n-sf: Nanotechnology in Science Fiction #17

Anthony Napier (anthony@lexis-nexis.com)
Tue, 18 Mar 97 10:43:53 EST

The Nanotechnology in Science Fiction Bibliography Issue #17, March 18, 1997
anthony.napier@lexis-nexis.com
http://www.erinet.com/prass/nanowars/ninsf/n_in_sf.html

This is primarily a list of Science Fiction novels & short stories that are nanotech related. I have not read everything on this list.

Additions and corrections should be sent to <n-sf@lucifer.com>. Thanks to all who have contributed to this bibliography.



Rating of nanotech content (not implying good/bad)
Four stars  ****     nanotech is the center of the story
Three stars  ***     nanotech is a major component of the story
Two stars     **     nanotech is a minor component of the story

Nanotech may be explicitly or implicitly stated, or be called by different names. People who have read one of the non-fiction books listed below should have a feel for the general definition of molecular nanotechnology.


Non-Fiction books on nanotechnology


1986 Engines of Creation K. Eric Drexler

1991 Unbounding the Future K. Eric Drexler, et al.

1992 Nanosystems - Molecular

      Machinery, Manufacturing,
      and Computation                   K. Eric Drexler

_Further_information_ can be obtained from the sci.nanotech homepage located at URL <http://nanotech.rutgers.edu/nanotech/> or Sean Morgan's page at <http://www.lucifer.com/~sean/Nano.html/>


T H E - L I S T



"Science fiction writers foresee the inevitable, and although problems and catastrophes may be inevitable, solutions are not."

Isaac Asimov (1920-92)

Code (default is Novel)


 (C)    collection, anthology
 (N)    novella, novelette
 (M)    magazine, pulp
 (F)    fantasy
 (R)    reissue, reprint


(b) biotech pathway - organic molecules, "wet" environment.

(mm) molecular manufacturing - machine phase, "dry" environment,

indicates the work shows detailed portrayal of nanoengineering.

