Imagine that — Seattle sci-fi museum lets you go where writers have gone before

"The purpose of the Science Fiction Museum is to educate and give people a place to go in Seattle where they see things they won't ever see in any other part of the world," said Bear. "We have artifacts that introduce people to science fiction. We want people to know what science fiction is, because if you look at our world, it's everywhere. It has become part of the world's culture. And some of our own scientific discoveries have been triggered by science fiction in some form."

Bear, who has written more than 30 sci-fi books, including "Anvil of Stars," "Darwin's Radio" and the "Star Wars" novel "Rogue Planet," said science fiction gives people a chance to expand their minds and explore new ideas and new cultures. And there is a fine line between science fiction and fantasy.

"To get down to the basics, fantasy is the inner-journey of the mind while science fiction is about the possible interaction with the universe.

"However, there are many points in which the two genres intersect. And there are other areas where other genres such as horror can cross into science fiction. For example, in our Hall of Fame, we have inducted Mary Shelley. And she is known as one of the pioneers of Gothic horror, but her story of 'Frankenstein' was also a science fiction story."

Donna Shirley, former museum director who co-chairs the board with Bear, said at present, fantasy books are overselling science fiction books.

"It seems people want to escape from the world," said Shirley during a phone call from her home in Seattle. "And that's why the museum is so important. We try to keep science fiction in the minds of the people."

Science fiction has a way of reflecting the world around us, said Shirley. "For example, when H.G. Wells wrote 'War of the Worlds,' World War I was getting under way. When Orson Wells brought 'War of the Worlds' to the radio, World War II was a threat. And last year, when the new movie was released, we were, and still are, participating in a war against terrorism.

"Also, science fiction takes cautionary stances on issues," she said. "Right now the science world is dabbling in biogenetic engineering and nanotechnology. And there are books that look at the dangers of cloning and such.

"And there's another book by Stan Robinson called 'Year of Rice and Salt,"' said Shirley, a former manager of NASA's Mars Exploration Program. "It asks 'What if the black plague wiped out all the Europeans instead of some of them. Would the world be run by Eastern thought? Asia and the Middle-East? What kind of world would it be? Much different than now."

The Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame also does community outreach, said Shirley. "We hold Mars camps during the summer when schools are on summer break. Also, using science fiction in the classroom helps develop critical thinking. So we hold teacher training seminars and other conventions."

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E-mail: scott@desnews.com