Author Archives: Alex R. Howe

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About Alex R. Howe

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

Negative Mass Part II

Posted on October 19, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

I finally finished the follow up video to my discussion of negative mass for the Summer of Math Exposition. Check it out.

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Writer’s History #5 – Annie Geever Interview

Posted on October 11, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

In this episode, I interview Annie Geever, the author of the Undead Age trilogy of zombie novels. Annie’s website. Annie’s book recommendations: Thirteen or Black Man by Richard K. Morgan Fallen Dragon by Peter F. Hamilton Sun of Suns by Karl … Continue reading →

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#35 – Time Travel Part II: Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey

Posted on September 27, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

Time travel has used in many different ways by many different writers across history. In this episode, we take a whirlwind tour of ten common time travel tropes to see how they have contributed to the genre. Book recommendation: The Time … Continue reading →

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Follow-Up: Works Mentioned in Episode #35

Posted on September 27, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

In this week’s episode of A Reader’s History of Science Fiction, I discussed ten common time travel tropes, with examples of each. However, this means I ran through far too many titles to list in the episode description, so I’ve … Continue reading →

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#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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