You might conclude that pure science fiction requires no research--this is an absolutely wrong idea.  Good science fiction requires a basis of the real world with a projection of authentic science overlaying it.  If the world does not match the proper sense of the reader, the story is ruined.  If the science is not convincing and logical, the unique feel of the future is gone--the novelty of the science part of the fiction has been lost.  For me, writing science fiction is like developing a new idea in engineering.  I can see it in my mind, and I try to describe both its effects and its design.  The research is through constant immersion in engineering and in fiction.  This way, the imagined worlds are real and the science comes alive. 

The world of the Dragon and the Fox is a projection based on the idea that genetic manipulation was required for humankind to conquer the worlds they discovered when they traveled into space.  The genetic manipulation was used to create great doctors, technicians, scientists, and leaders.  Eventually the society became moribund and turned into something akin to feudalism--the Human Galactic Empire.  Against this backdrop, the Dragon and the Fox fight for honor while their world and civilization is falling around them.

The technology of the Dragon and the Fox is also a projection.  All of the concepts described are potential technological solutions.  The big idea isn't the technology or the changes to the human species.  The big concept is how little technology and human changes have really affected the fabric of human interaction.  The one specific change that is very evident in the world of the Dragon and the Fox is the differentiation between men and women.  This change in human culture historically reverses itself based on the organization of society and the identification of the differences between men and women.  The world of the Dragon and the Fox highlights this differentiation based on the feudal and genetic leadership base of their society.  I don't advocate these roles or this type of society--the ideas come out of the question that brought about the world of the Dragon and the Fox.       

The Question: 

The question that launched the Dragon and the Fox series is directly related to the discussion in research.  The question I asked is what would a future society be like that based itself in genetic manipulation?  The backward query posed by the question is what would cause a society to base itself on genetic manipulation.  I answered this with space exploration and colonization.  The forward query is what would ultimately happen to such a society.  In the world of the Dragon and the Fox, we see the good and the bad.  The society is failing around them because of the basis of their culture.  We know they will not continue in stability, but we cheer for their dedication to honor none-the-less.  We know the extremes of good and bad are creations of their world order and design, and we should recognize our own ideas and societal constraints are similar.  The specific similarity I use to reflect the universe of the Dragon and the Fox and ours is honor. 

The Characters: 

The Characters of the Dragon and the Fox grow out of the question above, but more importantly, they reflect our concepts of honor.  The characters are drawn for the purpose of showing honor in all its glory and perversity.  Honor is a glorious concept, but honor and the seeking of honor as well as things done in the name of honor are many times horrific.

The Theme: 

The overall theme of the Dragon and the Fox series is honor.  In it different types of honor is defined, evaluated, and displayed.  The End of Honor shows that responsibility and humility are the greatest human virtues and the basis of true honor.  The Fox's Honor evaluates how a man can regain his honor when he gave it completely away.  A Season of Honor places an impossible choice before a man of honor--peace in the universe and happiness for himself or his honor.

Teaser: