Robert Heinlein

Hollywood Take Note: 50 Amazing Science Fiction Books that Haven’t Been Filmed Yet

The Register asked its readers to name the best science fiction books that haven’t been turned into movies, and hundreds of nominations came in. Now the Register has whittled the list down to the 50 that got the most votes. And there’s some pretty great stuff in there, with everyone from Jack Vance and Robert…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Apr 20

10 Greatest Libertarian Science Fiction Stories

Looking for an antidote to Star Trek’s utopian but overbearing Federation? Like your science fiction with a bigger emphasis on personal liberties? Then check out our list of the greatest libertarian science fiction. Here’s an io9 flashback to a list we originally published in 2009. https://gizmodo.com/10-greatest-libertarian-science-fiction-stories-5254742 Top image: Detail from the cover of Heinlein’s The…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins Apr 18

Nobody Pays Taxes Today: Tax Revolts from Science Fiction and Fantasy

Tax day is coming! No matter how you feel about the government and the things it does, you can’t help but feel a twinge of pain as you send your painstaking calculations (and possibly a hefty check) to the IRS. But what if you didn’t have to pay any taxes? What if you rose up…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders and Gordon Jackson Apr 14

When a great author puts out one bad book

Over at Shelfari, they’re discussing “the worst books of the good authors” in science fiction. Including lone clunkers by Asimov, Heinlein and Niven. What are your least favorite books by your favorite authors? [Shelfari]

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders Nov 15

Scariest future dystopias where the Conservatives have won

It’s election day, and all indications are that the GOP will sweep Congress. What’s the worst that can happen under the Republicans? Science fiction has the answer, with a wealth of stories about right-wing policies taken to horrendous extremes. Here’s an “io9 flashback” to a post we ran a couple years ago. If you want…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders Nov 2

All flashbacks are time travel

That’s basically author Frederick Reiken’s argument in this provocative post, about novels that approach time in unconventional ways. Why can we accept flashbacks so easily, even in the most conventional narratives? Because novels use “block time,” conceiving of time as space. That makes jumping between 2010 and 1986 as conceptually simple as a flight from…

io9 Kelly Faircloth Aug 27

Visit Clifton’s Cafeteria and step back in time to the birthplace of pulp science fiction

The best place in the United States to sit and feel the ghostly presence of early 20th century science fiction is probably Clifton’s Cafeteria in Los Angeles, which was the epicentre of 1930s pulp scifi. If there is a single city that must be associated with the Golden Age of Science Fiction it has to…

Books & Comics Bob Reed - Cyclopeatron Aug 5

Words to live by: advice from 34 science fiction/fantasy authors

Great science fiction and fantasy novels don’t just expose us to other worlds and alternate timelines — they expand our minds and give us compass to steer by. Here are our favorite bits of advice and maxims from SF books. You could do a lot worse than living your life according to principles espoused in…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Jul 22

A handy chart shows Robert Heinlein’s complete future history

When will the Venusian colonists declare independence, according to Robert Heinlein’s early stories? Now you can consult this handy future history chart, first published in the 1941 Astounding Science Fiction, and find out. Click to make huge. [Potrzebie]

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders Jun 16

Is Starship Troopers a trenchant war parable for 2010, a cheesy excuse for coed showers, or both?

Some of us think of Starship Troopers as a brilliant satire, others consider it a bastardization of Robert Heinlein’s novel. Scott Tobias of The Onion AV Club considers the 1997 film an apt metaphor for 21st-century nationalism and militarism. Says Tobias: It seems absurd now to write it off as some silly piece of escapism,…

Movies Cyriaque Lamar Jun 12

Robert A. Heinlein wasn’t really a libertarian after all

Robert A. Heinlein’s novel The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress is a seminal libertarian text, and Heinlein inspired many people to become libertarians. But Heinlein’s own views were more varied, and his work dabbles in many different political philosophies. [Mises.org]

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders Jun 5

A brief history of alternate history fiction

This week we take a break from examining alternate timelines and recap the real-life origins of the alternate history genre. Did you know such historical luminaries as Benjamin Disraeli, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and H.G. Wells were alternate history aficionados? The first writing that looks anything like modern alternate history dates back to the first century. In…

