I think I’ll start writing a Catholic science-fiction novel.
Well… maybe not. I am more of the secret Vatican vampire assassin squad kind of guy. Gotta be more readers there.
But if I did write a Catholic science fiction novel, I would put the photo below on the cover.
This is from Space Weather and it is for your Just Too Cool file.
Think about it: Extraordinary pillars of light capped with V-shapes shooting into the night sky from a corn mill in Nebraska. The bishop gets involved somehow… perhaps by excommunicating the masons who were hiding the aliens that arrived in the silos.
Hijinx ensues… and car chases.
V-TOPPED LIGHT PILLARS: Light pillars are a common sight around cities in winter. Urban lights bounce off ice crystals in the air, producing tall luminous columns sometimes mistaken for auroras. But the light pillars Mike Hollingshead saw last night near a corn mill in Nebraska were decidely uncommon. “They had V-shaped tops,” he explains, “and some of the Vs were nested.” Here is what he saw:
“These light pillars are not just rare, they are exceptional!” declares atmospheric optics expert Les Cowley. “Ordinary pillars are produced by plate-shaped ice crystals roughly half way between you and the light source. These ones are different. Their rarely seen flared tops show that they were made by column-shaped crystals drifting slowly downwards and aligned horizontal by air resistance.”
“The flares are a form of the upper tangent arcs that we sometimes see in daytime halo displays,” he continues. “But even more exotic, some flares have a second one nested within them! Some ice crystal columns do not rotate but instead keep two of their prism faces improbably horizontal to give us the very uncommon Parry arcs of solar halo displays. The nested flares here are amazing and probably the light halo equivalent of Parry arcs.”
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Why not a Sci-Fi novel on “The Vortex?” Or is that too real for Sci-Fi?
Father – forget about sci-fi – write a book on the way forward for the Church, perhaps a handbook for priests.
hmmm… there’s a thought!
Perhaps Father you should write a novel about a heroic Spanish Priest in the Peninsular wars; running a network of spies for the British and sheltering a company of Riflemen. (sorry big Sharpe fan) [Could there also be Vatican vampire assassins in it? PS: I rather enjoyed the Sharpe series.]
I don’t know about Vatican vampire assassins, [Not to worry: I know enough for all of us.] but I like the movie Black Sunday (the one with Barbara Steele) for having a proper depiction of vampires, including their real fear of the Cross. None of this “Oh, it’s just a virus” or “Anything one has faith in will do” crap. The movie is in the public domain, so let me point out, without giving too much away, the scene from about 5:44 here; if I ever come across someone on the verge of incoherence and gripping a crucifix, I won’t take it away from him — I’ll make sure I have one for myself! See also 6:40 here. They don’t make movies like this any more.
There was a (sort of) Catholic sci-fi novel back in the 70’s entitled “Canticle for Liebowitz”. It is your standard end of the world novel involving monks.
Good read and I think there was a sequel.
Another thought…could a novel be written from people building it soley from a combox? Collectivly as it were…start with a premise and follow it with commenters developing it?
Best Catholic sci-fi novel ever: Eifelheim by Michael Flynn.
I’ll second “A Canticle for Leibowitz” as a good read – it’s one of the finest SF novels I’ve ever read, period, and deals beautifully with things like suffering and Original Sin. Plus, it has the Wandering Jew in it, who’s just an awesome character, because you’re not sure if it really is him.
Yes Canticle is an excellent science fiction novel with strong Catholic influences. Two other often forgotten but enjoyable Catholic science fiction novels are by Robert Hugh Benson: Lord of the World and Dawn of All. I prefer the former which is one of the earliest dystopic novels in science fiction, well before, say Brave New World. It is a very interesting take on the end of the world and the results of a society without religion.
Combox novel? An absurd idea?
teomatteo asked: “…could a novel be written from people building it soley from a combox? Collectivly as it were…start with a premise and follow it with commenters developing it?”
Who wants to try?
The Nested V
Page 1
It was a dark and stormy night. Or it had been. Now it was just cold. The kitchen was cold. The half eaten turkey sandwich was cold. The untouched mug of coffee was cold. But something was colder than the north winds that had pushed this weather down from the Dakotas two days ago. It was Vernon’s heart. When Vernon left the table to inspect the strange lights next to the corn mill, he never thought it would take him more than a minute. He never thought. That’s what Veronica told him: you never think. That’s what she always said. But Vernon had no time for her asseverations. She could say whatever she wanted. He knew better.
Sounds like an interesting idea, Father Z, even though I’m not much of a science fiction fan.