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Dean Ing
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 Dean Ing is an engineer turned writer, now principally in the bestselling subcategory of
"techno-thrillers," whose science fiction of the 1970s and early 1980s epitomizes the high-tech, Campbellian,
problem-solving mode of hard science fiction in direct descent from Robert A. Heinlein's Astounding stories of
the 1940s and Poul Anderson's of the 1950s (for instance "The Man Who Counts" [1958], later in book form
as War of the Wing-Men). This strain of hard sf is about men in science-fictional environments who use their
wits and knowledge find a way, especially to build a way, out of their predicaments -- sometimes by using
their superior managerial skills. This strain is specifically in opposition to the space adventure or science
fantasy story in which the hero wins through because he is tough and smart and possesses military virtues
(although there are many mixed examples of hard sf adventure). It privileges scientific and technological knowledge
over bravery and strength. Two stereotypical characters usually appear, the free man
(pioneer/outsider/freelancer/con-man) and the good manager (often a character in the story but sometimes represented by the
narrative voice/persona), and although the free man always wins, good management triumphs (it is a win-win
scenario). This form is a parable that reconciles the free man and society.
Hard science fiction admires a good boss, just as it does a good scientist or engineer, knowing that
on some level the builders and creators are self-absorbed, if not selfish, and that someone must impose limits on
them so that a social structure can exist, but without restricting their freedom. This is the utopian dream of
the scientific and engineering community, the dream of the ideal administrator who would interface between
them and the rest of society so that they need not yield to the necessity of learning how to be socially adjusted
adults among normal people. Their creative freedom, often indistinguishable from adolescent rebellion, requires
a parental figure to react against and to take care of them in emergencies.
"Down and Out on Ell-5 Prime" is a story of space pioneers on the new frontier taming a hostile
environment that threatens their survival. It is a utopian allegory, of the lineage of Heinlein's "It's Great to Be
Back," envisioning a better society on the future frontier. It is also an interesting contrast to George Turner's "In
a Petri Dish Upstairs," which portrays some of the darker sides of the space colony enterprise.
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The Ascent of Wonder copyright © 1994 by David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer. | ||
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Cramer: On Science & Science Fiction || Hartwell: Hard Science Fiction
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Interactive Intoduction to THE ASCENT OF WONDER copyright © 1995-1997 by Kathryn Cramer.