Damien Broderick Livres

Featuring a collection of insightful essays from prominent critics, this anthology delves into the works of notable authors such as Robert A. Heinlein, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Joanna Russ. Contributors like John Bangsund and Bruce Gillespie explore various themes and narratives within science fiction, providing a rich analysis of the genre's evolution. The book includes an Introduction, Selected Bibliography, and Index, making it a valuable resource for both casual readers and serious scholars of speculative literature.

Maggie Roche, a struggling poet and single mother, becomes an unwitting time traveler after a series of bizarre events involving a cyborged rat and a conspiracy. Transported four thousand years into a future dominated by the Ull—powerful human-machine hybrids—she discovers her unique role as history's first true time traveler. As she navigates this alien world, Maggie finds herself pursued by allies and enemies alike, with the fate of the cosmos hanging in the balance.

Science fiction explores the wonderful, baffling and wildly entertaining aspects of a universe unimaginably old and vast, and with a future even more immense. It reaches into that endless cosmos with the tools of rational investigation and storytelling. At the core of both science and science fiction is the engaged human mind--a consciousness that sees and feels and thinks and loves. But what is this mind, this aware and self-aware consciousness that seems unlike anything else we experience? What makes consciousness the Hard Problem of philosophy, still unsolved after millennia of probing? This book looks into the heart of this mystery - at the science and philosophy of consciousness and at many inspiring fictional examples - and finds strange, challenging answers. The book's content and entertaining style will appeal equally to science fiction enthusiasts and scholars, including cognitive and neuroscientists, as well as philosophers of mind. It is a refreshing romp through the science and science fiction of consciousness.

The narrative explores the shortcomings of the initial Enlightenment, emphasizing how its clash with human emotions and conflicts led to disastrous outcomes, including the violence of the French Revolution. It argues that the Enlightenment's lofty ideals, lacking a comprehensive understanding of human nature, inadvertently paved the way for the totalitarian regimes of the 20th century. This examination reveals the complexities of reason and passion in shaping historical events and ideologies.

Featuring a unique blend of humor and chaos, this original crime novel stands out with its unconventional narrative and eccentric characters. It promises a reading experience unlike any other, combining wit and intrigue in a way that is both refreshing and unpredictable. Bill Crider's endorsement highlights its distinctiveness, suggesting that it will be a memorable addition to the genre.

Exploring the concept of transrealism, this book delves into the fusion of immediate perceptions with fantastic elements, as defined by Rudy Rucker. It emphasizes the importance of personalized experience in imaginative fiction and connects transrealism to slipstream writing. This genre blurs the lines between traditional literary techniques and the expansive narratives of science fiction, offering a fresh perspective on speculative fiction's evolution over the past century.

The book explores the rapid evolution of technology and its profound impact on everyday life, influencing choices in clothing, housing, and food. It examines the concept of "The Spike," a singularity where the pace of change accelerates to such an extent that it transforms expectations and realities, blurring the lines between science fiction and imminent possibilities. Through this lens, it invites readers to consider the implications of such fast-paced advancements on society and individual lives.

An anthropologist's quest in the central Australian desert leads him to uncover a connection between an aboriginal myth and the sacred Uluru rock formations. Accompanied by his nephew, he discovers a holographic "Gate" that reveals not only the origins of the legend but also insights into human history and the fate of the dinosaurs. This updated and revised edition of an award-winning novel explores themes of mythology, anthropology, and the intertwining of ancient beliefs with scientific discovery.

A sequel to Godplayers finds alternate-universe resident August Seebeck discovering his unexpected heritage as a Player in the Contest of Worlds, for which he and his turbulent siblings must engage in a mysterious battle against a dangerous host of super-beings. Original.

August Seebeck is in his twenties, a man of average looks and intellect. Then comes the claim of his great-aunt Tansy that she has been finding corpses each Saturday night in her bath (they vanish by morning). August dismisses this tale as elderly fantasy until he stumbles upon a corpse being shoved into the second-floor bathroom window of his aunt's house. Even that wouldn't faze him, but then someone steps out of the mirror....August suddenly discovers he is a Player in the multi-universe Contest of Worlds and that his true family is quarrelsome on a mythic scale. His search for understanding follows a classic quest pattern of the Parsifal kind, except that August is nobody's fool.An epic quest that is funny and engrossing, Godplayers is in the best tradition of Zelazny, Van Vogt, and the Knights of the Round Table, from one of science fiction's hottest up-and-coming writers.