What do you think?
Rate this book
Borderlands of Science: How to Think Like a Scientist and Write Science Fiction
WELCOME TO THE FARTHEST FRONTIERS OF KNOWLEDGE.... Present-day science, as Carl Sagan observed, is more like science fiction than most science fiction. Where does the dividing line lie today? Charles Sheffield, an internationally respected scientist and an equally renowned science fiction writer, whom The Washington Post and others have compared to Arthur C. Clarke, surveys with an expert eye the current state of physics, astronomy, chemistry, biology, computers, and other fields, and brings the reader up to date on just how strange the universe is turning out to be. When exploring strange territory, a knowledgeable guide is a necessity. Fortunately, Dr. Sheffield is eminently qualified to explain the nature of the new mysteries which science is just beginning to explore. The readers will be in good hands as they are taken on an expertly guided tour of the BORDERLANDS OF SCIENCE
416 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
2 people are currently reading
57 people want to read
About the author
Charles Sheffield
216 books171 followersCharles A. Sheffield (June 25, 1935 – November 2, 2002), was an English-born mathematician, physicist and science fiction author. He had been a President of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and of the American Astronomical Society.
His novel The Web Between the Worlds, featuring the construction of a space elevator, was published almost simultaneously with Arthur C. Clarke's novel about that very same subject, The Fountains of Paradise, a coincidence that amused them both.
For some years he was the chief scientist of Earth Satellite Corporation, a company analysing remote sensing satellite data. This resulted in many technical papers and two popular non-fiction books, Earthwatch and Man on Earth, both collections of false colour and enhanced images of Earth from space.
He won the Nebula and Hugo awards for his novelette "Georgia on My Mind" and the 1992 John W. Campbell Memorial Award for his novel Brother to Dragons.
Sheffield was Toastmaster at BucConeer, the 1998 World Science Fiction Convention in Baltimore.
He had been writing a column for the Baen Books web site; his last column concerned the discovery of the brain tumour that led to his death.
He was married to writer Nancy Kress.
His novel The Web Between the Worlds, featuring the construction of a space elevator, was published almost simultaneously with Arthur C. Clarke's novel about that very same subject, The Fountains of Paradise, a coincidence that amused them both.
For some years he was the chief scientist of Earth Satellite Corporation, a company analysing remote sensing satellite data. This resulted in many technical papers and two popular non-fiction books, Earthwatch and Man on Earth, both collections of false colour and enhanced images of Earth from space.
He won the Nebula and Hugo awards for his novelette "Georgia on My Mind" and the 1992 John W. Campbell Memorial Award for his novel Brother to Dragons.
Sheffield was Toastmaster at BucConeer, the 1998 World Science Fiction Convention in Baltimore.
He had been writing a column for the Baen Books web site; his last column concerned the discovery of the brain tumour that led to his death.
He was married to writer Nancy Kress.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 13, 2021
"The book you are reading is out of date." I'm paraphrasing, but that is the message of the first sentence in the book, and that's a fantastic start. Charles Sheffield created a reference to the best science of his day, much of which hasn't changed. And he thinks that's great; he wants us to use his book as a starting point for our research into the latest frontiers of science, and then write stories that push beyond that frontier. A great starting point for any science fiction or science fantasy writer.
August 1, 2009
This is a must read for the aspiring writer of Sci-Fi, especially if your into hard Sci-Fi. Sheffield who was an accomplished physicist and Sci-Fi writer and he goes through the basic of must branches of science, and writes about what is probable, possible and impossible for the future of it. The book is a little old, and the author has passed away so its going to drift out of date but it mainly covers fairly fundamental stuff so it should be efficacious for awhile.
September 20, 2014
I read this book some time ago and copied this review from a longer article that appeared in The Writer in 2001.
This book surveys the current state of physics, chemistry, and biology and how they can be applied to such favorite science fiction topics as the beginning and ending of the universe, space flight and colonization, alien biology, computer and robot design, cloning, immortality, and future war. Sheffield, with a Ph.D. in physics and both a Hugo and Nebula under his belt, generously passes out writing ideas by the handfuls. He also indicates previous stories where an idea has been explored in SF so you can avoid well-trod territory.
