Writing and Reading

I came across such an interesting question that I had to write a post about it. It came about on the AbsoluteWrite forum, I believe; and it sparked so much thought and intellect that I couldn’t get away from it. As always, I’m fascinated with genre, fascinated with the meshing of lines, the overlapping, the malleability, the evolution. Trying to identify a literary work as any specific genre is a mental exercise in and of itself.

Specifically when comparing the likes of a TECHNO-THRILLER….

And a SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL.

Now, my friends, that’s an interesting question.

They’re closely related in so many subtle ways. Defining any work as either could very well be one of the hardest things to do. Forgive me for being philosophical, but it’s inevitable. It’s the only way to really understand the intricacies of these two genres–the techno-thriller and the sci-fi novel. Here’s my take on it.

For example: what if we really could clone dinosaurs? What would happen to our world if we tried? Could we try? Do we have the capacity for that technology?

As it stands, cloning has become a real issue in our society; so it almost seems like a real possibility that we can actually clone a T. Rex (and then get our bodies ripped in half while sitting on the toilet). But, really, it’s not. We don’t have the DNA. We really don’t. We could possibly get strands of it in fossils, but probably not enough to successfully clone a true triceratops to keep as a pet. We’re still not in the realm of possibility there. We’re in the realm of the What If….

That, I believe, is the essence of Science Fiction. The What If….

What I’m saying is the novel and film by our beloved Michael Crichton, JURASSIC PARK, is most definitely science fiction. Most definitely. Look at any of his other works. SPHERE can’t be categorized under anything else but sci-fi. TIMELINE definitely falls under it, too. Granted, Michael Crichton is not space opera, for sure. But that’s only a sub-genre. Science fiction is much more than that.

Now let’s take my example and twist it just a tad. Let’s say we can clone the AIDS virus (forego the question as to ‘why’, people, because indeed that would be an insane idea, to clone one of the deadliest viruses in our world). Okay? We’ve gone from dinosaurs to AIDS. Simple. Still a fantastic idea. But…. And a big BUT….

We can wonder, for sure, if that could be really possible. There’s no What If.

After all, we’ve had vaccinations since smallpox. Biological warfare. Genetically engineered viruses. Think of the possibilities. If someone had the power to clone HIV….

It’s possible that someone already does. It Could Be….

That, my friends, is the basis for a TECHNO-THRILLER. At least in my opinion. It’s based on a “What Could Be.” Not a “What If.”

An example that’s not as fanatical as the HIV cloning would be Robert Liparulo’s GERM, a definite techno-thriller about a virus. I love those kinds of works. The film “Outbreak” with Morgan Freeman and Dustin Hoffman also fits into that category. Things like that could happen. Easily. And that’s what makes it a ‘thriller’.

I read somewhere, too, that a simple explanation would be the ‘impossible’ in the real world defining ’science fiction’ and simply works involving ‘technology’ and science fact falling into the realm of the techno-thriller. It’s not that simple, though, I believe.

These days, science fact can sometimes bleed into the fabric of science fiction. Almost too easily. I mean, look at Star Trek, for crying out loud. Captain Kirk’s communicator, back then, worked like my freakin’ Verizon Voyager! The science fiction of yesteryear is slowly becoming the science fact of today.

It’s not that simple to call science fiction ‘impossible’. It’s not that simple to call a techno-thriller a literary work involving ‘technology’.

For us to imagine a world in the distant future, we have to draw on some realities to make it live. We have to draw on the ‘possible’ to realize the What If. The opposite goes for techno-thrillers. We imagine a What Could Be and only then try to construct a ‘possible’. A possible plot, a story.

Ideas. It’s all about ideas.

God, I love that stuff. To imagine what’s possible in our world–to even think of what we haven’t discovered, yet. To create works that communicate our essence of humanity.

All right, people, hold up–I need to recharge my flux compacitor, so I can go back in time and remind my young self to ask that girl out from high school before it’s too late. Take it easy.

I’ll see you in the future.

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