Science Fiction 101

Time for a new episode of the podcast! This time Colin and Phil ponder what it means to be a science fiction fan. Would you call yourself one? Would other people call you one? How deeply are you connected to fandom? We try to get to the bottom of it all in this episode. And then we go into our usual quizzy goodness, and our regular past/present/future discussion. Join us, why don't you? We'll post the full show notes later, so please check back for those. In the meantime, sit back, relax, and listen...     Podcast platforms carrying Science Fiction 101 include:   Amazon Music - Apple Podcasts/iTunes - Audible - Breaker - Bullhorn - Castbox - Deezer - Listen Notes - Player FM - Pocket Casts - Podbean - Podcast Addict - The Podcast App - Podcast Index - Podchaser - Podfriend - Podlink - Podtail - RadioPublic - Spotify - TuneIn - YouTube

We have a new video trailer for Science Fiction 101 ! And later this week, we will have a new episode of the pod, with a discussion on "what makes a science fiction fan". Watch this space!     Podcast platforms carrying Science Fiction 101 include:   Amazon Music - Apple Podcasts/iTunes - Audible - Breaker - Bullhorn - Castbox - Deezer - Listen Notes - Player FM - Pocket Casts - Podbean - Podcast Addict - The Podcast App - Podcast Index - Podchaser - Podfriend - Podlink - Podtail - RadioPublic - Spotify - TuneIn - YouTube

In this episode, we review The Downloaded , the new novel by multi-award-winning author Robert J. Sawyer. It's an "Audible Original", meaning that it's been published first as an audiobook - and not just any old audiobook. This has Oscar-winner Brendan Fraser as one member of a full cast! We also have a quiz and our usual run-through of recommendations of past, present and future SF. Among the items discussed:   The Downloaded , which is available from Audible: US link - UK link Our quiz this episode, taken from Dictionary.com: https://www.dictionary.com/games/quizzes/science-fiction-quiz Dune Part Two , coming to cinemas in a couple of months Another announcement of another Star Trek movie   To listen to our new episode, use your podcast app - or click HERE !     Podcast platforms carrying Science Fiction 101 include:   Amazon Music - Apple Podcasts/iTunes - Audible - Breaker - Bullhorn - Castbox - Deezer - Google Podcasts - Listen Notes - Player FM

In this new episode of the pod, we come bang up to date with a review of a current science fiction magazine. Uncanny has won multiple awards, and so have some of its finest short stories. We're hoping this issue of the magazine (no. 55, Nov/Dec 2023) will live up to Uncanny 's stellar reputation. If you want to read along with us, you can find the entire issue online for free at the magazine's official website, here . You can also buy issues of the magazine for convenient reading on portable devices, and you can become one of their Patreon supporters. Here are links to some of the other things mentioned in this episode: The non-fiction book A City on Mars by Kelly & Zach Weinersmith ( www.acityonmars.com ) The Murderbot series comes to Apple TV+ The Doctor Who sixtieth anniversary specials Margaret Cavendish may be the earliest science fiction novelist in history Agatha Christie wrote at least one book which can be considered science fiction Star Trek - Deep Space

It being the end of the year, Colin and Phil continue their annual tradition of travelling back in time to read an old science fiction magazine. This time, they stop off in 1968 - the height of the "new wave" in science fiction - and pick up an issue of New Worlds magazine from December 1968. If you'd like to read along, you can find a PDF of that magazine issue here, courtesy of the Luminist website: ⁠ https://s3.us-west-1.wasabisys.com/luminist/SF/NW_1968_12.pdf ⁠ And if you'd like to join in our 1960s science fiction movie quiz, you'll find that on Youtube , here: ⁠ https://youtu.be/vAFs4PfLCVw?si=ZYb1o02iABx7QI3Z ⁠ Other items mentioned in this episode: Live in the science fictional past, at Galactic Journey , where it's always fifty-five years ago! The classic short space documentary " Universe ", which influenced 2001: A Space Odyssey in multiple ways The Guardian 's controversial (because inaccurate!) article on missing Doctor Who episod

In this episode, we review the short stories nominated for the 2023 Hugo Awards - the awards voted on by the members and attendeeds of the World Science Fiction Convention. Since the Worldcon is in China this year, the shortlist includes a number of Chinese stories. We recorded this episode shortly before the Hugo Winners were announced, so cut us some slack s we speculate on what the outcome of the voting might be! Normally, we would post links to all the stories, but not all of the stories have an online version. We hope that the Chinese stories will be properly published in English at some point, but we may have to wait for the "year's best" anthologies to pick them up. Here are links to the two English-language stories: " D.I.Y. " by John Wiswell " Rabbit Test " by Samantha Mills  You can see the full list of Hugo Award winners (in all categories) here . Other items mentioned in this episode: The Internet Speculative Fiction Database and the Chine