Tomorrow Happens

by David Brin and TurtleMe

Book Overview

An insightful, quicksilver romp through Brin's own mind. In the 20 essays, short stories, and little wonders in this book, David will take you from the worlds of Galileo Galilei and Jules Verne,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1886778434
• ISBN13: 9781886778436
• Release Date: February 2003
• Publisher: Nesfa Press
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.4" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Brin's own version of Tomorrow is a hard SF "Tree & Leaf"

Many years ago, I first read J.R.R. Tolkien's Tree & Leaf, a book composed of Tolkien's essay on fairy stories and a demonstration of that theory in a short story called "Leaf by Niggle". Tree & Leaf came as a surprise to me, because I had thought Tolkien's predominant interests were philological rather than philosophical. Before reading Tree & Leaf, I suppose I saw Tolkien as a clever scholar out on a literary lark, rather than as an author with a decided viewpoint or message. After reading Tree & Leaf, I thought of Tolkien in a new, more conservative light. In some ways, Tolkien's attempts to halt progress seemed misplaced to me. Also, it was the first time I became aware of Tolkien's religious world view (which I found more appealing). But, regardless of how I responded to the themes of the book, I finally understood the GRAVITY of the themes that lurked under Tolkien's longer works. So, Tree & Leaf changed how I looked at the author's work forever. This volume is much the same. It takes some excellent short stories and highlights Brin's own literary, scientific and socio-political themes against a series of speculative essays and comments. We also get to see a teaching tool Brin has used in writers' workshops. The short stories are fine. One is about Uplift, another about humans becoming divine (in a different way from that described in Kiln People). A third records the details of what has to be the first environmental lawsuit I have ever seen in a space opera story. Brin & Benford together take a turn pretending to be Jules Verne in one. But, the highlight for me was one essay in which Brin questions the wisdom of creating a fantasy view of feudalism (one of the most execrable forms of economic oppression ever created) as he takes on Tolkien's fantasy. Brin makes a case for looking at the positive results of the Enlightenment and the modern Information Age. He gently prods at the sentimental longing for a lost age of paternalism and "security". He asks a pertinent question in a world where Presidents talk about inclusive governments: "Would Aragorn's coalition cabinet include orcs and trolls?" From Aragorn's point of view, it may be good to be a king, but the world runs better when everyone has a voice of some kind. Tomorrow Happens contains some of Brin's best thoughts on how information is carried on from person-to-person and from generation-to-generation. He explains things he thinks make a good science fiction story. And he shows us why we should never be afraid to try a new spin on an old idea. In a strange way, I think this is almost Brin's "answer" to Tolkien's Tree & Leaf. If Tolkien's book extolled the virtues of religion, faerie (the mythical land subbing for irrationality and romanticism) & lore, Brin's book preaches a different approach to literature and life. Brin's worlds are about optimism, innovation, and information. Worth a serious look.