#36 – Alternate History – A Reader's History of Science Fiction
Alternate histories, where events in the past unfolded differently, are a fairly new genre, but it's made large strides since it first became popular in the 80s. In this episode, we look at an overview of these works. Book recommendation: The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal. My companion blog post on The Calculating Stars. Other books discussed: The Domination by S. M. Stirling "The Road Not Taken", The Guns of the South and Harry Turtledove in general. The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon
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 highlights of this subgenre.
Book recommendation: Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner
Other books mentioned:
Make Room! Make Room! by Harry Harrison
The Sheep Look Up by John Brunner
The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
And the very obscure Half Past Human and The Godwhale by T.J. Bass.