Author Archives: Alex R. Howe

About Alex R. Howe

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

#28 – Children’s Sci-Fi in the New Wave

Posted on May 24, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

Children’s science fiction was still an unusual and peripheral category during the New Wave, but it did produce some important new classics. In this episode, we explore the highlights of what kids were reading during this time. Book recommendations:For upper … Continue reading →

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#27 – Feminist Science Fiction

Posted on May 10, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

Among the various social changes that accompanied the New Wave, this time period saw the rise of second-wave feminism. In this episode, we explore how that movement influenced the genre of science fiction. Book recommendation: The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le … Continue reading →

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Writer’s History #2 – Kira Leigh Interview

Posted on April 26, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

In this episode, I interview Kira Leigh, author of the new, anime-inspired space epic, Constelis Voss, Volume 1. Kira’s website. Kira’s TV recommendations: Farscape Earth 2 Check out this episode!

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#26 – Vonnegut, Adams, and Modern Satire

Posted on April 12, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

While many early works of proto-sci-fi were satires like Gulliver’s Travels, satirical works also appear in modern sci-fi. In this episode, we take a look at the two most famous authors of this subgenre, Kurt Vonnegut and Douglas Adams. Book recommendation: Slaughterhouse-Five … Continue reading →

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#25 – Strange New Worlds

Posted on April 5, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

While much of the New Wave was about exploring inner space, some authors were still writing about exploring other words. In this episode, we see how this subgenre of “strange new worlds sci-fi” developed, both through Star Trek and through the … Continue reading →

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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 →

Posted in astronomy, Physics, Science | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

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 →

Posted in math, Science Fiction, Writing | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments