Exploring Tomorrow: Meaningful Science Fiction and Life's Big Questions

The recent sci-fi thriller, Mercy, starring Chris Pratt and Rebecca Ferguson, plays with a pretty fascinating concept that feels like something Philip K. Dick would have written. An AI Judge gives a murder suspect 90 minutes to drop the certainty of their guilt from 98% to 92%. This is the reasonable doubt threshold that will keep him from being killed in an hour and half. Well, I have a lot of th...

There’s a hidden gem film lurking out there and I think you should check it out. Especially if you like slow boil mysteries and that an X-Files flare, The Vast of Night (2020) is wonderful, contained, well-written sci-fi thriller set in 1950s New Mexico. In this episode, I discuss how this story brought up a lot some big topics for me and made me want to discuss how my own thinking has evolved sin...

During the “golden age” of science fiction (late 1930s to 1950s), a particular type of story dominated the pages of magazines. It was the “Competent Man” narrative. Comparisons of Andy Weir’s novels to this particular trope have been made by literary critics. In this episode, I discuss how I see the movie and book, Project Hail Mary, as being in dialogue with the "Competent Man” trope, drawing fro...

Okay, where the heck have I been for the past four years? In this short episode, we do a catch-up and discuss what’s been going on, why the long gap in episodes, and how the podcast is returning at last to address more of the challenges we face and how to think science-fictionally about the world we are building today (or allowing giant tech companies to build, as the case may be). It’s more impor...

Because I love science fiction, I don't just talk about it. Occasionally, I write sci-fi stories. And because I used to be a narrative filmmaker, I still pick up and camera and do a little cinematography. In this episode, I invite actor and director Diana Porter to discuss with me why she agreed to direct and star in "Subscribed," this short film I wrote out of concerns over how faceless corporati...

The Tomorrow War offers us big-budget sci-fi with hand-wavy time travel and deadly aliens. What's not to love? On this episode, I invite a couple of friends who also love a good sci-fi flick to join me for a lively discussion about the merits and flaws of this tropy action movie. Be warned, we discuss the move at length, so expect a lot of spoilers. Follow Naa Dodoo on Instagram: https://www.insta...

Author and science communication specialist Octavia Cade joins me for an important conversation about climate change, effective communication of science to the public, and protecting data and scientific integrity in a world driven by politics and profit margins. In this challenging and eye-opening episode, Cade and I discuss the real-world inspiration for her novel, The Stone Weta , about the wome...

Author Terri Favro joins me to discuss her non-fiction book, Generation Robot, which gives us a look back at the history of robotics and AI and a well-researched look forward into what lies ahead in the coming decades. Science fiction has given us a wide range of views on robots. But has sci-fi really got it right? What will happen if we succeed in giving AI consciousness? What will our responsibi...

Andy Weir, author of The Martian , has a new novel out, Project Hail Mary . In this episode, I dive into what works and what doesn't about this book, how Weir has given us a better character journey, and more. Weir returns to some familiar territory with this plausible hard SF adventure. First 20-minutes are spoiler free. Join the discussion on Discord: https://discord.gg/Arsbp5MAhq Grab a copy of...

Author Alec Nevala-Lee stops by to discuss his monumental biography of the early days of science fiction. His book, Astounding , details the rise of SF through the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. This was the age of a magazine called Astounding , today known as Analog Science Fiction and Fact . In those early decades, John W. Campbell served as editor of Astounding and he left an indelible mark on the genre,...

Orson Scott Card and the late Ben Bova are two giants of the science fiction literary world. Bova has long been one of my favorite authors and his Grand Tour books have been an enormous influence on me. I recently dug up some solid advice from established professionals in the SF writing world and I found Card and Bova had both written books on writing SF. In this episode, I explore some of the con...

Sherryl Vint teaches Science Fiction Media Studies at the University of California, Riverside and has written several books exploring the various philosophical and cultural aspects of science fiction. Her latest book, Science Fiction, published as part of the MIT Press Essential Knowledge Series. This latest book is a guide for the casual sci-fi fan interested in understanding how the genre has ev...

