Boldly go....to the British Library

A new free exhibition on until September 25

Out of this World: Science Fiction but not as you know it

The British Library reveals in its press release that 'SF is not only a popular literary genre but a way of looking at today's world and presenting alternatives: radical ideas about science, politics, society, the future... and the nature of reality itself.' Click the title of this post to find out more and watch a rather snappy video. I'm not a big fan, although I can appreciate the  imagination of writers like Philip K.Dick. But I do get irritated by the wooden characters that only exist to act out a new theory. Breakthrough ideas are fine, but I still want story and I still want characters that live and breath on the page because in the end there's nothing as interesting as people. Having said all that, one of the finest short stories I have ever read is classic science fiction. I recommend I have no mouth but I must scream by Harlan Ellison. (One of the best titles of all time too - perfect example of how the title only makes complete sense when you've finished reading the story.) And yes, it's all about people. Even if not all of them are human...