As a tender lad, there were not a lot of dystopian novels out there. The few that were were political tracts, like 1984 (life in totalitarianism sucks), Atlas Shrugged (life in socialism sucks), or On The Beach (life after nuclear weapons sucks--then everyone dies).
But now, they're mainstream like Hunger Games. (Here's a review.)
I didn't like dystopian then, and I don't like dystopian now. Recently, someone asked me if I thought dystopian novels are a sign of the times. I think they are not. My flip answer was that they betoken cruddy editorial policies. A less flip answer is that Secular Humanism has been replaced by something much less Humanistic. (I expand on this here.)
To which I say, "screw that. Let's have some more Humanism."
"What would something like that look?" you may ask. This is answered in part here and here.
You might also ask, "Is Finding Time part of this New Human Wave in Science Fiction?"
I believe the answer is either, "Yes," or "Hell, Yes!"
- Someone wins
- Nobody's a villain simply by virtue of belonging to some collective
- Nobody's a hero simply by virtue of belonging to some collective
- When I want to send a message, I call Western Union
- None of my stories are metaphorical political or religious polemics
- All the stories are intended to appeal to the buying public
- You paid good money for these stories and I aim to deliver value
- I never tell you what you should like for your own good
But if those promises sound good to you, I do my damnedest to keep them, and I hope you'll consider Finding Time.
