A Reader's History of Science Fiction

I interview Dr. Paul Frommer, the creator of the Na'vi language from  Avatar as well as Barsoomian from Disney's  John Carter . Prospective movie recommendation:  Avatar: The Way of Water Dr. Frommer's blog.

In this second catch-up episode, I talk about the most recent monster movies (and one novel) to come out and their place in science fiction as a whole. Movie recommendation:  Love and Monsters My YouTube video on the physics of giant monsters. Other works discussed: The Color out of Space (2019) Underwater (2020) Godzilla vs. Kong Jurassic World Dominion Monster Hunter  (2020) The Kaiju Preservati...

Science fiction frequently plays with language in different ways to explore the concepts of philosophy, culture, and cognition; and constructed languages (or conlangs) are a big part of that. In this episode, I highlight how conlangs have contributed to the genre over its history. TV recommendation:  Defiance (Kastithanu, L'Irathi, Indojisnen, and Kinuk'aaz, by David J. Peterson) My blog posts abo...

My first episode catching up both on classic works of sci-fi that I passed over before, and new works from the past 2 years. These are "short" episodes that will continue intermittently with longer ones. Book recommendation:  To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini Other book discussed:  Cities in Flight by James Blish My review of A Case of Conscience by James Blish

I interview Farah Mendlesohn, a scholar of children's sci-fi and fantasy literature and author of  The Intergalactic Playground . Farah's website. Farah's book recommendations: The  Mortal Engines Quartet by Philip Reeve The Year's Best African Speculative Fiction ( free online )

In the final episode of Season 1, we explore the state of the science fiction genre in the present day. Book recommendation:  The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin Worlds Without End's list of sci-fi classics Worlds Without End's customizable list N. K. Jemisin on the  Broken Earth trilogy Edit: corrected links. Other books discussed: The Lady Astronaut series by Mary Robinette Kowal The Three-Body Pr...

I missed a few important books in the previous episode on alternate history. Here is an overview of those works. Recommendation: "If Lee Had Not Won the Battle of Gettysburg" by Winston Churchill (yes, really). Other works discussed: The Grasshopper Lies Heavy from  The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick Fallen Axis from this  Onion article . The United Colonies Triumphant from  The Two Geor...

Dystopian fiction has been the core of young adult sci-fi for the past 15 years. In this episode, we explore how they got their start and what makes them so popular. Book recommendation:  The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins My analysis of  Mortal Engines . Other books discussed: Unwind by Neal Shusterman The Maze Runner by James Dashner The Selection by Kiera Cass Uglies by Scott Westerfeld Maximu...

Children's science fiction was pretty sparse historically, but it began to take off in the 1990s. In this episode, we explore how sci-fi for kids has changed and expanded over the most recent generation. Book recommendations: Middle grade (ages 8-12):  Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke Chapter books (ages 6-10):  Aliens for Breakfast by Stephanie Spinner and Jonathan Etra Picture books:  How to Code...

Hard sci-fi stories about the exploration of our solar system became more popular beginning in the 1990s. In this episode, we explore how these ideas rose to prominence and have developed over the years. Book recommendation:  The Martian by Andy Weir. The Mundane Manifesto by Geoff Ryman et al. Kim Stanley Robinson on the Mars Trilogy. Other works mentioned: The Mars Trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinso...

As Hollywood moved into the twenty-first century, it found a new formula for superhero stories that catapulted them to some of the most popular stories in sci-fi. In this episode, we explore the history of superheroes in film and how their modern mainstream popularity has transformed the genre. Movie recommendation:  X-Men Other works dicussed: The Incredibles The Dark Knight Trilogy The Reckoners...

In the 1980s and '90s, blockbuster films became a staple of Hollywood and of science fiction, and their rise went hand in hand with the development of CGI technology. In this episode, we explore the ways CGI has contributed to sci-fi over the years. Movie recommendation:  Jurassic Park Sheldon Hall on the origin of the term "blockbuster." Documentary on the making of  Independence Day . Other movi...

