STATUS: Getting an early start on today’s blog as I know the event is probably going to go late again tonight.
What’s playing on the iPod right now? ONE FLIGHT DOWN by Norah Jones
A couple of weeks ago, one of my new authors, Gail Carriger, was blogging about why SF & F novels don’t have pets in them. After all, they are an essential part of life in the twenty-first century. It would follow that they’d still be important in the future.
Of course I started laughing because I honestly hadn’t thought about that but then I emailed her and said, “well obviously you have not read Linnea Sinclair.”
Linnea has pets in space.
In fact, there is a pet in her latest SF novel entitled HOPE’S FOLLY that, speak of the devil, releases today. It’s one of the reasons why I love her stuff so much. Her worlds always feel effortlessly fully developed.
Happy Release Day Linnea!
With this electrifying new novel, RITA® award-winning author Linnea Sinclair delivers her most intensely romantic interstellar thriller yet. This time a woman and a rebel leader join forces—and fates—on an impossible mission of romance and revolution that’ll turn them into the galaxy’s most wanted fugitives…
HOPE’S FOLLY
Rya Bennton has been in love with Admiral Philip Guthrie since she was a girl. But can her childhood fantasies survive a hazardous encounter with the newly minted rebel leader? Not much can rattle Philip’s legendary cool—but Rya does. She’s the daughter of his best friend and first commander—a man whose death is still on Philip’s conscience. Now aboard his command ship Hope’s Folly, this man who feels he can’t love and this woman who believes she’s unloveable will put their hearts and lives at risk. Not just with each other…but against an enemy that will stop at nothing to crush them both.
Upside to having a favorite author release something new: “Something New! Wheee!”
Downside: “Stupid paycheck being spent already!”
If there are no pets in space, I’m not going 🙂
Those who watched the Red Dwarf British sci fi comedy show know why there are no pets in space…
Hmm. I’m not sure if I was headed to Mars, I’d be willing to fill a significant percentage of the cargo hold with Alpo.
Thanks for the shout-out, Kristin! Of course you neglected to mention that the Nelson Literary Agency is REALLY run by Chutney the Wonderdog… 😉 The only litterbox-trained pooch I’ve ever encountered.
~Linnea
http://www.linneasinclair.com
ps: my captcha word is REDOGI! LOL! How appropos.
Happy release day, Linnea!
I have a middle grade SF novel that I am in the process of editing and there’s a pet in it. Life with out pets? Heaven forbid!
I have an English Bulldog in my novel Kristin. Ready to read it?…;)
I have six cats and a bunny, so what can I say? Also, have fun at the Tattered Cover tonight, my favorite book store in the world! Best of luck to both Linnea and Jamie. BTW: Tell Jamie that the Border’s at King of Prussia mall (the biggest retail space in the country) has his book front and center right when you walk in the door. It’s a truly impressive set-up.
Yay! New book to read!!!
And yes, there are pets in space. Linnea isn’t the only one who has them.
There’s a dog featured in Elizabeth Moon’s Trading in Danger series. In the Rowan series by Anne Mccaffery there are several types of pets. And I think several YA sci-fi books have pets in them. Including My Teacher is An Alien.
SF AND F??? I was just rereading A Wizard of Earthsea, and Ged most definitely has a pet.
(you’re not going to believe it, but word ver is cattious)
Hmmm, that is something I had not really considered. Don’t think my fantasy novel has any pets wandering around. I might have to look into that. lol. Oh, and speaking of release days, I would be remiss if I didn’t shamelessly plug my lovely wife’s even lovelier debut romance which hits shelves today. Please check out her wonderfully humorous, paranormal romance at:
http://www.tracymadison.com
Enjoy!
Mari…I know exactly what you mean! Two of my faves have novels coming out in March. I will be waiting at the door ready to buy. lol
There is a dog in my novel and always a cat in my lap. 🙂
Both Andre Norton and Robert A. Heinlein had cats aboard their starships. The assumption was something like, where Humans went, they would take food. Where there was food, rats would follow. And how better to get rid of rats than to include cats on the ships?
I’m sure the fact that both authors loved cats had nothing to do with it.
Congratulations on the new release, Linnea! There’s been great buzz about this book and I’m looking forward to reading it.
Many happy sales!
Games of Command had a pet in it! I loved that book and I’m looking forward to her new release, too.
I can’t even think of all the SF & F novels I’ve read with pets, but I know there have been a lot. Even some of the Star Trek TV series had them, a cat in Next Generation and a dog on the last one (Enterprise?- I don’t have TV any more so I don’t know what it was called).
Oh wow. I’ve never thought about that either. Matter of fact, I can’t remember one story I’ve written that included a pet.
I agree! A world without companion critters sounds like a terribly cold place. So my fantasy races keep dogs and large crow-like birds as pets, and there are plenty of small species of wildlife with enough social skills to befriend.
Wow, wow, wow! That book looks amazing! I didn’t realise I was an SF romance fan.. but I think it makes sense – I have a feeling I’ll get carried away with this type of book! I will pick that one up with my next pay cheque… (Is it payday yet?)
Wait! Didn’t Ripley go back for the cat in Alien? Jonesy was his name, as I recall. She still had him in the sequel, too (though he stayed behind).
In print: as someone has already noted, Heinlein occasionally gave pets to his characters (see The Door into Summer for one example). David Webber’s Honor Harrington not only takes a pet (or, rather, a kind of familiar) into space with her, the author even worked out emergency measures for pets on starships. And George R. R. Martin gave pet direwolves to his main point of view family in A Game of Thrones and its sequels.
Say hi to Chutney for me.
Animal companions in George RR Martin’s books are key to the plot line of the Song of Ice and Fire series. Some of them are along the lines of traditional roles for animals in Sci-fi/fantasy (magical horse/dragon), but in several key areas, there are definitely owner-pet relationships. Dogs, cats, different types of birds. Gail Carriger is right, it does give a touch of realism.