Best selling science fiction books. The critic and the author

 

Best selling science fiction books. The critic and the author

Best selling science fiction books can create moments of continuous mental wrestling, where the bout between scifi reader’s logic and scifi author’s imagination can be very fierce. But this bout is very special because the scifi reader assumes two roles:  A referee and the wrestler who is looking for opportunities to launch punches at the scifi author whenever his/her imagination contradicts the scifi reader’s logical understanding of the ideas or imaginations being expressed by the scifi author via his/her #scifibook.

Think about it for a moment please. That you get to be the judge of the match where you also happen to be the participant. So, isn't there a possibility that the participant, in this case the scifi reader, who is the judge as well; will be biased towards the #scifi author?

But had that been the case, then best selling #scifibooks would never have existed. So, it is wrong to assume that scifi readers are biased. If we consider the real facts scifi readers are never biased towards the #scifibooks, and least of all towards scifi authors. 

They are biased towards their own imagination. Because they want to make sure that their imagination is receiving sufficient and continuous supply of new ideas from the scifibook they are interacting with. If it does not meet this requirement then the scifi reader, like any other reader, would be forced to discourage himself/herself from continuing to read the #scifibook. In no way does it prove that he/she has been biased towards the scifi author, it only establishes one fact though. That the scifi reader knows what he/she wants to read and he/she has a well defined quality standard for this.

In case any scifibook does not meet this standard requirement the scifi reader’s mind would automatically reject the #scifibook. Which does not mean he/she has rejected the author or he/she has been biased towards him/her. If he/she is paying for it, then it is his/her right to receive the return remuneration in equal value, and as far as books and #scifibooks are concerned, this value is measured by the quality of scifi author’s imagination. 

If scifi reader exercises this right without any leniency, then he/she is not being biased, he/she is simply being pragmatic with good awareness about what he/she is seeking as a return value for the time he/she invests on reading the #scifibook. And the best return value can only be ensured by the scifi author in the form of high quality scifi story that introduces the #scifi readers to endlessly motivating and scientifically brilliant imagination. Only then the scifi reader will feel reimbursed fully for his/her time and money that he/she spends on the scifibook. In its absence, he/she would always seek a refund.

This is where it gets a bit complicated. Once a book has been purchased, it cannot be returned by the buyer and there is no refund option available on purchase of the book. So, how does the scifi reader claim this refund? Well, he/she does this via a very simple act, by not liking the #scifibook and rejecting it. Which many of us confuse with the scifi reader’s bias towards the scifibook. Which is not true, because via this act the scifi reader is only claiming his/her rightful refund.

 

This brings us to a very important point.  How does the scifi author participate in this wrestling match where his/her every move is being judged by his/her critic. And the scifi author needs to ensure that he/she is not beaten or knocked out? 

And this is important for the scifi authors because it is the scifi readers, who would define the fate of his/her #scifibook. Whether it performs well or it fails to gather any mass attention, all depends on the scifi readers. And to win their favour and engage with them adeptly in the wrestling ring. Scifi author has to make sure that he/she leaves his/her readers fascinated and totally impressed by his/her new scientific imagination.

Let us see how the scifi authors can enter the wrestling ring like a highly agile and experienced wrestler. And avoid being knocked out and stay within the game with complete support from all his/her readers.

First of all let us understand something about this wrestling bout. Because it is not like the usual wrestling match.

Here the scifi reader represents one side and the scifi author represents another side. And both of them are aiming for a knock out. But unlike a real wrestling match where both participants receive and launch powerful and menacing blows at each other in real time. In the wrestling match between the #scifi author and scifi reader, the match is not taking place in real time, only the decision will be made by the scifi readers in real time. Because the scifi author has already expressed his/her imagination via his/her scifi book and in this case he/she will be subjected to receiving blows, one after another. Because the scifi reader will be constantly judging his/her ability to feed him/her with new scientific imagination via his/her scifibook. And whenever he/she comes across any idea that he/she feels is exceptionable, the scifi author will feel hit by the scifi reader. His/her only chance to defend himself/herself will be in the form of the  next idea that the scifi story reveals. And if this too fails to impress the scifi reader, the scifi author will get knocked out. However, and this is very crucial, if the scifi author presents an unheard of and a highly stimulating idea, he/she would be able to block the scifi reader’s blows, and if the idea is filled with copious amount of scientific freshness and excitement, the scifi author will easily manage launch a knockout punch. And here is the most beautiful part of this knockout match. When this happens the scifi reader would not mind being knocked out. Because a good and experienced #scifi reader prefers to be knocked out, it is only then he/she can let his/her imagination thrive and grow. 

