The Return: "I don't like Science Fiction"

As I have been reading reviews of The Return I noticed a theme emerging. A lot of people said, "I don't like science-fiction, but I like The Return." I have to admit that Austin Boyd has done a remarkable job of spinning a good story of suspenseful intrigue set against the background of such "science fiction" elements as cloning and space exploration. However, I think the comments have as much to do with the conception many people have of science fiction.

Most people today think of science fiction only in terms of space opera. By that I mean stories like those found in Star Wars and Star Trek (Although Roddenberry did a good job of elevating the series' above that of pure space opera.) Personally, I enjoy a good rousing space opera, but that's not all there is to science fiction.

Print science fiction, more than that of cinema or television, tends to transcend the action-adventure stereotype of the genre. Boyd's book is in that tradition. It is more thoughtful than the shoot-em-up stories that have come to dominate the genre. In this regard he is preserving the traditions of classic authors such as Assimov, Clarke, Heinlein, and Bradbury.

Kudos to Austin Boyd for writing a story with cross-over potential.