#26 – Vonnegut, Adams, and Modern Satire – A Reader's History of Science Fiction
While many early works of proto-sci-fi were satires like Gulliver's Travels, satirical works also appear in modern sci-fi. In this episode, we take a look at the two most famous authors of this subgenre, Kurt Vonnegut and Douglas Adams. Book recommendation: Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut. Vonnegut's letter to his family during World War II. Other works discussed: Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Like books, movies and television also went through a golden age in science fiction in the 1950s. In this episode we explore the trends in the visual medium at the time and how they compared to print.
Movie recommendation: The Day the Earth Stood Still.
“movies and television also went through a golden age”
Yes, but this is a reader’s history!
Interesting aspects on the original Day the Earth Stood Still that I had not thought of.
In regards to 2001, I think it was in “Lost Worlds of 2001” that Clarke said the effects version of Saturn was so incredibly realistic that they were concerned the audience wouldn’t believe it, so they sent Discovery to Jupiter instead.
The effects people for “2001” (Douglas Trumbull?) would later use the Saturn they developed in “Silent Running”. Wikipedia page just reports the “2001” set had ‘technical difficulties’ with Saturn, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_Running