Science Fiction 101

Join us for a trivia quiz bonanza! Making a return visit to the pod is Colin's co-host from another podcast, Seth Heasley, who is here to administer a deadly science fictional quiz! Phil is already quaking in his sci-fi Moon boots. At the time of recording, Colin and Seth had just returned from this year's World Science Fiction Convention, held in Seattle. So in this episode, they give their behind-the-scenes perspectives of what went on at the con: Colin as a volunteer camera operator and video director, and Seth as a Hugo Award nominee and panel moderator. Among the items discussed in today's show: The 2025 Hugo Awards The 1944 film version of J.B.Priestley's  They Came to a City The perennially meaningful graphic novel  Maus by Art Spiegelman The Ray Bradbury Center - which houses the papers, artefacts and office of the famous writer (in Indianapolis) - is raising funds to move into expanded, future-proof (not to mention waterproof) accommodation Adrian Tchaikovksy...

It's December, and so according to the tradition we invented this time last year, we go back into the past and review an old science fiction magazine - to see how the field has changed over time, and to see if those old stories still hold up. This year, we tackle the December 1962 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. If you'd like to skim the pages with us, you can find the entire issue online here . We also have a science fiction cat quiz, believe it or not. And our usual round-up of past/present/future items which have caught our attention recently, which include the following: The Girl With All The Gifts (2016 film) Habitats , a (successful) Kickstarter for an "optimistic" SF magazine Andor , the Star Wars TV series Phil's February 2023 talk on Fahrenheit 451 , part of Wolverhampton's Literature Festival Beginning Operations , the omnibus volume collecting James White's "Sector General" series If you join us for the 1962 mag...

Colin and Phil return, buoyed by the news that Science Fiction 101 has risen to number 6 in Feedspot 's league table of Best UK Sci-Fi Podcasts ! Our main discussion topic the contentious issue of the "canon" of science fiction, triggered by a blog post by Dr Shaun Duke. We also have a movie quiz, and the usual round-up of past/present/future SF. Here are links to the items we discuss: Shaun Duke's blog post on the SF canon, and why it doesn't exist Duke's follow-up post, including a draft SF canon from 1961 ! The full sci-fi movie quiz, from Triviawell Stephen King's Firestarter , basis of a new (and old) movie Short film based on Arthur C. Clarke's " The Nine Billion Names of God " The LA Times Ray Bradbury Prize-winning short story collection Spirits Abroad by Zen Cho A new Doctor Who ! The new Emeka Walter Dinjos Memorial Award honours writers with disabilities and writers who depict disability in SF.   We hope you enjoy the episode:    ...

Colin and Phil recently found themselves reviewing Arthur C. Clarke's Rendezvous with Rama (1973) on another podcast - and were intrigued by a quote from author Mike Resnick, who said that James White 's All Judgement Fled (1968) was " Rama done right". What is this other book, and why would one repsected author (Resnick) suggest that another respected author (White) had bested yet another respected author (Clarke)? We decided to investigate - and in this episode of Science Fiction 101 we tell you everything we learned. All Judgment Fled was first published in serialised form in the science fiction magazine Worlds of IF , edited by Fred Pohl, in 1967/8. IF was a sister magazine to Galaxy Science Fiction . The magazine appearance has some nifty line drawings by Morrow to illustrate the story:    Also in this episode:  Clarkesworld publisher Neil Clarke responds to our review of his magazine! a science fiction character quiz Brandon Sanderson's record-breaking ...

We're back - a new podcast episode, and once again a bit of quizzing. We're joined by Seth Heasley (host of podcast Hugos There and co-host of Take Me To Your Reader ), who sets some fiendish quiz questions for us! In our past/present/future section, we discuss Asimov, Wyndham Sturgeon's More Than Human , Star Trek - The Motion Picture: the Director's Edition and more. Listen below, or find us with your podcast app.   Other podcast platforms carrying Science Fiction 101 include:   Amazon Music - Anchor - Apple Podcasts/iTunes - Audible - Breaker - Bullhorn - Castbox - Deezer - Google Podcasts - Listen Notes - Player FM - Pocket Casts - Podbean - The Podcast App - Podchaser - Podlink - Podtail - RadioPublic - Spotify - Stitcher - TuneIn - YouTube

We take to the air once again, and this time Phil wreaks his revenge on co-host Colin with a diabolical quiz! How will you fare when faced with questions from the Gollancz SF Masterworks quiz? Also in this episode we review the short story that just won the Nebula Award from the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, plus one of the leading runners-up. And we do our usual run through the past, present and future of science fiction. We hope you enjoy the show: listen below and let us know what you think. Or pick us up on your podcast app - scroll down to see links to all the podcast places that carry us.       Show Notes The Gollancz SFMasterworks quiz is online here: https://www.gollancz.co.uk/science-fiction/2012/11/20/the-gollancz-sf-masterwork-quiz/ The list of Nebula Award winners for works published in 2020: https://nebulas.sfwa.org/award-year/2020/ File 770 's handy list of where to find all the Nebula free reads o...

Time for a new episode of the podcast! And this time we review Andy Weir's smash-hit of a novel, Project Hail Mary. We also offer a sci-fi quiz, and give our usual run-through of recommendations of past/present/future science fiction. Enjoy the episode below - or scroll down for links to the various podcast platforms that carry the podcast. Also below are links to all the things we discuss in the show.     Show Notes Take the SF quiz , courtesy of File 770 ! Project Hail Mary on Amazon US and on Amazon UK . Andy Weir uses the idea of panspermia in his book. Mary Robinette Kowal reviewed the book for the Washington Post . Experience time as Eridians do ! Phil may be the only person alive who remembers Sparky's Magic Piano . 2021 is one hundred years since the birth of Stanislaw Lem , the Polish author best known for Solaris .  Keith Laumer's Bolo series.  Love Death and Robots, Volume 2 from Netflix. Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuc...