I just discovered these interesting articles over at The Fix Online: Are We at the End of Science Fiction, Part I and Are We at the End of Science Fiction, Part II.
I think people are confusing the death of the short fiction magazine with the end of science fiction in general. I know it’s hard to come up with new tropes like Time Travel and Alternate Universes, but I don’t think we’ve stopped entirely. Had anyone imagined downloading yourself into a machine earlier than the 1950? Greg Bear pretty much started off a slew of stories on Nano technology in the 80s.
And since when does “Science Fiction” only encompass the narrow field of “Hard Science Fiction”. Surely Space Operas like Star Wars and Star Trek are alive and well. This is especially true in the video game sectore.
I think the real question being asked, is, “Are we at the end of Clarke style idea-driven science fiction?”. And to that, I think the answer is probably yes. Idea driven stories don’t sell these days (at least in short fiction. The DaVinci Code had very little BUT an idea going for it), and I think that’s a good thing. Character driven fiction is really the only way the field will survive. With video games and TV becoming so prominent, books have to go where they CAN’T–into the characters heads to compete. It’s simple economics.
Anyways, the articles are a little long, but certainly recommended reading. After you’ve had a look, please come back to the blog and share your thoughts in the comments section.