That may sound like American-centric hubris to say that, but I really believe it's true. Look at what has already been altered by Hollywood since the World Trade Center towers were destroyed and the Pentagon damaged: The creators of the new Spider-Man and Men In Black 2 movies have altered portions of their movies so that the WTC no longer figures prominently, if at all. Many science fiction television series, most notably the X-Files, refer to the tragic events of that day. Even Peter Jackson, the now venerated director of The Lord of the Rings trilogy (along with others' analysis of the original books and films) states that the events of the day mirror those of Middle-Earth.

That's what's already happened, but what about the future? There are so many possibilities, it's difficult to know where to begin. However, I'm going to try by offering some "what-ifs" based on reality.

America instituted "Homeland Security" measures, is dealing with the Anthrax scare, and helped topple the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, bringing much (but certainly not all) of the world together in a fight against terrorism. That's a lot of fodder for writing all kinds of stories.

For instance, how far can homeland security measures go? Lots of people have written stories about nearly dictator-led Americas (including on Demensions), but now we have some real-life scenarios to base them on. On the other hand, there are lots of shades of gray to be considered as well. Science fiction (and even fantasy) can take elements of homeland security and play them up as merely parts of relatively benign futures.

Bioterrorism is nothing new in SF&F, but, again, now we have a much stronger reality to base such stories on. I've just finished reading Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson's Dune prequel trilogy, which reminded me just how well Frank Herbert portrayed the Fremen as (in a simplistic interpretation) descendents of Middle-Eastern freedom fighters. The mixture of religion, politics, and culture in that series (both of them, really) is an excellent example of how someone could use the events in Afghanistan to portray people in the future in a myriad of ways, good and bad.

Technology is certainly playing a part in the war on terrorism, both at home in the U.S. and abroad around the world. Computers are playing a big part, as are satellites—television networks like CNN and websites such as MSNBC.com continue to make as much of the news as they cover. Commando units use new, high-tech weaponry in their search for terrorist leaders like Osama bin Laden, and the military in general use "smart bombs" against their cave-riddled hideouts. Special devices are used to try to detect Anthrax as well as weapons people try to take on board airplanes.

Take all of this several steps further. What technological advances can you dream up that might have their origins with the aftermath of September 11^th? The U.S. is thinking of universal ID cards; many places already employ technological systems designed to identify people through biological means (fingerprint and retinal scanners are now relatively low-tech examples). Will we have chips implanted in us at birth to track our movements?

Probably not, but I think you see my point.

And what about fantasy? There is probably no other genre outside of the political-techno thriller (such as Tom Clancy) that can so easily handle plots of good vs. evil. Jackson is right: Middle-Earth could easily be an analogy for the world today, with Sauron being Osama bin Laden and the Fellowship of the Ring being a stand-in for the U.S. led alliance against worldwide terrorism.

Magic, like atomic bombs, biological weapons, and other devices of mass destruction, can just as easily kill off thousands of people in fictional arcane lands. Although I could never have known, when I wrote the original draft of my novel The Philosopher's Stone over five years ago, I (as background information snuck into one of the early chapters) had my antagonist build a Tower in New London, my version of New York City. As kind of an opposite-mirror to the events of September 11^th, that Tower is erected through the magical evil sacrifice of thousands of wizards and other mages.

And I'll give you a sneak peak to the book's climax: The Tower is destroyed as a result of evil being vanquished, loosing the trapped souls of all those who were killed to create it.

How could I have known, all those years ago, how appropriate it would be to create such a scenario?

I hope I've given you something to think about. Perhaps you now have some inspiration to write a story. But I also hope you'll think about this: The events of September 11^th were not isolated in history. Pearl Harbor is the easiest parallel from the past, but what about the thousands of years of history in the Middle East, Europe, and Africa? There are many examples of civilizations who have risen from seeming ashes after attacks no less heinous than the ones in New York and Washington, D.C.

For that matter, September 11^th truly was just an extension of something most of the rest of the world has been experiencing for decades. Use that knowledge to temper what you write. Terrorism, unfortunately, is a universal problem.

We can only hope that the fight against it, and the ultimate victory over it, will be universal as well.

Happy 2002, everyone!