Michael Crichton was a huge influence on science fiction in the 1990s and 2000s, particularly through the many movie adaptations of his work. In this episode, I given an overview of his writings and his work in Hollywood. Book recommendation:  Sphere Luke McKinney on "The Malcolm Fallacy" Other works discussed: The Andromeda Strain Westworld Jurassic Park Timeline

In this episode, I interview David Brin , author of the Uplift Series,  The Postman , Existence , and many more. David Brin's website. Advice for new writers. Sample chapters of many of Brin's books. Brin's recommended reading list. Brin on Robert Heinlein. Recommended essay: "The World, the Flesh, and the Devil" by J. D. Bernal.

After cyberpunk had its day, a more mature, less countercultural successor to it emerged, known as postcyberpunk. In this episode, we explore what makes it distinctive and how it ties in with the ideas of transhumanism . Book recommendation: Existence by David Brin. Other books discussed: Permutation City by Greg Egan The Imperial Radch/Ancillary trilogy by Ann Leckie Accelerando by Charles Stross...

Cyberpunk has produced many offshoots over the years as new authors have applied the style to other historical eras and new technologies. In this episode, we tour the wide spread of these diverse subgenres. Book recommendations: The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson Other works mentioned: too many to name. Full list here.

Cyberpunk was the big new subgenre of sci-fi in the 80s--the combination of "lowlife and high-tech." In this episode, we explore the highlights of this subgenre. Book recommendation:  Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson Other works discussed: Akira Neuromancer by William Gibson The Matrix Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan Ready Player One by Ernest Cline My review of  Ready Player Two .

Alternate histories, where events in the past unfolded differently, are a fairly new genre, but it's made large strides since it first became popular in the 80s. In this episode, we look at an overview of these works. Book recommendation: The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal. My companion blog post on  The Calculating Stars . Other books discussed: The Domination by S. M. Stirling "The Ro...

In this episode, I interview Annie Geever, the author of the Undead Age trilogy of zombie novels. Annie's website. Annie's book recommendations: Thirteen or  Black Man by Richard K. Morgan Fallen Dragon by Peter F. Hamilton Sun of Suns by Karl Schroeder

Time travel has used in many different ways by many different writers across history. In this episode, we take a whirlwind tour of ten common time travel tropes to see how they have contributed to the genre. Book recommendation:  The Time Ships by Stephen Baxter. TV recommendation: "Blink" from  Doctor Who . Other works mentioned: too many to name. Full list here. PBS Space Time on the many-worlds...

Time travel had a long history in science fiction, but it noticeably ramped up beginning in the 80s. In this episode, we explore some of the classic and iconic time travel stories of recent decades. Book recommendation:  To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis. Other works discussed: Timescape by Gregory Benford Eon by Greg Bear Back to the Future The Terminator Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventu...

Sci-fi stories about wars and military service in the future are widespread throughout the genre. In this episode, we explore a few of the highlights from this wide field. Book recommendation:  Old Man's War by John Scalzi. Honorable mention:  Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein. Other books discussed: The Forever War by Joe Haldeman Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

With the release of  Star Wars , sci-fi became more mainstream than ever, and in its wake came many stories about a galaxy filled with many kinds of alien life. In this episode, we explore a few of these stories of galactic civilizations. Book recommendation:  A Fire Upon the Deep by  Vernor Vinge James W. Harris on 80s sci-fi. Charlie Jane Anders on 80s sci-fi. David Brin's website. Other works d...

Stories about the discovery of mysterious alien artifacts, and the similar challenges of first contact, became prominent in the 70s and 80s. Some of them we have discussed before, but many are new. In this episode, we see an overview of these stories. Book recommendation:  Contact by Carl Sagan Other works discussed: Gateway by Frederick Pohl Hyperion by Dan Simmons Stargate Close Encounters of th...

Daniel Bensen is an author of science fiction, alternate history, and stories of speculative evolution . In this interview, we discuss his new book, Interchange , sequel to his debut novel, Junction , and other writings. Dan's website. Dan's book recommendations: The Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold Greg Egan The Darkness That Comes Before by R. Scott Bakker