The Mattapoisett Free Library will host a local author talk on Saturday, May 10 from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm. Local resident Richard Cutler is the author of what has been described as “speculative fiction.” This is a subgenre of science fiction of which there are many genres including horror and space cowboy adventures. Those exposed to only one kind of science fiction believe it is the only type and proclaim, “I don’t like science fiction.” However, science fiction literature in general falls behind only children’s and young adult literature in popularity and is read by many but they may not fully understand the variety in the genre. Mary Shelley is credited for writing the first science fiction novel (horror) in 1818 with her story of Frankenstein. Jules Verne, however, helped popularize science fiction with what can now be considered speculative fiction with stories such as 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Much of what he considered has come to pass!
Today, people speculate about what will happen when man goes to Mars or how far AI might evolve. A lot of what people saw and experienced thousands of year ago was misunderstood and what they saw speculated on, correctly or incorrectly. For example, no one considered the giant bones they saw to be dinosaur bones. People might have thought they were from giant humans. If they saw an alien or alien spacecraft, how would they rationalize what they saw? These are the concepts that will be explored interactively to better understand the general topic of science fiction. Cutler will then read a couple of sections from a couple of his books and offer signed copies. Cutler is an engineer living in Rochester and retired from the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole. He has spent much of career writing technical material working with other engineers and scientists, creating a fertile playground for his mind to consider many “what ifs.” Those “what ifs” are now put into print by Cutler. His stories are appropriate reading for teenagers and up.