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4.0 out of 5 stars
Brin's own version of Tomorrow is a hard SF "Tree & Leaf", Feb 23 2004
Many years ago, I first read J.R.R. Tolkein's Tree & Leaf, a book composed of Tolkein's essay on fairy stories and a demonstration of that theory in a short story called "Leaf by Niggle". It came as a surprise to me, because I had thought Tolkein's predominant interests were philological rather than philosophical. After reading the book, I thought of Tolkein in a new, more conservative light. In some ways his attempts to halt progress seemed misplaced to me. Also, it was the first time I became aware of Tolkein's religious world view. But, regardless of how I responded to the themes of the book, I finally understood the gravity of the themes that lurked under his longer works. It changed how I looked at his work forever. This volume is much the same. It takes some excellent short stories and highlights Brin's own 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). Another recounts what has to be the first environmental lawsuit I have ever seen in a space opera story.
Brin & Benford take a turn pretending to be Jules Verne in one. In one essay, Brin questions the wisdom of creating a fantasy view of feudalism (one of the most execrable form of economic oppression ever created) as he takes on Tolkein's fantasy. Brin makes a case for looking at the positive results of the Enlightenment and the modern Information Age. He asks a pertinent question in a world where Presidents talk about inclusive governments: "Would Aragorn's coalition cabinet include orcs and trolls?" It may be good to be a king, but the world runs better when everyone has a voice of some kind. Tomorrow Happens 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 Tolkein's Tree & Leaf. If Tolkein'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.
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