Visit New Scientist's blog to read Zoology
An early Christmas present! New Scientist are championing Geoff Ryman's anthology – and giving my story Zoology an outing in the process.
Visit http://bit.ly/7ufFKo
Writing science into fiction is often a hit-and-miss affair. Some ideas work beautifully for inexplicable reasons; other ideas never seem to find what it is they are looking for, for equally inexplicable reasons.
The anthology When It Changed, though, is all hit, no miss. It is thought-provoking at worst, and stunning at best.
Sara Maitland's "Moss Witch", a cautionary tale for eager botanists, is simply dazzling; my woodland walks will never be the same.
Editor Geoff Ryman's story, "You", a snapshot of a world where everybody's lives are accessible through searchable video blogs, is a complex and insightful exploration of seeing the world through someone else's eyes.
The idea behind the book is just as good: each piece of fiction is partnered with a note from the scientist whose input inspired it, allowing us a rare glimpse into their world. Simon Ings's story, "Zoology", for example, gets inside the restless, curious (some might say troubled) mind of a scientist; the note accompanying Ings's piece, by biologist Matthew Cobb, is equally revelatory about the processes behind science.When It Changed shows that science can inspire anyone and everyone.Michael Brooks
