Getting the science right is like getting anything else right

People keep asking me why I tried so hard to make the science in All the Birds in the Sky plausible, by talking to a ton of scientists. I mean, it’s mad science, it’s not regular science. But it’s still at least connected to real science and has some grounding in realistic stuff. It feels at least contiguous with the realm of real science.

My usual response to this is that the more realistic the science is, the better the contrast with the magic in the book. The magic kind of has to run contrary to what we know about the laws of physics, even if it has its own logic, so it stands out more if it’s placed alongside somewhat believable (but weird) science. And I totally believe that.

I also believe, though, that exploring real scientific ideas and facts is one of the things that science fiction does best, and it’s something that science fiction is uniquely good at. And you know, it’s worth doing more of that, both because it’s a cool thing to be able to do and because there’s always a slim chance someone will read your science fiction story and get nudged in the direction of studying science.

There’s a third reason, though – getting the science right is like getting anything else right. Like when you have your characters go out to eat, having them go to a real restaurant that actually exists (or one that you’ve really imagined super clearly) makes the scene more vivid and fun than if they’re just at a random fake-o restaurant that doesn’t have any realness to it. Like how you can describe what it’s like to ride on the bus you take every single day, way better than a tram in a city you’ve never been to. Even though I love making stuff up and being imaginative, fiction often gets a boost from having a huge dose of reality in the mix. And that includes having real science, just the same as other real stuff.