Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is often considered the first true science fiction novel, probing science and humanity.

H. G. Wells, the "father of science fiction," set core conventions with The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds.

The term "science fiction" emerged in the 1920s, spanning AI, space travel, and genetics.

Mid‑century science fiction mirrored ideological struggle, shaped by capitalism, communism, and nuclear fear.

Classics such as Fahrenheit 451 and Dune shaped generations of readers and writers.

Late‑20th‑century tech drove subgenres like cyberpunk, probing corporate power, capitalism, and innovation’s risks.

Today’s science fiction often critiques the climate crisis, ecological collapse, and biotech ethics.

AI and transhumanism raise worries about jobs, privacy, power, and relationships.

Chinese science fiction has rapidly grown over the past 40 years, achieving global visibility.

Liu Cixin’s The Three-Body Problem won the 2015 Hugo Award for Best Novel.

Women and authors of color have transformed the field with fresh perspectives on futures.

Butler, Cherryh, and Due expanded the field with work on climate change, capitalism, and corporate greed.

N. K. Jemisin explores power, cultural conflict, and subjugation, arguing science fiction reflects the present as much as the future.

Samuel R. Delany fundamentally altered the genre, exploring sex, sexuality, race, and power, and winning Nebulas and Hugos.

Nnedi Okorafor’s Hugo-winning Binti brings African and diasporic perspectives.

Authors from the Arab world and Africa add distinct cultural perspectives and social critique.

Youssef Ezzedine Issa adds new themes to science fiction’s global conversation.

Awards and anthologies elevate diverse voices, from the Hugos to the blind selection of Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy.

Modern science fiction critiques racism, inequality, and social justice while imagining alternative futures.

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is often considered the first true science fiction novel, probing science and humanity.

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"日本語版「フィーカス」について" (in Japanese).
To build a man who will always love me, from Frankenstein to Science Lovers.
2022 / 1 / 22 10: 34 (Updated on 1 / 22 11: 20)
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British author Janet Winterson pays homage to science fiction classic Frankenstein 200 years ago with Science Lovers. (Courtesy of New Classic Culture)
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British author Jeanette Winterson pays tribute to the science fiction classic "Frankenstein" 200 years ago with "Science Lovers".
The new classic culture invites two domestic science fiction writers Gao Yifeng (author of "2069") and Lin Xinhui (author of "Flawed Man") to talk, and the Central News Agency is authorized to publish the wonderful content of the talk, and share with you the common desire behind the strange man and his lover.
Gao Yifeng:
The year before last, I opened a science fiction reading and commentary course at the Institute of Interdisciplinary Literature at Beijing Arts University. The first book was “Frankenstein ” in 1818.
Before I was ready to read Science Lovers, all I had in mind was Mary Shelley ’ s Frankenstein, and the discussions I had with my fellow students at the Institute at that time.
As far as I ’ m concerned, Science Lovers started with the name.
When you look at the cover, you can see that the kiss in the middle is changed from the ken in the middle of Frankenstein to the kiss, and FranKISSstein becomes the new novel name.
Janet Winterson, a modern, powerful female thinker, uses this kiss to deconstruct Mary Shelley ’ s Frankenstein 200 years ago.
Frankenstein is not the name of the monster, but the name of the scientist who invented the weirdo.
The first time I read this novel, I found it very challenging - if you haven't read Frankenstein, you may not know why the author wrote an 1816 story first, and then through the story of Mary, to create a near-future science fiction story.
In this near-future story, frame another story where Mary Shelley meets her own character.
It has 3 very deep levels, which started with Frankenstein.
Because The Frankenstein of 1818 is the way to write a “framing novel ” — it uses a story with a narrator in it, and then tells you that the narrator has the next story.
In "Frankenstein" there is a nautical adventurer, in the snow and ice to see the scientist chasing the weirdo, rescued him, and began to tell the whole story.
"Science Lovers" has been paying tribute to Mary Shelley from the frame structure!
Science fiction writer Gao Yifeng said that "Science Lovers" changed the ken in Frankenstein to kiss, and used the kiss to deconstruct "Frankenstein" 200 years ago. (New Classic Culture provided)
The 19th century is a very patriarchal era, Mary this important writer experienced a complicated and hard life, eloped with Shelley, miscarried several times, but she and Shelley two people have always loved, very close to the theme of this: to build a person who loves me.
Why do we want to create a strange person out? It is actually as a human lust.
Why create a weirdo ’ s lover after creating a weirdo? It ’ s because the weirdo has an selfish desire.
The author is debating this.
As a woman, Janet Winterson pays homage to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein as she contemplates the Old Testament descending from the Bible.
What was Adam ’ s function in the Garden of Eden in Genesis?
The first work of “he ” is to name creatures and even take out a rib to create women. Why do men create women?
The whole novel starts with the name, and she ’ s making fun of it all — I think it ’ s a very beautiful gesture.
There are many naming attempts in the novel: First, the scientist / creator Victor Frankenstein (Victor Frankenstein) becomes Victor Stein (Victor Stein), and he and a transgender man named Ry Shelley (Ry Shelley) have developed a love that seems desegregated.
The author also uses a lot of naming skills for many people around him, such as Ron Lord (Ron Lord) is the reverse of the name Lord Byron.
Lord is the Lord of the Christian faith. This self-proclaimed character of the same name is the maker of sex robots in the near-future world.
This new creator, Longen, has created a female sex robot that can meet men - it is really possible to build a person who only loves me? Such a modern, sci-fi scientific lover, in the novel the author pushed farther - Longen Lord even thought: Is there a way for me to build sex robots for priests and priests?
This can also solve the problem of pedophilia in all priests.
In "Mythical Tales", Prometheus molded the clay man in the form of a god, and Athena injected the soul (wisdom) into man.
The male Creator created the human form, but the female God gave it to the inside.
This is in contrast to the “story of faith, ” in which Jehovah created Adam, who, as the Creator, split up another man, Eve.
This is the story of an "artificial man" and a "human being".
There are subtle differences and reflections between the two.
This process of creation has become something that the author has to resist and confront as a female thinker.
So when I read it, there will always be a strange, as a heterosexual, male perspective, the back will suddenly cool, not sure if she is accusing me?
Lin Xinhui:
I found that creating science fiction and gender attention, the two things seem inseparable.
When I started writing science fiction, I wrote a short story, "Hotel California," which, as everyone knows, refers to the Eagles' classic song.
I appropriated the lyrics to create, in the story reverse write "Eve was born from a rib of Adam" myth: the heroine in the novel is unknown, do not know whether she is human or biotic, she uses the length of the ribs to measure the human male protagonist, the male protagonist is instead deconstructed as a component of the rib.
The woman turned and used the rib to disassemble the man around her.
This is what I wanted to do when I first wrote science fiction.
Intentionally or not, I felt from the beginning that science fiction should be gender, it must be related to gender, why do I have this inexplicable intuition?
Many science fiction works, both ancient and modern, put women in non-human roles.
For example, Rachel in "Blade Runner" is a biotic, and the operating system for falling in love with the human male protagonist in "Cloud Lover" is also set to be female.
The robot, Sophia, who is considered a citizen in the real world, is also a girl.
Non-human beings are always assigned a female position, and in these stories, the protagonists are always men, and they are all humans.
Why isn ’ t there a sci-fi story to break this structure? Sci-fi is preset to be a male story from the start?
But in retrospect, today ’ s Science Lovers pays homage to Mary Shelley ’ s Frankenstein, which is considered the first science fiction novel ever written by a woman.
Echoing the deconstruction that Teacher Yifeng just talked about, the role of transgender doctor Rui brought out a lot of gender thinking, and a lot of female thinking is concentrated in the story line of Mary Shelley's history in 1816, the women's movement has just begun to flourish, not to mention Mary Wollstonecraft, the mother of the first wave of feminism advocates.
Is “knowledge ” male or female?
There is a dialogue that women seem to bring disaster to the world, which Byron said: women are red face evil water.
If Pandora hadn ’ t opened that box, many of our things would have been less painful.
And Mary Shelley replied to him that if we didn ’ t hurt, it wouldn ’ t be human, because machines don ’ t hurt.
She said, “Does knowledge cause pain? ”
Or is the knowledge that women bring to make us human?
In this near-future storyline, Janet Winterson uses the role of Rui to bring out a problem of mind-matter dualism that we are still debating.
Our understanding of transgender may be that his body and his soul want to reach another state of harmony, not that he was not reconciled, but that he wanted to change.
For example, she was originally a biological woman and wanted to become a so-called "complete male".
The transgender doctor in the book, he did not become a so-called complete boy, his upper half is male, the lower half is female, but he likes the state: a soul lives in two bodies, he is both male and female, and then he is very comfortable in this state.
(New Classical Culture Provided)
Rui ’ s relationship with Vito thus has an undefinable ambiguity, which challenges the state of men and women in the era of 1816.
The love story of Ray and Victor is difficult to define as gay or heterosexual, which can be said to be a state of desegregation.
And the state of sexualization also echoes the world that Vito wants to create — the human consciousness is uploaded to the cloud, without the bondage of the body.
Without the body, there is no label: there is no label for skin color, and there is no label for gender.
In fact, Victor also wants to create a new human, just as Frankenstein in Frankenstein wants to create a creature.
There is a scene in the novel that is super scary: Ray opens the door and sees a lot of hands crawling around on the ground, which is very creepy.
This section reflects that Victor wants to create a new human body, and this human body can have its own will and drive itself? This part corresponds to "Frankenstein", whether the creature can drive its own will and body.
"Creation" is "life", and the back of "life" is actually talking about "death".
You want to bring the dead body back to life, you want to use technology to create eternal life, you want to upload consciousness to the brain, anyway, as long as you are conscious, you will live forever.
Vito said that at this stage, we are very comfortable with all kinds of life technology, such as when we are only pregnant, the mother's body will be subjected to various invasive tests: to see if your fetal position is correct, the sex of the fetus, whether it is so-called "normal health", and to preserve embryos, frozen eggs and other technologies... And...
In contrast, we have been vocal about technology ’ s desire to end death, perpetuate death, or immortality as a major moral issue.
Why are we optimistic about "life" and so afraid of "death"? Don't want to talk about it, don't want to imagine technology intervening in its world.
Gao Yifeng:
In the novel, page 174, a very simple sentence is mentioned: "So, Vidor, non-living forms of life, because their forms are purer, closer to the essence of love than we are?"
The story of the transgender doctor Rui, his body is neither a man nor a woman, such a body is more aware of love?
Absolutely fully tested Janet, with a classical, Gothic romance, to talk about the love story of Mary and Shelley. Mary's love is completely gender-neutral, she really loves Shelley the poet.
She loved that no matter how many children she had and how many times she lost, even if I was crazy, even if I did not know whether I could still have the next life in the future, whether the function of a woman given to me by the Bible or mythology could be achieved, I was willing to love you.
In "Science Lovers", Janet constantly probed this point through many characters, constantly asking: Is it possible in the world to create a person who loves me that way through a way like "Frankenstein"?
Want to create a person like this, even if it is not a living body, even if it does not have any gender to test, even if it is a kind of sex robot we can not predict, can it really have love?
Claire is a very old-fashioned sex robot.
Does such love exist?
At the heart of the book is its subtitle: a love story.
Beyond the gender we have to face, or the various discussions of organic and inorganic life, Janet Winterson is asking the same question she wanted to ask two hundred years ago under such complicated and highly literary writing.
I love Frankenstein so much that when someone challenges me, I think, "Okay, I see what you can write."
"Science Lovers" actually carried "Frankenstein".
Not only did he write about the monsters created by Frankenstein, but he also wrote about the love of Mary Shelley.
I think this is a great place.
Lin Xinhui:
When it comes to “love ”, I think a lot of discussion is about what“ reality ” is.
We all know that love is between two people, and the most basic consensus is "what is the reality we all recognize."
When both parties have a common understanding of "where the reality is going", there is the beginning of the "relationship".
Science fiction writer Lin Xinhui (middle) says that every chapter of Science Lovers begins with "What is reality?" (courtesy of New Classic Culture)
Every chapter of Science Lovers begins with “what is reality ” — reality is soluble in water, reality is the present, reality cannot withstand excessive human beings.
These inquiries about reality, on the one hand, are similar in the form of the novel and the "trans" of the transgender, which constantly appears in different chapters, a bit like the role of the past and the soul, or the reunion of the afterlife, or the feeling of the same soul into different bodies.
On the other hand, it is rooted in its sub-label: the love story.
But in the end, Rui and Victor are not together in Science Lovers.
Why can't they be together? Because their perception of "reality" is different - Rui's perception is "reality is the body", our love is based on the body; but Victor told him that sex does not have to be achieved by the body, he said that the perception of receptors in the brain everywhere, even a "brain in a vat" (brain in a vat), can still have sexual love. Feeling.
Even Victor would say that reality is an emergent: it is because your brain thinks that it exists, and there is no direct causal relationship between this reality and your nervous system (such as what structure creates what reality).
So that reality cannot be proved as a reality.
This inference, even Vito said, has entered a state of Buddhism.
All in all, Vito and Ri think differently about reality, so although they love each other very much, they can ’ t be together in the end.
This also leaves a lot of suspense, because we don ’ t know what happened to Vito.
There are no quotation marks in this book – many foreign readers are scolding it.
But the fact that there are no quotes is still functional in the end, because it will make the reader uncertain whether the person who is speaking now is Mary Shelley or Ray? The last person they call together is Victor or Frankenstein? Because Mary Shelley and Frankenstein later meet in a fictional way.
Rui calls his beloved Vito until the end, but we no longer know if he is alive or dead.
In a way, the old Vito is still alive, and the Vito at this point in time seems to be missing.
Their last common call was, “Vidor, is that you? ” and it ended.
This is the end of a beautiful love story. (Editors: Huang Shufang, Wang Jingyi) 1110122
(New Classical Culture Provided)
Title: Science Lovers: A Story of Love
Author: Janet Winterson
Translated by: Chen Jialin
Publisher: New Classical Culture
Publication Date: 2021 / 12 / 01
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What is considered the first true science fiction novel of the modern era, which foreshadowed genetic tinkering?

