Blockbuster Science: The Real Science in Science Fiction

by David Siegel Bernstein

If you've ever wondered how much real science goes into movies like Gravity, novels like The Martian, and television shows like Doctor Who, this is the book for you. Written by an author who is both a data scientist and a science fiction writer, this entertaining and accessible book uses popular science fiction movies, stories, and TV shows to explain the science behind popular narrative concepts like time travel, lightsabers, AI, genetic mutation, asteroids, cyborgs, black holes, alien invasion, the zombie apocalypse, and more.What could be a more fun way to explore the world of science than through its use-accurately or fantastically-in science fiction movies, books, and TV shows?Learn about relativity through Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game and the movie Interstellar; black holes and wormholes in connection with Contact and Planet of the Apes; theories about the origin of life as reflected in Battlestar Galactica, Star The Next Generation, and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy; computer science and artificial intelligence in reference to A.I. Artificial Intelligence; and much, much, more.Written with wit, clarity, and a great sense of fun, Blockbuster Science will inspire science fiction fans to get excited about real science while also putting an engaging pop culture spin on science for any curious reader.

Genres: Science

336 pages, Hardcover

Published October 10, 2017

About the author

David Siegel Bernstein is a forensic data scientist who writes science fiction and other types of stories. He has been published in numerous print, podcast, and online magazines. Much of his work has been selected to appear in literary and genre anthologies (including Best of issues). His nonfiction has been published in newsletters, popular blogs, and academic journals. His latest book is Blockbuster Science: The Real Science in Science Fiction.

He also volunteers his time promoting writing and his fellow authors. He serves on the board of directors for the Philadelphia Writers' Conference. This is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to bring writers together for instruction, counsel, fellowship, and the exchange of ideas. He also leads the Words in Progress writing group—a group dedicated to helping members to improve their writing and publishing skills.

His non-literary projects include: Re-inventing the wheel, the Sisyphus relief project, referring to myself in the third person (as THE David, lest fools confuse him with the other one).

Reviews

[Nicola · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is not always easy for the non-scientist to follow, but it's been quite interesting anyway. The humour indulged in by the author is sometimes strained, and the book would benefit by its absence. I'd recommend it to lovers of sci-fi, and especially those interested in the facts around/behind space travel and physics. I'd really put it at 3.5, rather than just 3. It's been good bed-time reading.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

David Siegel Bernstein is a full throated hard Sci-Fi defender. He does a good job of covering the science, but his references to Sci-Fi are passing glances. Ultimately the strength and weakness of this book is the same; it reads like a well-parsed textbook overview of a lot of different theories.

[Johnnie Grimes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to be very informative, but after the first 1/3 of the book the science fiction connection was mostly dropped for a science basics approach. Overall, though it had shifted focus, the book was a good and interesting read.

[Steve · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating of 1.9. Discussion of a movie's scientific accuracy has become a cottage industry. It is present in written reviews, YouTube videos, books, etc. It is a topic with numerous paths to follow in discussing the topic. Now comes the latest edition to the pile of reading material. "Blockbuster Science" could have been an excellent book with some organization, good illustrations, and the deft hand of a good editor. Unfortunately, the reader is presented with a mishmash of ideas, movie titles, and few high quality illustrations. As with most popular science books, a lack of well done illustrations and graphs causes the book to fall flat in presenting the majority of science ideas presented in a SciFi movie. The descriptions are not fleshed out. A good reading list would have been handy as well There are good books available on this topic. Sadly, this one is not on the list.

This title was given away by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.