"He's a fascinating writer and he makes several important points that you probably haven't thought about but make perfect sense, and explains why you haven't thought about it before and the insidious traps that people fall into because of societal pressure." — Amazon.com review
Nimble Books and Altair Australia, 2008
Scroll down to read excerpts or purchase THROUGH STRANGER EYES.
film & media queries
Vince Gerardis
Created-By Agency
email: rightsqueries@gmail.com (with cc: to DAVID BRIN at books@davidbrin.com)
does popular culture change the future?
From bestselling author David Brin comes a collected work that takes the reader on a sweeping, controversial ride through worlds of fiction, nonfiction and film. Through Stranger Eyes is a freedom-of-expression free-for-all, offering more than twodozen reviews and commentaries that are sure to enlighten and entertain, possibly infuriate, even make you laugh.
You are guaranteed to come away with perspectives you never imagined before.
Through Stranger Eyes was published in the Western Hemisphere by Nimble Books and in the Eastern by Altair Australia.
purchase Through Stranger Eyes
Amazon.com US: paperback
Amazon.ca Canada: paperback
Amazon.co.uk UK: paperback
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Barnes and Noble US: paperback
Bookshop.org US: paperback
Mysterious Galaxy San Diego: paperback
Powell's US: paperback
CONTENTS
Author's Preface
Introduction: Arthur Salm
I. Dreading Tomorrow: Exploring our nightmares through literature
George Orwell and the Self-Preventing Prophecy (read on this site)
The Dream of Scipio, by Iain Pears
The Lord of the Rings: J.R.R. Tolkien vs The Modern Age (also sold separately at Barnes & Noble
The Sheep Look Up, by John Brunner
Alas Babylon, by Pat Frank
II. Tomorrow Gets Worse: Cinematic "sci-fi" and the betrayal of confidence
The Dark Side: Star Wars, Mythology and Ingratitude (also sold separately for Barnes & Noble's nook
The Matrix: Tomorrow May Be Different (also sold separately for Barnes & Noble's nook
III. The Dour Choice: Authors who complain
The Separation, by Christopher Priest
The Penal Colony, by Richard Herley
IV. Daring to Look Higher: Authors who strive
Stand on Zanzibar, by John Brunner
Lord of Light, by Roger Zelazny
Journey to the Centre of the Earth, by Jules Verne
V. The Real World: Notions of progress, science, and danger in nonfiction
The Progress Paradox, by Gregg Easterbrook (read on this site)
Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed, by Jared Diamond (read on this site)
River of Shadows: Eadweard Muybridge and the Technological Wild West, by Rebecca Solnit
The Pleasure of Finding Things Out, by Richard P. Feynman
Time Travel in Einstein's Universe, by J.Richard Gott
The Fifth Essence, by Lawrence Krauss
Fortune or Failure: Missed Opportunities and Chance Discoveries, by Alexander Kohn
The Art of Fiction, by Ayn Rand
VI. Reviews of Memorable Tales
Beyond Thirty, by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Guilty Pleasure Can be Proud, Or Why Buffy Goes
Godspeed (or "Goodbye Warp Speed"), by Charles Sheffield
Rocket Boys, by Homer H. Hickham, Jr.
Ground Zero, by Fred Gambino
Paradise, Purgatory & Inferno, by Mike Resnick
When Heaven Fell, by William Barton
VII. Biographical Tributes
Jack Williamson, Poul Anderson, Harry Harrison, Greg Bear, Gregory Benford
Micro Tributes: Isaac Asimov, Jim Burns, Fred Gambino, Arthur C. Clarke
VIII. Through Stranger Eyes: The Odd Profession of Storytelling
How I do it... and advice to new writers (read on this site)
The Uplift Universe
David Brin Literary Bibliography (distilled)
a brief intro to science fiction author DAVID BRIN
To learn more, visit his books page, or see his "about me" page or detailed biography.
novels
David Brin's science fiction novels have been New York Times Bestsellers, winning multiple Hugo, Nebula and other awards. At least a dozen have been translated into more than twenty languages. They range from bold and prophetic explorations of our near-future to Brin's Uplift series, envisioning galactic issues of sapience and destiny (and star-faring dolphins!). Learn More
shorter fiction
Short stories and novellas have different rhythms and artistic flavor, and Brin's short stories and novellas, several of which earned Hugo and other awards, exploit that difference to explore a wider range of real and vividly speculative ideas. Many have been selected for anthologies and reprints, and most have been published in anthology form. Learn More
Contrary Brin blog
Since 2004, David Brin has maintained a blog about science, technology, science fiction, books, and the future — themes his science fiction and nonfiction writings continue to explore. Learn More
social media influencer
Who could've predicted that social media — indeed, all of our online society — would play such an important role in the 21st Century — restoring the voices of advisors and influencers! Lively and intelligent comments spill over onto Brin's social media pages. Learn More
scientist
David Brin's Ph.D in Physics from the University of California at San Diego (the lab of nobelist Hannes Alfven) followed a masters in optics and an undergraduate degree in astrophysics from Caltech. Every science show that depicts a comet now portrays the model developed in Brin's PhD research. Learn More
transparency expert
Brin's non-fiction book, The Transparent Society: Will Technology Force Us to Choose Between Freedom and Privacy?, continues to receive acclaim for its accuracy in predicting 21st Century concerns about online security, secrecy, accountability and privacy. Learn More
speaker & consultant
Brin speaks plausibly and entertainingly about trends in technology and society to audiences willing to confront the challenges that our rambunctious civilization will face in the decades ahead. He also talks about the field of science fiction, especially in relation to his own novels and stories. To date he has presented at more than 200 meetings, conferences, corporate retreats and other gatherings.Learn More
future/tech advisor
Brin advises corporations and governmental and private defense- and security-related agencies about information-age issues, scientific trends, future social and political trends, and education. Urban Developer Magazine named him one of four World's Best Futurists, and he was appraised as "#1 influencer" in Onalytica's Top 100 report of Artificial Intelligence influencers, brands & publications. Past consultations include Google, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, and many others. Learn More
