A feeling for history is almost an essential for writing and appreciating good science fiction, for sensing the connections between the past and future that run through our present.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
Historical fiction is actually good preparation for reading SF. Both the historical novelist and the science fiction writer are writing about worlds unlike our own.
The pull of history has been a strong theme in my life as a novelist.
History is present in all my novels. And whether I am directly talking about the sociological moment or just immersing my character in the environment, I am very aware of it.
We've all faced the charge that our novels are history lite, and to some extent, that's true. Yet for some, historical fiction is a way into reading history proper.
I've always been drawn to historical fiction.
I tend to like to read history - recent history, because I find that much more intriguing than just a writer's imagination.
As a child, I read science fiction, but from the very beginnings of my reading for pleasure, I read a lot of non-fictional history, particularly historical biography.
I'm not a great fiction reader. I love history. I love history and philosophy.
Science fiction is like a blender - you can put in any historical experience and take influences from everything you see, read or experience.
I like fiction and the kind of history that gives the grace and flavor of fiction to the past. No bloviation on current events, please. I can write that junk myself.