#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 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 of these stories.
Short story recommendation: “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut.
My essay on the classic dystopias.
Kurt Vonnegut on “Harrison Bergeron.”
Darryl Hattenhauer on “Harrison Bergeron.”
My analysis of Logan’s Run.
Other works discussed:
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
Logan’s Run by William Francis Nolan and George Clayton Johnson
