The Inner-Life of Science Fiction - A guest post on fantasy science fiction
/It's time to get ready for FantasyCon, the huge virtual fantasy convention, where you can hobnob with authors, artists and bloggers, play games, dress up and win prizes (mostly money and books). The way the convention works is this. There is a sub-genre topic for each day from Nov. 1 to Nov. 8 and the event will focus on that genre for the day. There will be a scavenger hunt that takes you on a tour of some of the hottest new stuff in the genre and lets you solve mysterious clues for prizes. Then there are the booths, where you can visit authors and artists, find out about their work and often play more games.
The important thing to remember here is the daily subgenre themes. I'm blogging a guest post that will whet your appetite for each day and introduce you to an exciting new author in each subgenre.
And the first day (Monday, Nov. 1) day features...
Science fiction.
No, that's not a typo. Science fiction can also be part of the fantasy genre, if it's science fiction that includes fantasy. Think Star Wars and Dune.
This time the guest post is by Alesha Escobar, author of... Take it away, Alesha!
There’s a certain sense of mastery we feel when we’re able to exert our power over nature through technology. The universe is not man-made, but technology certainly is. What drew me to science fiction, whether it was a film or book, was the idea that future technological advancements presented were just believable enough to be possible, though they had no place in our world today.
What also grabbed my attention was the range of stories--from flying among the stars to discovering intelligent alien life. The possibilities seem endless regarding the types of characters and situations we could explore in a science fiction story.
However, until recently, it didn’t occur to me that most of all, science fiction is really about ourselves. Yes, we are drawn to the scenery and technology, but even more fascinating is how we interact with the scenery and what we do with the technology.
In my recent contribution to the Masters of Time anthology, I set my story in a future where time travel was possible. And while the question of time travel (as well as its consequences) were interesting, what became central to the story was how my protagonist used this as a catalyst to assert his independence and vindicate his humanity.
A story can have the sleekest starships and the most exotic alien life, but if there aren’t characters there to wrestle with deeper questions and issues, then it all becomes window dressing. This is why I enjoy great science fiction stories. They will make you both think and feel, especially as you turn your gaze toward the possibilities that await us in this vast universe.
About Alesha Escobar
Alesha Escobar writes fantasy to support her chocolate habit. When she's not chasing around her children, she enjoys reading, cooking, movies and crafts. The first book of the Gray Tower Trilogy, The Tower's Alchemist, is currently free in the Kindle store. Alesha also has a short story, The Black Dagger Gods, published in the New Myths anthology by HDWP Books. Her most recent work, Logan 6, can be found in the Masters of Time anthology by Creative Alchemy, Inc.
Blog: http://www.aleshaescobar.com
