Science Fiction

I always quite liked science fiction, but recently I've become very interested in it. I began with the relatively light (but not at all silly) books of Elizabeth Moon, then sort of upgraded to the tomes of Peter Hamilton (not Night's Dawn tho!), and he's a brilliant writer. He can get very verbose, but usually everything is rather functional to the whole story, and he gives very detailed descriptions of how the future will eventually look like.

Ghost in the Shell is also excellent science fiction, albeit not a book. I tried to read manga, but it's not my stuff; I prefer American comics, Lobo and Hitman above all.

However, what's Science Fiction after all?
For me, SF is showing the scientifical and technical advancement of the human race, and how this will change our life on an individual and societal level - keeping in mind that new technical possibilities mean new cultures, new philosophies and ethical quandaries.

Obviously, the tale of aliens landing on Earth in these days would not be SF with this definition: there is no scientific advancement on our part. I think that those stories are more like fantasy... but the border is blurred.

Both Moon and Hamilton explore worlds and ages where humans are capable of space travel and a whole lot of other cool things: neural implants, prosthetics, rejuvenation, cloning, genetic engineering, biomechanical and bioelectronic devices, artificial intelligencies, powerful computers, intelligent materials, virtual reality... And most often all these possibilities are used for weapons and war; thank heavens they do not annoy us with the new age notion that in future humanity will finally evolve to a higher morality level.

Ghost in the Shell does not move to the stars, but it's set in a world where the difference between humans and machines are more and more tenuous, and all live almost permanently connected to a huge datanetwork, where even a self-conscious virtual being can live without a body. And when minds an bodies can be disjoined, when brains can be hacked and false memories implanted, when machines can become so advanced to discuss metaphysics... what is left of humans, of identity? GITS spends also a little of time exploring what sexual perversions can arise, and we are shown (not graphically, but in a rather suggestive manner) raffinate and powerful but decadent men swapping bodies with pleasure droids or other women.

I think this is what I most like of Science Fiction after all: exploring possibilities.