Matt Cates
Bio
Freelance writer and owner of Cates Content and Copywriting; retired Air Force Veteran; former administrative assistant at Oregon State University; author of Haveck: The First Transhuman, the greatest sci-fi novel in the multiverse.
Stories (68/0)
Top TARDIS Trivia Tidbits
Everybody knows the basics of the Time and Relative Dimensions in Space (TARDIS) vessels, right? They are a Type 40 class of chameleon time machines built by Time Lords from the planet Gallifrey. They’re much bigger on the inside. And one of them was stolen several hundred years ago by a man whose name is a secret… a man who calls himself only the Doctor. Together they’ve traveled from one side of the universe to the other, down the line from the Big Bang to the end of the time itself… and all the while, the Doctor’s TARDIS has been stuck in the form of an antiquated English policeman’s phone booth.
By Matt Cates8 years ago in Futurism
- Top Story - August 2016
Greatest Sci-Fi Authors of All TimeTop Story - August 2016
Readers of science fiction sometimes neglect to do our homework, don’t we? We fail, at intervals, to learn more about the creative geniuses slaving over their typewriters and keyboards to provide us with our daily amusement. That ain’t right! The greatest sci-fi authors have given us so very much, these authors; Through their painstaking labors, they’ve allowed us countless hours of reading pleasure as well as plenty of genre fodder to debate with our friends. Thus they deserve better. They deserve our respect, our affection, and for the intent of this article, a few moments of our attention as we rut around in their history to explore the factors and forces which forged them into the stars they became!
By Matt Cates8 years ago in Futurism
Strongest Female Leads in Sci-Fi Books
Strong-chinned blokes with muscled forearms all too often bear the role of savior to the cliched damsel in distress. But the days of polished knights on stallions may be winding down, for the times, they are a’changin’. Yes, women are resurgent everywhere you look—as they should be! From the wide realm of comics to the IMAX screen, strong female leads are storming the stage and letting the world know they’re every bit as rough n’ tumble as a "man of steel," and certainly just as clever as the "world’s greatest detective." To recite the words of playwright David Mamet, "What one man can do, a woman can do!"
By Matt Cates8 years ago in Futurism
Greatest Sci-Fi Antagonists
Why are nice readers attracted to evil literary characters? Yes, I’m talking to you! But I’m also guilty, and I have finally reached a point where I can speak about this openly. There’s no denying it—we all crave villains. A good author better know about this phenomenon, for the merits of their protagonists are measured against the strengths of their opponents. It’s no fun reading about a hero fighting a 90-pound pushover! So have no fear, faithful reader, for we’ve assembled a list of sci-fi’s most fiendish fiends. You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villa—oh, okay, sorry! I don’t want to get busted for plagiarizing Obi-Wan Kenobi. These guys are the worst of the worst.
By Matt Cates8 years ago in Futurism
Best Hard Sci-Fi Books
Fans of the sci-fi genre have been known to be… picky. Sure, we want our trail mix of starships, androids, cleverly disguised social commentary, “big thought-provoking ideas,” and snappy banter from severely conflicted cyborg characters. We also want, somewhere in the middle, an enormous, spacey McGuffin to keep the plot moving at warp speed. But all that’s a given; That’s the minimum essential goods. What most discerning fans demand is a level of authenticity; We want to know exactly “how” that tractor beam works, “how” that near-light speed engine runs, “how” that police telephone booth is really bigger on the inside. In other words, we want an author who knows what they’re talking about when it comes to the techy stuff—even if that stuff is totally imaginary! And not just Wookiepedia-level knowledge, either. Basically we want a genuine physicist like Michio Kaku whispering into the writer’s ear, telling them how all this stuff could, theoretically, work. Hard sci-fi answers these questions with its emphasis on technical accuracy and scientific detail.
By Matt Cates8 years ago in Futurism
Most Terrifying Sci-Fi Books
Peanut butter and jelly. Hot rods and bikinis. Sci-fi and horror. Some things are meant to go together! Yet, while most of us are all too familiar with our two favorite genres mixing it up in motion pictures, it’s often under appreciated how well these types blend in book form. Together, we can correct that fault, by cherry-picking a few classics, blowing off the binary dust which has shamefully accumulated upon these wizened tomes, and gearing up to get our wits scared out of us!
By Matt Cates8 years ago in Futurism
- Top Story - June 2016
Most Underrated Sci-Fi MoviesTop Story - June 2016
Everyone’s been to the classic Hollywood summer blockbusters; We’ve munched popcorn through the whole Terminator series, slurped over-iced $10 sodas throughout the Men In Black movies, cringed and laughed during Aliens, E.T., and Back to the Future. We’ve stood (for longer than we should have) in those opening day lines for all the Star Wars and Star Trek films. We’ve checked out the new Planet of the Apes franchise, nodded approvingly (for the most part) at additions like Oblivion, Edge of Tomorrow, and Interstellar to our beloved genre. But many of the most creative sci-fi motion pictures flame out fast on very limited runs on a small number of screens. Must these glittering gems of imagination go unrecognized forever? Nope; Not in this day and age of online streaming!
By Matt Cates8 years ago in Futurism
Greatest Sci-Fi Protagonists
The literary multiverse has no shortage of would-be “heroes,” to use the term quite loosely. And when it comes to the wild and wooly genre of science fiction, it is practically a given that every story will feature some form of hero, antihero, or hero by default. Indeed, due to the flexibility of the genre, they literally come in all shapes, sizes, color, and species. Some are born of intergalactic royal blood; Others are constructed in cold laboratories out of wires, circuits, and steel. We’re going to attempt to pin down a list of the most compelling, original, and impactful protagonists the sci-fi world has ever known! Some you’ll see coming a light year away; others, hopefully, not so much… for where’s the fun in reading a list of names you already know? Enjoy!
By Matt Cates8 years ago in Futurism