thereabouts. BACK COVER: Jeanette Gillespie: ‘Back Window Bright Day’. PHOTOGRAPHS: Jenny Blackford (p. 3); Sally Yeoland (p. 4); John Foyster (p. 8); Helena Binns (pp. 8, 10); Jane Tisell (p. 9); Andrew Porter (p. 25); P. Clement via Wikipedia (p. 46); Leck Keller-Krawczyk (p. 51); Joy Window (p. 76); Daniel Farmer, ABC News (p. 79). ILLUSTRATION: Denny Marshall (p. 67). 3 I MUST BE TALKING TO MY FRIENDS, PART 1 34 TONY THOMAS TO MY FRIENDS, PART 1 THE BOOKER PRIZE 2020 READING EXPERIENCE 3, 7 41 JENNIFER BRYCE A TRIBUTE TO YVONNNE THE 2020 BOOKER PRIZE
    [Show full text]
  • Children's Literature Grows Up
    Children's Literature Grows Up The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters Citation Mattson, Christina Phillips. 2015. Children's Literature Grows Up. Doctoral dissertation, Harvard University, Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. Citable link http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:17467335 Terms of Use This article was downloaded from Harvard University’s DASH repository, and is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material, as set forth at http:// nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of- use#LAA Children’s Literature Grows Up A dissertation presented by Christina Phillips Mattson to The Department of Comparative Literature in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the subject of Comparative Literature Harvard University Cambridge, Massachusetts May, 2015 © 2015 Christina Phillips Mattson All rights reserved. Dissertation Advisor: Professor Maria Tatar Christina Phillips Mattson Abstract Children’s Literature Grows Up proposes that there is a revolution occurring in contemporary children’s fiction that challenges the divide that has long existed between literature for children and literature for adults. Children’s literature, though it has long been considered worthy of critical inquiry, has never enjoyed the same kind of extensive intellectual attention as adult literature because children’s literature has not been considered to be serious literature or “high art.” Children’s Literature Grows Up draws upon recent scholarship about the thematic transformations occurring in the category, but demonstrates that there is also an emerging aesthetic and stylistic sophistication in recent works for children that confirms the existence of children’s narratives that are equally complex, multifaceted, and worthy of the same kind of academic inquiry that is afforded to adult literature.
    [Show full text]
  • Taoism in Ursula K. Le Guin's the Earthsea Cycle
    Univerzita Palackého v Olomouci Pedagogická fakulta Ústav cizích jazyků Bakalářská práce Taoism in Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Earthsea Cycle Mgr. Petr Toman Olomouc 2021 Vedoucí práce: Mgr. Petr Anténe, Ph.D. Prohlášení Slavnostně prohlašuji, že jsem bakalářskou práci vypracoval sám, a to jen za použití zdrojů uvedených v seznamu literatury. Dále souhlasím, aby byla práce uložena na Univerzitě Palackého v Olomouci a zpřístupněna ke studijním účelům v souladu s příslušnými normami. V Olomouci dne 22. 4. 2021 ……………………………………… Acknowledgment In the first place, I would like to thank my supervisor Mgr. Petr Anténe M.A., Ph.D. for his professional guidance, for his help and advice at work on the thesis. Many thanks are due to my wife Barbora who supported me comprehensively and endured my absence as well as my moods. Finally, special thanks are due to Madam Le Guin for her stories and thoughts without which my life would be much poorer. Abstract The bachelor’s thesis aims to demonstrate the relationship of the American writer Ursula K. Le Guin to philosophy of Taoism as reflected in the author’s Earthsea fantasy book cycle. The thesis firsts deals with Le Guin’s attitude towards the ancient religion, and finds out that she was merely a thinker influenced by the philosophy of Tao Te Ching. Subsequently, the work analyses Le Guin’s books based on the reading of texts from Tao Te Ching and it searches for expressions of Taoist tenets. Tao and its Te find their reflections in pseudomythological Segoy and his magical language. The relationship of Yin and Yang is used partly purely symbolically, partly as a narrative pattern.
    [Show full text]
  • L54yk (Download Pdf Ebook) Ancient Shores Online
    l54yk (Download pdf ebook) Ancient Shores Online [l54yk.ebook] Ancient Shores Pdf Free Par Jack McDevitt ePub | *DOC | audiobook | ebooks | Download PDF Download Now Free Download Here Download eBook Détails sur le produit Rang parmi les ventes : #271929 dans eBooksPublié le: 2009-10-13Sorti le: 2009-10- 13Format: Ebook Kindle | File size: 43.Mb Par Jack McDevitt : Ancient Shores before purchasing it in order to gage whether or not it would be worth my time, and all praised Ancient Shores: Commentaires clientsCommentaires clients les plus utiles0 internautes sur 0 ont trouvé ce commentaire utile. AN EASY GOING BOOKPar Bruno.bI was not a big fan of the stargate tv series , a liitle childish to my taste. There is a stargate named the roundhouse in this book and the writer makes it a delight to find about it and to understand its implications. Furthermore it felt good traveling in North Dakota. There is a follow up to this story named Thunderbird which is as enjoyable.1 internautes sur 2 ont trouvé ce commentaire utile. Très bonne idée mal exploitéePar Francois LemaireL'intrigue part de la découverte d'un ensemble d'artefacts anciens mais incroyablement avancés dans le nord des USA. Les premières découvertes et la levée de certains pans du mystère se laissent lire avec plaisir, mais le roman s'enlise ensuite dans des considérations politiques sur les répercussions possibles de la découverte d'outils rendant obsolète une partie de nos industries qu'on peut trouver intéressante mais qui n'étaient pas vraiment ce que j'attendais. Présentation de l'éditeurIt turned up in a North Dakota wheat field: a triangle, like a shark's fin, sticking up from the black loam.
    [Show full text]
  • Souvenir & Program Book (PDF)
    THAT STATEMENT CONNECTS the modern Steam Punk Movement, The Jetsons, Metropolis, Disney's Tomorrowland, and the other items that we are celebrating this weekend. Some of those past futures were unpleasant: the Days of Future Past of the X-Men are a shadow of a future that the adult Kate Pryde wanted to avoid when she went back to the present day of the early 1980s. Others set goals and dreams; the original Star Trek gave us the dreams and goals of a bright and shiny future t h a t h a v e i n s p i r e d generations of scientists and engineers. Robert Heinlein took us to the Past through Tomorrow in his Future History series, and Asimov's Foundation built planet-wide cities and we collect these elements of the past for the future. We love the fashion of the Steampunk movement; and every year someone is still asking for their long-promised jet pack. We take the ancient myths of the past and reinterpret them for the present and the future, both proving and making them still relevant today. Science Fiction and Fantasy fandom is both nostalgic and forward-looking, and the whole contradictory nature is in this year's theme. Many of the years that previous generations of writers looked forward to happened years ago; 1984, 1999, 2001, even 2010. The assumptions of those time periods are perhaps out-of-date; technology and society have passed those stories by, but there are elements that still speak to us today. It is said that the Golden Age of Science Fiction is when you are 13.
    [Show full text]
  • The Novelist As Engineer
    The Novelist as Engineer A thesis on credible engineering components of fiction novels (supplemented by an “engineering” fiction novel) by D R Stevens for the Masters Degree in Engineering (Hons) 2007 University of Western Sydney Dedication This thesis is dedicated to Professor Steven Riley who inspired the writing of the thesis in the first place and provided encouragement when motivation waned. Acknowledgement I acknowledge the assistance of Professor Steven Riley, Professor of Research, School of Engineering, University of Western Sydney. I also acknowledge Professor Leon Cantrell who gave significant and important advice particularly on the development of the supplementary novel, (called by the new genre name En-Fi) the title of which is “Amber Reins Fall”. Thanks also go to Dr Stephen Treloar, CEO of Cumberland Industries Limited, where I am the Director of Marketing and Social Enterprises. His contribution is through the scarce resource of time the company allowed me to formulate this thesis. Finally the thesis is dedicated in no small part to Caroline Shindlair who helped tremendously with the typing and construction of the actual documentation. Statement of Authentication The work presented in this thesis is, to the best of my knowledge and belief, is original except as acknowledged in the text. I hereby declare that I have not submitted this material, either in full or in part, for a degree at this or any other institution. (Signature) Table of Contents Abbreviations Page ................................................................................................
    [Show full text]