Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and Science Fact - by Keith Cooper (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

With a stellar cast of scientists and science fictionists alike, a vivid exploration of realities behind imaginary planets.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to watch a double sunset on Tatooine, stand among the sand dunes of Arrakis, or gaze at the gas-giant planet Polyphemus from the moon Pandora? In Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and Science Fact, Keith Cooper explores the fictional planets from films such as Star Wars, Dune, and Avatar, and discusses how realistic they are based on our current scientific understanding and astronomical observations. The real exoplanets astronomers are now discovering are truly stranger than fiction, as the author shows. Featuring insights from over a dozen scientists and award-winning science-fiction authors, including Charlie Jane Anders, Stephen Baxter, and Alastair Reynolds, Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and Science Fact is perfect for readers of popular science and fans of science fiction.

Review Quotes

"Colorfully charts the interplay between astronomical discovery and imaginative speculation. Examining how the cutting-edge science of exoplanets has enriched or superseded science fiction's most beloved planetary conventions, Cooper breathes fresh life both into the fiction and the facts. His twin passions for the cosmos of what is and of what might be kept me enthralled throughout."-- "Locus Magazine"

"Planetary science and Science Fiction (SF) were always closely related. . . . This tome appears to be targeted at SF readers and those (non-professional astronomers) who enjoy popular science. However, many in the astronomy field will also enjoy this. I certainly did. Recommended."-- "The Observatory"

"The book cleverly uses reader's familiarity with invented worlds from science fiction television programs, films, and books as a way to get them to think about astronomy in general and actual extrasolar planets in particular. . . . As a lifetime reader of science fiction and a student of astronomy, I enjoyed the rapid-fire, round-robin tenor of the book as references to many books and films I had enjoyed came up for discussion. There is significant attention paid to real-world exoplanets and the missions that discovered them, giving readers a sense of how fast this area of study is progressing."-- "Ad Astra"

"The title of Cooper's Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and Science Fact echoes that of Amazing Stories, a magazine founded in the 1920s that was the first to be devoted to 'science fiction'--a term coined by its editor, Hugo Gernsback. . . . In 1928 the writer Jack Williamson recounted Gernsback's view: Science fiction 'takes the basis of science . . . and then adds a thing that is alien to science--imagination. It lights the way.' . . . Cooper's informed, engaging account of the ways that science-fiction planets correspond to their real counterparts provides a lucid primer on exoplanets, while also demonstrating that Gernsback's hopes for science fiction have been fulfilled."--Michael Saler "The Wall Street Journal"

"Cooper posits that we are poised between two philosophical and scientific frontiers: we have discovered alien worlds, but not yet discovered alien life. He sets out to explore the frontiers of our understanding of exoplanets, as seen from two complementary viewpoints. Shaped by interviews with an eclectic mixture of science fiction authors, exoplanet astronomers, planetary and atmospheric scientists, Cooper's engaging and informative text traces how our perceptions of alien worlds are reshaped by both scientific discoveries and cultural influences. . . . As popular science communication, it aims for the middle ground, and hits that target solidly, building towards a clear and correct description of both the range of genuine alien worlds now under investigation and the uncertainties intrinsic to research in a fast-moving field. The science fictional examples provide a means for readers to visualize the possibilities that the scientific content then contextualizes in current research. In combining the two, Amazing Worlds is a peon of praise to both contemporary exoplanet research and science fiction. Above all, it encourages readers to recognize the ways in which changing science changes our worldview, and to ponder both the potential and limitations of our explorations of exoplanets -- real or imagined."-- "Nature Astronomy"

"It becomes obvious early on that Cooper, who is a science journalist in his day job, knows his stuff on the fiction side as well as the current science. . . . It's a good exploration of the field, with neat SF references."--Brian Clegg "PopularScience.co.uk"

"[A] fascinating book. . . . Despite dealing with some cutting-edge science, this isn't a technical book, focusing instead on the wonder and excitement of the subject. Cooper draws heavily on his own conversations with exoplanet scientists, discussing the techniques they use, the discoveries they've made and their plans for the future. Comparisons with fictional planets run like a thread through the book--and it's fair to say they bear out the old saying that the truth is stranger than fiction."-- "How It Works"

"Cooper explores the connection between fictional depictions of extrasolar planets and the growing scientific investigation of their physical properties. While testing the plausibility of the most remarkable fictional worlds, the author manages to provide an in-depth introduction to key topics in exoplanet science and habitability--some of which would be quite challenging to explain to the general public without the narrative pull of fictional worlds. . . . I found myself eagerly reading through each chapter, smiling at the many familiar sci-fi references, admiring the depth of scientific explanations, and all in all amazed by how close imagination and reality are."-- "Nature Physics"

"Unpacking science fiction alongside real exoplanet discoveries, Cooper's Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and Science Fact is a captivating, cutting-edge view of worlds beyond our Solar System that explores the intersection of fiction and fact. An essential read for anyone fascinated by the cosmos."--Sara Seager, professor of planetary science, physics and aeronautical and astronautical engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and author of "The Smallest Lights in the Universe"

About the Author

Keith Cooper is a science journalist who has written for New Scientist, Physics World, Sky & Telescope, Space.com, and Supercluster, among others. He has a degree in physics with astrophysics from the University of Manchester and has edited Astronomy Now magazine for nearly twenty years. His books include The Contact Paradox.