H. G. Wells, the "father of science fiction," set core conventions with The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds.

Title:

Content: Chairman of the Board of Directors and Editors
I'm sorry.
Mohamad Elbaz
Chairman of the Board of Directors and Editors
I'm sorry.
Mohamad Elbaz
“A story from the Stone Age. ”
A collection of stories recently published by the Syrian Writers Authority
Published recently by the Syrian General Authority for Book 2023, and within the series "Science Fiction Literature", the collection of stories "A Story from the Stone Age", by: Herbert George Wells Translation: Maha Asaad Marza.
Herbert George Wells
Herbert George Wells, a pioneer of science fiction literature, was born on September 21, 1866 in Kent, England, and died on August 13, 1946 in London, England, and is famous for his fiction novel, mixed with science, a writer of short stories, and one of his most famous works Time Machine, The Invisible Man, Island of Dr. Moreau, War of the Worlds and the Early Men on the Moon.
Herbert became famous for his novels of the literary genre, and unlike his contemporary Jules Verne, Wells' novels contained purposeful social critiques and did not limit themselves to telling adventures.
His first novel, which included science fiction, began in 1895 and was titled The Time Machine and became popular among young people.
His second novel, The Island of Dr. Moreau, was published in 1896, about a mad scientist who turns animals into human beings, in 1897, The Invisible Man, about a world that succeeds in concealing itself, and in 1898, The War of the Worlds, about a Martian invasion of the Earth.
In 1909, the author published a novel, Anne Veronica, which discussed the maturation of a woman's thought and her appearance in a new and open dress, and which aroused much controversy, but was well received by critics and readers who came to read it.
The theme of the collection is “A Story from the Stone Age ”.
After the absence of the moon from among the trunks of trees on the rocky edge, he sent two enormous beams of light, and a strip of darkness was emitted through the papyrus.
Then came the sound of a continuous rustling, the sound of water splashing, and the papyrus moved further and further apart.
In the end, a hole appeared in it, as if it were splitting from the roots to the ends...
The end has come.

The term "science fiction" emerged in the 1920s, spanning AI, space travel, and genetics.

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Content: People 's Daily Online > > Economy and Technology
Science fiction writer Liu Cixin: Someone must dare to dream like this
June 16, 2024 08: 58 | Source: Xinhua News Agency
Small number
"No one knows what the future holds, but someone must dare to dream like this."
At the recently concluded 8th China Science Fiction Conference in 2024, a science fiction short film adapted from the novel of the same name by science fiction writer Liu Cixin, "Earth Cannon", was unveiled for the first time.
The classic quotes and shocking pictures complement each other, bringing the audience into a futuristic world full of science fiction.
On the wings of imagination, what kind of future will science fiction arrive? Recently, in an interview with Xinhua News Agency reporters, Liu Cixin, who is the president of the Beijing Yuanyu Science Fiction Future Technology Research Institute, further explained the underlying logic of science fiction imagination.
“Everything needs imagination. ”
During this science fiction conference, Liu Cixin, who is over 60 years old, is very busy, and the topics and questions related to science fiction converge to this representative of the Chinese science fiction community.
Liu Cixin, born in 1963, worked as a computer engineer at a power plant in Shanxi Province and began publishing science fiction works in the 1990s.
Its published novella "Wandering Earth", imagines the human race struggling to find a suitable home when the sun is destroyed; the subsequent novel "Three Bodies" leads the reader to explore unknown civilizations outside the world with a more strange and bold imagination.
The latter won the Hugo Award, the highest honor in science fiction, and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has recommended the book to his tens of millions of fans.
Many readers are curious about the "underground city" in "Wandering Earth", the refuge of mankind in the face of the sun crisis. Liu Cixin said that the "underground city" that will be built in the future is completely different from what we imagine now.
It doesn't have to be closed, it can be very expansion.Where humans need to build underground cities the most, it may be on the moon or Mars.
There, the underground city can effectively block the strong radiation in space, while creating a breathable and temperature-appropriate environment, "Liu said.
Liu Cixin believes that science fiction is based on the imagination of science and technology, and with the rapid development of science and technology, many scenes in science fiction are gradually becoming reality.
For example, in the sci-fi imagination, humans can achieve "brain networking", connecting the brain to the outside world and even other brains.
In the current reality, brain-computer interface technology has enabled paraplegic patients to use their thoughts to control the cursor to move.
In Liu Cixin's view, when humans use brain-computer interface technology to 100% identify, store information in the brain, and then send it to the computer - this is digital survival.
Science fiction originates from the rational expansion of cutting-edge scientific and technological achievements and scientific discoveries, and constantly "ignites" people's imagination and curiosity, and technological innovation is also changing the connotation and extension of science fiction.
The 2024 China Science Fiction Industry Report predicts that the impact of innovative technologies on the science fiction industry will be further manifested, and the deep integration of science fiction and future industries is expected to provide assistance for the development of new quality productivity.
"New quality productivity itself must have a strong innovation factor, and innovation requires us to have an open vision, active thinking."
"We hope that the development of science and technology in the future will enable mankind to build a better earth, and at the same time allow mankind to develop a greater living space," Liu said.
“China is a country full of a sense of future. ”
"Three Body" has been translated into dozens of languages to spread around the world, "Wandering Earth" series of movies overseas to win praise, "Earth Age" "first series" as the representative of a number of Chinese science fiction online literature works have been included in the British Library Chinese collection books … In recent years, more and more Chinese science fiction works "out", Chinese science fiction "go out" step up.
"The rapid progress of modernization has made China a country full of 'futuristic' and promoted the rapid growth of Chinese science fiction literature." Liu Cixin said that the rapid development of China has also attracted the world's attention in culture, and Chinese science fiction will be exported to more parts of the world in the future.
The 2023 Chengdu World Science Fiction Conference held Liu Cixin signing activities attracted many science fiction fans. Photo by Xinhua reporter Shen Bohan
The "China Science Fiction Overseas Communication Report (2018-2023)" jointly developed by the China Science Fiction Research Center and the International Communication Big Data Intelligent Service Platform of the World Research Institute shows that the overseas search popularity of Chinese science fiction works and the number of relevant mainstream media reports are increasing year by year, and Chinese science fiction is becoming an important force in Chinese culture "going global".
From the animated version of "Three Body" to Tencent's domestic drama series "Three Body", to the Netflix version of "Three Body" launched in March this year, the film and television dramas and animation works adapted from the science fiction novel "Three Body" have frequently attracted attention at home and abroad.
The "Three Body" IP Sea Observation Report jointly developed by the China Science Fiction Research Center and Tencent Penguin shows that nearly 80% of overseas respondents want to understand China after watching the original domestic TV series "Three Body", and most want to further understand "China's cultural tourism" and "Chinese history".
This is a Japanese translation of the Three Body.
Photo by Wang Hao, Xinhua News Agency
For the "Three Body" has garnered so much attention overseas, Liu Cixin believes that one of the important reasons is that the "Three Body" describes human beings and human civilization "as a whole."
In the vast universe, humanity is a very small existence.
The idea of "jointly facing future crises and challenges" transcends cultures and countries, and arouses the resonance of people in different cultural backgrounds.
"We have seen the proposition of human existence beyond the individual, even beyond the country, civilization and culture, and the relationship between people and the universe and the possible existence of intelligent civilization in the universe, which should attract everyone." Liu Cixin said.
“Put your eyes on the whole scale of human civilization. ”
Since the rise of the concept of "science fiction" in the 1920s, the connotation and extension of science fiction literature have been continuously expanded in the past century.
In Liu Cixin's eyes, science fiction is a literary subject facing the future and facing a wider space of time, which should "give people the pleasure of imagination and let people appreciate the possibilities of the future and the universe."
On December 1, 2023, “Jianfa · Three Body Immersive Art Exhibition ” opened in Chengdu, Sichuan Province.
The picture shows the model of the three-body warship "Natural Selection".
Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Shen Bohan
For people who want to engage in science fiction writing, Liu Cixin gave his own advice: “As much as possible, broaden your mind. Don ’ t limit yourself to the joys and sorrows of things and individuals around you. You should put your eyes on the scale of human civilization and think about its future and future as an existence in the universe. ”
At the 2023 Chengdu Science Fiction World Congress, “post-90s ” Chinese writer Hai Hai won the“ Hugo Award ” for Best Novel in Time and Space. This honor was awarded to Liu Cixin, who is very young and looks forward to his future development.
Science fiction talent team continues to grow, science fiction creative forces, especially the number of young creative talents is rapidly increasing; young people are more and more interested in science fiction, science fiction film and television literary works, science fiction travel and so on are deeply loved by young people; science fiction industry structure continues to expand from reading, film and television, video to games, cultural tourism and so on.
On April 27, the 8th China Science Fiction Conference opened in Beijing.
The picture shows that children experience VR games in the field of science fiction carnival.
Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Chenlin
The latest report released by the 8th China Science Fiction Conference shows that in 2023, the total revenue of China's science fiction industry reached 113.29 billion yuan, and typical formats such as science fiction reading, science fiction film and television, science fiction games, science fiction travel accelerated, and the science fiction industry ushered in a golden opportunity period.
Supervisor: Wei Tiemin, Liu Chang
Planning: Ding Jing, Qi Rong
Reporter: Yang Shujun, Wang Yihui, Ding Jing, Yang Na
Editor: Liu Chang
Video source: Xinhua News Agency, official microblog of film "Wandering Earth 2", official microblog of TV series "Three Body", Qianku network
Thanks: Beijing Yuanyu Science Fiction Future Technology Research Institute
Xinhua to the outside
Xinhua News Agency Beijing Branch
Economic Reference Newspaper
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Produced by Chinese Story Workshop
(Editor: Wang Renhong, Li Nanhua)
Public Number ： People 's Network Finance
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What time period produced science fiction works that included idealogies such as capitalism, and communism, and also threats of nuclear power, racism, pollution, and more?