Books & Comics David Daw May 30

Heinlein slammed scifi fandom during WWII

Author Robert Heinlein took great pride in his military service, having graduated from Annapolis and served in the Navy. In a letter to fandom leader Forrest J. Ackerman, Heinlein condemns science fiction fans who didn’t participate in WWII efforts. Heinlein wrote this letter to Ackerman — Ackerman being a science fiction editor and early promoter…

io9 Lauren Davis May 28

Heinlein’s The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress Goes Dismayingly Easy On Its Characters

With 1967’s The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, we bid a fond adieu to Robert A. Heinlein’s Hugo winners. And there’s just no getting out of it: We’re not that sorry to see him go. Much as I love Heinlein — I think I’ve made that abundantly (possibly overabundantly) clear in my previous posts —…

Books & Comics Josh Wimmer May 2

Don’t Remake These 21 Movies, Film These Books Instead!

There’s only one thing Hollywood loves than a movie based on a toy: remakes. Dozens of science-fiction classics are slated for do-overs. But instead of remaking films that were fine the first time, here are 20 books Hollywood should film. Seriously, after watching The Day The Earth Stood Still, we’re even more convinced than ever…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders Mar 5

Stranger in a Strange Land is the Catcher in the Rye of SF

Is Stranger in a Stranger Land by Robert Heinlein the Catcher in the Rye for the science-fiction set? Yes, I think you could say that about the 1962 Hugo winner in one important sense. When author J.D. Salinger died this past Wednesday, I must confess it was convenient for me (if not for him), because…

Books & Comics Josh Wimmer Jan 31

Lost’s Time Travel Pedigree

Whatever happened is fixed – or we rule our fates? Over 5 years, Lost has developed its philosophy of time-travel, influenced by works that came before. Here are 6 time-travel stories that are part of Lost’s time travel pedigree. Slaughterhouse 5, by Kurt Vonnegut The Gist: In this World War 2 story, Billy Pilgrim has…

io9 StephenGoldmeier Jan 8

Starship Troopers Is Perfect — and Therein Lies the Problem

Starship Troopers is one of Robert Heinlein’s most famous books, and one of the most famously controversial in SF. And the 1960 Hugo winner has its problems — but that’s probably why it’s a classic. Man, I accomplished straight-up nothing over the last fortnight or so. In fact, those of you who are especially alert,…

Books & Comics Josh Wimmer Jan 3

How To Jog Your Memory, The Science Fiction Hero Way

The busier you get, the more stuff you forget, and navigating that mental clutter can be worse than steering through an asteroid field. Luckily, lots of intrepid galactic heroes have faced faulty memories, and created some handy techniques for remembering. Here’s a complete list of all the methods we found for jogging your memory from…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders Dec 7

Top 10 Most Ridiculous Soap Operas Of All Time

People are complaining that Stargate Universe is becoming a soap opera, but don’t worry — it’s got a ways to go before it reaches the levels of science fiction/fantasy’s most demented, silliest soap operas. So here are the most insane SF soaps we could think of — but I bet we missed some good ones.…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Nov 24

Hollywood Take Note: 50 Amazing Science Fiction Books that Haven’t Been Filmed Yet

10 Greatest Libertarian Science Fiction Stories

Nobody Pays Taxes Today: Tax Revolts from Science Fiction and Fantasy

When a great author puts out one bad book

Scariest future dystopias where the Conservatives have won

All flashbacks are time travel

Visit Clifton’s Cafeteria and step back in time to the birthplace of pulp science fiction

Words to live by: advice from 34 science fiction/fantasy authors

A handy chart shows Robert Heinlein’s complete future history

Is Starship Troopers a trenchant war parable for 2010, a cheesy excuse for coed showers, or both?

Robert A. Heinlein wasn’t really a libertarian after all

A brief history of alternate history fiction

Heinlein slammed scifi fandom during WWII

Heinlein’s The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress Goes Dismayingly Easy On Its Characters

Don’t Remake These 21 Movies, Film These Books Instead!

Stranger in a Strange Land is the Catcher in the Rye of SF

Lost’s Time Travel Pedigree

Starship Troopers Is Perfect — and Therein Lies the Problem

How To Jog Your Memory, The Science Fiction Hero Way

Top 10 Most Ridiculous Soap Operas Of All Time

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