Monthly Archives: March 2021

A Study in Parallel Universes: the Diproton “Catastrophe”

Posted on March 29, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

Advocates of “fine-tuned universe” claim that if the physical laws of our universe were just slightly different, life would not be able to exist. Some of my colleagues and I previously looked at these claims with the “Weakless Universe,” where … Continue reading →

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Episode 25 Delayed

Posted on March 29, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

Hi all. Sorry there’s no new episode this week. I have the script finished and everything, but my computer’s gone on the fritz. I barely got it working again after the mess it got into yesterday, and until I have … Continue reading →

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#24 – The New Dystopias

Posted on March 15, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

In the New Wave, a new batch of dystopian stories appeared that reflected the newer concerns of the time. These were different from the classics like Nineteen Eighty-Four–more diverse, and very often more hopeful. In this episode, we explore the highlights … Continue reading →

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Do the Demographics of Logan’s Run Make Sense?

Posted on March 14, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

As a companion to this week’s episode of A Reader’s History of Science Fiction, I wanted to take a closer look at the science behind one of the books I’ll be talking about: Logan’s Run by William F. Nolan and … Continue reading →

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The Logic of “The Gordian Paradox”

Posted on March 6, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

In my recent short story, “The Gordian Paradox,” a human attempts to defeat an evil artificial intelligence with a logical paradox: “This sentence is false.” However, instead of getting the AI stuck in a loop, the evil AI and the … Continue reading →

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#23 – Overpopulation and Environmental Collapse

Posted on March 1, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

In the 60s and 70s, awareness of environmental issues was rising, and that was reflected in the New Wave of science fiction. Of particular note were overpopulation and pollution (leading to widespread environmental collapse). In this episode, we explore the … Continue reading →

Posted in A Reader's History of Science Fiction | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment