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The fabric of dream. It is interwoven throughout the tapestry of science fiction. Yes, and throughout the mural of fantasy as well. But if you walked the hills of DreamLand for very long, you would come upon the towering spires of Science Fiction. It is inspired by the question 'What if {fill in the blank with a list of wondrous possibilities.}' Science itself would not exist if rational observers of Nature did not ask "What if?" or "Why?"
So Science Fiction owes its existence to dreamers who stare up at the stars or gaze within themselves, asking "What if?" I asked what if evolution went micro instead of macro? What if red blood cells became intelligent? How would they feel about the madness we thrust them into? Then, I thought further. What if the earth were invaded, not by alien beings in saucers, but with alien blood pumped unknowingly into our veins on operating tables or in dentists' chairs? And that was how my story, BLOOD WILL TELL, came into being.
I will not bore you with snippets. Issac Asimov took us into the microverse of blood with FANTASTIC VOYAGE. We brought our science with us. But sadly, we also took the darkness of the human soul as well.
Why am I musing along these lines? Well, I am speaking at CON DU LAC, the Sci-Fi convention in Lake Charles, this upcoming June. And like last June where I gave two talks and appeared on one panel, I am going to give two new views into the world of science fiction and fantasy. Last year, I talked the first day on the impact and philosophy behind STAR TREK. The next day, I talked on the eternal questions and philosophies behind all science fiction, about its present, and about its possible futures. You can check out what this year's convention will entail at this website : http://www.condulac.net/website/.
Why do we dream? The answer is elusive and hard to pin down. Harder still to get philosphers to agree upon a common one. All I know is that when we cease to dream, we will cease to be human. I am listening to Concerto de Aranjuez Adaigo. I think some of you may enjoy listening to this as well :
So Science Fiction owes its existence to dreamers who stare up at the stars or gaze within themselves, asking "What if?" I asked what if evolution went micro instead of macro? What if red blood cells became intelligent? How would they feel about the madness we thrust them into? Then, I thought further. What if the earth were invaded, not by alien beings in saucers, but with alien blood pumped unknowingly into our veins on operating tables or in dentists' chairs? And that was how my story, BLOOD WILL TELL, came into being.
I will not bore you with snippets. Issac Asimov took us into the microverse of blood with FANTASTIC VOYAGE. We brought our science with us. But sadly, we also took the darkness of the human soul as well.
Why am I musing along these lines? Well, I am speaking at CON DU LAC, the Sci-Fi convention in Lake Charles, this upcoming June. And like last June where I gave two talks and appeared on one panel, I am going to give two new views into the world of science fiction and fantasy. Last year, I talked the first day on the impact and philosophy behind STAR TREK. The next day, I talked on the eternal questions and philosophies behind all science fiction, about its present, and about its possible futures. You can check out what this year's convention will entail at this website : http://www.condulac.net/website/.
Why do we dream? The answer is elusive and hard to pin down. Harder still to get philosphers to agree upon a common one. All I know is that when we cease to dream, we will cease to be human. I am listening to Concerto de Aranjuez Adaigo. I think some of you may enjoy listening to this as well :
Then, where there are dreams, there are nightmares :
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