Hard science fiction

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Hard science fiction, or hard SF, is a subgenre of science fiction characterized by a particular emphasis on scientific detail and/or accuracy; in soft science fiction this interest is more muted, even non-existent. The 1961 novel A Fall of Moondust by Arthur C. Clarke is an example of what is generally considered to be hard SF even though a crucial plot element, the existence of deep pockets of "moondust" in Luna craters, is now known to be scientifically incorrect.

A great deal of disagreement exists among readers and writers over what exactly constitutes an emphasis on scientific detail. Many hard SF stories focus on the natural sciences and technological developments, but many others leave technology in the background. Others contend that if the technology is left in the background it is an example of soft science fiction. Another distinction within the genre revolves around portrayals of the human condition. Some authors seek to reflect technical accuracy within an advanced, nearly utopian society in which mankind has attained victory over most human ills; others seek to portray the impact of technology on the human race with human defects still firmly in place and sometimes even magnified.

Some authors scrupulously eschew such implausibilities as faster-than-light travel, while others accept such plot devices but focus on realistically depicting the worlds that such a technology might make accessible; the hard SF writer is permitted to foresee the automobile provided that he also foresees the traffic jam.

In hard science fiction, the main characters are frequently working scientists, engineers, military personnel, or astronauts. Character development is often secondary to explorations of astronomical or physical phenomena, but some authors emphasize the human condition or the idea that individuals will have different values and ways of life in future societies where technological and economic circumstances have changed. Even in such cases, however, a common theme of hard SF is the resolution of the plot on a technological point.

Hard science fiction writers usually attempt to make their stories consistent with known science at the time of publication, which also means that to later audiences their knowledge may be obviously incomplete; some older works depict astronauts walking on Venus in street clothes. Even when writing hard SF set in alternate universes where different physical laws apply, authors still attempt to create an internally consistent set of physical laws. This is in contrast to space opera, where the laws of physics established by the story are often inconsistently applied, and seemingly intractable situations are frequently resolved by deus ex machina revelations of previously unknown properties of the established technology. Star Trek is an infamous example of this. An unwritten rule of hard SF is that violations of currently known laws of physics should be kept to the absolute minimum necessary to serve the narrative, if the author is to write about them consistently.

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[edit] Major authors of hard science fiction

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Prominent authors who are often cited as practitioners of hard SF include:

[edit] Other media

[edit] Film

[edit] Comics

[edit] Miscellaneous

An example of a web-based hard science fiction project (where many people contribute different pieces of what becomes a coherent story) is Orion's Arm.

A fan organization that has grown up around Hard Science Fiction is General Technics, populated by scientists, technical folks, and others with a specific interest in this area. General Technics' name is taken from the organization that created a global-scale computer in John Brunner's novel, Stand on Zanzibar. General Technics, though concentrated in the American Midwest, has a global membership.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Ward, Cynthia. Amazon.com: The Hard SF Renaissance: Books: David G. Hartwell, Kathryn Cramer. Amazon.com. Retrieved on 2006-11-07.
  2. ^ Kim Stanley Robinson: Götterdämmerung on Ice. Publishers Weekly (1998-06-22). Retrieved on 2006-11-07.

[edit] Further reading

  • Gary Westfahl (1996-02-28). Cosmic Engineers: A Study of Hard Science Fiction (Contributions to the Study of Science Fiction and Fantasy). Greenwood Press. ISBN 0313297274.

[edit] External links

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