Several years ago when I was invited to pitch stories for the Star Trek: S.C.E. series, one of the ideas I tossed out was a story in which the crew of the USS da Vinci have to repair a space elevator damaged during the Dominion War. Thus was Ring Around the Sky born. The conceptContinue reading “On Japanese Space Elevators”
Tag Archives: Ring-Around-the-Sky
On a Grand Designs Review
The UK website Sci-Fi Online reviewed the newest Star Trek: Corps of Engineers compilation Grand Designs, of which my own Ring Around the Sky is a part. From their review: It’s obvious from his detailed descriptions that Gibson gets a real kick out of technology as he indulges himself and the reader in descriptions ofContinue reading “On a Grand Designs Review”
On Grand Designs
Grand Designs, the Star Trek: Corps of Engineers compilation containing my novella Ring Around the Sky, will be published by Pocket Books in July of 2007. The cover for it was unveiled today: The cover image is of the world Kharzh’ulla IV, seen in my story, as rendered by artist Chris Moore. Kharzh’ulla boasts ofContinue reading “On Grand Designs”
On Jimmy Doohan
James Doohan, best known as Scotty from Star Trek, passed away today. He was 85. I had the opportunity to write for Scotty in my Star Trek: SCE novella, Ring Around the Sky. Scotty is the officer in charge of the Starfleet Corps of Engineers, and he doles out the assignments to the da VinciContinue reading “On Jimmy Doohan”
On Voting in the Psi Phi Awards
The Golden Age of science fiction is twelve. I don’t know who said it. I’ve no doubt a Google search would turn up a dozen claimants to the prize. In the end, it’s not the sentence that matters, it’s the meaning. The Golden Age of science fiction is what you read when you were twelve,Continue reading “On Voting in the Psi Phi Awards”
Vacation and Shore Leave
Over the weekend I attended the Shore Leave convention in Baltimore, Maryland. I started going in 2000 and it has become something of an annual tradition. This year, however, was the first where I attended as a guest, due to the publication of Ring Around the Sky and a story in the No Limits anthology,Continue reading “Vacation and Shore Leave”
Blinded by Science
How does that ’80s song go? “I’m blinded! By science!” That’s how I feel right about now, having just written five pages of tech exposition. It’s vital to the story, otherwise I wouldn’t have written it. The conflict between two characters begins (or more precisely, resumes after a twenty-year absence), the seeds of the conclusionContinue reading “Blinded by Science”
Writer's Notebook II
In Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home Kirk and Spock discuss 20th-century American literature on a San Francisco public bus. The remembered names of 20th-century literature? Harold Robbins and Jacqueline Susann, two authors we would consider today the purveyors of crap. What we think of today as great literature may not stand the test ofContinue reading “Writer's Notebook II”
Writer's Notebook
I have a ticket to the 1:00 showing of The Two Towers. I hadn’t planned on going today–I’m not someone who really has to see a film on opening day. But, today happens to be my only day off this week, my Christmas shopping is finished, my mental energy is waning under the Christmas onslaught,Continue reading “Writer's Notebook”
I am Spartacus!
I am writing a book. There’s a scene in That Thing You Do when the Wonders are about to perform on television, and Lenny asks Skitch, “How did we get here?” And Skitch Patterson, with his Spartacus fixation, says, “I have brought you here, sir, for I am Spartacus.” It’s that sense of unreality thatContinue reading “I am Spartacus!”