Saturday Fantasy Q+A is our ongoing post series that probes the thoughts and insights of individuals participating in sci-fi, fantasy and horror genres.

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David Brin is a scientist, speaker, technical consultant and world-known author. His novels have been New York Times Bestsellers, winning multiple Hugo, Nebula and other awards. His 1989 ecological thriller, Earth, foreshadowed global warming, cyberwarfare and near-future trends such as the World Wide Web. His non-fiction book — The Transparent Society: Will Technology Force Us to Choose Between Freedom and Privacy? — deals with secrecy in the modern world, and has won the Freedom of Speech Prize from the American Library Association. His science fictional Uplift Universe explores a future when humans genetically engineer higher animals like dolphins to become equal members of our civilization.

As a speaker and on television, David shares unique insights — serious and humorous — about ways that changing technology may affect our future lives. He lives in San Diego County with his wife, three children, and a hundred very demanding trees.

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  What was your favorite Saturday morning pastime?

  As a kid? Well, I read a lot. Tussled with my brothers. Built models. Played outside with neighborhood kids. Once a month or two there was a boy scout trip to get me out of town.

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  What is a topic you have always wanted to touch on in your work that you haven’t written about yet?

  A haunted house. Destroy New York City! Explore the next phases of feminism.

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  What do you think science fiction offers readers/viewers that other genres do not?

  A willingness to contemplate the clear fact that human beings, and their societies and relationships, change. I do not write science fiction because of the science. I write it because change is the relentless, driving fact of our existence. It throws all of our certainties and assumptions into flux. Genres and authors who frantically avoid dealing with this fundamental issue are — all-too often — simply myopic cowards.

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  Do you feel we’re living in an age of Hope or in an age of Fear or in an age of…? Why?

  For me, it is an age to be contrary. There are hope-fetishists who think we’ll soon solve all problems and become near-gods. When I am around them, my ornery-contrary nature starts spinning out failure modes and pitfalls that might trip up those fond dreams.

More often, I find myself around tedious, dullard, unimaginative cynics, who think that they invented dyspeptic grumbling. These fools do far more harm than the optimists do. Worse, they are boring. Around them, I find (ironically) that I can see ten thousand ways for us to succeed.

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  What is the next thing coming up that you’re excited about to share?

  Alas, life has become frenetic, with speeches and consulting work, my new inventions, and three active kids (the biggest project of all!). If I could duplicate myself a dozen times over, there’d still be too little time.

In 2010 keep eyes open for EXISTENCE, my next big novel about the very topic of how humanity might succeed… or fail.

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To learn more about David Brin and his work, please visit:
// www.davidbrin.com