 (si)   Singularity
 (gg)   Gray Goo
 (uf)   Utility Fog
 (cr)   Cryonics

(h-yy) Hugo award winner - year
(n-yy) Nebula award winner - year


Author                    Title                        Date,Code,Rating

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Anderson K. & Beason D. Assemblers of Infinity 1993 4 Anderson, Poul Boat of a Million Years, The 1989 2.4 Anderson, Poul Harvest of Stars 1993 3 Anderson, Poul Stars are Also Fire, The 1994 Banks, Iain M. Feersum Endjinn 1994 3 Banks, Iain M. Excession 1996 Barnes, John Kaleidoscope Century 1995 Barnes, John Mother of Storms 1994 2 Baxter, Stephen Ring 1994 2 Baxter, Stephen Timelike Infinity 1993 2 Bear, Greg Anvil of Stars 1992 3 Bear, Greg Blood Music 1985 (b) 3.5 Bear, Greg Forge of God, The 1987 3 Bear, Greg Heads 1990 2 Bear, Greg Moving Mars 1993 (n94) 2 Bear, Greg Queen of Angels 1990 3 Benford, Gregory Furious Gulf 1994 2 Benford, Gregory Great Sky River 1987 2 Benford, Gregory Sailing Bright Eternity 1995 2 Benford, Gregory Tides of Light 1989 2 Bishop, Michael Secret Ascension, The 1987 2 Bisson, T. Pirates of the Universe 1996 2 Bova, Ben Moonrise 1996 3 Bova, Ben Voyagers 3: Star Brothers 1990 3.5 Brenner, Mayer Alan Spell of Apocalypse 1994 (F) Brin, David Earth 1990 2 Brunner, John Maze of Stars, A 1991 3 Bull, Emma Falcon 1989 2 Calder, Richard Dead Boys 1995 Calder, Richard Dead Girls 1995 Carter, Raphael Fortunate Fall, The 1996 Carver, Jeffrey From a Changeling Star 1988 2 Carver, Jeffrey Down the Stream of Stars 1990 2 Clarke, Arthur C. Hammer of God, The 1993 2 DeChancie, John Innerverse 1996 Egan, Greg Permutation City 1994 2 Egan, Greg Quarantine 1992 2.5 Elliott, Elton (Editor) Nanodreams 1995 (C) 4 Feeley, Gregory Oxygen Barons, The 1990 3 Flynn, Michael Nanotech Chronicles, The 1991 (C) 4 Frankowski, Leo Copernick's Rebellion 1987 (b) 3.5 Gibson, William Idoru 1996 2 Gibson, William Mona Lisa Overdrive 1988 1.9 Gibson, William Virtual Light 1993 2 *Goonan, Kathleen Ann Bones of Time, The 1995 2.5 Goonan, Kathleen Ann Queen City Jazz 1994 4 Harrison H. & Minsky M. Turing Option, The 1992 2.5 Jennings, Phillip C. Bug Life Chronicles 1989 3 Keith, William H. Warstrider 1993 3 Keith, William H. Warstrider: Rebellion 1993 3 Keith, William H. Warstrider: Jackers 1994 3 Keith, William H. Warstrider: Netlink Keith, William H. Warstrider: Symbionts Kilian, Crawford Gryphon 1989 3 Kress, Nancy Beggars and Choosers 1994 4 Kress, Nancy Beggars Ride 1996 Kube-McDowell,Michael P. Exile 1992 2 McAuley, Paul J. Fairyland 1995 3.5 McAuley, Paul J. Red Dust 1994 McCarthy, Wil Murder in the Solid State 1996 McDonald, Ian Terminal Cafe 1994 3 Nagata, Linda Bohr Maker, The 1995 4 Nagata, Linda Tech Heaven 1995 (cr) 4 Noon, Jeff Pollen 1995 Noon, Jeff Vurt 1993 Platt, Charles Protektor 1996 Preuss, Paul Human Error 1985 (b) 3.5 Quinn, Daniel Ishmael 1995 (R) Robinson, Kim Stanley Blue Mars 1996 Robinson, Kim Stanley Green Mars 1994 (h94) 2 Robinson, Kim Stanley Red Mars 1992 (n93) 2 Robinson, Spider/Jeanne Starmind 1995 Ryman,Geoff Child Garden, The 1990 Sawyer, Robert J. Foreigner 1994 2 Sawyer, Robert J. The Terminal Experiment 1995 (n95) 2.5 Smith, L. Neil Venus Belt, The 1980 3 Steele, Allen Labyrinth of Night 1992 3.5 Stephenson, Neal Diamond Age, The 1995 h96,mm 4 Stirling, S. M. Drakon 1996 2.5 Sullivan, Tricia Lethe 1996 Swanwick, Michael Stations of the Tide 1991 (n91) 2.7 Varley, John Steel Beach 1992 2.8 Vinge, Joan D. Dreamfall 1996 Vinge, Joan D. Snow Queen, The 1980 (h81) 2.5 Vinge, Joan D. Summer Queen, The 1991 2.5 Vinge, Vernor Fire Upon the Deep, A 1992 (h93) 3 Vinge, Vernor Marooned in Realtime 1986 (si) 2 Vinge, Vernor Peace War, The 1984 2.2 Watson, Ian Nanoware Time 1991 Williams, Walter Jon Aristoi 1992 (mm) 4 Wilson, Robert Charles Bridge of Years, A 1991 2 Wilson, Robert Charles Harvest, The 1993 3.2 Wolverton, Dave On My Way To Paradise 1989 Young, Jim Armed Memory 1996 Zindell, David Neverness 1988 2
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Honorable Mention (predates modern nanotech concepts)
1941 ...... Microcosmic God ............... Theodore Sturgeon
1942 ...... Waldo ......................... Robert A. Heinlein
1952 ...... Surface Tension ............... James Blish
1954 ...... Autofac ....................... Philip K. Dick
1966 ...... The Mechanic .................. Hal Clement
1970 ...... Dancer at the End of Time ..... Michael Moorcock
1978 ...... Sight of Proteus .............. Charles Sheffield




