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Mary Rosenblum on Space Opera
May. 18th, 2011 08:21 amIn honor of the ebook publication of Exordium, here are more thoughts on space opera.
From SF Signal's "Mind Meld: How Can Science Authors Keep Space Opera Relevant?"
I've been thinking about this question quite a bit. I guess my problem is that I don't see 'space opera' as rigidly defined subgenre of speculative fiction the way, oh, 'cozy' or 'police procedural' are subgenres of mystery. I've heard the term used most often to describe action driven fiction set in some sort of alien environment rather than in the near future, and using truly science fictional technologies such as warp drives and the like. I don't know that there's any particular reason to question its 'relevance' per se. Science fiction in general includes a range of work, from truly thought provoking stories that make readers (hopefully) question our future as well as current behaviors to stories that are simply an entertaining foray into someone's impressive imagination. Personally, I think science fiction is the most relevant genre of fiction period, since it is the only one that allows us to pull the reader out of the here and now that we have all stopped really seeing (it is just so familiar) and to turn the lens of the future on the things that we're doing today. It is fiction that makes people think about who we are and what we are doing, and to question our tomorrows and the paths that lead there. I sure wish more people would read it. We need to have a lot more people thinking about where we're doing and what some of the consequences of today's trends and technology are. It's a broad umbrella, science fiction. Relevance, in my opinion, is something that you determine story by story. Sometimes, the alien is the perfect metaphor for what is happening in your back yard.
Check out the other quotes from Kage Baker and others.
From SF Signal's "Mind Meld: How Can Science Authors Keep Space Opera Relevant?"
I've been thinking about this question quite a bit. I guess my problem is that I don't see 'space opera' as rigidly defined subgenre of speculative fiction the way, oh, 'cozy' or 'police procedural' are subgenres of mystery. I've heard the term used most often to describe action driven fiction set in some sort of alien environment rather than in the near future, and using truly science fictional technologies such as warp drives and the like. I don't know that there's any particular reason to question its 'relevance' per se. Science fiction in general includes a range of work, from truly thought provoking stories that make readers (hopefully) question our future as well as current behaviors to stories that are simply an entertaining foray into someone's impressive imagination. Personally, I think science fiction is the most relevant genre of fiction period, since it is the only one that allows us to pull the reader out of the here and now that we have all stopped really seeing (it is just so familiar) and to turn the lens of the future on the things that we're doing today. It is fiction that makes people think about who we are and what we are doing, and to question our tomorrows and the paths that lead there. I sure wish more people would read it. We need to have a lot more people thinking about where we're doing and what some of the consequences of today's trends and technology are. It's a broad umbrella, science fiction. Relevance, in my opinion, is something that you determine story by story. Sometimes, the alien is the perfect metaphor for what is happening in your back yard.
Check out the other quotes from Kage Baker and others.
