Science fiction involving nuclear science, and geophysics are rarely in the same sentence. Maybe they should be. We all know what happened at Chernobyl, Ukraine, in 1986–and why nuclear safety must be our utmost priority. The enormous costs and environmental risks associated with nuclear energy saw many nations shy away from it. Can we find a better way?
According to Ateneo Geophysics Research Laboratory, there is an eco friendly way to provide radiation shielding, using a compressed TVA-based geopolymer. From volcanic ash to radiation shielding panels, this research has the potential to reset the scope for current nuclear technologies. It also has the potential to expand options for its development.
Nuclear Technologies in Hindsight Station
My web serial, currently under construction, features nuclear technologies, and their part in a dystopian beginning. It is the story of James Fong and his crises of conscience from a relative place of comfort as a military technology inventor. Instead of driving past nuclear based technologies, he invested his own resources into securing an antidote to humankind’s most destructive tendencies.
From Terror to Valor: Echoes and Shadows, available at your favorite digital bookstoreÂ
As in the real world, James knew that knowledge of the day is just a narrow slice of a much larger universe. His technological vision conflicted with the ruling ethos regarding science, so he kept his best creations secret. Science fiction been what it is, James’s shrewdness carries forward to a new era of hope, where science enjoys far more tolerance and respect.
From Nuclear Winter to New Era?
There is not much room for maneuver when discovery gets bought out by powerful groups who keep the patents for strategic use. If we were to discover this latest breakthrough in nuclear shielding potential, leading to the shelving of a new patent, would we ask the right questions? In Hindsight Station, that time of relative innocence had passed, leaving James with just hard choices.
Will he choose wisely? Will he yield to aggressive forces looking to dominate and not cooperate in a post apocalyptic world? The great reveal will, of course, be in installments, and worth waiting for. All paths through life are fraught with danger, and James Fong’s journey is no different.
Until we are eating our breakfast in a world where we value science over profit, we must be content with science fiction’s ability to inspire us to do better. When we know better, we do better. There is no truer sentiment than this, in the world of science, which reflects into our everyday life and times.
About the Author
As I move onto my next authoring project, I will post less frequently on the real-world issues linked to my novel, From Terror to Valor: Echoes and Shadows. My next project, Hindsight Station, will initially be a progression science fiction, web-novel delivered via Patreon and eventually Royal Road.
John is a versatile author known for his gripping fiction narratives in the thriller, action, and suspense genres. With a background as a journalist since 2016, and expertise in cloud technologies as an engineer; John brings a unique blend of storytelling prowess and technical acumen to his work.