Mid‑century science fiction mirrored ideological struggle, shaped by capitalism, communism, and nuclear fear.

Title:

Content: Science Fiction and Politics in Literature and the Arts (Symposium, Toulouse)

Science Fiction and Politics in Literature and the Arts

The aim of this symposium run by the LLA-Créatis laboratory at the University of Toulouse Jean-Jaurès is to develop open thinking about “political” questions, in the broad sense of the term, that science fiction narratives allow. Different types of stories can be considered, in different literary genres or in cinema, video series and comics. It can be studied and interrogated from a historical, political and social perspective by involving, where appropriate, the possible contributions of different analyzes (anthropology, semiotics, feminist studies, postcolonial studies, etc.) Diversity of perspectives and questions raised by gender.

The entire twentieth-century period produced works in San Francisco that were marked by ideologies such as capitalism and its “communist” counterpart, but also by threats associated with civilian and/or military nuclear power, religious-related abuses, racism, minority liberation struggles, and pollution. , etc. These perceptions persisted, but in the period from the last 20 years of the 20th century to the first 20 years of the 21st century, other concerns were voiced: ecological pesticides, the climate crisis, demographic crises, resource depletion, or the danger. The scientific and technical potential (transhumanism, “artificial intelligence”, etc.) is being carried away.

The link to the realities of the times (as in the collection “Le Passager Clandestin / Dyschroniques”) can of course depend on one or more authors, take into account a work or compare several (especially in the case of short stories and short films). The broader perspective will consist in considering the basic ideologies, either in relation to the literary prizes awarded, or in relation to the works themselves, the semantics of these presenting themselves from the outset sometimes as criticism, sometimes as propaganda, the two being able to be combined according to modalities that tend to be ironic, Satirical, disruptive, etc.

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In any case, it would be a matter of highlighting the “exploratory potential” in these works, of identifying the “problematic tools” and of making the ideas put forward in fictional form productive from the point of view of political theory. (Y Rambhala).

Of course, it is advisable to include works belonging to different geographical and linguistic fields so that the panorama of this search is sufficiently realistic.

Provisional schedule of courses (date adjustments possible)

Oct 20, 2-4 PM / Nov 17, 2-4 PM / Dec 15, 2-4 PM / Jan 19, 2-4 PM / Feb 9, 2-4 PM / Mar 15, 2-4 PM / May 31 , 2-4 p.m

Contribution proposals must be sent Before October 1, 2023 To the following addresses: frederics[email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

What time period produced science fiction works that included idealogies such as capitalism, and communism, and also threats of nuclear power, racism, pollution, and more?

Classics such as Fahrenheit 451 and Dune shaped generations of readers and writers.

Title:

