If you like science fiction, check out Arthur C. Clarke's short story, The Star. Clarke explores the centuries old-question of the relationship between science and faith, in a story that is as powerful and startling as it is brief. Clarke won a Hugo Award in 1956 for this story.
Sci-fi has never made much of an impact among the great works of western literature, with only the works of H.G. Wells and Jules Verne available in the "classics" section of your local library or bookstore. Nonetheless, I think the genre has gotten short shrift and is capable of carrying the same literary weight as other forms of fiction. Though lots of the sci-fi that is out there is written purely for entertainment and in that respect aspires little higher than a Harlequin romance, many sci-fi novels are quite well written and explore important social, philosophical, and personal issues. One good example is my favorite modern sci-fi author, Timothy Zahn, who in his recent novels has explored marriage and irony.
|