Sci-Fi and the Book

Perhaps because of the average age of my readers, it's often uncritically accepted around here that the 1970s represented a unique flowering of science fiction. Now, it's certainly true that there were a lot of SF movies and TV shows produced during the '70s, especially after the success of Star Wars. And, of course, being kids at the time, many of these movies and TV shows probably exert powerful pulls over our imaginations even now. The awful truth is, with few exceptions, much of the Hollywood SF being made in those days was both terrible and short-lived. Battlestar Galactica, perhaps the quintessential '70s SF series, lasted a single season and, fond of it though I am, most of its 24 episodes are woeful. The track records of other science fiction series aren't much better and many are much worse. The same can be said of the decade's movies.

Consequently, if you were a sci-fi fan back then, as I was, you got the majority of your fix from reading. The 1970s were a great decade for literary SF and many of my favorite authors -- Poul Anderson, Frank Herbert, Larry Niven, Frederick Pohl, to name just a few -- produced some of their best and most compelling works during this time. It's thus no surprise to me that, even more than 30 years later, it's the books and authors of this period that still scream "Science Fiction!" to me. I've encountered other since that I've also enjoyed, but few of them have had a lasting impact on my conceptions of the genre.

So, when I wrote Thousand Suns, I did so with the express intention of promoting an "old fashioned" style of SF, one that I first encountered in the 1970s but whose roots stretch back into the '50s and '60s (and even earlier). Take a look at the game's Appendix N to see what I mean:

I also begin each chapter of the book with an appropriate quote from a story I liked from the period. For example:

I bring this up in part because I'd like some assistance. The first supplement to Thousand Suns I'll be producing is a revision to the Starships book. In this case, "revision" may be too strong a word, since very little will be changed in the text of the original version. Rather, the new version will simply incorporate a few small bits of errata, along with a new layout and additional interior art so that it matches the rulebook.

To do that properly, I'm going to need some quotes from science fiction short stories and novels from prior to 1980. I've already begun searching on my own and have some good ones, but having more from which to choose is always better. Each quote should pertain to the subject matter of the chapter with which it's associated. The four chapters of Starships are: The Navy (dealing with the nature and organization of interstellar navies), Operations (dealing with the operation of starships), Combat (dealing with starship battles), and Design (dealing with starship construction). There's also an introduction.

So, if you can find or think of a good quote from pre-1980 literary SF -- no movies or TV shows, please -- that you think fits one or more of these chapters, send them my way. If I use them, I'll happily credit you and send you a copy of the book in a format you prefer (PDF, softcover, or hardcover) when the book is released (likely in March or April). Thanks in advance!