Nicholas Lamar Soutter is an American writer and philosopher. His 2012 novel, The Water Thief, is about a future in which "corporations own everything, even the air we breathe." [1] The novel won a Kirkus Star from Kirkus Reviews. [2]
Soutter was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He started writing novels when he was in high school. Despite his interest in fiction writing during his high school career, he devoted much of his attention to science courses (physics and computer science) and language studies. [2] He also took college courses while he was in high school, including classes in astrophysics, computer science, and several languages. [2]
At Clark University, Soutter completed bachelor's degrees in philosophy and psychology. He also qualified with a teaching certificate. He wrote one novel during his college years.
After finishing his college studies, Soutter attempted to publish two of his works, Killdroid Rising and Inside the Mirror, but did not find any takers among publishing houses. [2]
Eventually, the Donald Maass Literary Agency considered one of his works, but they determined that Soutter's work would face challenges with marketing, so they did not publish it. [2] Soutter subsequently read Ayn Rand's libertarian-themed novel Atlas Shrugged, which he found to be "quite flawed." Soutter decided to rebut Rand's arguments from Atlas Shrugged by writing a novel, The Water Thief (2012), which is about a future in which "corporations own everything, even the air we breathe." [1]
In 2012 The Water Thief won a Kirkus Star from Kirkus Reviews. [2] Kirkus Reviews called his work “[p]rofound...[and] sure to spark a reaction" and said he was "scathing, [and] ceaselessly engaging.” [2] In 2013, the host of Blog Talk Radio, Susan Wingate, called the work a "thought-provoking novel." [1] The 2016 edition of SFX (#277, September) calls The Water Thief an example of mundane science fiction, making the specific claim that the novel should be categorized as "Mundane SF future-history." [3] Martha Sorren of Truthout states that Soutter "does an excellent job of building of this dystopian world and expertly connecting it to the flaws of our society today, making it easy for the reader to believe our government could morph into this corporate conglomerate if we aren’t careful." [4]
His other works include "The Humanist Codex" and "Confessions of a Sin Eater."
In addition to his fiction work, Soutter writes Essays on Politics and the Social Sciences and has authored a book about writing and publishing, The Business and Craft of Writing. [2] He also works as an instructor at a workshop for fiction authors. [2]
Soutter lives near Boston. [2]
Alice O'Connor, better known by her pen name Ayn Rand, was a Russian-born American writer and public philosopher. She is known for her fiction and for developing a philosophical system she named Objectivism. Born and educated in Russia, she moved to the United States in 1926. After two early novels that were initially unsuccessful and two Broadway plays, she achieved fame with her 1943 novel, The Fountainhead. In 1957, Rand published her best-selling work, the novel Atlas Shrugged. Afterward, until her death in 1982, she turned to non-fiction to promote her philosophy, publishing her own periodicals and releasing several collections of essays.
Geoffrey Charles Ryman is a Canadian writer of science fiction, fantasy, slipstream and historical fiction.
Utopian and dystopian fiction are subgenres of science fiction that explore social and political structures. Utopian fiction portrays a setting that agrees with the author's ethos, having various attributes of another reality intended to appeal to readers. Dystopian fiction offers the opposite: the portrayal of a setting that completely disagrees with the author's ethos. Some novels combine both genres, often as a metaphor for the different directions humanity can take depending on its choices, ending up with one of two possible futures. Both utopias and dystopias are commonly found in science fiction and other types of speculative fiction.
Libertarian science fiction is a subgenre of science fiction that focuses on the politics and social order implied by right-libertarian philosophies with an emphasis on individualism and private ownership of the means of production—and in some cases, no state whatsoever.
The Randian hero is a ubiquitous figure in the fiction of 20th-century novelist and philosopher Ayn Rand, most famously in the figures of The Fountainhead's Howard Roark and Atlas Shrugged's John Galt. Rand's self-declared purpose in writing fiction was to project an "ideal man"—a man who perseveres to achieve his values, and only his values.
Higher Education is a 1996 science fiction novel by American writer Charles Sheffield and Jerry Pournelle. It first appeared in the February to May 1986 issues of Analog Science Fiction and Fact The book is part of the Jupiter series and was first published in book form by Tor Books in June 1986.
Mundane science fiction (MSF) is a niche literary movement within science fiction that developed in the early 2000s, with principles codified by the "Mundane Manifesto" in 2004, signed by author Geoff Ryman and "The Clarion West 2004 Class". The movement proposes "mundane science fiction" as its own subgenre of science fiction, typically characterized by its setting on Earth or within the Solar System; a lack of interstellar travel, intergalactic travel or human contact with extraterrestrials; and a believable use of technology and science as it exists at the time the story is written or a plausible extension of existing technology. There is debate over the boundaries of MSF and over which works can be considered canonical. Rudy Rucker has noted MSF's similarities to hard science fiction and Ritch Calvin has pointed out MSF's similarities to cyberpunk. Some commentators have identified science fiction films and television series which embody the MSF ethos of near-future realism.