Content: Liu Zaifu ’ s “Forty Lectures on Literature ”: History, Journey to the West, Dream of the Red Chamber, the“ grafting ” spectacle of Chinese literary classics
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
What we want you to know is
Liu Zai-fu, quoting literary classics from ancient and modern times, expounds in depth the meaning of literature in life, society, and human culture, not only the best primer to understand the meaning and value of literature, but also fully presents Liu Zai-fu's grand literary view.
Re: The Return of Liu
[15] Intersection of Literature.
One, two new types of inspiration
The topic I ’ m talking about today is a topic I thought about 30 years ago.
At that time, reading Lu Xun's essays, I felt that there was no such thing as "essays" in the history of literature.
This new literary category is the creation of Lu Xun, which is the result of his "grafting" of literature (prose) with political theory, contemporary theory, and contemporary criticism, and can also be said to be the intersection of prose and political theory, contemporary theory, and contemporary criticism.
Convergence, grafting and the production of another "quality", this is a large phenomenon of literature, you can do special research, you can write a paper, you can also write an academic monograph.
After the emergence of essays, some people do not admit that this is "literature", but Lu Xun said that it does not matter, one day, the literary hall will accept this new genre.
At a time when essays were gradually flourishing, another new genre of essays was emerging, called "reportage." Tsou Tiufeng, Fan Changjiang, Liu Binyan, etc., were all masters of reportage, and they became famous all over the world.
In the face of reportage, I also think of the phenomenon of "intersection" and "grafting", and feel that reportage is the result of the intersection of literature and journalism.
But it is not news, but literature, because the news can not have feelings, and the report literature is full of life and passion, the text is full of the author's thoughts and feelings.
Because of the report of literature, I entered the "literary intersection point" of reflection, and later because of the change in the environment, I did not write the paper to go abroad.
Today to pick up this topic, is completely forced by the classroom, but I do not intend to make a large article, but to put their own thoughts on literary intersection, grafting phenomenon to the students to express, I hope that the people here will be able to write the monograph of birth movement in the future.
Second, the phenomenon of "convergence" has existed in the past.
The phenomenon of literary convergence, that is, the "intersection of literature", refers to the intersection of literature with other disciplines or other forms of spiritual value creation, such as literature with history, philosophy, science, psychology, and even Buddhism.
This phenomenon has existed in China for a long time.
The great book that we all know, the History of Sima Qian, is the graft of literature and history.
"Historians", the focus is on history, that is, first of all, a great historical work, but no one can deny its huge literary nature, especially the characters in it and the characters listed.
Take "Xiang Yu Benji" as an example, the cornerstone of this era, that is, the basic material is history, but the protagonist (Xiang Yu) described is lifelike, flesh-and-blood, and can be read as a composition.
Xiang Yu ’ s story, which was later compiled into famous plays such as “Farewell to the Overlord ” and“ Hongmen Banquet ”, is the basis of this story.
Especially surprising to future generations is that many of Xiang Yu's life details must be Sima Qian's complement and imagination, such as Xiang Yu's last defeat and ran to the bank of the Wujiang River in a section description, can be said to be "not literature, more like literature."
We might as well read the text of this section:
So the king wanted to cross the river eastward, and the long boat of Ujiangting waited, saying, "Though Jiangdong is small, the land is thousands of miles, and the number of thousands is sufficient for the king."
I want the king to hurry.
The king laughed and said, "If I die in heaven, how will I do it?"
And by crossing the river with the children of Jiangdong, there is no one to return, even though Jiangdong father and brother have mercy and king me, what face do I see? Even if they do not speak, their independence is worthy of my heart? ”
When I was five years old on this horse, I was invincible, and tried to travel thousands of miles a day, and could not bear to kill it, so as to bless the Lord. "
Hundreds of soldiers were killed alone.
The king said, "If it were not for me," and the king said, "This is the king," and the king said, "I have heard that the king has bought my head a thousand gold, and I have a thousand households, and I have died for Jude."
And the king of Israel, and the king of Israel, and the king of Israel, and the king of Israel, and the king of Israel, and the king of Israel, and
Then came the horse, and the horse, and the horse, and the horse, and the horse, and the horse, and the horse, and the horse, and the horse, and the horse, and the horse, and the horse, and the
Five of them together, all of them.
5: 5); and the Lord of hosts, and the Lord of hosts, and the Lord of hosts, and the Lord of hosts, and the Lord of hosts, and the Lord of hosts, and the Lord of hosts, and the Lord of hosts, and the Lord of hosts, and the Lord of hosts.
If Sima Chien had made the Book of History a pure historical book, it would have taken only a few words to write about Xiang Yu ’ s “end of the road ”:“ Xiang Yu stayed on the bank of the Wujiang River for a moment and felt that he had no face to see his father again, so he drew his sword and killed himself. ” In the book of Revelation, the Lord of the Rings tells us that He is the Lord of the Rings; that He is the Lord of the Rings; that He is the Lord of the Rings; that He is the Lord of the Rings; that He is the Lord of the Rings; that He is the Lord of the Rings, and that He is the Lord of the Rings.
In just four or five hundred words, he wrote a heroic ending and a heroic sad song, which is both sad and sad, and has both heroic spirit and heroic friendship, not only historical facts.
This section of text, both historical material value, can also be composition learning text read.
The History provides us with a successful example of the grafting of literature and history.
Literature can be grafted with both history and philosophy.
It can be said that Kafka and his later mainstream of modern literature, the so-called "absurd literature", are the result of the grafting of literature and philosophy.
Beckett, Yunescu, Pinter, Gao Xingjian, etc., all benefited from the intersection of literature and philosophy.
Professor Hu Yao-heng, an expert in drama studies at National Taiwan University, says that “Gao Xingjian ’ s plays are philosophical plays ” and is entirely correct.
Gao Xingjian ’ s plays, from “The Station ” and“ Beyond the Shore ” to “Dialogue and Conversation ” to“ The Night God ” and “Questioning Death ”, are the intersection of philosophy and literature.
Before Gao Xingjian, Beckett ’ s “Waiting for Godot ” and Yunesku ’ s“ Rhino ” were also philosophical and literary juxtapositions.
Its tone is no longer "lyrical", nor is it "verbal".
In the whole drama, only the author's profound understanding of the absurd world, which is both imaginary and philosophical.
The focus is on thoughts, not emotions.
From Kafka and Beckett to Pinter and Gao Xingjian, we can see the power of the intersection of literature and philosophy – it can change the tone of the literary world and create a new world of literature.
Third, the miracle of "grafting" in Chinese literary classics
If it is said that "History" is the intersection of history and literature, then "Journey to the West" is the marriage of literature and Buddhism, and "Dream of the Red Chamber" is the marriage of literature and psychology.
Without the Eastern Biography of Buddhism, there would be no Journey to the West.
The Book of Revelation is the book of Revelation and the book of Revelation, which is written in the Book of Revelation, and the Book of Revelation, which is written in the Book of Revelation and the Book of Revelation, which is written in the Book of Revelation, and is written in the Book of Revelation.
Sun Wukong accompanied Master Tang Monk to the West Heaven to take the Sutra, from the beginning to the end of the Sutra, it is all the logic of "Buddhism".
The Buddha of Rulai in Journey to the West is the most powerful, but not the absolute "savior".
The representative of the Buddhist world, Guanyin Bodhisattva, specifically helped guide the Tang monk and the Monkey King Master to overcome all kinds of difficulties and win the victory of the scriptures. She is God (Buddhism), but full of human feelings (literature).
The Lord is strong and powerful, and has the power of the devil, but the truth is perfect, and has the heart of the Buddha and the heart of the child; he is also a man, with the naughty and ideal of man.
There is no magic, no magic, no magic, no magic, no magic.
The Lord of hosts is the Lord of hosts, and the Lord of hosts is the Lord of hosts and the Lord of hosts.
"Dream of the Red Chamber" is like "Journey to the West", the whole book is full of Buddha light, children's heart pound.
"Journey to the West" is based on the Eastern tradition of Buddhism, and "Dream of the Red Chamber" is also based on the Eastern tradition of Buddhism.
But in contrast, the whole book of Journey to the West is saturated with Buddhism, and the Dream of the Red Chamber is saturated with psychology.
Therefore, I say, "Dream of the Red Chamber" is the greatest work of psychology after the "Ecclesiastes" (Wang Yangming), and the difference is only that the former is intellectual psychology, and the latter is imaginary psychology.
Jia Baoyu, the protagonist of "Dream of the Red Chamber", is not so much a "person" as a "heart" - the purest heart that has never been seen in the history of world literature, like the dustless heart that was born on the first morning of Genesis.
If we regard Jia Baoyu as a "person", we will define him as a noble son, a playboy, and will feel that he likes poetry voice is "not doing good work", so that he feels that his "problems" are many and insufficient for training.
And if you think of him as a "heart", you will find that this heart is not stained with mud, and the thoughts and thoughts in the heart are completely different from those of the secular people.
This heart has no hatred function, no jealousy function, no vengeance function, no calculation function.
This heart is a boundless universe that can accommodate all things in heaven and earth, can accommodate all people, can understand and forgive all people.
Because he is a "heart", so it does not have the secular that some of the concept of distinction, I do not know that there are expensive and inferior points, high and low points, master and slave points.
Therefore, he regarded the "underlings" and "masters" as equals, and was willing to act as the "divine waiter" of these slaves and maidens (not only as the divine waiter of aristocratic girls such as Lin Daiyu). Jia Baoyu's life was only in childhood, adolescence and youth, and there was no middle age or old age.
So the Jia Baoyu mind we see, only the breath of youth and the breath of the universe.
The heart is filled with nothing but love.
New achievements in the intersection of literature and science
We talked about the difference between literature and science.
It is not difficult to distinguish this difference.
But this lesson is about how literature and science can also be intertwined and grafted.
In Lu Xun ’ s time, Lu Xun introduced the French “father of science fiction ” Verne ’ s“ Journey to the Moon ” and “Journey Under the Earth ”.
The intersection of literature and science, the most important result is the production of science fiction.
If we adhere to literary dogmatism, we may reject science fiction because it is not written about the “real world ” (and certainly not about reflecting real life), but the future world.
The characters in the book are not "real people" with flesh and blood, but "scientific people" in the author's imagination.
This kind of activity space for technological people is beyond the survival situation of traditional novels, and beyond the "rivers and lakes" environment of the martial arts novels.
Its heroes are not real heroes or heroes, but science and technology heroes.
If you stick to the definition of "literature is anthropology", then science fiction is difficult to be classified as literature.
However, if we use what I call the three elements of “mind, imagination, and aesthetic form ” to examine without demanding literature in ready-made literary definitions, then we cannot but admit that science fiction has all these three elements, especially imagination, and will happily accept science fiction.
It is worth noting that science fiction has made great strides in recent years, both in China and in the West.
Among them, the United States has even ushered in the golden age of science fiction, and Lu Xu, who was listening to the class, recently published an article in the "Bookhouse" about Ray Bradbury (United States) "Fahrenheit 451" and Liu Cixin (China) "The Three Body", entitled "The Humanities in Dystopia", which tells the two representative science fiction writers of the United States and China, half. In the 21st century, through creation, we hope that science and technology and humanistic spirit can meet and understand each other.
Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 develops a "science fiction utopia" into a "science fiction utopia" that warns against the anti-intellectual (anti-humanistic) tendencies of human society.
And the recent emergence of Chinese writer Liu Cixin, published in 2006 science fiction novel "The Three Bodies", not only accepted by Chinese readers, but also won the United States Hugo Award (Best Novel Award), which brilliantly realized the intersection and grafting of science, culture and literature.
He consciously fought against the spiritual split between science and culture and humanistic culture, and put more humanistic feelings into it.
Roth said of the three:
A triple star system is a star system closer to Earth that interacts with three sun-like stars, resulting in chaotic orbits and poor survival conditions.
After establishing a connection with the Earth, the Three Kingdoms decide to launch a cosmic migration, and human society is facing a crisis of extinction.
The first part of the novel uncovers this reality, and the second and third parts depict the various efforts and struggles that humans have made to cope with the great crisis. For example, launching gravitational waves into the entire universe, exposing the coordinates of the Three Body World, so that the entire solar system, including the Earth, will become the target of the cosmic "dark forest".
In order to save itself, the earth even made a low-intelligence statement (using drugs and brain science technology to reduce human intelligence), and implemented technical self-harm, that is, to save the earth by limiting human development through technology.
This idea is to leave the final salvation to the humanistic spirit, and the literary pursuit of the "ultimate good."
From the examples of Ray Bradbury and Liu Cixin, it can be seen that the intellectual challenge caused by the intersection of literature and science is the highest intellectual thinking in the human world today, and it is also a new topic facing literature.
The emergence of outstanding science fiction, such as The Three Bodies, is challenging many traditional literary theories and definitions.
Looking at the history of literature, especially the history of modern literature, we will find that many new literary categories and literary patterns are the result of the intersection and grafting of literature with other disciplines, and over the past 100 years, we have also seen that the intersection of literature and psychology has produced the giant flow of consciousness novels such as Proust's "Remembering the Year of the Passing Water" and Joyce's "Ulysses.
Since then, we have seen Orwell ’ s Animal Farm, a new type of novel that has hit the world, which is actually the intersection of literature and politics.
We do not support literature as a tool of politics (including the idea that literature serves politics), but we do not deny that political life is also a part of real life, and political activities can also become a part of literature.
Orwell is familiar with literature, but also familiar with politics, he did not put politics above literature, but turned politics into the material and tool of literature, the art of politics refining and upgrading, so that politics is fully literalized.
The whole novel is written about politics, but it is also full of literary and artistic politics.
There are two camps in the novel: the “animal farm ” is a socialist state, the“ human farm ” is a capitalist state; the “animal ” is the oppressed and exploited party, and the“ human ” is the party that practices oppression and exploitation.
The struggle between “animals ” and“ humans ” is a metaphor for the resistance of oppressed people and oppressed peoples.
It can be said that these are well-known and commonplace political stories and political common sense.
However, Orwell designed the contemporary political struggle as a struggle between animals and people.
The characters of animal farms are pigs, dogs, horses, cows, sheep, goats, donkeys, old cats, pigeons, crows, chickens, ducks, geese, sparrows, mice, turtles, foxes, etc. Point wait.
These pigs, dogs, all anthropomorphic, and most importantly, full of comedy.
Liu Zaifu ’ s “Forty Lectures on Literature ”: Literature is moving toward“ Huineng ”, not toward “Nietzsche ”, which is my own unique expression.
Book Introduction
Forty Lectures on Literature: Common Knowledge and Wisdom, Joint Publishing
Author: Liu Zai
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One of the hottest defenders of humanity.
Let go of obscure hypotheses and ask for infinite truth.
Candles shine on the heart, bid farewell to ignorance, the shortest shortcut to enter literature
The world is so rich and complex, life is so vast and boundless, human nature is so colorful, literature face all this, naturally can also show their own charm.
There is absolutely no need to incorporate the narrow framework of a certain political ideology, whether it comes from the left or from the right.
Freedom can also be completely in their own hands, only when there is an awareness of freedom, can there be true freedom, and there is no need to wait for the objective conditions of freedom to mature before creating.
— — Liu Zaifu
In 2013 and 2016, Liu Zaifu accepted the appointment of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and the Institute for Advanced Study as a visiting professor.
According to the course, the book is divided into two parts.
The upper part of the "What is literature: literature common sense 22 lectures" from Chinese and Western literature common sense, from the definition of literature to the state of literature, and ultimately to pursue the "literary mind" in real life; the lower part of the "how to read literature: literary understanding 18 points", then carefully read the literature works need to think about the main points, in order to understand the mysteries of literature.
And...
Liu Zai-fu, quoting literary classics from ancient and modern times, expounds in depth the meaning of literature in life, society, and human culture, not only the best primer to understand the meaning and value of literature, but also fully presents Liu Zai-fu's grand literary view.
Editor-in-Chief: Weng Shihang
Editor-in-chief: Wang Zupeng
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Which novels in the realm of dystopia have gained widespread fame?

Late‑20th‑century tech drove subgenres like cyberpunk, probing corporate power, capitalism, and innovation’s risks.

Title:

Content: Fiction

10 Vintage Book Series From The ’90s To Read This Year

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The 1990s are back in a big way, and Gen Z is loving every minute of it. For Millennials like me, it stings just a little to hear the ’90s described as “vintage” — or even, gulp, old — but so it goes. If you want to get in on the fun, I’ve got ten must-read vintage book series from the ’90s for you to read this year.

Without question, the last decade of the 20th century was a weird time, mostly due to rapid technological advancement and changes in the way we consumed media. Concerns over the intersection of corporatism, consumerism, and technological development nurtured the burgeoning cyberpunk genre.

When the decade began, the World Wide Web hadn’t been invented yet. By the turn of the century, Google had entered its beta phase, and companies like Angelfire, Geocities, and LiveJournal made it possible for anyone to make their own website. It’s no surprise, then, that the well-trodden world of print publishing embraced recorded and digital copies in the 1990s.

In many ways, the ’90s feel like an awkward teenager, caught up between the wealth-flaunting of the plasticky — and relatively low-tech — 1980s and the sleek, all-chrome, the-future-is-now stylings of the 2000s. The best 1990s book series are just as all-over-the-place as the rest of the decade…and you’re going to love them.

10 Vintage Book Series From the ’90s to Read This Year

Earthseed by Octavia E. Butler

This sci-fi trilogy may be unfinished — author Octavia E. Butler died while writing the third installment, Parable of the Trickster — but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t dig into it this year. The first book, 1993’s Parable of the Sower centers on Lauren, a Black teen born with the ability to feel others’ pain. When American society collapses under the weight of climate change, capitalism, and corporate greed, Lauren leaves her gated community and founds a new religion based around humanity’s ability to adapt for survival.

Foreigner Universe by C.J. Cherryh

An ongoing series at the time of this writing, C.J. Cherryh’s Foreigner launched her series of the same name in 1994. Two-hundred years ago, the Phoenix, a ship carrying colonists and supplies from Earth to a far-flung space-station-to-be, crashed on an already-inhabited planet. Tensions between the humans of the Phoenix and the ruling atevi people led to an all-out war, which ended with total separation of the two races. Total separation, except for one man: Bren Cameron, emissary to the atevi, and the only human welcome in their society.

African Immortals Series by Tananarive Due

Vampires are making a comeback these days, so now’s the perfect time to check out Tananarive Due’s African Immortals series. Jessica seems to have built a picture-perfect Miami life with David…until the murders begin. As a killer stalks closer to home, David reveals that he’s not who he seems to be. He’s actually a 400-year-old Ethiopian vampire, and his people are demanding he return to his homeland, or else.

Shadow Children Series by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Only the first installment of Margaret Peterson Haddix’s Shadow Children series actually came out in the 1990s, but it’s still worth reading this year. Set in a dystopian version of the U.S., in which parents are only allowed two children, the series follows Luke and Jen: kids whose families have hidden them from the rest of the world for their entire lives.

