A Reader's History of Science Fiction
Activity Overview
Episode publication activity over the past year
Episodes
Hiatus: Episode 6 Delayed
26 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
I'm taking a short break before producing the next episode. I'm not sure how long it will be, but probably about a month to give myself time to get on...
S3E5: Modern Sci-Fi Television
12 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I review the recent history and current status of science fiction on television during the streaming era. TV recommendation: The Orvi...
S3E4: Larry Niven Interview
29 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I interview the legendary Larry Niven, author of Ringworld, The Mote in God's Eye, Lucifer's Hammer, Footfall, and many more. Niven'...
S3E3: Cameron Kunzelman Discusses Sci-Fi Video Games
15 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
I interview Dr. Cameron Kunzelman of Georgia State University about science fiction in video games. Dr. Kunzelman's game recommendations: Bioshock Hal...
S3E2: Robert Silverberg Interview
01 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Robert Silverberg is the last major author whose career stretches all the way back to the Golden Age of Science Fiction. He is an extremely prolific w...
S3E1: Jim Harris Discusses the Classics of Sci-Fi
17 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the first episode of Season 3, I interview Jim Harris, the creator of the Classics of Science Fiction book recommendation aggregator, which I have...
S2E25: Lisa Yaszek Interview
15 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the series finale, I interview Dr. Lisa Yaszek, a sci-fi historian from Georgia Tech, about where we can expect science fiction to go in the future...
S2E24: Catch-Up Episode #9: Classics Lightning Round
08 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Okay, not exactly all classics and not exactly lightning either, but in this episode, I discuss four books that I wanted to talk about in Season 1, bu...
S2E23: Space Opera
24 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I discuss the precise nature of space opera, its origins, and its path through the history of sci-fi up to the current resurgence it'...
Episode 23 Delayed
17 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I'm having computer problems which resulted in me not being able to record today, so I'm postponing Season 2, Episode 23 by one week to April 24. Epis...
S2E22: Catch-Up Episode #8: Space Sci-Fi
03 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Not quite as space-themed as I intended, but these are the latest stories about aliens and comets and such. Movie recommendation: Dune (2021) Other w...
S2E21: Donna Barba Higuera Interview
20 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I interview Donna Barba Higuera, author of the Newbery winning sci-fi novel, The Last Cuentista (which I've previously recommended)....
S2E20: Newbery Medal Winners
06 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I take one more look at children's science fiction by surveying the winners of the prestigious Newbery Medal. Book recommendation: T...
S2E19: Multiverse Fiction
20 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I explore sci-fi works that focus on the idea of the multiverse. Prospective book recommendation (I'm putting it on my own list): Th...
S2E18: Catch-Up Episode #7: Sci-Fi Action Movies
06 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I give an overview of recent action movies in the sci-fi genre. Movie recommendation: Everything Everywhere All at Once Other movies...
S2E17: Science Fiction in Video Games
23 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I bring back my cohost Greg for a conversion about how science fiction has shaped video games, and vice versa. Classic game recommend...
S2E16: Catch-Up Episode #6: Children's Sci-Fi Movies
09 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I catch up on the sci-fi movies for kids that have come out in the pandemic era. Movie recommendation: The Mitchells vs. the Machines Background on L...
S2E15: Religion in Sci-Fi
26 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I give an overview of the different ways that religion and religious themes are used in science fiction. Book recommendation: Lord o...
S2E14: Margaret Weitekamp Interview
12 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I interview Dr. Margaret Weitekamp, Curator and Chair of Space History at the National Air and Space Museum about her new book, Space Craze: America'...
S2E13: Gary Bengier Interview
28 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I interview Gary Bengier, former CFO of eBay and author of Unfettered Journey, a novel about philosophy and artificial intelligence. ...
S2E12: Catch-Up Episode #5: DC Movies
14 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Complementing my Marvel catch-up, I review the new DC superhero movies that have come out since the start of the pandemic. Movie recommendation: DC L...
S2E11: Nick Nocturne Discusses Unfiction
31 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I interview Nick Nocturne, host of the YouTube channel Night Mind about the emerging genre of unfiction and its relation to science fiction. Nick's re...
S2E10: Interview: Brown and Hansen on Stephen King
17 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the podcast's first panel interview, I speak to two Stephen King scholars, Simon Brown and Regina Hansen, about King's illustrious career and influ...
S2E9: Catch-Up Episode #4: Horror
03 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the first of three horror-themed episodes for October, I discuss one class work that I passed over before and one new work. Recommendation: The Mi...
