There is no Science Fiction without Medical Science Fiction. It is not a subgenre; it is the very foundation. Intrinsic. Endemic.
Our beloved genre was born like Athena from the head of Mary Shelley. Victor Frankenstein’s Promethean act of creation, and then neglect, of an intelligent and sensitive person is a narrative examination of ethics in science, still relevant two hundred years later.
During a hundred-year pandemic, I could not resist the invitation to guest edit this special medical-themed issue of Future Science Fiction Digest. Viruses don’t heed borders. Health is a universal need. What better venue than a publication dedicated to translations and non-Anglophone writers? Because stories can make a difference.
Perversely, Science Fiction itself has been diagnosed as a pathology. As Gavin Miller points out in “Fan of sci-fi: Psychologists have you in their sights,” the broader SF/F genre continues to be misunderstood and dismissed. However, as Esther Jones observes in “Science fiction builds mental resiliency in young readers” mounting research shows that fiction reading, and particularly science fiction reading, can build empathy and critical thinking.
Useful skills for the people designing, deliberately or accidentally, patient experience today. Imagine artists weaving stories that create a shared language of ideas for designers, developers, and administrators to use and to improve the steps patients must follow when seeking care and wellbeing. Well-written stories help the reader, the designer, to develop empathy and see through the patient’s eyes.
As Ashley Abramson writes in “How Sci-Fi Creates Better Doctors,” Science Fiction teaches doctors to combat racial bias in healthcare. Following a handful of jurisdictions in 2019, more than sixty US cities, counties, and state governments have declared racism a public health crisis.
This is the inspiration for Vital: The Future of Healthcare, an anthology including a Hugo-nominated story by David Brin, a Hugo & Nebula nominated story by James Patrick Kelly, a Nebula-nominated story by Caroline M. Yoachim, a Sturgeon Award winning story by Annalee Newitz, an original story by Seanan McGuire, and many more.
Proceeds from the Vital anthology’s sales will be donated to the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund. COVID-19 is the greatest worldwide healthcare issue today, and the WHO plays a central role in coordinating the response to the global pandemic.
Vital will contribute, directly and monetarily, to the future of healthcare. But we need your help to make it happen. Back this project on Kickstarter from September 15 to October 15 2020 and receive an advance copy, exclusive backer rewards, a potential tax deduction (for US residents), and the satisfaction of knowing your contribution makes a difference.
Science Fiction is not a disease, it is the cure. Help us develop that cure at VitalAnthology.com/kickstarter today.
Shelly’s “monster” is often misunderstood, but her source material is there to set the record straight, and give us something to contemplate. I hope the stories in this issue stay with you, entertain you, spur your mind into thought, and inspire you.