Cousins Duology by Virginia Hamilton

Fair warning: this book is much heavier-hearted than other titles on this list. Cammy’s jealousy toward her wealthy cousin, Patty Ann, morphs into a more complex emotion following the other girl’s death. Patty Ann died saving another cousin, Elodie, from drowning. Did she do it just to spite Cammy? And how is Cammy supposed to feel, now that her cousin and archnemesis is gone?

Anastasia Krupnik Series by Lois Lowry

One of the most challenged book series of the 1990s, Lois Lowry’s Anastasia Krupnik series spans nine titles, beginning with 1978’s Anastasia Krupnik. Only the last two books, Anastasia at This Address and Anastasia, Absolutely, came out in the ’90s. Trust me when I say that Anastasia’s trials and tribulations are basically timeless, however. And if nine books aren’t enough for you, know that a four-book spinoff series centered on Anastasia’s kid brother launched in 1988 with All About Sam.

Hatfords and Malloys Series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Also known as Boy/Girl Battle, the Hatfords and Malloys series follows seven kids — the four Hatford brothers and the three Malloy sisters — as they duke out a deeply entrenched rivalry over the course of 12 installments. In The Boys Start the War, the Malloys have just moved to West Virginia from Ohio. Too bad they’re horning in on the Hatfords’ turf. If hijinks in the vein of Home Alone and The Parent Trap are your style, you owe it to yourself to read this series.

Dark Elf Trilogy by R.A. Salvatore

Dungeons & Dragons players, take note! Legendary drow ranger Drizzt Do’Urden debuted in the 1988 sourcebook, The Savage Frontier, before appearing in R.A. Salvatore’s Icewind Dale trilogy. If you want to jump right into Drizzt’s backstory in the drow metropolis of Menzoberranzan, however, you’ll want to start with the Dark Elf trilogy: Homeland, Exile, and Sojourn. Fair warning, though: these novels play into the problem of fantasy racism by casting Drizzt as a drow who isn’t innately evil — a problem that Wizards of the Coast has promised to fix in future iterations of the game.

Maizon Trilogy by Jacqueline Woodson

Another coming-of-age middle grade series, Jacqueline Woodson’s Maizon trilogy follows BFFs Margaret and Maizon as they’re separated and reunited. In Last Summer with Maizon, Maizon’s accepted at Blue Hill: a prestigious, majority-white boarding school. That means Margaret will have to weather huge life changes, including her father’s tragic death, without her bestie by her side. The second installment, Maizon at Blue Hill, tells Maizon’s side of the story. A third book, Between Madison and Palmetto, brings the girls back together for a new adventure: growing up.

Thrawn Trilogy by Timothy Zahn

OK, so, first things first: there are three Thrawn trilogies. This one, published between 1991 and ’93, was the definitive sequel to Return of the Jedi. Until the Star Wars Extended Universe was retconned by Disney, that is. Timothy Zahn has since published two more Thrawn trilogies — Thrawn and Thrawn: Ascendancy — both of which are well worth reading. You just can’t beat this classic Star Wars EU trilogy from the 1990s, however.

Want to read more vintage book series from the ’90s? Be sure to check out this list of must-reads from the 1990s and these ’90s tie-in books.

What time period produced science fiction works that included idealogies such as capitalism, and communism, and also threats of nuclear power, racism, pollution, and more?

Today’s science fiction often critiques the climate crisis, ecological collapse, and biotech ethics.

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Posted on Feb 22, 2022 in Books and Movies, Front Page Features

David Poyner’s Latest Book ‘Arctic Sea’ Updates the Modern Techno-Thriller. Book Review

Ray Garbee

Arctic Sea.  Author: David Poyer. Publisher: St. Martin’s Press. Price $28.99

Arctic Sea is the latest installment in the 22-book series following the fictional exploits of U.S. Navy officer Dan Lenson.  If you’ve not read the prior books in the series, a brief recap of this near future history has resulted in the US and China having fought a short, nasty war. Both China and Russia are pushing for greater control of the world’s waters, including the thawing Arctic Ocean. On top of that, a pandemic is afflicting the world’s population and political differences in the United States have erupted into open conflict with an autocratic Federal administration intent on retaining power.

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If that recap comes across as horribly bleak, well, it’s tough to characterize this as the ‘feel good’ novel of the year. However, the book true to the events of the prior novels and Poyer conveys a plausible future in line with predictive science fiction works of the past. Reading Arctic Sea, I’m reminded of H.G. Well’s novel The Shape of Things to Come. The reader will find many of the narrative threads from the prior novels carried forward through this novel. The central protagonist of the book remains Dan Lenson, a veteran naval officer nearing the end of his career. But nearing the end is not the end and Dan has another set of adventures, this time involving the titular Arctic Sea.

The book feels like it is teetering on the edge of being science fiction, but that may be a reflection of both the pace of technological change and the increasing social tension in the world. A major thread in the story explores how artificial intelligence (“A.I.”) and machine-learning has the potential to change decision-making and operations. That may sound dry, but the ways in which that A.I. is used and perceived by people is an important thread. The book also explores the geography of the Arctic Ocean, and gets the reader thinking about that place at ‘the top of the world’.

Balancing the ‘techie’ feel of the story is a look at how the aftermath of a war impacts the human aspects of government and life. Modern life rests on a fragile foundation of interconnected services. Poyer shows what can happen when those services are suppressed or destroyed. It can be a short trip from our comfortable modern world, to a place that feels almost medieval in safety and security.

It’s not always a pretty story, and at times I found aspects of the story evocative of dystopian video games like the Fallout series or even the Terminator movies. That’s not meant as a dismissive critique, if anything I mean quite the opposite. At one point I found myself muttering, “Do you want Skynet? Because this seems like how you get Skynet!”

Like H.G. Wells more than a century ago, Arctic Sea has David Poyer taking modern trends and projecting them into the near future. I see outcomes of predictions from more academic works like A.I. at War  or Cyberspace in Peace and War reflected in various threads of the novel. Some of the society conflict and plot aspects have that Law and Order ‘ripped from the headlines’ feel to them. We can debate whether those outcomes are plausible or even desirable, but they certainly drive the plot along. In several ways, Arctic Sea can certainly stand as a stark warning of the shape of things to come.

Readers who have stuck with the series will be rewarded with the continued activities and evolution of the characters. New readers will enjoy the read, but you might wish to backtrack through the earlier novels first (at least go back to The Cruiser, if not to the very beginning.) It’s not always the most cheerful of reads, but it’s an engaging read that will leave the reader with much to ponder.

What concepts does Ishiguro's literary science fiction novel bring up?

AI and transhumanism raise worries about jobs, privacy, power, and relationships.

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Content: Home > NewsRelease > Maintaining Originality Amidst the Rise of AI: A Contemporary Challenge
Maintaining Originality Amidst the Rise of AI: A Contemporary Challenge
From:
Norm Goldman -- BookPleasures.com
Montreal, QC
Saturday, August 19, 2023

Countless narratives have been written over centuries in the vast realm of literature. Yet, only a select few authors have emerged as pioneers of originality.

These writers transcend the norm by incorporating innovative themes, unconventional structures, and distinctive perspectives.

Even though literary conventions influence storytelling, imaginative and creative power always generate narratives that defy norms.

In today's context, however, a new challenge to originality has emerged—one driven by the rise of artificial intelligence and automated content creation tools.

AI and the Threat to Creative Exploration

As the capabilities of AI continue to expand, there arises a concern that originality in fiction could be compromised.

Thomas Pynchon and Toni Morrison, known for their pioneering exploration of themes and perspectives, might find their distinctive approaches under threat.

AI-driven algorithms are designed to analyze vast amounts of data, identifying patterns and trends that might guide writers in creating narratives.

While this might expedite generating of stories, it also raises questions about whether these AI-generated narratives would be original or reflect existing trends.

Originality in the Age of AI-Generated Worlds

Creating immersive worlds, a hallmark of original fiction faces a unique challenge in the age of AI.

Authors like David Foster Wallace are renowned for crafting complex realities that challenge readers' perceptions. However, AI algorithms could conceivably generate intricate story worlds based on learned patterns from existing literature.

This raises concerns about whether these AI-generated worlds would genuinely reflect the imaginative leaps of human creativity or be limited to variations on existing themes.

AI's Influence on Character Development and Narrative Structure

Don DeLillo and Junot Díaz are celebrated for their unconventional character development and narrative structures.

With AI's capacity to analyze vast character datasets and narrative styles, there's a possibility that it could predict and replicate character behaviors and narrative arcs.

The uniqueness and unpredictability of characters and plot developments that define original fiction could be diminished.

AI and the Evolution of Genre Blending and Social Commentary

Fusing genres and exploring societal complexities are critical components of original fiction. Yet, AI-generated content might inadvertently homogenize genres by identifying popular elements to blend.

Similarly, AI's interpretation of social commentary might be constrained by its learned understanding of historical and societal patterns, limiting the fresh perspectives that authors like Colson Whitehead bring.

Preserving Personal Perspective and Craftsmanship

The concern about AI's influence on originality extends to personal perspective, symbolism, metaphor, language, and style.

Authors such as Jeff VanderMeer and Jennifer Egan offer unique lenses through which readers explore enigmatic worlds and interconnected prose.

AI-generated content might struggle to replicate the idiosyncrasies of personal perspective and the nuanced use of language, affecting the authenticity that defines original narratives.

Navigating the Future

In a world where AI-generated content is becoming increasingly prevalent, the challenge lies in safeguarding the essence of originality.

Authors must grapple with the balance between utilizing AI for inspiration and creativity while asserting their distinctive creative voices.

The works of innovative authors showcased in this essay remind us that while AI might expedite certain aspects of content creation, the heart of original fiction will always rest in the depths of human imagination, transcending any threat posed by technology.

 Norm Goldman of Bookpleasures.com

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Chinese science fiction has rapidly grown over the past 40 years, achieving global visibility.

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Content: Interview with Wang Jinkang, 2024 Hugo Finalist

INTRODUCTION: Eight Light Minutes(8LM) Culture of Chengdu has given permission for File 770 to reprint the series of interviews with Chinese science fiction writers which they have been running this week on Facebook. The first one is a question and answer session with Wang Jinkang, whose novella Seeds of Mercury is a 2024 Hugo Award finalist.

SUPPORTING CHINESE WRITERS SERIES (1): 2024 HUGO AWARD NOMINATION INTERVIEW WITH WANG JINKANG

Translated by Joseph Brant.

Wang Jinkang(王晋康) was born in Nanyang, Henan Province in 1948. He is a senior engineer, and a member of the Chinese Writer’s Association (CWA), The China Popular Science Writing Association (CPSWA), The Committee of Scientific Literature and Art, and the Henan Writers’ Association. Since the publication of his first story, The Return of Adam, in 1993, he has published over 90 short works, and 20 full novels, including Cross, We Together, Escape from The Mother Universe, Parents of Heaven and Earth, and Cosmic Crystal Eggs, totaling over six million words. He has won China’s Galaxy Award 16 times, as well as The Chinese Science Fiction Nebula’s Lifetime Achievement Award. He is considered one of Chinese science fiction’s ‘Four Heavenly Kings’, and his emblematic work Seeds of Mercury was shortlisted for the 2024 Hugo Award for Best Novella.

