Very-high-energy (VHE) gamma-ray astrophysics has
emerged as an exciting and vital field, with major discoveries made
through experiments in space and on the ground. In space, at energies
above 100 MeV, the Fermi satellite studies some of the most violent
processes in the Universe, and explores nature's highest energy
accelerators. At energies greater than about 100 GeV, gamma-ray
astronomy can be carried out using ground-based telescopes, which
detect the Cherenkov light from air- showers caused by gamma rays
impacting the upper atmosphere. Some of the most exciting sources
detected at TeV energies are blazars, with highly variable fluxes. The
combination of high luminosities and time variations seen in the data
indicates that gamma-rays are an important component of the
relativistic jet thought to characterize blazars. This talk will outline the
scientific motivation for VHE gamma- ray astronomy, describe the
techniques involved, and survey the astrophysics of the high-energy
blazars, as revealed by observations made with gamma rays. Finally,
we will look to the future and give a brief update on efforts to
develop a prototype of an innovative, Schwarzschild-Couder telescope
(SCT) that is proposed to enhance and optimize the science performance
of the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA), an international project of
next generation in ground-based astronomy.