Stories in Speculative Science
Welcome to my blog. I write science fiction and post my stories here. I hope you enjoy them. – Brent Smith
Many of the stories you will find here fall into what I call speculative science. That is, the story is based on real science. I take today’s science news and ask questions like, “Where is this leading us?”, “How will this affect society?” and “What could possibly go wrong?” The science is very important to these stories.
You will find other types of stories here. Not so hard sci fi but more fanciful. Ideas that I just couldn’t let go of without writing a story about them.
A third type of story might be called fan fiction. Here, I take classic science fiction tales and ask “What happened next?” For example, in HG Well’s ‘War of the Worlds’, Earth’s microbes won the initial battle. But as they say, a battle does not win the war. The legacy of this novel is that you have two civilizations that fear one another, that pose existential threats to one another. How would that play out?
Most of my story ideas come from reading science articles from various sources. I put a lot of background research into the science behind my stories. Some of that, I will post here so the interested reader can learn more about it and use the references I provide to dig into it themselves.
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Story: Oh Nothing
Read more: Story: Oh NothingI wrote a version of “Oh Nothing” thirty years ago when my daughters were in grade school. It is a parent’s lament, a tease to my kids who are now going through the same thing with their kids. Apparently nothing of interest ever happens at school, at least nothing worth telling your parents about.
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Story: Sentinels
Read more: Story: SentinelsBeing Canadian, I am exposed to the horror of mass shootings in the US on a far too frequent basis. This tragic phenomenon is on an upward trend and there appears to be no way of changing this trajectory. It gets me thinking for one, with so many bright minds in that country, where is…
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Story: Deja Vu
Read more: Story: Deja VuI had this idea relating the common experience of deja vu to a physical event. After all, there must be an explanation for it other than just a glitch in the system. I couldn’t really come up with a story where this idea might play a critical role in the plot so I wrote a…
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Story: Remember Me
Read more: Story: Remember MeI can’t give too much background on this story without giving up a spoiler. It emerged from the passing of a relative, gone suddenly, leaving only old photos and memories.
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Story: Treasure
Read more: Story: TreasureI have a guilty pleasure. I am addicted to the show “Curse of Oak Island”. For those who don’t know, it is a weekly documentary following two brothers who are leading an expedition to recover the legendary treasure that is buried on Oak Island, just off the coast of Nova Scotia. The show has been…
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Science: Longevity Research
Read more: Science: Longevity ResearchI learned a lot about the latest discoveries in understanding the aging process while doing my background reading for the Rejuvenation story. For those interested, I summarize what I learned in this attached document.
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Story: The Comeback
Read more: Story: The ComebackShould something like Rejuvenation be made available, it will mess with the natural order of things: In the Comeback, I look at this through the lens of professional sports. Retired, athletes, re-invigorated by Rejuvenation will want to revisit their glory days.
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Story: Society After Rejuvenation – The Testimonial Game
Read more: Story: Society After Rejuvenation – The Testimonial GameThe ability to extend lifetimes is coming. How would having this technology widely available affect society? People would live to one hundred and beyond with the health and vitality of when they were in their thirties. The diseases of old age would be vanquished. I wrote a number of ultra-short stories on how different aspects…
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Story: Rejuvenation
Read more: Story: RejuvenationBillionaires are investing in longevity research. Those researchers are unlocking the processes associated with aging. It is only a matter of time before our lifespans can be significantly increased. But who will benefit from this technology? Who will control it? Will the technology arrive to great fanfare or will it be kept secretive, exposed only…