AISFP 170 – Bryan Thomas Schmidt

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Bryan Thomas Schmidt joins us to discuss several new projects, particularly his second novel in the Saga of Davi Rhii THE RETURNING.

Is Critical Thinking a Dying Art?

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This is how we descend into a new techo-dark age, that is paradoxically driven by an over infusion of information that’s not be processed by people because they have lost that ability to make value judgments. This is a world in which a richness of technology and knowledge gets lost in the shuffle of our inability to access and apply it.

The Importance Of Keeping An Open Mind To The Fiction Of Ideas

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They say “speculative fiction” is the fiction of ideas. Ever heard that? . . . But the more I read and get to know the speculative fiction community, the more I’ve discovered a closed mindedness that seems to be the antithesis of the cliché.

The Importance Of Faith As An Element In Realistic SFF Worldbuilding

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It’s a topic that comes around time and again: Religion and Science Fiction. While some argue the two are antithetical, others, even Atheists, strongly disagree. SFSignal had such a case in their Mind Meld on the subject in which such known Agnostics and Atheists as Mike Resnick, Ben Bova, Michael A. Burstein and L.E. Modessit, Jr. argue that the two are not antithetical.

The Importance Of Risk Taking In Fiction Writing

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How many times have you read something and thought: ‘I’ve seen this before’ or ‘how cliche?’ We’ve all been there, right? I think this occurs most often because writers play it safe. They’re afraid to take risks.