h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Another author who does a good job over alien psychology is C J Cherryh.To me she just seems to be able to write up magnificent alien cultures and make the species in those worlds truly believable.

Every single thing written by the Grandmaster Jack Vance and nearly everything written by P.K.Dick, flow My TeaRS THE pOLICEMAN sAID, Now Wait For Last yEAR, tHE THree Stigmata of Palmer ElDritcH, ThE zAP gUN,THe wORLD Jones mADE...all very very weird novels when read in the 60's+70's although somewhat aged now apart from the appeal to moviemakers who gut the novels and usually produce paP.

Jack Vance...if you haven't read him then do your self an everlasting favour and start now. The Gaen Reach...what a place!

I love Dick and I don't think any of the films made of his novels even came close to conveying his work to the world.

I see that there is a teaser trailer out for The World That Jones Made. I haven't clicked on it yet, not sure that I want to

I was wondering if anyone know of science fiction set in a biblical creationist world. I've read some science fiction stories about religion, such as the ones by C. S. Lewis, but I was looking for some starting with the premise that the creationists are right. I feel it would be an interesting starting off point.

Robert A. Heinlein's unwritten story concept for the rise of the fundamentalist dictator, Nehemiah Scudder, "The Sound of His Wings" provided the backdrop for his "Revolt In 2100" and "Coventry", also the basis for a film starring Jason Robards, for which, alas, I do not have title credits.

You mean, though, I think, a surreal concept in which the tenets of creationism are material fact manifesting in objective experience.

I can't think off hand of stories quite like that except in a genre like that of the works of Dante or Anatole France.

It would be amusing to see a treatment on the theme, say by the makers of "Constantine" or from a very different perspective, "Hellboy".

Oooh, that is an interesting though Xanatic. I'm afraid I don't know of any but if I do stumble across any I will let you know.

The closest I can think of is "Lord of Light" by Roger Zelazny (recently republished by SF Masterworks).

The world may not have been created in 6K years, but the gods who walk on it are fairly godlike and have a starting date.

" science fiction set in a biblical creationist world"

Hmm.

It's not exactly what you're asking for, and telling you this is a massive SPOILER, so read on with caution...

Terry Pratchett's "Strata", written before he started doing Discworld. The universe there is enormously ancient, and the environment (galaxies, planets, ecosystems and so on) are all the result of the activities of extinct aliens civilisations, which mold the universe around them in ways that make it more conducive to life, then pass away leaving the next species to arise and change it a bit more. All the evidence shows this.

The action begins when the main character (and others) are taken to what is clearly a proto-Discworld - a flat earth where magic "works". Eventually the main character deduces that this construct is "the coin in the coal measure" - a clue, left by the creator of the universe to show that, in fact, all the apparent evidence that the universe is ancient is in fact fabricated to protect the mental health of its inhabitants. It's all fake. The universe is seventy thousand years old, no more.

It's not BIBLICALLY creationist, but it's the nearest thing I've ever read.

Ahh yes, I've heard of Strata. I shall see if I can find a copy.

I believe I still have a copy..I'll maybe reread it.

There are a number of popular books that represent this creationist stance, but they aren't usually shelved with science fiction. I'm struggling to think of an example that is so shelved, although Strata was on my list - I think the creators in Strata were merely engineers though, with no suggestion of omnipotence.

If there was such a book I imagine it would have a title something along the lines of: "An unlikely sequence of events, caused by an omnipotent being who should have known better".

"I think the creators in Strata were merely engineers though, with no suggestion of omnipotence."

MERELY engineers? There's nothing MERE about being an engineer. Especially an engineer who can create an entire universe.

Know what you mean though. But that wasn't what was asked. "Creationist" just means, generally, that the universe came into being in the recent or distant past as a result of the directed actions of some entity or group thereof who caused it to be made, rather than coming into being as a result of natural processes. Strata definitely meets that criterion.

If you require that the creator be omnipotent, I'm drawing a blank. If you require further that the creator be the Christian god Jehovah, then again I'm drawing a blank, but as you say, both of those options probably wouldn't get shelved with proper science fiction - they'd get stuck on the "woowoo" shelves with the crystal healing books and David Icke's ravings. And a good thing too.

I speak as a mere engineer. Whilst God may be able to create immaculately, I find a little profanity sometimes helps. God also operates without professional indemnity cover.

Your reading of it may differ from mine, but one of my faviourite science fiction novels about creation is The Jesus Incident by Frank Herbert. This is about the demands of an essentially omnipotent AI that demands that its creation learns to worship it.