In the new sci-fi epic The Medusa Chronicles, Stephen Baxter and Alastair Reynolds expand upon and continue the story of Arthur C. Clarke in 1971 novella A Meeting with Medusa. It’s a successful rejiggering, but there are always risks in approaching a classic (even if, in this case, the estate of Mr. Clarke was entirely on board, […]
What makes a science fiction story a space opera? Well, it needs to take place in space obviously, though not necessarily all of the time. Hanging out solely in an arcology on a climate-blasted Earth, or even in a domed city on Mars, doesn’t cut it. Actually, the more space the better; though there are certainly exceptions, […]