>>"Science fiction is rather unique in being a type of
>>literature that comes with its own expiration date. Of
>>course, writing far-future fiction doesn't necessarily
>>protect you since the next edition of Nature could knock the
>>pins from beneath any speculative science you might be
>>using."
>
>-- of course, that doesn't apply to Alternate History, or to
>time-travel into the past. Which together describe most of my
>work... 8-).

Heh. I confess that I used to really love time travel and AH stories but, over the last several years, I started to find that they've been losing their appeal. About the only time travel stories I still find enjoyable are Kage Baker's (I will also confess that I haven't read any of your work, Mr. Stirling, so please don't construe this as a left-handed critique).

I think that my growing disinterest is a result of market saturation... this is especially true of AH. These only so much I can take it before it all starts sounding repetitive and uninteresting to me.

I find that I'm really enjoying the New Space Opera (Reed, Reynolds, et al). There's something about gonzo technological speculation and the high concept story-telling that's been appealing to me. I really don't care that the futures they represent are largely implausible.