This explains how the scifi author can stay in the game and avoid being knocked out.

Let us tackle another aspect now. How to create that moment of knock out imagination?

Knock out imagination! Yes, the author needs it in order to stay in the game.

Human imagination is like a sky with stars, uncountable and almost everywhere. But if you look at the sky carefully, there are patterns. But for recognising these patterns you need a powerful telescope.

And human imagination too has patterns. To understand these patterns the scifi author needs the telescope of powerful IQ and the acumen to examine the patterns of scifi readers’ imaginations.

It is possible to define a limit or ascribe patterns to every form of human imagination based on the disciplines of science, literature, social science, history etc. etc. Human imagination can never go beyond this scope of these disciplines i.e. in their latest and most contemporary forms. So, if you are a brilliant scifi author, you would know what has been achieved in science so far, you would know history, some part of it; if not all. Likewise for other subjects too. And when you know these details you have managed to capture the limits of every scifi reader’s imagination. To some extent for sure. Because few people have the talent to take their imagination to the limits where no human imagination has managed to reach. 

However, some #scifi readers may happen to be great fans of history, while a few of them may be avid readers of physics, and so on. And it is impossible to present scifi ideas that cater to so many disciplines. And it is important if an author wants to retain the attention of the scifi reader. So, what can the scifi author do in this situation?

If you look at the best selling #scifi books, ah no! Let me be more precise, and let us consider the famous scifibook Dune to illustrate more on this point.

Dune scifibook bears following elements:

• Social make up that exists in the society that it refers to

• Economic significance of the magic drug

• There is also a bit of history, because the author offers a background of how inter-planetary trade had flourished due to this wonder drug

• By mentioning about the magic drug the author forces the #scifi readers to fantasize

• By using advanced machines to harvest the drug from sand dunes the scifi author bewilders us with his scientifically very rich imagination

• When the war is launched few people use psychic powers, so the author forces the scifi readers to think in terms of psychology too

• And if this were not enough. This highly successful scifibook is future perfect

There are many other references that one can collate in support of this point. And by creating a compound of these imaginations, the scifi author very brilliantly manages to keep the imagination of the #scifi readers in a continuous state of wonder, but without letting it lose perspective, that the author has under his complete control throughout the scifibook.

And this is why Dune happens to be one of the best selling #scifibooks. It deals with every scifi readers taste at an individual level. Moreover, the author's imagination is so vivid that his concept is even relevant today and fascinates the readers from generation Z. Whereas the scifi book was written when Baby Boomers were the dominant generation. Now isn't that a knockout imagination!

It surely is and nobody can deny this. The scifi book has received many accolades and it has never been subject to any aspersions, whatsoever from any scifi reader. Although mild criticism is a norm in every genre and Dune has had its share of criticism too. But in the end only one thing counts. “Did you manage to launch a knockout punch or not!”

And the #scifibook Dune, knocks a punch like no other. It knocks out every form of human imagination, because it is very future oriented. 

Today when so many space companies are emerging in the world; and perhaps by the turn of this century humans may have become an interplanetary species. And the scifibook Dune written so many years ago imagines about inter-planetary trade and inter-planetary social exchange. Now this is remarkable foresight on part of the scifi author and it deserves commendation.

There is one more #scifibook that launches a knockout punch, with the brute force of scientific imagination that will be a reality in 2075. It is titled, They Loved in 2075.

This is a romance scifi, it is futuristic because it talks about realities that humans would be dealing with in 2075. It is about highly advanced self aware machines and how they infiltrate human societies, and  this infiltration has deprived humans of their ability to generate organic emotions. As a result it has sterlised their feelings of love. It is about the Earth that is dying; and a few humans have developed mutations and can survive in this brutal landscape. There is a lot of impressive imagination compiled into one scifibook. And that is why you should read it. And experience the punch that does not hurt, but heals the human imagination! Because it introduces us to the realities of 2075.

The Bout begins now, are you ready? To be fully prepared read the scifibook, They Loved in 2075.