The Risen Empire is a science fiction novel by American writer Scott Westerfeld.
Atlas Shrugged: Part I is a 2011 American political science fiction drama film directed by Paul Johansson. An adaptation of part of the philosopher Ayn Rand's 1957 novel of the same name, the film is the first in a trilogy encompassing the entire book. After various treatments and proposals floundered for nearly 40 years, investor John Aglialoro initiated production in June 2010. The film was directed by Paul Johansson and stars Taylor Schilling as Dagny Taggart and Grant Bowler as Hank Rearden.
Atlas Shrugged is a 1957 novel by Ayn Rand. It is her longest novel, the fourth and final one published during her lifetime, and the one she considered her magnum opus in the realm of fiction writing. She described the theme of Atlas Shrugged as "the role of man's mind in existence" and it includes elements of science fiction, mystery and romance. The book explores a number of philosophical themes from which Rand would subsequently develop Objectivism, including reason, property rights, individualism, libertarianism and capitalism, and depicts what Rand saw as the failures of governmental coercion. Of Rand's works of fiction, it contains Rand's most extensive statement of her philosophical system.
A dystopia, also called a cacotopia or anti-utopia, is a speculated community or society that is undesirable or frightening. It is often treated as an antonym of utopia, a term that was coined by Sir Thomas More and figures as the title of his best known work, published in 1516, which created a blueprint for an ideal society with minimal crime, violence, and poverty. The relationship between utopia and dystopia is in actuality, not one simple opposition, as many utopian elements and components are found in dystopias as well, and vice versa.
Journals of Ayn Rand is a book derived from the private journals of the novelist and philosopher Ayn Rand. Edited by David Harriman with the approval of Rand's estate, it was published in 1997, 15 years after her death. Some reviewers considered it an interesting source of information for readers with an interest in Rand, but several scholars criticized Harriman's editing as being too heavy-handed and insufficiently acknowledged in the published text.
Allyson Braithwaite Condie is an author of young adult and middle grade fiction. Her novel Matched was a #1 New York Times and international bestseller, and spent over a year on the New York Times Bestseller List. The sequels are also New York Times bestsellers. Matched was chosen as one of YALSA's 2011 Teens' Top Ten and named as one of Publishers Weekly's Best Children's Books of 2010. All three books are available in 30+ languages.
Climate fiction is literature that deals with climate change. Generally speculative in nature but inspired by climate science, works may take place in the world as we know it, in the near future or in fictional worlds experiencing climate change. The genre frequently includes science fiction and dystopian or utopian themes, imagining the potential futures based on how humanity responds to the impacts of climate change. The genre typically focuses on anthropogenic climate change and other environmental issues as opposed to weather and disaster more generally. Technologies such as climate engineering or climate adaptation practices often feature prominently in works exploring their impacts on society.
The Ayn Rand Cult is a book by journalist Jeff Walker, published by Open Court Publishing Company in 1999. Walker discusses the history of the Objectivist movement started by novelist and philosopher Ayn Rand, which he describes as a cult.
Alice Lightner Hopf (1904-1988) was an American writer who wrote young adult science fiction under the name of A. M. Lightner and youth nature books under the name of Alice Hopf. Two of her non-fiction works received awards from the National Science Teachers Association: Biography of a Rhino (1972) and Misunderstood Animals (1973).
The Matchedtrilogy is a young adult, dystopian fiction series written by American author Ally Condie, set in a centrally governed society. The Society seems to be formed after an apocalyptical global warming event. The novel Matched was published by Dutton Penguin in November 2010 and reached number three on the Children's Chapter Books bestseller list in January. Previously working with a small, Utah-based publisher, Condie took her manuscript to Penguin Random House, after being advised to do so from her director at Deseret Book. This helped the novel reach a national audience. The Matched novel has been optioned to the Walt Disney Company for a film adaptation. Foreign rights were sold to 30 countries before publication. The second book, Crossed, was published in November 2011, and Reached, published November 2012, completed the trilogy.
The Water Thief is a 2012 mundane science fiction novel by American writer and philosopher Nicholas Lamar Soutter about a hyper-capitalist future in which "corporations own everything, even the air we breathe".
Simon Emmanuel Jimenez is a Filipino-American writer of speculative fiction. His novels include The Vanished Birds and The Spear Cuts Through Water. Jimenez's works have received critical praise, with his debut novel being nominated for the 2021 Locus Award for Best First Novel and the 2021 Arthur C. Clarke Award. Jimenez himself was nominated for the 2021 Astounding Award for Best New Writer.