The Borderlands Of Science [Hardcover]

Charles Sheffield (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0671578367 | ISBN-13: 978-0671578367 | Publication Date: November 1, 1999

The renowned science fiction writer explores the territories that science is just beginning to penetrate, in a compelling and prescient book about the future of scientific inquiry.

Editorial Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews

A tour through the borderlands where today's science turns into tomorrow's science fiction, from the physicist and Nebula- and Hugo Awardwinning novelist (Aftermath, 1998, etc.). Scientific facts, Sheffield contends, can generate ideas in the reader's imagination and function as a wellspring for potential writers, because ``new science and new applications mean an endless supply of new story ideas.'' And he demonstrates how much more enjoyable science fiction is when the author's facts are in order. Consequently, his primaryand potentially largeaudience is science-fiction readers and those who write, or might consider writing, SF. Out of the 14 well-organized chapters here, physics predictably looms large. One beefy chapter examines atoms and smaller entities, quantum theory, relativity, and low and high temperatures. Another scrutinizes such large phenomena as stars and black holes. On a still larger scale come galaxies, cosmology, and the ``eschaton,'' the final state of all things, and the subject of a recent Sheffield novel. Chemistry, however, places firm limits on the range of possible alien metabolisms: A helium-breathing life form, for instance, simply isn't possible. But how did life originate on the earth, and is there life on other planets? There are such possibilities, even within our own solar system. To explore fully, Sheffield points out, we need space flight, and for that we require propulsion systems, space elevators, and the like. Meanwhile, we can search for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence and develop computers, robots, nanotechnology, and artificial life forms. In recent years, chaos theorySheffield's most technical sectionhas spawned some intriguing notions. Finally, he ponders the future of war, looks at such scientific heresies as cold fusion, free energy, and telepathy, and wonders if science itself may be coming to an end (reassuringly, no). Bang on target, in terms of appeal for both constituents and beneficiaries. As Mr. Spock would say: fascinating. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Baen (November 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671578367
• ISBN-13: 978-0671578367
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,599,739 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not bad, not the most accurate subtitle, December 7, 2001

By 

Michael Brotherton (Laramie, WY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Borderlands of Science (Mass Market Paperback)

This book doesn't teach you to think like a scientst, nor how to write science fiction, but this subtitle may be the fault of the jacket writer and not the author.

This book is a readable summary of a number of areas of science: physics, astronomy, chemistry, biology, etc., with an emphasis on topics most likely to concern a science fiction writer. The solar system and space flight both get long chapters to themselves, for example. Chaos theory gets a big chapter too -- bigger than it deserves probably -- but is interesting enough.

This book is a handy starting place for an sf writer, but doesn't really go into enough detail to do more than spark a story. The bibliography is therefore unfortunately thin (but at least there is one!).

I noted a significant number of small errors or conceptual problems in the areas of physics and astronomy (I'm a PhD astronomer). For instance, Sheffield repeats Clarke's erroneous point (from 2010) that if Jupiter were just "a bit bigger" it would support its own fusion reactions and be a star. Yes, if it were some 82 times bigger (more massive) according to current theory. That's nearly like saying if the earth were a bit bigger it would be like Jupiter (which is some 300 earth masses). He also notes that distant galaxies look "little different" from nearby ones, aside from brightness and redshift -- this is certainly not true for the higher redshift (say z > 2) galaxies in the Hubble Deep Field for instance, which are smaller and highly irregular indicating evolutionary effects. Sheffield is hard on the Big Bang without good justification (although I grant this could be a good area for story fodder), and gives a rather questionable amount of space to some very discredited alternatives. He does mention one of the more obvious scientific problems with The Sparrow (which is a good book and worth reading anyway) so if he can point it out I can point out a few of his.

I noticed that I stopping seeing problems when the topics moved into chemistry and biology, in which I am well read but no expert. That's a good sign. Sheffield has compiled a wide array of information at a pretty good level of understanding. If it really took a PhD in a particular subject to write hard sf in that subject, we'd be missing some great stories.

This book is an excellent addition to the shelf of a science fiction writer.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An interesting book, but writers will need more, March 22, 2001

By 

"emeraldavatar" (Jersey City, NJ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Borderlands Of Science (Hardcover)

Charles Sheffield is one of the hardest "hard SF" writers, and seems to know the material inside and out. As such, he has a great sense for how speculative your speculation can be and still carry the reader. This book is an overview of how to use science in SF, but it isn't a complete reference. It's interesting for readers who wish to be better informed, and is certainly a good starting point for writers. But most writers will need further reference if they expect to go into any detail in their stories.

If you are writing a short story where the science is just part of the background, this will do a great job helping you avoid physical impossibilities in your plot. It's also more than enough detail for most screenwriters, not that that's saying much. But even the most non-technical SF novel is going to require a lot more research.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Introduction to the Major Areas of Modern Science, October 5, 2003

By 

Randy Stafford (St. Paul, MN USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Borderlands of Science (Mass Market Paperback)

There are two primary audiences for this work. The first is anybody interested in understanding a wide variety of scientific topics. Though not as thorough and wide ranging as Isaac Asimov's science guides, Sheffield writes with the same clarity and and his own style of wit. Even somebody who regularly reads popular science magazines may find some new insight here.

Sheffield delves into the origins of life, subnuclear and quantum physics, possible mechanisms for space travel, physical descriptions of the solar system, superconductivity, viruses and prions, and a lot more including a whole section on "scientific heresies".

The second audience are those interested in writing science fiction, specifically the sort of hard science fiction Sheffield wrote. To suggest story ideas, Sheffield explores some of the borders of modern science where conventional theory gives way to speculation. Along the way, he points out some common traps to avoid when handling topics like near lightspeed travel and suggests specific fiction titles as examples of how a concept has been dealt with. He does not offer any advice on the literary aspects of science fiction or in marketing it. His sole interest is in helping you get your real science right and make your imaginary science plausible.

While the book doesn't have a whole lot about the thought processes of scientists, Sheffield does cover the historical and contemporary objections to some scientific theories, the prejudices that sometimes blind good scientists, and some of the amazing minds that have roamed across several disciplines.

Admirers of Sheffield's fiction will also probably like the asides about its scientific inspiration.

My only objection to the book is that I wish some sections would have had more detail.

The book includes a useful bibliography of fact and fiction titles for further research and an index.