This post was originally published on Audible.com.
Flybot, Dennis E. Taylor’s latest, is a murder mystery, an AI cautionary tale, and buddy-scientist (if that’s not a thing, it should be) adventure wrapped up in one compulsive package. In a recent chat with the author, we discussed how real-life science affects science fiction writers, how he balances Bob with his standalone novels, and why Ray Porter is simply the best.
Sam Danis: Where did this idea originate?
Dennis E. Taylor: At this point, I honestly couldn’t say. I get random thoughts throughout the day—just a scene, or a concept, or sometimes an entire story prompt—and I record them on my watch (Apple Watch with a widget set to Voice Memo). I have somewhere between one and two hundred items on a list in OneNote. (Sounds like I’m doing brand placement, doesn’t it? 😊 Should I pose with a Coke in my hand?)
Aaaaaaaaanyway, the last couple of times, when I’ve been due to start a new book, I’ve brought up three ideas from my list that I like, and my agent and editor bat them around. Flybot was originally going to be a time-travel novel, but morphed into AI through discussion. From there, it’s all discovery writing—I’m kind of a pantser.
This story is centered around a rogue AI and apparent biological attacks. As these types of tech become more science reality than science fiction, how does that affect your job as a sci-fi writer? Does it make your creative task more interesting or difficult?
Used to be that the line between fantasy and SF was blurry, and you could get away with almost anything. For some really true Golden Age pulp, try reading a couple of Captain Future novels. Every planet in the solar system is habitable and inhabited. The great red spot is a giant volcano, and Jupiter is a jungle planet. Nowadays, books like that would be thrown against the wall within the first chapter. Authors can still add fictional science, but directly contradicting real science without a plausible reason is the kiss of death.
Just for the record, I loved Captain Future.
But I’m a little concerned about this trend, actually. Sometimes it feels to me like SF authors are more reluctant to dive into tech SF, rather steering toward soft and near-future SF where you’re less likely to step on physicists’ toes. Personally, I like either type, but I can’t resist a good radically new invention that overturns society story.
Book 5 in the Bobiverse series released just last year, and there are still more to come. At the same time, you’ve also mentioned that you’re working on another standalone book. What’s it like to shift gears between Bobiverse and your other stories? How do you strike that balance?
I set that pattern for two reasons. One, I didn’t want to be known as a one-series author, so I started writing non-Bob books from the start. Two, it allows me to clear my mind between Bob books by focusing on something else. Then when I go back to the Bobiverse, it’s with fresh eyes. And I think it helps keep me from going stale.
Ray Porter is your tried-and-true narrator at this stage. I think his fans can easily describe what makes him so great, but I’d love to hear your take on what makes him the perfect voice for your stories?
Readers have commented on more than one occasion that my books tend to be heavy on dialog. Let’s face it, Ray is a natural for that kind of work. He does multiple character voices better than anyone. And he perfectly voices the snark that I write into a lot of my characters. It’s as much about acting as narrating.
