Today, March 23, is the birthday of H. Beam Piper (1904-1964). Piper was one of the first writers to try to write a future history.
And he drew on real hsitory to do it.
Heinlein’s, Asimov’s, Niven’s, and Anderson’s future histories are better known these days. But I would argue that Piper’s work can h old its own when compared to theirs.
Piper has the unfortunate distinction of being one of the few prominent writers of science fiction and fantasy to commit suicide. Others include Robert E. Howard and James Tiptree, Jr. (Alice Sheldon).
But let’s not dwell on that. I want to focus briefly on how Piper used history as an inspriation. Continue reading