I was in 5th grade when I gave my allegiance to science fiction. I had just finished a mystery where the wracking, tortured cries heard from the swamp turned out to be … a pair of whooping cranes. I was disgusted. All that work-up, and it turned out to be nothing. It was an ending as unsatisfying as “And then she woke up.” It was years before I was even tempted to read another mystery.

Right after I returned that mystery to the library, I started reading all the Asimov and Heinlein I could lay my hands on. I read the Mushroom Planet series, and Madeleine L’Engle. I read
C.S. Lewis’ Narnia books. The library had an intelligent buyer, and I didn’t hit anything lousy for quite a while. By then, I was hooked.

The sf books had gripping stories. The writing was clear — and the more writing I do myself, the more I respect clear writing. The science content made me feel like I was learning something. The heroes were people like me, or like I wanted to be — competent, brave, and optimistic. These books invited me to think in a fun way. I bonded to science fiction.

They also opened up new places. I read books that took place in outer space, alternate dimensions, and even the interior of blood vessels. And they opened up new minds: scientists, aliens, telepaths, and intelligent dragons. Science fiction widened my world.

Science fiction builds mental flexibility. By imagining the future, it prepares us to live in it. It helps create vision, and it reduces future shock. By imagining other minds, it helps us to
understand the minds around us. Science fiction fans are one of the most tolerant groups I’ve ever spent time with. They also run more intelligent than average.

Every summer, librarians whisper the advantages of reading. The advantages of reading science fiction are even stronger. Science fiction is good for you. And of course, I love it. And doing what I love restores me.

So, widen your horizons, strengthen your mind, and recharge your energy by taking time to read some good sf. If anyone asks, it’s part of your self-development. And Anna Paradox gave you permission.

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Book Recommendation

Newton’s Wake: A Space Opera by Ken MacLeod

Here’s a book that tosses you into a strange new world and time. The computers of Earth became intelligent and devastated the planet in a short war known as the Hard Rapture. Since then, the fleeing survivors have created several factions spread across the galaxy. Lucinda Carlyle is a member of a fractious family that controls the Skein, a web of gates linking distant planets. When on a mission of “combat archeology”, she blows her first command. Her team
wakes a hive of destructive machines, and is forced to leave her behind in a hostile human culture. Can she learn to co-operate with people offended by her technology before a greater threat destroys them all?