Mars draws sci-fi writer Ben Bova.

Dion Frost

02 August 2008

To draft a decent science fiction novel, you must gather lots of facts. That is the 1st piece of recommendation Ben Bova would offer bold writers. You accurately forecast the presence of water on Mars. In Mars Life, you explore the chance of a traditional race in the world that was wiped out thousands of years back. We knew there had been water on Mars : Ice caps were there. The jump about clever life is fiction, but nobody can prove it's incorrect - we have not been there. Where there is water on Earth, there is life. In some ways it's a hidden problem, but there are areas like stem cell research where deep spiritual convictions are a danger. When I used to be a kid, many of us died of whooping cough. The effects of global warming show up in Mars Life, with folk battling over higher ground as shores start to submerge. How approaching do you suspect that threat is? That your Sun State home might shortly return to wetlands? Folk disagree over what's causing it, but the actuality is sea levels are going to rise. States like Florida, where I live part of the year, are going to go under water. And I don't believe there is much we are able to do about it.

You've got a new collection called Giggle Lines that explores the comic probabilities of science. What are some of the unintended implications of technology you explored? This is the result of better medicare, better nourishment ; sixty is the new fifty. We are also adding more folk to the planet's population, and that could be a problem.

I have witnessed you properly answer each query on Jeopardy before even the sharpest competitors. How does one keep your mind sharp? But 1st, help me make my point : what is the temperature of the outside of Mars? That relies on where you are found and when. In summer, if you are on the equator, up to 70 degrees Fahrenheit in the day. At night, it would fall to a hundred below nil. The Martian atmosphere is extremely thin, so it holds no heat. And as to your other query, you should keep using your mind. When you are writing, you are always studying new things. * What : the newest book by Ben Bova ( Tor Books, $24 ) ; in bookstores Tues. . * Meet the writer : Bova will hold a dialogue and book-signing at 7:30 p.m. Fri. at the Scruffy Cover Highlands Ranch, 9315 Dorchester St. ; 303-470-7050.