Hello Mr. Wang! Before we start, I would like to congratulate you on Seeds of Mercury’s shortlisting for 2024’s “Best Novella” Hugo Award. This is news that has excited countless Chinese science fiction fans. Ever since the publication of Chinese Science Fiction: An Oral History, readers have commented that your contributions have particularly appealed to them and would like to know more about your life and work. Hopefully, this long-awaited interview will provide some of the insights the sci-fi community has longed for.

Q1Mr. Wang, despite having produced many great works, this is the first time you’ve been shortlisted for the Hugo. How did you feel when you learned that you’d been shortlisted?

Wang Jinkang: Of course I was elated. Although I’ve won many awards in China, in fact the most Galaxy Awards in history, this is the first time I’ve been shortlisted for a Hugo. It felt like 31 years ago, when I first saw The Return of Adam in print, and when I won my First Galaxy Award. I think every author experiences these moments of excitement. It’s excellent that Chinese science fiction has reached a certain level, after years of growth, it’s now more and more visible internationally, which is fantastic. Of course, what we value even more, is these works transcending their era, and surviving the tides of time to reach future generations.

Religion and Science are enemies who love each other.

Q2Mr. Wang, as one of the ‘Four Heavenly Kings’ of Chinese science fiction, you’re already very well known in China, with a creative career spanning over thirty years, with works such as Leopard Man, Ant Life and Survival Experiment and so on. This shortlisted work is such a quintessential piece. However, this interview is not just intended for the Chinese sci-fi fans, but for readers around the world, who may not be familiar with Seeds of Mercury. Could I ask you to introduce it for the benefit of the overseas sci-fi fans?

Wang Jinkang: Seeds of Mercury is a two-threaded story. The first one follows a female scientist named Shawu, who discovers a new formula for life, and creates a fluid metal nano life form. When she dies, she entrusts that formula to Chen Yizhe, a businessman with a pure heart, along with the message “real life cannot be bred in pens. In the Solar System, there happens to be a suitable place for it to breed freely – Mercury”. Chen Yizhe accepts this monumental legacy enthusiastically, using his personal wealth to maintain the laboratory. In order take the next step, of “seeding Mercury”, he must turn to the society around him. Mr Hong, a multi-billionaire with a disagreeable personality but a benevolent soul, decides to liquidate his empire to facilitate the spaceship’s construction. Furthermore, Hong makes another astonishing decision: to relocate to Mercury, have his body frozen in the millennia-old ice caves of the planet’s north pole, to be awakened every 10 million years, to assist the evolution of these micro-lifeforms. In just 15 years, Chen Yizhe sends Hong to Mercury to seed the nano-life into the liquid metal lakes of Mercury, after which Hong settles down in its polar caves. Meanwhile, Hong’s lawyer, and soulmate named Yin, bids her painful farewells from the distant Earth.

The second storyline is set 100 million years later, when the Suola race have evolved on Mercury, their metal bodies adapted to the hundred-degree temperatures of the planet. They are sustained by light (drawing energy directly by photosynthesis). With no sense of hearing, they rely on the flashing of light through two orifices in their abdomen to communicate in binary. The entire Suola race are devout followers of Shawu, venerate the Star Father, the great god Shawu and her earthly incarnation. They have been initiated in science, and after studying their Holy Book, scientist Tu Lala discovers that much scientific knowledge has been disguised and hidden within. From this he deduces that life on Mercury originates from The Blue Planet. He implores the high priest to send an expedition to search for the Holy Site in the depths of the ice, with the excuse of reviving the incarnation of Shawu, as the Book prophesied. The high priest consents, sending a chaplain to supervise the mission. Tu Lala actually locates the Holy Site, and discovers the incarnation of Shawu (Mr Hong), frozen in the ice, along the sacred rites of “how to revive the incarnation of Shawu”.

However, unexpected occurrences, mainly due to the ignorance and blind devotion of the believers, result in Tulala’s unfortunate violent death (as metallic organisms, the Suola can easily resurrect after a sudden death, but those who do are considered an untouchable caste). In order to protect Mr Hong’s body, Tu lala risks the humiliation, but tragically, his student Qi Qiaqia denounces him, exposing his untouchable status, and inciting the crowd to him, During which time, Mr Hong’s body is destroyed in the scorching sunlight. To avoid blame, Qi Qiaqia suddenly declares that the incarnation of Shawu was a false god, which is why the Father Star could destroy it. This narrative is accepted by the devotees, who hail him as their new high priest. In the thousands of years that follow, Suola society descends into darkness, religious cruelly suppressing science, but from among the population comes a new “Sect of Repentance”, apparently founded by an untouchable. Silently they preserve everything related to science, awaiting the next rebirth of Shawu in future millennia.

Q3Seeds of Mercury was first published in 2002, and its appeal still endures, even after all this time. What inspired you to write this story?

Wang Jinkang: The initial inspiration probably came from a sad epiphany I had as a teenager. The human body is too fragile. Our proteins start to coagulate above 80°C, our brain suffers irreversible damage if we don’t breathe for five minutes, our body can’t withstand radiation, and we can die from disease, hunger, dehydration, drowning and freezing… It’s admirable that such a fragile life form has been propagated on for billions of years, but it also makes me apprehensive that humanity would not survive a disaster. Human civilisation is a great achievement, which is why we are proud of it; but it also makes me anxious, worrying that humanity may not survive the next cataclysm. I couldn’t help but imagine, what if a creator, or god of evolution, created a metallic life, invulnerable to fire and flood? Many years later, I combined these youthful imaginings with my subsequent concept of “Templates for Life” and turned it into this novella.

Q4Seeds of Mercury is a piece about the sublime act of Creation, and a reflection on the transitory nature of life. Did you write it with the intention of exploring the contradiction between Science and Religion? Or did that grow naturally out of the creative process? Also, do the sentient beings you write about reflect your own views and positions?

Wang Jinkang: I didn’t intend to construct that dichotomy between Science and Religion, but it’s exactly what happened on Earth, so when I created a history for Mercury’s civilisation, those episodes just appeared naturally. Religion and Science are enemies who love each other. European Papacy cruelly persecuted Galileo, Bruno, and other ‘heretics’, and strictly forbade the theory of evolution, but medieval Europe became the birthplace of modern science. When we look back at the history of Civilisation over millennia, you can’t help but sigh that history is full of paradoxes, and that The Creator is always full of mischief, making fun of the theories of Cause and Effect. As to whether this new life carries some of my own views or positions? Of course. Tu Lala is the heir to the human spirit, with his scientific rationality, adventurous spirit, sense of responsibility, fortitude, and self-sacrifice. In the story, when Tu Lala meets the holy body of Shawu Incarnate, and he figures out that the great god was a scientist. Thus, demonstrating that the intellectual spirits of all scientists are inter-relatable, even if they are alien. That is what I believe in my heart.

Today’s AI isn’t quite up to the standard of “Return of Adam”

Q5Mr. Wang, the world has moved on 22 years since the first publication of Seeds of Mercury. What changes do you think have occurred in science fiction writing in the present day, compared to the early years both in terms of the environment, and the core themes?

Wang Jinkang: These 22 years have brought great changes, and it could be said that civilisation has reached a critical point, that we’re on the cusp of drastic changes. However, for the science fiction writer, who is used to seeing the world from a god-like point of view (through the eyes of science) we think in millennia, so 22 years is too short a period to affect the themes of my work. For example, my debut story Return of Adam showed a society where AI had overcome natural humanity, though it had taken on a parasitic approach, augmenting the processing power (IQ) of the human mind to far outstrip the basic brain, and in fact, became the core of human consciousness. The rapid development of AI today, especially the LLM systems, is amazing, even frightening, but in general, today’s AI isn’t quite up to the standards of Return of Adam. Still, I’m saddened that some things I wrote about, which I assumed would be far in the future have come to pass in my lifetime. For example, in 1997, when many Chinese people asserted that AI could never triumph in the field of Weiqi (Go), I was convinced it eventually would, and wrote a scene of an ‘AI beating a human chess master’ in one of my stories, before it actually happened. I just never expected to see it in my lifetime.

Q6Before Liu Cixin appeared, you “held up half the sky” in Chinese Sci-fi. When you first appeared in China’s science fiction circles, you were relatively older, and more experienced. Do you think that maturity allowed your work to appear more rounded?

Wang Jinkang: My life and experiences have been quite unique. I’ve lived through a very special time in China’s history, worked as a rusticated youth, a miner and model maker. I went to university at 30, became a mechanical engineer, wrote literary novels, and only broke into the science fiction world by chance at 45, publishing my first sci-fi story. If anything, my near-fanatical reading of literature at university paved the way for my future writing. At that time, the reforms were already happening in China, and it was opening up to the world. A huge amount of foreign literature was pouring into the country, dazzling readers like me. There may be another special factor, which is, because I was studying engineering, I was standing atop this wall of science and watching this river of literature racing by, I had a sense of detachment. Add to that I only started writing SF decades after experiencing the rise, fall and distilling of the wave of literature. I suppose that’s why my writing style has a poised, bleak, and sombre character.

Q7What sort of stories do you think are expected from the current literary ecosystem? Which sci-fi genres do you expect to take off in the future?

Wang Jinkang: I have always felt that science fiction is unlike any other form of literature. The richness of mainstream literature does not necessarily coincide with the strength of a country. As the aphorisms go, “classics are born from chaos”, and “poets are fortunate when the country is not”. However, the success of science fiction is reliant on enough readers and authors being educated to a certain threshold, and so depends on the country’s economic, scientific, and technological development, which can be proven by the movement of science fiction’s centre from Britain and France to the United States over the last century. Over the past 40 years, China’s overall economic development has been good, and as one of the oldest sci-fi writers in the country, I’ve experienced this first-hand. I feel that as China continues to modernise and converge with the rest of the world, the creative environment of Chinese sci-fi will continue to improve. As for which themes, I feel will start to emerge? It’s expected that artificial intelligence and space themes, with more emphasis on exploring the human condition, are going to be the stories of importance, but other themes will also develop immensely.

Science fiction writers are used to seeing the world from a god-like viewpoint.

Q8 Mr. Wang, science fiction has taken root in China now for around a century, and you have played a pivotal role in the history of science fiction in the country. Irrespective of whether or not you win this Hugo Award, you have influenced a generation of sci-fi fans and creators. How do you view your own Creative Achievements?

Wang Jinkang: I’m flattered, but I only really played a leading and inductive role in the early stages of the so-called “New Generation” of Chinese sci-fi back in the 1990s. I’m content with the two aspects of my writing career, firstly, in forming the genre of Philosophical Science Fiction, which is based on the latest technological advances, and digs deep into the influence it has on alienation, civilisation, and so forth, to discover this genre’s philosophical uniqueness. This genre did not originate in my work, foreign writers including Mr. Arthur C. Clarke have long created excellent works of philosophical sci-fi, but these elements in my work are more concentrated. Furthermore, with regards science fiction as “the most cosmopolitan form of literature”, I consider my work, whilst still cosmopolitan, to be imbued heavily with Chinese styles and themes, which adds a certain flavour to the genre.

Q9Do you feel that science fiction writing is shifting from short-form to long form, and what difficulties do you feel are associated with that?

Wang Jinkang: In my experience there are three main issues faced when moving into the long-form. Firstly, there must be enough knowledge, from the accumulation of experience and information. Secondly, there must be a more mature view of Nature and human society, in their entirety. These are not necessarily the dominant trait of the novel but will play important roles in the story’s development. Thirdly, the ability to comprehend the entirety of the larger story. This ability to grasp the complete story is equally important to mainstream literary writers, but in science fiction, concepts always play a driving role in the whole work and should be logically consistent in themselves.