S2E8: Techno-Thrillers
19 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Techno-thrillers are a surprisingly fuzzy category that sits at the border of sci-fi and suspense. In this episode, I give an overview of the subgenre...
S2E7: Catch-Up Episode #3: Marvel Movies
05 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As part of my catch-up series, I review the Marvel movies that have come out since the start of the pandemic. Movie recommendation: The New Mutants. ...
S2E6: Anime Science Fiction
22 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Experimenting with a new format, my friend Greg and I have a conversation about anime and its place in the science fiction genre. TV recommendation: ...
S2E5: Paul Frommer Interview
08 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 recom...
S2E4: Catch-Up Episode #2: Monster Movies
25 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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...
S2E3: Constructed Languages in Science Fiction
11 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Science fiction frequently plays with language in different ways to explore the concepts of philosophy, culture, and cognition; and constructed langua...
S2E2: Catch-Up Episode #1
27 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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" episode...
S2E1: Farah Mendlesohn Interview
13 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I interview Farah Mendlesohn, a scholar of children's sci-fi and fantasy literature and author of The Intergalactic Playground. Farah's website. Fara...
Season 2 Coming Next Week!
09 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A Reader's History of Science Fiction will return next Monday with my interview with Farah Mendlesohn, author of The Intergalactic Playground. Be sur...
#46 - Science Fiction Today
04 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Bonus Episode: More Alternate History
01 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
#45 - Young Adult Dystopias
21 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 t...
#44 - The Children's Sci-Fi Renaissance
07 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Episode 44 Delayed
28 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Hi all. Unfortunately, I need to delay this week's episode. Production was already running slow because it's a long episode with a lot of supplemental...
#43 - Solar System Exploration
14 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
#42 - Blockbuster Films Part II: Superheroes Go Mainstream
31 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 storie...
#41 - Blockbuster Films Part I: The Rise of CGI
17 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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...
#40 - Michael Crichton
03 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Writer's History #6 - David Brin
20 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 wr...
#39 - Postcyberpunk and Transhumanism
06 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
After cyberpunk had its day, a more mature, less countercultural successor to it emerged, known as postcyberpunk. In this episode, we explore what mak...
#38 - Cyberpunk Derivatives
22 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Cyberpunk has produced many offshoots over the years as new authors have applied the style to other historical eras and new technologies. In this epis...
#37 - Cyberpunk
08 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 thi...
#36 - Alternate History
25 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Writer's History #5 - Annie Geever Interview
11 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I interview Annie Geever, the author of the Undead Age trilogy of zombie novels. Annie's website. Annie's book recommendations: Thirt...
#35 - Time Travel Part II: Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey
27 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 tra...
#34 - Time Travel Part I: The Classics
13 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 a...
#33 - Military Science Fiction
30 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
#32 - Galactic Civilizations
16 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 al...
#31 - Alien Artifacts and Alien Contact
02 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Stories about the discovery of mysterious alien artifacts, and the similar challenges of first contact, became prominent in the 70s and 80s. Some of t...
Writer's History #4 - Daniel Bensen Interview
19 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel Bensen is an author of science fiction, alternate history, and stories of speculative evolution. In this interview, we discuss his new book, I...
#30 - Arthur Clarke's Comeback
05 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
After the New Wave era drew to a close, the older authors of the Golden Age continued to produce new works, but Arthur C. Clarke made the strongest co...
#29 - Larry Niven and the Return of Hard Sci-Fi
21 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
By 1970, the New Wave in science fiction had made peace with a surge of new hard sci-fi works and writers. At the forefront of this trend was Larry Ni...
Writer's History #3 - Dr. Benjamin Stevens Interview
07 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Benjamin Stevens is a professor of classical studies who researches the relationship between the ancient/classical tradition and science fiction a...
#28 - Children's Sci-Fi in the New Wave
24 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Children's science fiction was still an unusual and peripheral category during the New Wave, but it did produce some important new classics. In this e...
#27 - Feminist Science Fiction
10 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Among the various social changes that accompanied the New Wave, this time period saw the rise of second-wave feminism. In this episode, we explore how...
Writer's History #2 - Kira Leigh Interview
26 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I interview Kira Leigh, author of the new, anime-inspired space epic, Constelis Voss, Volume 1. Kira's website. Kira's TV recommendat...
#26 - Vonnegut, Adams, and Modern Satire
12 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
While many early works of proto-sci-fi were satires like Gulliver's Travels, satirical works also appear in modern sci-fi. In this episode, we take a...
#25 - Strange New Worlds
05 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
While much of the New Wave was about exploring inner space, some authors were still writing about exploring other words. In this episode, we see how t...
