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The Nebula Planet Book Jacket

Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known

Carl Sagan

NGC6751
Nice for a nebula

The Antarian War is over and the accords are signed. Captain John Ross of Explorer Space Ship 14 grabs his first officer and heads for his favorite Mother Ship pit bar to pour down brewmacs and chase wild women.
Ross is now the hero from the Battle of Maregault, but the loss of his best friend, Craig Dugan, dampers his exultation. In perhaps the most frustrating aspect of The Battle of Maregault, the devious Antarian Cerbuin, Rafec, eludes capture. Years of grueling war have pushed Ross on a binge. He moves into high gear with Lindy, consuming more brewmacs and eyeing the opposite sex. In the midst of this enters an old friend. Ross is about to embark with her on something even more challenging than the war.

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The science in The Nebula Planet is both bold and solid and there is a reason. In The Craft of Science Fiction, edited by Reginald Bretnor, science fiction writer, Norman Spinrad, writes:

"... To create plausible pictures of future sciences and technologies, science fiction writers must have some familiarity with all the physical sciences. To create pictures of imagined planets they must know some astrophysics, meteorology, geology, ecology, and biology. To create future of alien cultures, they must b able to think sociologically, anthropologically, and psychologically. when science fiction truly succeeds, all the multiple factors that go to make up a total natural, technological, and cultural environment are brought home to living, loving, suffering characters ..."

Well, isn't that the truth? You'd better brush up on Geology 101 and Meteorology 206 if you're landing on Planet X97B. Upon editing The Nebula Planet, I referred to my own scientific knowledge and interests, but deferred to those who have written with greater acumen. Let's not forget the fiction writer's (especially the science fiction writer) propensity for imagination. I created a few things in The Nebula Planet than are not based in our present day science, but they make sense. Again, Mr. Spinrad:

"... how do you get the reader to accept it (the science) smoothly, how do you make what is currently a scientific impossibility seem quite plausible?... One obvious and frequently successful method is simply to ignore the problem. ' He switched on hyperdrive and five minutes later they arrived at Epsilon Bootes.' ... However, if you choose this method, you must really be consistent ... the logic of its operation must seem reasonable, must feel scientifically correct. Internal consistency is a necessity no matter how much or how little you choose to explain ..."

Making it all mesh within the framework of the story and its setting past, present or future is the great challenge. Writers have different approaches in their work. I like a limited method of scientific extrapolation because it allows a greater imagination and sets a mysterious realm.
More humanity can only be in awe of such actions and events! But I firmly believe that this method is only one component of the story and any real science in the story must be grounded in the "ologies".
Plot and characters need to be fueled by necessity. Readers had better care what the characters do and why they do it, or the story is dead.
John Ross now faces forces he, nor anyone within Galactic Command, has ever seen before. I love heroes and where Ross finally resurfaces is more a testament to his inner revolve and cleverness.

Spinrad quote pp. 57 & 58 from, The Craft of Science Fiction, edited by Reginald Bretnor, 1976, Barnes and Noble Books.

Further Reading

Cosmos, by Carl Sagan, 1980, Random House, New York.

Intelligent Life in the Universe, by I.S. Shklovskii and Carl Sagan, Dell Publishing Company, New York, 1966.

Stephen Hawking's Universe, PBS TV Series.

A Brief History of Time, by Stephen Hawking, 1988, Bantam Books.

Astronomy Fundamentals and Frontiers, Robert Jastrow and Malcolm Thompson, Second Edition, 1975, John Wiley and Sons.

Black Holes, The Edge of Space, The End of Time, by Walter Sullivan, 1979, Warner Books.

And a special thanks to this man...

Book Price: $5.95

Free Chapter [text] - Read Online [pdf]  - Adobe Reader [pdb] - Palm Pilot