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It might be just me, but I think reading hard sci-fi is much more educational and memorable, not to mention entertaining, than non fiction Spoilers for Three B
by Magodo 5y ago
It might be just me, but I think reading hard sci-fi is much more educational and memorable, not to mention entertaining, than non fiction
Spoilers for Three Body Problem:
For instance, I can never forget the way the Alcubierre drive is explained in the final book, or the benefits of particle accelerator with the circumference of the asteroid belt
- JadeNB 5y ago> It might be just me, but I think reading hard sci-fi is much more educational and memorable, not to mention entertaining, than non fiction. Memorable and entertaining seem very likely, but I think one has to be extremely careful with one's sci-fi that what one remembers is real science rather than just what makes for good fiction—there's often a tension, and even a very scientifically literate author can, and probably should, opt for the one that makes for good fiction.
- gmadsen 5y agoeven hard sci-fi is going to make concessions for the sake of the story. I really don't understand how something that has no obligation to be factual can be more educational..
- iainmerrick 5y agoI’m sure you’re not alone in that, but I recommend giving non-fiction a chance too! There’s some great stuff out there, sometimes as entertaining and memorable as fiction. Carlo Rovelli (whose new book is reviewed here) is well worth a try; his writing is really poetic and striking. Another really interesting kind of semi-fictionalised history I recommend is Francis Spufford’s Red Plenty.