From: Michael Egan
Location: West Yorkshire, England
Date: 07/28/2012
Hi Greg
I just recently re-read Isaac Asimov's classic, The End of Eternity, and it dawned on me that we haven't seen that many honest-to-goodness, down-home time travel science fiction novels in recent years. I find this astonishing, as the scope for storytellers in this part of the genre must effectively be beyond limit. Is this something that might interest your good self? The man who transported the red planet across the light years to another solar system could have a right old time sending his hero back to witness key events during the crusades, or maybe fight in the shield wall during the viking age. I hope you might give the matter some serious thought, as this would be quite a prospect. Also, I recently re-read your terrifying novel, Dead Lines. I'm convinced that Stephen King must feel a considerable sense of relief that you concentrate on science fiction.
From: Greg Bear
Date: 07/28/2012
Many thanks, Michael! I'm actually kind of glad Mr. King hasn't yet decided to write space-oriented SF...
Time travel is indeed a major challenge. I may get there eventually... but it has to be a really interesting idea, and my one time travel novel is still sitting in the trunk, waiting for a rethink.
From: Carson Cockman
Location: Mooresville NC
Date: 08/12/2012
How about cross specialization? Good sci-fi horrors make great films and decent opportunity for dinero. Maybe Mr. King and Mr. bear might collaborate?
From: Pear Lover
Location:
Date: 08/20/2012
CITY is totally about time.
From: Greg Bear
Date: 08/25/2012
That would be great fun, but of course Mr. King might find the cut in pay discouraging! Besides, the films made from his works already include a number of classics, and a number of my favorites as well.
From: Greg Bear
Date: 10/17/2012
Indeed, but not in the traditional TIME MACHINE sense, which is a particularly difficult and classic form of SF. Still, maybe CITY AT THE END OF TIME will pass for a recommendation!
From: Michael Egan
Location: West Yorkshire, England
Date: 10/31/2012
I certainly agree there are elements of time travel in City. Also in Eon, Alastair Reynolds's Pushing Ice, Clarke/Baxter's The Light of Other Days (if we see simply viewing the past as in some way having travelled to it)and many others. For me though, City is a take on the Many Worlds hypothesis (and a hugely entertaining take too!). What I was referring to was that branch of SF where the hero physically travels forward or backward through time, within his own universal frame of reference, and either witnesses or directly affects events taking place there - something that Hawking, if I'm not mistaken, clearly feels would be prevented by the universe itself. I do agree a time travel novel in the Time Machine sense would in itself be, well, too Wellsian. I would definitely appreciate more further reading suggestions though.
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