Q10In your eyes, what is the role of Morality and Ethics in Science Fiction?

Wang Jinkang: Science fiction authors often look at the world from a godlike point of view, and in the eyes of a creator, survival comes first, and morality and ethics are just auxiliary codes established by humans once they reached a certain level of civilisation. They are also conducive to the overall survival of the human race. As Humanity develops, and “co-operation” becomes more central to society, the role of morality and ethics becomes more and more important, but they certainly won’t stay the same, and the rules will certainly have additions and deletions. For example, once technology becomes suitably advance, the ethics of “strict prohibition regarding editing the genes of a human being” are very likely to change.

Q11Throughout your career, which of your stories are you most satisfied with?

Wang Jinkang: Of my short and medium length works, I like Seeds of Mercury’, Bee Keepers and The Song of Life, and of my longer works, I’m most satisfied with Ant’s Life and the Alive Trilogy (Escape From The Mother Universe, Parents of Heaven And Earth, and Cosmic Crystal Eggs).

Thank you, reader, for giving meaning to my life.

Q12Mr. Wang, some sci-fi fans have pointed out you are ‘the oldest non-American writer shortlisted for the Hugo Award’, which is an impressive feat. What are your hopes for the Hugo Awards?

Wang Jinkang: There’s a bit of a special circumstance here, where a story I wrote 22 years ago, was only translated into English last year, and shortlisted according to the translation’s publication date, even though, I’m very happy to hold this “World Record”. I hope it will go further than just being a finalist, but even if it doesn’t, I still consider it a great honour to be shortlisted.

Q13What would you like to say to the readers regarding the inclusion of Seeds of Mercury in the Hugo Awards shortlist, which was voted for by individual sci-fi fans one after another?

Wang Jinkang: I’ve always had a reverence for my readers. The two most common inscriptions I write to fans at signings are “The reader is the god of authors”, and “Thank you reader, for giving meaning to my life”. Out of the millions of publications each year, in a sea of stories, to have any number of people read your work, enjoy it, and keep it in their memory after that relentless tide of time, is a rare blessing. One might even call it a great gift from the readers to the author.

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Liu Cixin’s The Three-Body Problem won the 2015 Hugo Award for Best Novel.

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Hong Kong '90s Jade Singer Lai Shih dies of cancer aged 58
Silicon Valley celebrity Hsieh Kai-ting also met the noble woman Nana fundraising scared to jump on the car.
Science fiction "Three Bodies" adapted into a new drama on the Internet to impact the Chinese scale
Created by Chinese writers, the “Three Bodies ” was adapted by Western producers as a series performed by a number of foreign actors, which not only greatly reduced the Chinese elements, but also opened with scenes of the Cultural Revolution fighting dead.
Like the story of the alien invasion of Earth, it is also impacting the “beliefs ” of many Chinese and the“ yardstick ” of the Beijing authorities.
“Three Bodies ” is a bestselling novel by renowned Chinese science fiction writer Liu Cixin, who has won one of the world ’ s most influential awards in science fiction literature. In China,“ Three Bodies ” has been considered “difficult to adapt ” for its puzzling time jumps, philosophical dilemmas and intensive exploration of scientific theory.
Today, the “Three Bodies ” are on the international screen through Netflix, a rare breakthrough in foreign media observation, in contrast to the suppression of science fiction in Chinese history.
★ A rare breakthrough under Beijing ’ s repression
Produced by Game of Thrones producers, Netflix ’ s new series “3 Body Problem ” is based on China ’ s best-selling science-fiction novel of the same name, according to the BBC. The novel is still popular in China despite China ’ s ongoing censorship of the genre.
The story structure of the “Three Bodies ” is roughly the same: one day in 1967, Ye Wenjie, an astrophysics student in Beijing, witnessed her father being beaten to death by the Red Guards during the Cultural Revolution.
She joined a military project in Inner Mongolia to avoid being punished by a series of sit-ins, but on the condition that she never leave the base.
At this cold outpost, under a huge parabolic antenna, Ye Wenjie lost all confidence in humanity.
She devoted her life to research and made scientific breakthroughs, broadcasting high-power radio signals into outer space.
This action will have serious consequences, and it all stems from that disastrous day in Beijing.
In addition to the trans-cosmic plot, the Three Bodies also involve secret scientific projects; an alien species in the solar system beyond the stars; and a strange video game depicting the rise and fall of great civilizations over the millennia.
“The Three Bodies ” is the first of a trilogy of“ Past Events on Earth ” written by Beijing-born Liu Cixin. A Chinese adaptation of the film was shelved in 2017.
But now it ’ s on the international screen via Netflix, the belated return of Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and DB Weiss.
Early reviews were divided over whether they could be successfully adapted.
What ’ s more, the original novel has been an incredible success. It was first serialized in China ’ s Science Fiction World magazine in 2006 and translated to Western readers by Liu Yukun in 2014.
Its fans include former US President Barack Obama and "Game of Thrones" author George RR Martin.
He is the author of the Qur ’ an.
Liu Cixin won the most prestigious Hugo Award for Best Novel in 2015, and the book and its two sequels have sold nearly 9 million copies worldwide.
Today, Liu Cixin is credited with bringing Chinese science fiction to the world.
This is an incredible feat considering China ’ s historical suppression of science fiction.
The English translation begins with the words: “In more than 40 days, in Beijing alone, more than 1,700 victims were beaten to death at a protest meeting ” and“ many others have chosen an easier path to avoid this madness. ”
Set in 1967, the novel kills as many as 2 million people in the Cultural Revolution over the next decade as the student-led radical Red Guards gradually turned violent in support of the Communist policies of then-Communist leader Mao Zedong.
Many of the victims committed suicide to “end their suffering. ”
The report believes that, in the modern episode of the “Three Bodies, ” the unexplained suicides that have occurred in the scientific community hint at this fact.
But what ’ s more striking than how this real history shapes events in Liu ’ s work is how the Mao regime shaped the course of science fiction in the real world.
It was dormant in the 1960s.
Liu Cixin was born in 1963, three years before the Cultural Revolution.
Li Hua, a professor of Chinese at Montana State University, said that in that era, scientists, writers and other intellectuals were branded “counter-revolutionaries ” and sent to labor camps for“ ideological transformation, ” with few literary works published, “Chinese science fiction remained dormant from the early 1860s to 1967, ” and it was especially difficult to survive the turbulent political situation, with many common themes being taboo, such as Mao ’ s. Marxist-Leninism makes no provision for the existence of aliens in the universe.
But as the “three bodies ” postscript reveals, after witnessing China ’ s first artificial satellite painting the sky in April 1970, six-year-old Liu Cixin will still be moved by“ unspeakable curiosity and longing. ”
A few years later, he found a box of books under his father ’ s bed, including Jules Verne ’ s “Journey to the Heart of the Earth. ” Liu found that he had a determination, like the character in his book, Ye Wenjie, that would ultimately have a profound impact.
Mao Zedong died in 1976, and Ye Wenjie described that year in “The Three Bodies ” as“ the horrors experienced during the Cultural Revolution gradually subsided ”. After Deng Xiaoping came to power in 1977, science fiction flourished for a short time. Deng Xiaoping said that “science and technology are the first productive force. ” Creation.
Fearing a greater spread of Western ideas to China, the CCP launched a campaign in 1983 to “clean up mental pollution. ”
Li said: “It aims to eradicate the Western-inspired trend of ‘ bourgeois liberalization ’.
The Propaganda Department singled out specific literary genres to attack and suppress, including sci-fi works of ghost stories, violence, sex, anti-scientific assumptions, and veiled criticisms of socialism, and classified them as “spiritual pollution. ”
Leading writers such as Ye Yonglie, who wrote stories about space travel when China launched its first satellite into orbit, were condemned, and Science Literary magazine was forced to publish non-fiction works, and in the process renamed the more unobtrusive “Strange Tales. ”
Li said that after a few months, Deng Xiaoping ended the event, but "many science fiction writers, disappointed and emotionally hurt, left the field."
Even if science fiction is revived again, political sensitivities are holding back its development.
Liu Cixin ’ s first full-length novel, China 2185, in 1989, describes cyberpunk fantasies about Mao ’ s resurrection in virtual reality.
This suggests that sci-fi narratives “were prevented from appearing in print due to sensitive sociopolitical topics, but were later published online, ” Li said, but many such works would soon be removed.
Most writers are self-censoring.
With its rapid economic growth in the 1990s, China is now a modern and prosperous country, and science fiction has flourished in China. In the 1990s, with films such as Jurassic Park and The Hacking Empire, Western works by Hugo Award winners Philip K Dick and Arthur C Clarke hit bookshelves.
By the turn of the century, “Science Fiction World ” had reached 400,000 copies, the largest of its kind. In 2019, another film,“ Wandering Earth ”, directed by Liu Cixin, became a hit in China, marking a watershed moment for Chinese science fiction films.
Li Hua believes that the change during this period is that the Chinese government's censorship system is relatively strict on social and political issues, but relatively lax on technical issues, so most writers will self-censor their works and avoid mentioning sensitive topics.
But the report believes that sociopolitical criticism is not impossible for Chinese writers.
Liu Yukun, a translator, said at the Reddit “Geek ” conference in 2015 that“ criticism of the Cultural Revolution is not a forbidden topic in China. ”
Liu Tsz Hin became the first Asian to win a Hugo Award, but his book nonetheless exposes the sensitive nature of his ideas. After all, chapters with a Cultural Revolution background were moved to the middle part of the original Chinese version for fear that government censors might find them too politicized, which is the beginning of the English version of the “Three Body ”.
Netflix ’ s new series “Three Bodies ” starts in the same way as the English version of the book, and they don ’ t worry about censorship.
But the new series is based on Liu Cixin ’ s original novel, and unlike the original novel, they will face the critical judgment of the audience.
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Women and authors of color have transformed the field with fresh perspectives on futures.

Butler, Cherryh, and Due expanded the field with work on climate change, capitalism, and corporate greed.

N. K. Jemisin explores power, cultural conflict, and subjugation, arguing science fiction reflects the present as much as the future.

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Fantasy author N. K. Jemisin speaks at a Bartels World Affairs Lecture in Klarman Hall on Oct. 4.

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N.K. Jemisin Gives Bartels World Affairs Lecture, Speaks on Building a Better World

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N. K. Jemisin, best-selling science fiction and fantasy author well known for her book trilogy “The Broken Earth,” spoke about building a better world at this year’s Bartels World Affairs Lecture on Wednesday, Oct. 4 at 5:30 p.m. in a packed Rhodes-Rawling Auditorium. Jemisin spoke about how building fictional worlds helps her discuss the reality of our society, and concluded by calling on the audience to make choices in order to build the world they wish to see.

Following her talk, Jemisin joined a panel of Cornell faculty to kickstart the latest Global Grand Challenge: The Future. Global Grand Challenges bring together people and resources to understand and develop solutions to humanity’s most urgent challenges. The first challenge launched in 2019, and this year’s challenge, “The Future,” focuses on how to employ creativity to build a more equitable and sustainable future world.

Supported by the Henry E. and Nancy Horton Bartels World Affairs Fellowship, the Bartels World Affairs Lecture is an annual, signature event hosted by the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies that brings renowned individuals to Cornell’s campus to speak on international matters with students and faculty.