Episode 25 Delayed
29 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Hi all. Sorry there's no new episode this week. I have the script finished and everything, but my computer's gone on the fritz. I barely got it workin...
#24 - The New Dystopias
15 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the New Wave, a new batch of dystopian stories appeared that reflected the newer concerns of the time. These were different from the classics like ...
#23 - Overpopulation and Environmental Collapse
01 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the 60s and 70s, awareness of environmental issues was rising, and that was reflected in the New Wave of science fiction. Of particular note were o...
#22 - Nuclear War
15 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Cold War brought with it new tales of nuclear war in science fiction, both in the early days of the 50s and 60s, and later, when fears began to ri...
#21 - Apocalypse How?
01 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the 1950s and 60s, disaster and apocalyptic stories became prominent. However, the earliest ones could get pretty weird. In this episode, we take a...
Writer's History #1 - Max Hawthorne Interview
18 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
For my first interview on the show, I spoke to Max Hawthorne, author of the paleo-fiction thriller, Kronos Rising, about his writing and his experienc...
#20 - Philip K. Dick
04 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Despite his often inconsistent writing, Philip K. Dick is notable for having more film adaptations of his novels and short stories than almost every o...
#19 - The New Wave
21 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In the 1960s, science fiction went through a major change as the New Wave moved it away from the hard sci-fi of the 50s into a softer, but more social...
#18 - Movies in the Golden Age
07 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Like books, movies and television also went through a golden age in science fiction in the 1950s. In this episode we explore the trends in the visual ...
#17 - Arthur C. Clarke
23 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Arthur C. Clarke was the fourth of the "Big Four" authors of the golden age of science fiction. In this episode, we explore his work and his unique wr...
#16 - Ray Bradbury
09 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Ray Bradbury is most famous as the author of Fahrenheit 451, but he was an important and unique figure in science fiction at-large, a master of short ...
#15 - Robert Heinlein Part II: Politics, Religion, and Sex
26 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Robert Heinlein's later career went to some unusual places, including books with heavy philosophical and political themes, while still continuing with...
#14 - Robert Heinlein Part I: The Juveniles
12 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Robert Heinlein was one of the first major authors to write science fiction specifically for children. In this episode, we explore how he did it and w...
#13 - Isaac Asimov Part II: Robots
28 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We continue our exploration of the work of Isaac Asimov with a study of his Robot Series and an introduction to robot fiction in general, which he sha...
#12 - Isaac Asimov Part I
14 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Isaac Asimov was own of the most prolific authors of the golden age of sci-fi, especially when it comes to short stories. In this episode, we explore ...
#11 - John W. Campbell and the Golden Age of Sci-Fi
31 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
John W. Campbell was the controversial longtime editor of Astounding Science Fiction who single-handedly directed the course of science fiction in the...
#10 - Stapledon and Lewis
17 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Olaf Stapledon and C. S. Lewis both explored the spiritual side of science fiction, albeit in very different ways. In this episode, we explore how the...
#9 - The Dystopia Classic
03 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dystopian fiction has become a popular subgenre of sci-fi in its own right, but the earliest dystopian novels shared some unique elements in common, i...
#8 - The Dawn of Cinema
20 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
At the same time science fiction came into its own as a genre, cinema was doing the same. Here, we see an overview of the most notable sci-fi films of...
#7 - H. P. Lovecraft and Cosmic Horror
06 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
H. P. Lovecraft brought the Gothic horror of the previous century into the modern era with his new genre of cosmic horror, which placed humankind at t...
#6 - Pulp Fiction
22 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The hallmark of early science fiction was the pulp magazines, which continued the tradition of larger-than-life adventure stories. Despite the sometim...
#5 - H. G. Wells and the Dawn of Science Fiction
08 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
H. G. Wells was in many respects the first real science fiction author, where earlier writers wrote more or less in existing genres. This episode is a...
#4 - The Roots of Sci-Fi in Adventure
25 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Jules Verne was perhaps the first author to systematically incorporate the latest science into his work, becoming one of the biggest minds behind the ...
#3 - The Roots of Sci-Fi in Horror
11 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Modern science spread out from early satirical novels first to the gothic horror of the nineteenth century. This is the genre where the first real sci...
#2 - The Roots of Sci-Fi in Satire
27 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Several books widely regarded as the first science fiction novels date back as far as the sixteenth century, but most of these weren't dramatic storie...
#1 - What Is Science Fiction?
13 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this first episode, I explain how I developed the idea of this podcast, what I mean by science fiction, and how this podcast will proceed. A previe...