Vol. 19, No. 28 |
April 20, 2000 |
Prof's speculative fiction looks at Earth and beyond
| Capt. Christina Vasa, a member of the Extended Life Brigade and one of Dr. Narb's friends was to be your next victim, Flotnal. Why?
–excerpt from Six Suns, Ten Planets, One Woman by Theodore E.D. Braun
Average life expectancy is 125 years, but Spacefleet cadets who agree to undergo a "procedure" become members of the Extended-Life Brigade (ELB) and can live 350 years. The Militia, religious fanatics opposed to space travel, scientific advances and the ELB, commits acts of terrorism in the name of religious passion. Into all of this comes Christina Vasa, a Spacefleet graduate, ELB and the captain of the starship Constellation. Her mission in life is to explore space and wipe out the Militia responsible for murdering her entire family. There is much more to Theodore E.D. Braun's book, Six Suns, Ten Planets, One Woman, but suffice it to say the professor of foreign languages and literatures has written a whopping space fantasy/adventure filled with warriors, murderous villains, wormholes to other worlds, flesh-eating aliens, benevolent lizard-like creatures and the search for extra-terrestrial human colonies.
"I've liked science fiction for most of my life. It explores human possibilities away from the confines of the present; it makes you free to seek out other worlds," Braun said. So, when he decided to "practice what he preached" and write a book just to see what the process is like, he chose science fiction as his genre. According to Braun, Six Suns has some of 18th century literature's enlightened values and themes but, mostly, "I just did it to do it." Which is why when the book was finished, he published it on the Internet at [http://www.udel.edu/fllt/faculty/braun/sixsuns.html] through 1stBooks Library, [http:// www.1stbooks.com] and later, as a paperback. The book is filled with themes: good versus evil, the results of environmental shortsightedness, religious fanaticism, the consequences of technological advances, love, friendship and loyalty. "I didn't want to make it just an adventure story; I wanted to say something," Braun said. One of the things that he learned as he was writing the book was that sometimes "the book takes over." Braun said that in one chapter he hadn't decided who would do the talking, but, as he wrote it, a previously bland character suddenly took over. He said that while the book was never written to be sold or turned into a movie of the week, it was a truly enlightening experience; one that he said he couldn't have achieved without the help of his daughter, Jeanne Velonis, who shares his love of science fiction and to whom the book is dedicated. Braun holds a Ph.D. in romance languages and literature from the University of California at Berkeley. His research interests include chaos theory and French author Voltaire, who wrote the science fiction novella Micromégas in 1752. Braun has had an interest in astronomy and evolution for all of his life and teaches a course on "Literature, Science and Technology." –Barbara Garrison |
It is 2645 A.D. On Earth, most of the population has moved to Antarctica, North America and Central Asia as a result of global warming caused by the razing of most of the planet's highest mountain peaks in an attempt to stop a sudden ice age. Now, humans are trying to terraform Mars and Venus. Planets and life forms beyond the solar system have been discovered and interplanetary space travel is common place. 
It's a far cry from his specialty, 18th-century French literature, but not so far from his heart and mind.