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Short Stories or Serials - These are loose items that appear in magazines, collections, etc, amidst other non-nano related works.
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Burns, Stephen L. Down Under Crater Billy (M) Analog, January 1995 Rating 3 Di Filippo, Paul Any Major Dude (C) New Worlds Anthology #1 Rating ? Di Filippo, Paul Up the Lazy River (M) Science Fiction Age, September 1993 Rating 4 Feeley, Gregory Mind's Place, The (C) Full Spectrum 4, 1993 Rating 2.9 Johnson, Todd Legacy (C) Bolos Book 2, 1994 Rating 3 Kress, Nancy Margin of Error (C) The Years Best Science Fiction #12, 1995 Rating ? Niven, Larry Procrustes (C) Crashlander, 1994 Rating 3.5 Stiegler, Marc The Gentle Seduction (C) in collection of same name, 1990 Rating 4 Sterling, Bruce The Shores of Bohemia (C) Globalhead, 1992 Rating 4 Swanwick, Michael Griffin's Egg (C) The Years Best Science Fiction #10, 1993 Rating 2.5 Tonnies, Mac Alchemist's Planet (C) Illumined Black, 1995 Rating 3
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NanoWars, Illustrated Science Fiction by Anthony S. Napier http://www.erinet.com/prass/nanowars/nw.html (ftp available)

NanoWars Chapter 1: Breakthrough
1994
Rating 4
"The year is 2020, and mankind's advancement of technology continues. In fact, it has reached the ignition point!"

NanoWars Chapter 2: Propagation
1995
Rating 4
"Machine fights machine. Do men even matter?"

Nanothinc has a NanoWars page at...
http://nanothinc.com/NanoWorld/NanoFun/NanoWars/NanoWars.html



Comic Books

Milestone Comics
Hardware
Rating 2

Milestone Comics
Xombi (now discontinued)
Rating 2

Valiant Comics
Bloodshot
Rating 3

Doom Patrol
no other info at this time

Adam Warren
Dirty Pair - Sim Hell



Electronic Text on the Internet

Hsieh, Paul
Axioms
http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~diana/objectivism/hsieh/axioms.html Rating 2.2

Napier, Anthony S.
Dead Reckoning
http://www.erinet.com/prass/nanowars/story/story2.html Rating 4 (mm,gg)

Napier, Anthony S.
The Quiet Revolution
http://www.erinet.com/prass/nanowars/story/story1.html Rating 4

Porter, Mitchell
Outward Bound
*http://www.thehub.com.au/~mitch/fiction/suncorp.html Rating ?

Vader, Paul
Post-industrial revolution
http://www.mcs.net/~pv/web/stories/postind.html Rating 4 (mm,gg)

Van Oflen, Jeff
Notes from the G.O.D.
http://erie.csis.gvsu.edu/~vanoflej/NanoTech/TheBook.html Rating 4 (uf)



Motion Picture

*Bombshell - not released yet

Deep Red
1994 MCA/Universal, 85 minutes.
Michael Biehn, Joanna Pacula, John DeLancie. Science fiction: A young girl whose blood conveys immortality, due to an encounter with extraterrestrials, is hunted by a ruthless scientist...
Rating: 4

Terminator 2: Judgment Day
1991 139 minutes.
Although the "n" word is not used, general consensus is that nanotechnology is the only realistic way the T-1000 could be implemented. James Cameron should take note of this when doing T3. Rating: 2.5

VIRTUOSITY
1995 Paramount Pictures, 97 minutes.
Russell Crowe, Denzel Washington
With (silicon-based) nano, VR takes a physical form. Rating: 3.5



Television

Babylon 5
1993 Pilot Movie "The Gathering"
Briefly mentioned at the end of the pilot.

