: Oh yeah, it's science fiction. I believe Brin has a PhD in physics, but his writing is accessible to the non-scientist without being condescending, in that you can actually learn something about astronomy, etc. while being entertained. (By the way, Brin wrote the novella, "The Postman," which Kevin Costner promptly mutilated in his movie version of it). I've never heard of Terry Pratchett, but I'm guessing he/she writes SF too. Can you recommend a good one?Terry Pratchett writes ironic fantasy; that is to say, the setting's vaguely fantasy (trolls, dwarfs, etc) but it's pointed directly at the real world (so you have the Silicon Anti-Defamation League fighting against troll stereotyping and so forth). It's similar to what Douglas Adams did w.r.t. sci-fi, but less smug and self-satisfied and generally rather 'deeper'.
As for a good book, I'd recommend Small Gods - it's a brilliant story that touches on the different faces of state religion.
(I'm biased in this, of course; I've been a regular reader of Terry's stuff since 1987, have met him a few times, my friends run the L-Space Web and I've been a regular on alt.fan.pratchett for some five years now...)
Gideon.
(To be honest, in the flesh, Terry's a short, balding middle-aged man who is perennially slightly grumpy; but he writes well, which is what matters...)
