The
stories I read during my formative years have had a lifelong impact
on my writing, in particular, two short science fiction stories that
are an obvious influence on my SF romance books. And in these
stories, the SF part of the tale concerned strange new worlds here on
Earth rather than among the stars.
“To
Ride Pegasus” was the first story I read that dealt with psychic
powers in a SF, rather than fantasy, fashion, meaning that the
psychic “Talents” all had a genetic (scientific) basis. Each
Talent possessed not only a unique flavoring of mental powers but
also had different strength levels. The “Talent” series, set in
the contemporary world at first, is all about the discovering and
harnessing these mental powers and protecting them from exploitation.
I
often describe my Phoenix Institute series, of which Ghost
Phoenix is the latest, as my idea of
Marvel’s Mutant X-men. But
“To Ride Pegasus,” McCaffrey’s three short Talent stories and
the
novel Pegasus In Flight provided the clearest template for
my own stories of introducing psychic-
powered individuals into the
contemporary world.
Later,
as an adult, I read Julian May’s Galactic Milieu series.
While May’s books do contain aliens and starships, the first book,
Intervention, is all about people pushing back against those
with just discovered mental powers here on Earth.
Introducing
a new element into the modern world isn’t the only subgroup of SF
to be set on Earth. Alternate history has a long and proud SF
tradition. The alternate world I loved growing up was part of a
series of stories by S.P. Somtow, set in a world when the Romans
conquered Native Americans. The Aquiliad stories appeared over
the years in Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine and
each had a similar structure: an officious, blustering and
not-too-bright Roman official would attempt to get the better of the
“barbarian” Aquila, a Lakota Sioux. Each time, the wily Aquila
outwitted the Romans.
When
I started to write a fantasy novel using Roman and Native American
societies as a template for the fantasy civilizations in Dinah of
Seneca, I remembered Aquila and decided to toss aside the fantasy
idea and write alternative history instead. I added in Vikings too
because the more societies that clashed, the better the conflict.
And so the Seneca books were born. The second book, Eagle of
Seneca, is my own personal tribute to Somtow, as eagle is
“Aquila” in Latin.
All
these stories, including mine, belong to SF. They’re about how an
unknown element affects a known world. Earth is able to reach the
stars because of McCaffrey’s Talents. May’s worldmind summons the
rest of the galaxy to Earth’s aide and opens a new world to them.
Aquila’s steely determination and skills turn the Roman idea of
barbarian upside down. In similar fashion, I’m bringing the
psychics/superheroes of the Phoenix Institute more in the open
with each book, changing my entire storyverse from our world into
something else.
So when you think of SF,
remember that SF is more than spaceships and aliens. Remember that
the best SF is all about change—sociological, technical or
cultural--and the human reaction to that change.
(This
is my Amazon author page, which also has links to the Seneca books.)
