Rubber Science

There is a fair amount of ‘rubber science’* in the three science fiction novels I have written under the name Oliver Davis Pike. The one SF novel with my name on it, the time travel tale “When Man Was Young,” avoids much science at all. I certainly do not explain how anything works, only a few ramifications of the fact it does work. The book was largely an excuse to write about Neanderthals.

But the ODP novels: those consist of the stand-alone “Alienese” and the two Jack Mack adventures, “Among the Many Worlds” and “Jumping Jack.” All include faster than light (FTL) space travel and various useful gadgets. I do not dig deeply into the science in “Alienese.” There is some mumbo-jumbo about teleportation, which is pretty much central to the plot. How does it work? No idea; it’s an innate gift for some species and others can follow the ways they open. It might be assumed there is some ‘folding’ of space or something of that sort. Other technology was kept sketchy. “Alienese” is ultimately a light, humorous novel and not to be taken too seriously. That is not to say it does not have a coherent internal logic. That is a necessity for any good science fiction. Or any good fiction, period.

The Jack Mack novels are another matter. There is plenty enough rubber pseudoscience to be found bouncing across their pages. I base a lot of it—without overdoing any explanations—on the use of ‘super-massive elements.’ They are definitely involved in faster than light travel. Whether they are used to create a ‘warp bubble’ or work somehow else entirely, I have left to the reader to decide. Indeed, the characters are not always certain how things work themselves!

Which is one reason I made my main protagonist, Jack McFee—Jack Mack himself—a bit of a technophobe. As in “Alienese,” there is a mental component to the FTL technology. Yes, that echoes the navigators of the “Dune” books a little bit. Not that Herbert was the first to use the concept.

However, the ultra-heavy elements thing does pop up with some regularity. It is the basis of all sorts of tech, including artificial gravity and dampening fields and such. And, of course, it is exceptionally valuable and the mining of it—primarily from collapsed stars—is essential to the economies of most of the ‘many worlds.’ I really do prefer to focus on culture and economics and that sort of thing; I readily admit it. Chances are I shall crank out more Jack Mack stories in time. Assuming I have time!

I must mention that all the books mentioned (as well as all my other published fiction) is available from Arachis Press (arachispress.com) as print editions or as free ebooks.

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*The term rubber science was coined by science fiction author Norman Spinrad as a term for "pseudo-science ... made up by the writer with literary care that it not be discontinuous with the reader's realm of the possible." Spinrad created eight rules of rubber science:

Explanations must feel scientifically correct and have internal consistency.

Principles used for plot purposes must be planted in the reader's mind long before they are used as plot elements.

Concepts shouldn't be over-explained; a theoretical basis is sufficient.

When creating a new science, authors should pay attention to how established sciences evolve.

Interfacing two or more existing sciences will create a plausible new science.

Plausibility can be lent by systematizing terminology and relating it to existing human knowledge by choosing words for metaphorical resonance.

Rubber science can be solidified with believable hardware.

Rubber science can "contribute to the dialectic of scientific evolution" as a tool for intellectually exploring the unknown.

(this explanation was largely taken from Wikipedia; read further there for more info)