S2E2: Catch-Up Episode #1 – A Reader's History of Science Fiction
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" episodes that will continue intermittently with longer ones. Book recommendation: To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini Other book discussed: Cities in Flight by James Blish My review of A Case of Conscience by James Blish
John W. Campbell was the controversial longtime editor of Astounding Science Fiction who single-handedly directed the course of science fiction in the 1940s, a time that is not called the “golden age of sci-fi.” However, I argue the golden age continued through the 1950s as writers who got their start under Campbell began publishing on their own.
Book recommendation: Mission of Gravity by Hal Clement.
Robert Silverberg on the golden age.
The Internet Speculative Fiction Database’s “Most-Viewed Short Fiction.”
Cory Doctorow on Campbell.
My essay on “The Cold Equations.”
Other books mentioned:
The Black Cloud by Fred Hoyle
Science Meets Fiction 