Author Archives: Alex R. Howe

About Alex R. Howe

I'm a full-time astrophysicist and a part-time science fiction writer.

#34 – Time Travel Part I: The Classics

Posted on September 13, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

Time travel had a long history in science fiction, but it noticeably ramped up beginning in the 80s. In this episode, we explore some of the classic and iconic time travel stories of recent decades. Book recommendation: To Say Nothing of … Continue reading →

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#33 – Military Science Fiction

Posted on August 30, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

Sci-fi stories about wars and military service in the future are widespread throughout the genre. In this episode, we explore a few of the highlights from this wide field. Book recommendation: Old Man’s War by John Scalzi. Honorable mention: Starship Troopers by … Continue reading →

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New Video: What Does Negative Mass Mean? Part 1

Posted on August 21, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

Grant Sanderson, of the excellent 3Blue1Brown math YouTube channel, has set up a contest for new creators to make math videos, called the Summer of Math Exposition. Well, this isn’t my first math video, but in the spirit of the … Continue reading →

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#32 – Galactic Civilizations

Posted on August 16, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

With the release of Star Wars, sci-fi became more mainstream than ever, and in its wake came many stories about a galaxy filled with many kinds of alien life. In this episode, we explore a few of these stories of galactic … Continue reading →

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#31 – Alien Artifacts and Alien Contact

Posted on August 2, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

Stories about the discovery of mysterious alien artifacts, and the similar challenges of first contact, became prominent in the 70s and 80s. Some of them we have discussed before, but many are new. In this episode, we see an overview … Continue reading →

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What Is a Sport?

Posted on July 22, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

The Tokyo Olympics begin tomorrow, and while the Games this year have become a messy political boondoggle thanks to COVID (among other things), the likes of which is beyond the scope of this blog, I thought it was time to … Continue reading →

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Writer’s History #4 – Daniel Bensen Interview

Posted on July 19, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

Daniel Bensen is an author of science fiction, alternate history, and stories of speculative evolution. In this interview, we discuss his new book, Interchange, sequel to his debut novel, Junction, and other writings. Dan’s website. Dan’s book recommendations: The Vorkosigan … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Interchange by Daniel M. Bensen

Posted on July 18, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

Last year, I reviewed the book Junction by Daniel M. Bensen, a sci-fi work centered around speculative evolution, that is, imagining how life might evolve on an alternate Earth or other worlds. Junction is a world filled with wormholes connecting … Continue reading →

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#30 – Arthur Clarke’s Comeback

Posted on July 5, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

After the New Wave era drew to a close, the older authors of the Golden Age continued to produce new works, but Arthur C. Clarke made the strongest comeback, with some of his most famous books coming from his later … Continue reading →

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#29 – Larry Niven and the Return of Hard Sci-Fi

Posted on June 21, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

By 1970, the New Wave in science fiction had made peace with a surge of new hard sci-fi works and writers. At the forefront of this trend was Larry Niven, who took a unique path in hard sci-fi by proposing … Continue reading →

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