Accurate Science in Science Fiction – It's a Thing

We've all experienced it, guffaws from the back of the movie theater as scientifically illiterate Hollywood writers tell their tale. You may have been the instigator yourself once or twice, depending on your area of expertise. Astronaut Chris Hadfield was famously ejected from a theater for heckling the movie Gravity (I side with Chris on that one).

But it doesn't have to be this way. Andy Weir, in his books The Martian and Project Hail Mary, proved that modern literature can be both riveting and scientifically correct. In fact, one only has to reference historical fiction to understand that more often than not, realism makes for a better story. The movie Apollo 13 is a perfect example, and continues to this day to be a staple for science fiction enthusiasts.

Contrast that with the movie Gravity or Geostorm, each of which took ridiculous liberties with physics, and all of which have faded into obscurity.

I'm not saying good science fiction has to be perfectly restricted to current technology. It is fiction, after all, and authors must maintain their license to build worlds. But within the narrow confines of that built world, the rest of the physics can still remain accurate without demeaning the story.

In my latest science, fiction, novel, The Receiver, I endeavored to protect the sanctity of modern quantum physics. Did I get everything perfect? Probably not, but I spent a great deal of time doing research and solving equations, and I think my story is the better for it. That's why it's called hard science fiction, after all--it's not easy.

So when you are shopping for your next vacation book, consider an author who put some elbow grease into the science. Your brain just might thank you for it.