Why was American sci fi so bland during the 2000s?

[fncceo]

Now, was Heinlein satirizing that type of world, or endorsing it?

If you had read "Starship Troopers", you would know there is nothing fascist about it.

Heinlein was, politically, a libertarian. Libertarian themes are consistent in his books.

In the world of "Starship Troopers" --- written only 15 years after the end of World War II, Heinlein suggested that only people who have served in the military have the right to vote. Everyone else would be have the rights of citizens in every respect except their right to vote. In the book, Johnny Rico's parents were wealthy and privileged, except they didn't have voting rights.

 

[fncceo]

Especially about the dropping acid part, right?

Goes without saying.

 

[Dogmaphobe]

Yes, the man is a national treasure.

I lost a dear friend several months ago who wrote a Buffy The Vampire compendium.

 

[fncceo]

I lost a dear friend several months ago who wrote a Buffy The Vampire compendium.

A published compendium?

 

[ABikerSailor]

If you had read "Starship Troopers", you would know there is nothing fascist about it.

Heinlein was, politically, a libertarian. Libertarian themes are consistent in his books.

In the world of "Starship Troopers" --- written only 15 years after the end of World War II, Heinlein suggested that only people who have served in the military have the right to vote. Everyone else would be have the rights of citizens in every respect except their right to vote. In the book, Johnny Rico's parents were wealthy and privileged, except they didn't have voting rights.

And, just like many rich and privileged families, they couldn't understand why Johnny wanted to join the military. I saw a bit of that during my final tour in the Navy when I was working in recruiting.

 

[Dogmaphobe]

A published compendium?

Yep.

 

[fncceo]

I lost a dear friend several months ago who wrote a Buffy The Vampire compendium.

I read an interview with Josh Whedon where he said he was inspired to make "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" after seeing "Night of the Comet" -- one of my all time favorite movies.

 

[JakeWIlls92]

I disagree ...

The books (and hopefully, some day, movies) of Dennis E. Taylor are fantastic. Especially the Bob-iverse series. I would also recommend "Children of Time" by Adrian Tchaikovsky.

Additionally, "Three Body Problem" by Cixin Liu and "The Martian" by Andy Weir ... made into a movie of the same name.

REVIEW: Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky

 

[mamooth]

If you had read "Starship Troopers", you would know there is nothing fascist about it.

A tiny right-wing authoritarian fringe sets the rules. That's fascism. Dressing it up in utopianism doesn't change that.

Heinlein being libertarian doesn't mean he couldn't write about a fascist society.

 

[fncceo]

REVIEW: Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Sometimes, but not often, an image you create from a book becomes so ingrained in your mind that just recalling it can make you involuntarily shudder.

In Tchaikovsky's book, "Children of Time" a human is captured by a race of hyper intelligent spiders (accidentally created by humans). He is put into a cell (made of spider silk) and left there to be observed. Because spiders cannot hear human speech, they don't realize he is trying to communicate.

He lives the rest of his life in that cell, given basic food and water, in complete silence, surrounded by giant spiders for several decades going more insane.

 

[fncceo]

A tiny right-wing authoritarian fringe sets the rules. That's fascism.

In fact, it's not tiny. In the book, Federal service is open to every adult, regardless of age, sex, race, religion, sexual orientation, intelligence, or any sort of infirmity. You can be a gay, black, blind, woman and all you have to do is raise your hand to obtain citizenship.

That makes Federal Service the most inclusive organization every created in the mind of man.

 

[JakeWIlls92]

Sometimes, but not often, an image you create from a book becomes so ingrained in your mind that just recalling it can make you involuntarily shudder.

In Tchaikovsky's book, "Children of Time" a human is captured by a race of hyper intelligent spiders (accidentally created by humans). He is put into a cell (made of spider silk) and left there to be observed. Because spiders cannot hear human speech, they don't realize he is trying to communicate.

He lives the rest of his life in that cell, given basic food and water, in complete silence, surrounded by giant spiders for several decades going more insane.

"Shards of Earth" is more like "Mass Effect" or "The Expanse" but I liked that it had a message that different groups should exist and that they should work together rather than everything being homogeneous.

 

[JakeWIlls92]

Don't mess with the Kzin!

Protomolecule FTW!

 

[Toddsterpatriot]

Protomolecule FTW!

Pshaw..........Protectors rule.

 

[JakeWIlls92]

Pshaw..........Protectors rule.

There is no Shepard without Vakarian!

 

[fncceo]

One of the more interesting books I ever read was "Dragon's Egg" by Robert Forward. Written in 1980.

In his world, intelligent life develops on a Neutron Star that is traveling through our solar system. With a gravity 67 Billion times greater than earth, life isn't made of carbon compounds by neutron rich elements. A races called "The Cheela" are small, flat, and about the size and shape of a sesame seed. Because this life is based on atomic structures, their metabolism is nuclear rather than chemical. They think and develop a million times faster than humans.

When humans send a mission to explore the neutron star passing near our solar system in the year 2050, The Cheela are a primitive hunter-gatherer species. While humans scan the planet, the early Cheela detect the non-moving star and worship it like a god. In a week, human times, millennia have passed for The Cheela and the have developed technology to study and understand their god and discover it is a space ship. The Cheela discover space travel and send a mission to contact the humans. Because humans move so slow compared to them, a conversation between humans and Cheela can last more than a Cheela lifetime. They develop artificial intelligence to carry on a dialogue with the humans and eventually save the the human mission.

Before the humans depart their planet/star, the Cheela have surpassed the humans in technology and have explored the galaxy out to several hundred light years. They don't believe humans are ready for this advanced technology and leave encrypted files for the humans with advanced technology that can only be unencrypted by codes the humans will find on distant planets as the humans reach out and explore the galaxy.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

Back during the 2000s most American space adventure novels were bland military gung ho stuff published by Baen.

The best space adventures during the 2000s were from British Authors. Alastair Reynolds, Iain M. Banks, Neal Asher, Peter F. Hamilton, etc.

But since James S.A. Corey's "The Expanse" series shown up back in 2011 there has been a boom in space adventure by American authors set in new and creative sci fi futures.

The characters are better. The science is better. The worlds are much more imaginative. They are far less overboard with the excessive right wing politics.

I wish we had stuff like this during the 2000s. It would have been nice if an American author had given the book world it's own equivalent of "Mass Effect" back during the 2000s.

Why didn't Americans dream of space and the future back in the 2000s?

Hollyweird was to busy making politically correct movies that were just reruns with the actors being replaced by black people,fags,lesbians and any other degenerates that could think of.
They ain't got no time fo dat!!