Hard science fiction

The Martian: Hard or Soft Science Fiction? A popular interest among science lovers today is an interest in Mars, possibly because we are becoming much closer to being able to send people there. One of the most popular, and most recent, works regarding Mars is The Martian, a novel by Andy Weir that later was adapted to film by Ridley Scott. The main story is that astronaut and botanist, Mark Watney, is abandoned on Mars by his crew after being struck by flying debris in a large sandstorm. There, he must figure out how to survive on Mars with limited supplies until a rescue mission can make it back to him. There are many bumps along the way such as communicating with people so they know he is alive, figuring out how to grow food, fixing broken…

can be hard to differentiate and properly categorize books because there is not a clear distinction of the characteristics of these genres. Also, it can be a little overwhelming when deciding what book to read because the standards are not always evidently expressed. In order to make it easier for people to understand, I took it upon myself to review a classic that is not only critically acclaimed, but well-known across the world: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Frankenstein is typically regarded…

Billy Gibbons once said, “There is not a single genre that is hard to find or hard to get.” There are many different kinds of genres out there that people can read. There is romance, historical, non-fiction, science fiction, and many others. A genre is grouped together when there is something similar between the different books or movies. No matter what genre someone looks at there is something that catches their eyes and makes them like it. A genre that has a lot of eye-catching…

The Penultimate Truth and 1984 fall under a literary genre that has a wide range of styles and themes. Probably the most popular and interesting style in science fiction novels is the one that deals with future events, where the writer tries to anticipate futuristic changes. The accuracy of an author is of course found out retroactively, when the reader realizes that the author, years before, was able to predict and depict the future. However, The Penultimate Truth (Philip K. Dick) and 1984…

Ray Bradbury, one of the most acclaimed science fiction writers of all time, was born on August 22, 1920 in Waukegan, Illinois. From a young age Bradbury knew that he wanted to be a writer, he even started writing his own stories at the age of 11. Bradbury’s life was not easy though, for he lived through the Great Depression, one of the most trying times in United States history. Living during this depressing time did not stop Bradbury from doing what he loved. He continued to write all…

Escaping Reality with Ray Bradbury Sometimes reality is too hard to bear, it is unfair, or it is just plain simply unsatisfying. Current situations can be disappointing, leading people to seek comfort in other areas or aspects in life. Usually seeking an answer as to how it is that they ended up where they are, or what they could have done differently to have gotten a better life. Often fantasizing as to how great things could have been if people would respect one another or were treated…

Andrew Niccol's film 'Gattaca' effectively conveys crucial elements of science fiction to examine the possible ramifications of modern man’s self-destructive nature. Like all science fiction texts, Niccol forces responders on an introspective journey into a possible future. Through Gattaca's dystopic setting, Niccol’s unnatural and lifeless society is reflective of our near future, commenting on the inherent dangers of such world through characters that are representative of society’s natural…

Mary Grace was just a normal average child, running and playing with friends, spending time with her family. Until one day when she was just 12 years old, shortly before her birthday, she asked for an early birthday present… a sewing machine. With this sewing machine, she began making headbands and selling them at her school to fundraise. Through much hard work and determination, she finally raised enough money to send one young girl in Africa to school. After this first girl, things snowballed…

Audrey Niffenegger is a renowned author who has written many novels with varying genres, all subcategories of fiction, who has been referred to as taking influence from the gothic era and compared Edward Gorey and Edvard Munch in style. She centered the plotline of her international bestseller The Time Traveler’s Wife, in two areas from her past; a small town in Michigan where she was born and Chicago, Illinois where she grew up. Taking from her experiences in these environments, she creates…

Contact [1997] is an excellent science-fiction film in which humanity is contacted by extraterrestrial intelligence. One of the main messages this film sends is that the reconciliation of science and religion is possible, but only when the two are in their pure forms, and that pure science and religion both increase the efficiency in which we determine the truths about our universe. Another more subtle message that I feel the movie portrays is that our current form of language is very limited…