William Burcher — "This is serious business"

I just finished (for probably the fifth time) Clarke and Benford's "Beyond the Fall of Night." There are certain works of science fiction that transcend the limits of the genre—indeed, the limits of the MEDIUM—and leave an experiencer with a higher sense of what it means to be conscious and alive and living in the time we are now. As much as we don't like to talk about it, this is the end to which every writer aspires. Ultimately positive stories in science fiction are becoming harder to find, and I'm glad that there still exist a few, albeit classics by the masters of old, to root and ground those of us paying attention.