Science Fiction 101

In their neverending quest to understand how past and present science fiction relate, Colin and Phil explore fuzzies . Fuzzy Nation (2011) is a novel by John Scalzi which re-boots an earlier novel by H. Beam Piper, Little Fuzzy (1962). Fuzzies are cute little creatures that use tools and form extended families. They behave as if they are intelligent - so should they be legally classed as "people" or "animals"? We also have our usual run through of recommendations of past, present and future science fiction. Alas, no quiz this time, but we'll have one next episode. Among the items mentioned in this episode: The out-of-copyright book Little Fuzzy available for free at Project Gutenberg John Scalzi's reboot Fuzzy Nation at Amazon US and at Amazon UK H. Beam Piper's short story " Omnilingual ", probably his best Tor's 15th anniversary bundle of free short stories New Scientist magazine's new "what if" podcast, Dead Planets S...

Phil and Colin dig into "Star Wars Sequel", the unfilmed 1978 script by science fiction legend Leigh Brackett which became Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back . We look at what made it into the finished film and what got junked, and consider whether Star Wars creator George Lucas was keeping his screenwriter in the dark! If you've never read Brackett's script, you can find two versions of it online. There's a PDF scan of the original typescript, which shows all of her hand-corrections and notes - fascinating for its details, if you can make them out. Or there's this transcript , which is a lot easier to read but loses some of the fun. For a fascinating, in-depth discussion of how "Star Wars Sequel" developed into The Empire Strikes Back , sit back and watch this interview with screenwriter Larry Kasdan , who wrote the final draft of the film's script. Other things discussed in this episode: The New York Times urges you to read old magazines (jus...

In our last episode, we started discussing our favourite bits of science fiction TV - but feeling pushed for time, we only got halfway through our respective top tens. So this time, we continue the discussion. Will Phil's top ten go beyond the 1970s? What will be Colin's favourite SF TV show of all time? Join us and find out! Also in this episode, we have a diabolical, science fictional food quiz send in by one of our listeners. And, of course, we have our traditional run through of past, present and future science fiction. Among the items mentioned in this episode: Babylon 5 - animated movie Elizabeth Bear on influences on/within the science fiction genre 1982: The Greatest Geek Year Ever - documentary Omni magazine' s SF table of elements from May 1981 (reproduced below) Arguably the earliest fungus in the history of science fiction Introducing the virtual tour of the Starship(s) Enterprise Pittsburgh's Carnegie Science Center and its inspiring Mars exhibit Star...

As we enjoyed our "favourite movies" episode so much, we decided to go for a "favourite TV series" episode this time. Once again, Colin opts for a top ten, but Phil chickens out of having to come up with a ranking order, and instead opts for a chronological jaunt through his list. Which TV shows did we choose? Are there any series common to both Colin and Phil's lists? Join us, and find out! And don't forget to let us know your favourites by leaving a comment below. Among the items mentioned in today's show: Today's quiz derives from Pauls Quiz , home of "high quality quiz questions" The phrase " rapid unscheduled disassembly " enters the language, courtesy of SpaceX's Starship Brandon Sanderson's Kickstarter delivers Phil is delighted that someone cracked the problem of how to do rapid digital transfers from the obsolete MiniDisc format to PC, so he can retrieve his collection of SF radio dramas. Babylon 5 creator J. M...

In the two years(!) that Science Fiction 101 has been running, we've somehow managed not to ever list our favourite movies. Until now. But faced with an almost impossible task, we choose two different methods of revealing them: Colin goes for the top ten (or top nineteen...) countdown; while Phil opts for a chronological approach. Which films did we choose? Are there any films common to both Colin and Phil's lists? Join us, and find out - and then leave us a comment down below, or on our Facebook page . Among the items discussed in this episode: Audio interview with Leigh Brackett, and audio of a convention speech by Leigh Brackett John Varley's Red Thunder 1950s novel Children of the Atom by Wilmar H. Shiras Seattle exhibition of the work of Laika Studios Star Trek: Picard season 3 Stephen King's Fairy Tale The new Silo TV series from Apple TV, based on Hugh Howey's book Wool and its sequels           Podcast platforms carrying Science Fiction...

In the latest episode of our Science Fiction 101 podcast, w e review a classic of science fiction: Destination Moon . No, not the 1950 George Pal film (although Phil does mention it a few times in this episode). But the 1950s Tintin books by Hergé! Joining us is our special Francophone guest, podcaster Emmanuel Dubois (producer and host of La Fayette, We Are Here! )   And we have a Moon-inspired quiz, and our usual round-up of recommendations of past/present/future sci-fi.   Discussed in today's show: Tintin books - available from Amazon US and Amazon UK French film Cabbage Soup Forthcoming TV anthology series Extrapolations SciFi History website Season 2 of Foundation Clarkesworld magazine swamped by AI-composed fiction submissions Octavia Butler interviewed about the Columbia Space Shuttle disaster Free SF! Analog readers' poll stories and Asimov's readers' polls stories   Podcast platforms carrying Science Fiction 101 include:   Amazon M...

      Our latest trailer, based on a recent out-take:   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 - Podcast Addict - The Podcast App - Podcast Index - Podchaser - Podfriend - Podlink - Podtail - RadioPublic - Spotify - Stitcher - TuneIn - YouTube

Following on from last episode, where we reviewed an old issue of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction , this time we come bang up to date (more or less) and review the Nov/Dec 2022 issue of the very same magazine.   How does the current issue look? Will we be impressed or depressed? Has F&SF changed in sixty years? Read along with us! We always welcome your comments, so please let us know what you think of the magazine. You can buy F&SF in print and in ebook form. The official website is at http://www.fandsf.com/ Find out about the history of F&SF - one of the longest running current SF magazines - here .  Also featured in this episode of the pod, we have a quiz taken from Radio Times - see the full version of the quiz (which Phil cut down for the pod) here . Among the items mentioned in our regular past/present/future section: Ray Bradbury's short story "Rocket Summer", featured on Phil's other podcast Back to the Moon by Homer Hickam Glass...

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...