Through wormholes to the stars. Stephen Hawking

The article discusses the work of S. Hawking, who, besides his straightforwardly scientific output, is known for writing popular science and, relatively more recently, science fiction (with L. Hawking as his co-author). The study explores the advantages and flaws of Hawkings’ books and traces the connection between their plots and the mythic structures summarized by C. Vogler for novice writers. According to Grinfeld, the George Greenby series is an easy and exciting read and has all the makings of pure science fiction, a genre underrepresented in modern literature, unlike its punk subgenres or fantasy. In his interpretation of the novellas, the author discovers that, while succeeding in popularizing science (due to the readers’ interest in the series, for one thing), they all but fail to impress artistically. The main reason is that the series relies on a simplistic formula that does not vary or get reinvented from one book to another. The resulting works, therefore, belong to pop-science journalism rather than fiction, argues Grinfeld.