Throughout Borderlands, Sheffield points to the edges of the unknown as opportunities for stories. Computers are in their infancy. Genetic research is on the verge of cracking the aging problem. Nanotechnology—tiny, self-replicating, programmable machines that could build structures, repair human tissue, and create food from non-biotic components —are also ripe for fictional exploration. Sheffield lays to rest FTL flight and instant transportation. No more "hyperspace" or "beaming" but I found his mass drivers, ramjets, and laser rockets much more interesting. And he did leave open the possibility of instantaneous communication over vast distances. Good reference book for the SF writer or anyone interested in the "science" behind the "science fiction."
This book surveys the current state of physics, chemistry, and biology and how they can be applied to such favorite science fiction topics as the beginning and ending of the universe, space flight and colonization, alien biology, computer and robot design, cloning, immortality, and future war. Sheffield, with a Ph.D. in physics and both a Hugo and Nebula under his belt, generously passes out writing ideas by the handfuls. He also indicates previous stories where an idea has been explored in SF so you can avoid well-trod territory.
Throughout Borderlands, Sheffield points to the edges of the unknown as opportunities for stories. Computers are in their infancy. Genetic research is on the verge of cracking the aging problem. Nanotechnology—tiny, self-replicating, programmable machines that could build structures, repair human tissue, and create food from non-biotic components —are also ripe for fictional exploration. Sheffield lays to rest FTL flight and instant transportation. No more "hyperspace" or "beaming" but I found his mass drivers, ramjets, and laser rockets much more interesting. And he did leave open the possibility of instantaneous communication over vast distances. Good reference book for the SF writer or anyone interested in the "science" behind the "science fiction."
June 16, 2012
I first heard about this book in a discussion forum on Goodreads and managed to order a used copy from the States. I'm glad I did. This is exactly the type of book that would fascinate anyone interested in writing about believable universes or future worlds. Even if you are going to ignore true physics, it's really handy to know where the cracks are or where there may be some wiggle room. World-building, alien-design and new science has to have some level of coherent thinking behind it and this book helps out by covering a wide range of topics that interlink from physics, chemistry and biology through to space flight, wars and alien biology.
Of course the book is out of date - it says so in the first line of the introduction. The only way it could be up to date would be to have an information resource that is constantly updated, variously peer-reviewed and interpreted into bite-sized pieces of understandable and accurate explanations of new scientific advances along with their potential implications. I think the resource is called the Internet. Good luck finding what you need from it though.
Of course the book is out of date - it says so in the first line of the introduction. The only way it could be up to date would be to have an information resource that is constantly updated, variously peer-reviewed and interpreted into bite-sized pieces of understandable and accurate explanations of new scientific advances along with their potential implications. I think the resource is called the Internet. Good luck finding what you need from it though.
December 4, 2014
This is a very casually written guide to scientific issues as they related to telling fictional stories -- a guide to what's real and what's possible in a variety of scientific fields as viewed from the prism of a 1999 Speculative Fiction writer's perspective. This book is written for the lay reader -- scientific terms and theories are made easily understandable, and for the science fiction fans in the audience, Sheffield brings up numerous examples of how genre authors have effectively made use of real science in their stories. Topics covered in this book include: Physics, Relativity, Cosmology, Biology, Space Flight, Computers, Robots, Nanotechnology, Artificial Intelligence, Chaos Theory, Future Warfare, and a wonderful grab-bag chapter about quirky scientific topics that don't fit comfortably anywhere else. I recommend this book particularly to science fiction fans, but anyone with an interest in cutting-edge scientific theories and studies should appreciate it as well.
January 10, 2009
This is a very nifty resource for SF writers and dreamers. The distinction of where the outer limits of science meets the realm of magic is priceless. Good light read for any science geek as well, if a little dated info.
January 22, 2009
A good book about cutting edge science for its time written for the lay person.
December 6, 2011
An in-depth analysis of current science (circa 1998), and how it would apply to anyone writing science fiction. Very clear explanations of many physical, chemical, and biological processes.
April 7, 2011
Really good
April 17, 2014
1 and a half stars :(
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews