Something of what it is to publish a book: You send your thoughts, your ideas, your stories out into the world. You hope to hear echoes; you dread the inevitable silences. You just love it when you get applause. But when you get thoughtful criticism, you've received a gift just as fine--not … [Read more...]
Books That Horrify – Ezekiel, “1984,” “The Island of Dr. Moreau”
There was a chapter of the Bible that people were afraid to read, I told the little girl. I want to know why they were afraid to read it. Her name was Rebecca, and she was eight years old and the daughter of a friend and colleague of mine, a scholar of Islam who taught at a nearby university. … [Read more...]
Joel Achenbach, Carl Sagan, and the UFOlogists
Joel Achenbach. Captured by Aliens: The Search for Life and Truth in a Very Large Universe. Simon & Schuster, 1999. "The temptation, for those of us who have not scared the door of a church in a long time, is to give the topic of religion a wide berth. The truth is that many of us are not … [Read more...]
Ray Bradbury – Prophet of the 21st Century
“I am not a prophet, nor am I a prophet’s son …” —Amos 7:14 None of us is. Doesn’t stop us from trying. For those who write science-fiction, it’s practically a professional obligation. “Terrifyingly prophetic”—aren’t those words you’d love to have on your jacket blurb? I’ve heard them … [Read more...]