Have you seen the new Netflix sci-fi thriller, Stowaway? In this episode, I review the movie and discuss what worked and what didn't about it and why I want to see more movies like this made. The first portion of the episode is spoiler free, so even if you haven't seen the movie, you can listen to the first part and get a sense of whether this is something you want to watch. Then you can come back...

S.B. Divya's debut novel, Machinehood , is a thrill ride of plausible future conflict between developing AI and augmented human beings who have given up privacy and now rely on daily updates to their medication to combat designer viruses and remain competitive in the gig marketplace. Divya is also the co-editor of Escape Pod, which is a science fiction magazine podcast that features short stories...

We didn't reverse climate change. The world is a barren husk of what it once was. And yet, humanity persists. Traveling between towns, villages, and cities, a circus cuts through Europe, delivering entertainment. But much there is a darker reality to this circus, and their trek to Asia is either hopeless venture or will be the spark of a new humanity. That's what Ben Marshall's novel, The Last Cir...

This past weekend I got to attend (virtually) the Flights of Foundry 2021 con. It was fantastic and I feel so energized by it. Why is that? Well, grab a coffee or tea, and let's chat. From networking with fellow speculative fiction creators to jointly launching a new subgenre of science fiction, Flight of Foundry was a remarkable experience, and it is going to have a direct impact on this podcast...

Sci-fi author and artist, Frank Wu, joins me for a lively, hilarious, and very informative conversation about how he got his first story published in one of my favorite science fiction magazines, Analog. We also dive into how his award-winning story, "In the Absence of Instructions to the Contrary," which truly one of the best short stories I've ever read. If you are writer yourself, you will want...

What can we learn from neuroscience and psychology about the narratives we create, how mailable memories are, and how our drive for survival shapes our response to life? Chris Wong, therapist and adult education specialist, joins me for a lively follow-up discussion to episode 014 about the neuroscience of storytelling. We explore how trauma shapes narratives, how narratives can help us process ou...

When my coworker, Mike Palumbo, told me I needed to check out Devs on Hulu because it was "my kind of sci-fi" that stuck with me. Well, I finally checked it out and boy, was he right. So I invited Mike to come on to the podcast to discuss this twisted, suspenseful, deeply philosophical mini series. This is a long discussion meant for folks who have seen the show or are okay with spoilers. We unpac...

This hard sci-fi thriller stares unflinchingly into the political ramifications of discovering we are not alone in this universe. The discovery launches a new space race with a winner-takes-all approach to securing alien tech and science. What can we learn from this novel and why do I wish more politicians were reading Saturn Run ? Check out my recent appearance in this panel of talented New Engla...

Yes, I love science fiction. But even more foundational than my affinity for this wonderful genre is the fact that I love storytelling. It's what I do for my day job (documentary film) and my side hustle (sci-fi novels and this podcast). So yes, I love storytelling. But turns out that there are deep reasons storytelling has been an integral part of every human society through the ages. It's becaus...

The Loop by Ben Oliver has been called "the new Hunger Games " by some. But does it live up to this bold claim? I checked out this brand new young adult dystopian futuristic thriller. In this episode, I dive into The Loop and discuss what works and what doesn't. I also discuss a couple of graphic novels I just read: Mooncop and Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed. Join me for a virtual local author's nig...

In one of the most epic sci-fi novels I've come across, Neal Stephenson takes on the long-term survival of the species after a freak event destroys the moon and dooms the planet to an eventual catastrophic rain of fire from the sky that will render the Earth unhabitable for thousands of years. At the core of this type of science fiction are questions about the nature of the human race and if we ar...

Have you checked out the new George Clooney directed film released on Netflix? The movie seems to split audiences. What can we learn from this film? Is it good sci-fi? Is it meaningful? What is the story really trying to get at, anyway? This contemplative sci-fi drama offers more than many of seem to dismiss it have recognized. But is it really an impactful of a film as other might say it is? Dive...

Rob Hart's novel, The Warehouse, got me thinking about a lot of things when I first checked it out last year. It has become even more relevant this year as we have had to hunker down and do most, if not all, of our shopping online. Are we thinking clearly about the corporate and economic future we are fostering with each purchase? What does Hart's novel have for us to ponder as we stare into an im...