Category Archives: Science Fiction

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

Ringworld Theory: Did Teela Brown Have Bad Luck?

Posted on June 20, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

In Larry Niven’s Ringworld, the alien Puppeteers have secretly been selectively breeding humans for being lucky, which they believe (correctly) is actually a psychic probability manipulation ability. (This seems a little weird because natural selection already involves a lot of … Continue reading →

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The Science of Project Hail Mary

Posted on June 15, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

Andy Weir’s latest book, Project Hail Mary, is a very good hard science fiction tale about a journey to another solar system in search of a way to save Earth from disaster. Mr. Weir always does mostly pretty good science … Continue reading →

Posted in Physics, Science Fiction, Story Analysis | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

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 →

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The Gordian Paradox

Posted on February 20, 2021 by Alex R. Howe

A Short Story “Duck!” Raven yelled, and Dave dropped to the floor. Two bullets whizzed over his head before she blocked the rest of them with her improvised shield. He didn’t know how she could stay ahead of the automated … Continue reading →

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

#17 – Arthur C. Clarke

Posted on November 23, 2020 by Alex R. Howe

Arthur C. Clarke was the fourth of the “Big Four” authors of the golden age of science fiction. In this episode, we explore his work and his unique writing style, especially centered around “sufficiently advanced technology.” Book recommendation: The City … Continue reading →

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#16 – Ray Bradbury

Posted on November 9, 2020 by Alex R. Howe

Ray Bradbury is most famous as the author of Fahrenheit 451, but he was an important and unique figure in science fiction at-large, a master of short fiction with a colorful, Hollywood-centered career. Here, we explore some of his most … Continue reading →

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#15 – Robert Heinlein Part II: Politics, Religion, and Sex

Posted on October 26, 2020 by Alex R. Howe

Robert Heinlein’s later career went to some unusual places, including books with heavy philosophical and political themes, while still continuing with his classic hard sci-fi rigor. In this episode, we explore the highlights of his later work. Book recommendation: The … Continue reading →

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#14 – Robert Heinlein Part I: The Juveniles

Posted on October 12, 2020 by Alex R. Howe

Robert Heinlein was one of the first major authors to write science fiction specifically for children. In this episode, we explore how he did it and what sets him apart from his contemporaries in this area, along with the other … Continue reading →

Posted in A Reader's History of Science Fiction, Science Fiction | 1 Comment