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« GWPF calls for new BBC global warming seminar | Main | New Scientist on the AR5 leak »
Monday
Dec172012

Global warming the novella

Andy West's sci-fi novella, launched at WUWT, looks fun:

For anyone nervous of SF geekiness, don’t worry it has no ray-guns or spaceships or time-warps; it’s only loosely SF and has plenty of action too. And those self-evolving memeplexes I mentioned are luridly portrayed, one in particular… Please do not baulk at the first use of the word ‘denier’, the context will become clear. Mention of climate change issues appears only slowly, but fear not there is purpose in this and a lot comes later on to stir minds, or for those already asking healthy questions, still an interesting perspective, a glimpse at depths of social realism, and some parts to revel in too.

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Reader Comments (17)

Many thanks, your Grace.

Andy.

Dec 17, 2012 at 9:06 AM | Unregistered CommenterAndy West

Someone testing posting anonymity?... mods, stand by for daft troll invasion, complete with Drakean pseudonyms.

Dec 17, 2012 at 10:01 AM | Unregistered CommenterTheBigYinJames

Or, one of us was taking advantage to make a bad joke... ;)

Drakean pseudonyms? That takes the cake.
(apologies to those who don't get the joke).

Dec 17, 2012 at 10:27 AM | Unregistered CommenterOtter

Hah! So my ground-breaking short story in Analog about global cooling is ignored while this novella is feted to the skies. There is no justice!*

BTW, I was unable to put the Analog short in my collections -- available now for Kindle and Kindle apps on Amazon -- but there's lots of others there.

JF
*But I don't care. Once I was in Analog...

Dec 17, 2012 at 10:29 AM | Unregistered CommenterJulian Flood

Julian: My older brother wrote a global warming piece for Analog, but it was rejected... I haven't read the mag in years, but, when was your piece put in?

(side note to previous comment: Drake's Cakes. Get it?)

Dec 17, 2012 at 10:48 AM | Unregistered CommenterOtter

The good thing about writing a global warming story which get rejected is you can claim suppression as the reason :)

Dec 17, 2012 at 10:56 AM | Unregistered CommenterTheBigYinJames

Hi folks,

You can see all the bumpf on the content of this story and how I came to write it, at the WUWT post.

However, minus much of this detailed background, you can also pick it up at:
www.wearenarrative.wordpress.com
Or in fact grab the pdf direct from here:
http://wearenarrative.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/truth.pdf

The novelette is free, and free to distribute, under creative commons. It is intended as an enjoyable means to open eyes, especially regarding the social phenomena powering CAGW. Put it on your websites, send it where you will. Enjoy :)

Andy

Dec 17, 2012 at 11:11 AM | Unregistered CommenterAndy West

Otter wrote:Julian: "My older brother wrote a global warming piece for Analog, but it was rejected... I haven't read the mag in years, but, when was your piece put in?"

Years ago, I'd have to find the ... Feb 2006, says Google. It was about global cooling caused by our choosing arboreal culture over grassland species. To me the peak of SF has always been Analog (well, Astounding to be historically accurate) so it pleases me just to write that.

Lucifer Falling is the best I ever sold though.

JF

Dec 17, 2012 at 12:09 PM | Unregistered CommenterJulian Flood

Watched this Documentary about Philip K Dick Guy that wrote the book that became Blade Runner.
Like Steve Jobs got most of his ideas when he was stoned .Which was often.

Commentators were talking about how many of his predictions have actually come true.Internet Mobile Phones Super Computers Cloning Stem Cells Artificial Intelligence Posted Notes Velcro Jedwood Tip-ex etc etc.
Wasn't long mentioning " An Earth plunged into an Ecological Environmental Holocaust Blah Blah Yeah Yeah Usual Usual ,We are all gonna die 21st December next Friday.the world is going to end Again."

Want he didn't predict was a mass Quasi near Religious movement Creating Mass Hysteria springing
up based on some jumped up Scientific Theory Worshiping a made up idea instead of a made up god
Corrupt Media and Politicians keep it going for there own self interests.Great plot for a Scifi book.

Jaws has 2 main narrative themes Moby Dick a mad sea captain getting personnel and having a fight to the death with a fish and Ibbsons Enemy of the People .A small local official being pilloried by the Mayor and Local Political Establishment for trying to highlight a dangerous threat to the Larger community.

I think of Climate Skepticism as Roy Schneider the Sherriff of Amity Island and also Marlon Brando and Suzanna York Superman's mum and dad all in Reverse.

The great 1970s Dystopian scifi movie Logans Run Micheal York and Jenny Agaurter lame excuse to get her kit off .Robert Erlich the population bomb made celluloid.Domed city in a high tech debauched affluent controlled society.
The reason they were killing everyone of at 30 wasnt because they didnt have enough resources .they could have simply colonized the outside.Just Politicians wanting to control the people .Dont want 31 year olds suddenly demanding Democracy and Elections inside and outside the Domed city.

Thats the real point the first victims of Climate Change is Democracy and Free Speech.

Dec 17, 2012 at 2:50 PM | Unregistered Commenterjamspid

I remember a dust-jacket recommendation for Philip K Dick ... "The most readable Philip K Dick ever" ... talk about d**ning with faint praise (and picked by the publisher also ... I've always wondered what the competing quotes were).

Dec 17, 2012 at 4:11 PM | Unregistered CommenterMikeP

There can be no such thing as a lame excuse for Jenny Agutter getting her kit off.

Any excuse at all for her to do this is fine by me.

Dec 17, 2012 at 5:48 PM | Unregistered CommenterJustice4Rinka

Some [admittedly 'cherry picked'!] feedback from readers at WUWT:

Chris Wright says:
December 16, 2012 at 4:12 am
Andy,
I just read it. It’s beautifully written and very thought-provoking. That image of the truth made visible will stay with me for a long time.

Mike Borgelt says:
December 17, 2012 at 1:29 am
I’m pretty sure the editor of Analog would have bought that one.

Well the last one will at least allow me to hold up my head against the higher achievements of Julian F ;)

Andy

Dec 17, 2012 at 6:32 PM | Unregistered CommenterAndy West

When <I>Analog editor John W. Cambell wanted climate fiction, he wrote or commisioned it himself.

CF Torch by Christipher Anvil, , which metastatized into 'nuclear winter'

Dec 17, 2012 at 7:42 PM | Unregistered CommenterRussell

Dec 17, 2012 at 10:56 AM | TheBigYinJames
'The good thing about writing a global warming story which get rejected is you can claim suppression as the reason :) '

May be a grain or two of truth in that. Part of the reason I submitted this particular story to climate portals and not to SF portals, was that it is highly controversial (as most of the public would perceive), and it might be too hot (no pun intended!) for the SF editors. Could be some real kick-back. The other reason is that it's a counter-narrative to CAGW, which therefore would benefit from the widest spread, and it owes more to the Climatosphere than the SFsphere too. Also why I put it on free distribution, so anyone can pass the story on.

Andy

P.S. it (briefly) references this blog and other climate blogs.

P.P.S. my writing group mentor and co-author of the recent 'Waters of Destiny' series, Ian Watson, wrote simply on the draft of 'Truth': distinctly brilliant. I guess most UK SFers will know Ian (screen story for Spielberg's film AI and many other great works :)

Dec 17, 2012 at 8:26 PM | Unregistered CommenterAndy West

Just to say I downloaded and read Andy West's Truth and greatly enjoyed it, finding it a very good experience to read something that a) is a good read in itself, b) involves climate change (current obsession), c) takes the reader outside the prevailing orthodoxy and d) makes the reader think.

It would be very heartening to read more in a similar vein. The climate change narrative has its Saci Lloyd (The Carbon Diaries), Barbara Kingsolver (Flight Behavior) and Ian McEwan (Solar), and I think it's way past time that the counter-narrative also started to make itself felt.

Dec 17, 2012 at 10:53 PM | Unregistered CommenterAlex Cull

Thanks, Alex :)

Dec 18, 2012 at 7:56 AM | Unregistered CommenterAndy West

pls check this video out on global warming! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gQyqqN8-Sw

Dec 24, 2012 at 12:26 PM | Unregistered Commentergaurav

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