Sense of Wonder

Author’s Note ^{(from Gravity Wells short story collection)}

“Sense of Wonder”: A while back, the editors of a proposed new sf magazine called Sense of Wonder sent mail-outs to various science-fiction writers, inviting us to submit stories. The editors wanted “big” stories that worked on a cosmic scale, stories designed to evoke the famous “sense of wonder” that many people believe is the heart of science fiction. The letter specifically mentioned Dyson spheres and other large-scale props of classic science fiction as examples of what the editors were looking for.

I certainly have nothing against Dyson spheres, ringworlds, and the like—I’ve read plenty of good stories that use such knick-knacks. However, I was feeling in a contrary mood the day I received the mail-out. My first response was “Big stage props aren’t what you need for sense of wonder. I’ll show you sense of wonder!”

Which is why I wrote this little scene of two boys on a summer afternoon.

And why I wrote all the other stories in this book, too.