Gargoyles (Disney Animated Series)
"Walkabout" aired (U.S.) 02/07/96
nanomachines, goo, ai

Journey to Mars
1996 [made for TV movie?]
On Monday, March 25th, CBS ran a prime time movie of the week titled "Journey to Mars." ...this had to be one of the top 10 worst movies of all time. To compound the matter, it had a nanotechnology theme: "Nanotech devices implanted in the landing module pilot/commander -- designed to systematically destroy neurons and synapses in the cortex, thereby impairing the pilot's memory and ability to land." Very clever -- HA! Rat poison would have been a lot easier and undeniably more cost effective. - pwg@nanothinc.com

Outer Limits, The
"The New Breed" aired (U.S.) 07/09/95
Richard Thomas, Peter Outerbridge, Tammy Isbell A scientist who's trying to find a way to repair damaged cells develops robots of microscopic size - with which a lab assistant secretly injects himself in hopes of curing his cancer.

Star Trek
The STTNG "nanite" episode "Evolution" aired (U.S.) 09/23/89 http://nanotech.rutgers.edu/nanotech/papers/update7.html#StarNanotale contains comments on this episode.
See Star Trek Appendix for further details on other episodes.

X-Files, The
"War of the Coprophages" aired (U.S.) 01/05/96 Extraterrestrial nanotechnology cocroaches anyone?



Some games that reference nanotech...

Cybergeneration RPG board game
SimEarth          Commercial Software, PC, MAC
Outpost           Commercial Software, PC
NetBots           Networked X11 game available on the net
*Obsidian         Commercial Software, PC, MAC
*Apocalypse       Activision PlayStation (due XMAS 97)





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M A I L I N G - L I S T - I N F O R M A T I O N

Nanotechnology in Science Fiction (N-SF)

This is a forum to discuss any work of fiction that has portrayed nanotechnology in some way. N-SF is an unmoderated list. The hypertext archive of the mailing list can be found on the world wide web at <http://maxwell.lucifer.com/n-sf/archive/>.

This bibliography (you are reading) can be used as a starting point for discussion. "Engines of Creation" by K. Eric Drexler will be used as the baseline definition of molecular nanotechnology (MNT).

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Nanothinc <http://nanothinc.com/> Book Reviews Wanted

Nanothinc would like to acquire reviews of any material on this list. If you are interested in submitting reviews to Nanothinc, you may send them to <tess@nanothinc.com>. It would be cool if you CC'ed the N-SF mailing list <n-sf@lucifer.com> as well. Thanks.

Appendix 1 - Document History
 #  17  Mar 18, 1997
 #  16  Nov 13, 1996
 #  15  Sep 04, 1996
 V 2.3  Jun 13, 1996
 V 2.2  Apr 16, 1996
 V 2.1  Feb 12, 1996
 V 2.0  Dec 07, 1995
 V 1.9  Sep 21, 1995
 V 1.8  Aug 07, 1995
 V 1.7  Jun 22, 1995
 V 1.6  May 10, 1995
 V 1.5  Jan 26, 1995
 V 1.4  Dec 01, 1994
 V 1.3  Oct 28, 1994
 V 1.2  Oct 04, 1994

V 1.1 Aug 22, 1994
V 1.0 Jul 12, 1994

Appendix 2 - Relevant Internet Resources

Internet/WWW Access of this List: The N-SF Home Page http://www.erinet.com/prass/nanowars/ninsf/n_in_sf.html

A form of this list is also maintained at nanothinc.com http://nanothinc.com/NanoWorld/scifi/tnscifi.html

Forsight Update comments on "NanoTek"
http://nanotech.rutgers.edu/nanotech/papers/update8.html#TechnologyFiction

Internet Movie Database
http://us.imdb.com/

Book Catalog with one million titles
http://www.amazon.com/

Rebuttal to Scientific American April 1996 Nanotech Story http://www.foresight.org/SciAmOverview.html

HarperCollins Voyager Science Fiction Site http://www.harpercollins.co.uk/voyager



*Appendix 3 - Notes on Star Trek