Author Archives: Alex R. Howe

Unknown's avatar

About Alex R. Howe

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

JWST Launches Tomorrow! (Screams Internally)

Posted on December 24, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

Disclosure: I am a NASA postdoc. However, all opinions are my own. Hi, everyone. Just a PSA that the James Webb Space Telescope lifts off tomorrow morning from French Guiana. (Yes, on Christmas Day.) The launch is at 7:20 AM … Continue reading →

Posted in Current events, Space, Space exploration | Tagged , | Comments Off on JWST Launches Tomorrow! (Screams Internally)

Movie Review: Spider-Man: No Way Home

Posted on December 20, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

Well, it’s about time I got back to these. For those of you who started reading my blog after I started my podcast, I used to do movie reviews pretty often here. It’s just that I’ve hardly seen any new … Continue reading →

Posted in Movie Reviews | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Movie Review: Spider-Man: No Way Home

Writer’s History #6 – David Brin

Posted on December 20, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

In this episode, I interview David Brin, author of the Uplift Series, The Postman, Existence, and many more. David Brin’s website.Advice for new writers.Sample chapters of many of Brin’s books.Brin’s recommended reading list. Brin on Robert Heinlein.Recommended essay: “The World, the Flesh, … Continue reading →

Posted in A Reader's History of Science Fiction, Interviews | Comments Off on Writer’s History #6 – David Brin

An Obstinacy of Buffalo Buffalo

Posted on December 11, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

Some Linguistic Ramblings If you study linguistics on a casual level, you may have previously encountered this sentence: “Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.” This is, in fact, a fully grammatical English sentence—and without any punctuation, at that. … Continue reading →

Posted in language | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

#39 – Postcyberpunk and Transhumanism

Posted on December 6, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

After cyberpunk had its day, a more mature, less countercultural successor to it emerged, known as postcyberpunk. In this episode, we explore what makes it distinctive and how it ties in with the ideas of transhumanism. Book recommendation: Existence by … Continue reading →

Posted in A Reader's History of Science Fiction | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on #39 – Postcyberpunk and Transhumanism

#38 – Cyberpunk Derivatives

Posted on November 22, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

Cyberpunk has produced many offshoots over the years as new authors have applied the style to other historical eras and new technologies. In this episode, we tour the wide spread of these diverse subgenres. Book recommendations: The Difference Engine by … Continue reading →

Posted in A Reader's History of Science Fiction | Tagged , , | Comments Off on #38 – Cyberpunk Derivatives

Follow-Up: Works Mentioned in Episode #38

Posted on November 22, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

In this week’s episode of A Reader’s History of Science Fiction, I discussed all of the various cyberpunk derivatives that have cropped up over the years. And much like the previous one about time travel, I ran through far too … Continue reading →

Posted in A Reader's History of Science Fiction, Follow-Up | Tagged , | Comments Off on Follow-Up: Works Mentioned in Episode #38

#37 – Cyberpunk

Posted on November 8, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

Cyberpunk was the big new subgenre of sci-fi in the 80s–the combination of “lowlife and high-tech.” In this episode, we explore the highlights of this subgenre. Book recommendation: Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson Other works discussed: Akira Neuromancer by William Gibson … Continue reading →

Posted in A Reader's History of Science Fiction | Tagged , , | Comments Off on #37 – Cyberpunk

#36 – Alternate History

Posted on October 25, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

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: … Continue reading →

Posted in A Reader's History of Science Fiction | Tagged , , | Comments Off on #36 – Alternate History

How Bad Would the Greenhouse Effect in The Calculating Stars Really Be?

Posted on October 24, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

In Mary Robinette Kowal’s The Calculating Stars, a meteor hits the east coast of the United States in the 1950s, obliterating Washington DC and causing global climate catastrophe. Mathematical genius and future Lady Astronaut Elma York calculates that the climate … Continue reading →

Posted in Follow-Up, Science, Science Fiction, Story Analysis | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments