Science Fiction 101

It occurred to us that although we have discussed many specific books on the show, we've never devoted an episode to the idea of the book - those papery, texty things that Stephen King has described as "uniquely portable magic". So in this episode, we address the various ways in which books can be enjoyed and consumed, and discuss ten (or eleven) questions on the subject of books. We also have a book-adjacent quiz, and our usual round up of recommendations of past, present and future SF. Some of the items mentioned on the show: First Contact/The Cult of Progress , a non-fiction book by historian David Olusoga Science fiction films scheduled for release in 2025 , nearly all based on pre-existing films, games, comics and books Nor Crystal Tears by Alan Dean Foster The original Stargate movie is thirty years old Phil guests on the podcast Every Single Sci-Fi Film Ever* , discussing Ray Bradbury's It Came From Outer Space The long-awaited, posthumously-published, Harlan...

Like the Robinsons in Lost in Space , Colin and Phil get cast away. But through some lack of forward planning, instead of landing on a deserted planet they end up on just an island... That's the background to our Desert Island Books episode, based very loosely (unless the lawyers come after us, in which case we'll plead coincidence) on the BBC radio format Desert Island Discs : Our intrepid co-hosts have to choose the books they would want with them when they become marooned. Specifically, they each choose: one science fiction novel one science fiction short-story collection or anthology one book which is somehow science fiction-adjacent one book which has zero connection to science fiction Apart from the chosen books - for which you'll have to listen to the episode - the other items mentioned in this episode include: Pathfinders , an old UK TV series which paved the way for Doctor Who The Greg Jein auction catalogue from Heritage Auctions (click here for PDF download) Joh...