Seats at the event sold out and an estimated 330 people attended. In-person watch party tickets were made available as well, where attendees live streamed the lecture from an adjacent classroom near the auditorium. More than 270 local, national and international viewers who registered through eCornell also streamed the event live.

Vice Provost for International Affairs Wendy Wolford said that in addition to launching this year’s Global Grand Challenge, this event also fits into Cornell’s academic year theme of Freedom of Expression. Wolford explained that the world building, kindness and empathy in Jemisin’s work encouraged the Einaudi Center to select this event as the launch for the University’s new Global Grand Challenge.

“The theme of this new challenge is fittingly ‘The Future.’ With this challenge, we invite all of you, students, staff and faculty to step back from the immediate questions of your studies, your work and your research, to think about the world you want to live in,” Wolford said. “The Global Grand Challenge calls on us to go beyond the cutting edge… to imagine what the world would look like if we asked not just what can I do, but what do I want? What do we want?”

Jemisin began her lecture by describing her background in higher education, in which she spent 20 years working as a career counselor, academic counselor and director of experiential education before becoming an author. Jemisin writes science fiction and fantasy novels that explore a variety of themes, including power, cultural conflict and systems of subjugation.

“Many of the questions I tend to get are: Why science fiction? Why fantasy? Why would you, an ostensibly intelligent and mature person, write this kid’s stuff? And I tell people the same thing that Octavia Butler has said in interviews, which is in science fiction, I can do anything,” Jemisin said during her lecture.

Jemisin explained how people’s fears in a specific time period are reflected in their writing, especially in science fiction. She cited underlying fears of the sexual revolution displayed in 1960s feminist science fiction as an example.

“There’s another misconception out there that typically happens, which is that people think of science fiction as being about the future. They think of fantasy as being about the past,” Jemisin said. “It’s neither. Science fiction and fantasy are actually about our present world.”

Jemisin also described the process of science fiction worldbuilding on two levels — macro and micro. Macro worldbuilding involves creating the physical world of a story, including planets, continents, climate and ecology. Micro worldbuilding is crafting the society the characters will exist in, which includes species, morphology, racialization and power, among other things.

“The point of this [worldbuilding] exercise is to get people to start questioning their assumptions,” Jemisin said. “Understanding how our society functions is a lot more constructive than they think, so it’s important that I get across that all of this is changeable.”

Jemisin also spoke about how real people build worlds, and how our current world is not arbitrary, but rather the result of a series of choices. She emphasized that different choices remain possible, and that our understanding of ourselves and self-identity is evolving. Jemisin encouraged the audience to consider reasons for both creating and resisting change.

“We are being blasted with a constant firehose of disinformation which is fueled by a whole lot of money,” Jemisin said. “The only thing that we can do in order to resist this is begin to question and push back on how we became the society that we are and begin to recreate that society in our own design.”

Following her lecture, Jemisin joined a panel with Cornell faculty members Prof. Anindita Banerjee, comparative literature and feminist, gender and sexuality studies; Prof. John Albertson, civil and environmental engineering; and Prof. Kaushik Basu, international studies and economics. Each professor took turns briefly speaking about how their field of expertise relates to building a better world, and Jemisin followed with her thoughts.

“We see society now envisioning futures and being bold, making pledges of decarbonizing our energy supplies, decarbonizing our economy and setting ambitious timelines on which to do that,” Albertson said. “It’s relatively straightforward to plan the direct linear path of what you need to do there. But the question is: where are all the other parts of society that are touched by each of these changes?”

Asher Bergmann ’26 said his goal going into his sophomore year was going to more school  events, and was excited to find this lecture as someone who reads a lot of fantasy.

“I think she did a good job of not diving too deep into fantasy to where some people wouldn’t be interested, because while she’s a fantasy author, the point of this lecture wasn’t actually writing fantasy,” Bergmann said. “I think she did a good job of balancing her goal with what other people may have come here to see her speak about.”

Annabel Baniak ’24 decided to attend the event at the encouragement of both her professor  and her mom, whose favorite book is “The Fifth Season” by Jemisin. Baniak said she enjoyed the event and left feeling motivated and inspired to create change in the world.

Jemisin left the audience with a message to continue questioning the current world and to work towards building an ideal society.

“I have been having conversations all day with the students here, and they’re thinking ahead of me. I have to catch up. It is an innate part of youth to question our reality, and if the way that we live makes any sense,” Jemisin said. “I have to retain my own youthful questioning. They are right to question reality, and the rest of us need to keep doing that.”

Grace Liu ’27 is a Sun contributor and can be reached at [email protected].

Samuel R. Delany fundamentally altered the genre, exploring sex, sexuality, race, and power, and winning Nebulas and Hugos.

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Rain Taxi is honored to celebrate one of the great writers of our time, Samuel R. Delany, with a special conversation broadcast live during the AWP Conference in Philadelphia! An acclaimed writer whose works have fundamentally altered the terrain of science fiction through their formally consummate and materially grounded explorations of difference, and who has also made voluminous contributions to literary theory, queer literature, memoir, and more, Delany addresses topics such as sex and sexuality, race, power, literature, and art in two new anthologies of essays, talks, and interviews, Occasional Views Volumes I and II (Wesleyan University Press). These collections richly display Delany’s trademark towering intelligence, and you get to pull up a chair from the comfort of your own space as we present the author in conversation with writer and historian Lavelle Porter.

Free to attend, registration required. Registration allows you to view a replay of the event if you cannot attend during the live broadcast. Either way, we hope to “see” you there!

Purchase the books!

A limited number of copies will include a signed bookplate by Samuel R. Delany! Bookplates will be allotted in the order books are purchased while supplies last, and books will be shipped shortly after the event.

Have the book shipped to you: our partner bookseller, Magers & Quinn Booksellers in Minneapolis, will ship the books via US Media Mail only — if you wish to have this book shipped internationally, please contact orders [at] raintaxi [dot] com for pricing. If you wish to pick up your copy at Magers & Quinn, please contact orders [at] raintaxi [dot] com.

About the Presenters

SAMUEL R. DELANY is the author of more than 40 books, including groundbreaking science fiction novels such as Dhalgren and Nova and the essential nonfiction study Times Square Red / Times Square Blue, recently released in a 20th anniversary edition. He has won four Nebula awards and two Hugo awards, as well as the Anisfield-Wolf Lifetime Achievement Award, among many other honors. Retired from years of teaching at the State University of New York, the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and Temple University, he lives in Philadelphia.

LAVELLE PORTER is an Assistant Professor of English at New York City College of Technology, CUNY. He holds a B.A. in history from Morehouse College, and a Ph. D. in English from the CUNY Graduate Center. His writing has appeared in venues such as The New Inquiry, Poetry Foundation, JSTOR Daily, and Black Perspectives. He is the author of The Blackademic Life: Academic Fiction, Higher Education, and the Black Intellectual published by Northwestern University Press in 2019.

Nnedi Okorafor’s Hugo-winning Binti brings African and diasporic perspectives.

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Content: 60 Sci-Fi Books That All Science Fiction Fans Must Read

Are you looking for a new science fiction book to read? Looking to fill up your reading list with journeys to strange new worlds and fast-paced science fiction adventures? You're in luck because we've compiled a list of the best sci-fi books.

Whether you're looking to dive into the great sci-fi classics you missed out on or you're looking to delve into brand new tales from up-and-coming indie authors, you're sure to find something that will spark creativity and excitement for you. Science fiction and fantasy novels provide us with allegories, cautionary tales, and deep dives into the human condition told through the lens of the fantastical and the cutting-edge.

The Best Sci-Fi Origins Books

Where did it all begin? Read these early tales with impossible futures, fascinating creatures, time travel, and alien invasion!

Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein brought us the iconic monster made by Victor Frankenstein. Considered the first true science fiction novel of the modern era, it would foreshadow genetic tinkering stories of the future.

The Blazing World by Margaret Cavendish (also called The Description of a New World, Called the Blazing-World)

Considered to be the first science fiction work, in the 17th century, Duchess of Newcastle Margaret Cavendish wrote of a utopian world.

Ozma of Oz by L. Frank Baum

The third Oz book by L. Frank Baum features Tik-Tok, the wind-up clockwork man Dorothy Gale encounters in the Land of Ev. Tik-Tok is basically one of the first robots in literature. Other wacky features in Ozma of Oz include a sand-sailing boat and lunch pail tree.

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

A 19th century classic by Wells, depicting time travel and inspiring science fiction tales for over a century.

The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

The book would go on to inspire a radio program that terrified people into thinking Martians were actually invading Earth. Wells would kickstart first contact stories and alien invasion at the same time, offering up a cautionary tale that touches sci-fi to this day.

The Best Sci-Fi Space Epics Books

Transport yourself across the universe with these pillars of world-building in science fiction, all of which are either now adapted for TV or film or soon will be.

Dune by Frank Herbert

Frank Herbert’s Dune is considered a masterwork of world-building and family intrigue, inspiring other famous series and their respective houses. In the first book, Paul Atreides encounters the resident free people of the planet Arrakis (Dune), the Fremen, and achieves a destiny of messianic proportions. Dune recently graced the big screen in a new adaptation by Denis Villeneuve.

Binti by Nnedi Okorafor

Nnedi Okorafor's Binti novella series begins with Binti, a Hugo-award-winning Africanfuturistic science fiction horror story published by Tor.com. Binti is the first of the Himba people ever to be offered a place at Oomza University, the most exalted institution of higher learning in the galaxy. She faces the choice to accept the offer and give up her place in her family so that she can travel among the stars. Hulu has ordered a pilot for Binti.

Foundation by Isaac Asimov

The beginning of the Foundation series reveals the “psychohistory” developed by mathematician Harry Seldon. Seldon would establish a new empire called Foundation to preserve the culture from societal collapse. Foundation debuted as a TV show on Apple TV in 2021.

Embers of War by Gareth L. Powell

Gareth L. Powell's award-winning trilogy Embers of War follows the war-weary crew of the sentient spaceship Trouble Dog, who after becoming disgusted by her role in war joins the House of Reclamation. Trouble Dog and her captain Sal Konstanz are sent on a rescue mission, which intersects a mission to find missing poet Ona Sundak. The galaxy teeters on the brink of another war, just as an alien presence makes itself known, altering the course of things to come. Now under development for TV.

Rendezvous with Rama by Sir Arthur C. Clarke

A strange spacecraft enters the solar system, and humanity investigates. The secrets within the enormous craft, called Rama, reveal the heritage of an advanced alien civilization. Rendezvous with Rama is in development for a film adaptation with Denis Villeneuve at the helm.

The Best Hard Sci-Fi Books

If you like your science fiction taut with the edginess of battle and the implication of future wars, you must add these books to your collection!

The Forever War by Joe Haldeman

This classic military sci-fi epic details the tragic effects of time dilation on a group of soldiers fighting a seemingly endless war.

Ringworld by Larry Niven

Set in the 29th century, Louis Wu and his companions explore a vast, Earth-orbit-sized, constructed world. Their adventures uncover the alien civilization that built it.

The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu

First set with the backdrop of China’s cultural revolution, this new epic involves secret scientific experiments, alien invasion, challenging moral dilemmas, and impressive world-building.

Old Man’s War by John Scalzi

A man in his 70s is recruited as a soldier in the Colonial Defense Force, and altered physically in unexpected ways. Strong on character development, this kickstarts the Old Man’s War Series.

Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein

This classic military sci-fi tale follows Johnny Rico and military recruits who become involved in a battle between humans and aliens nicknamed Arachnids or “Bugs.”

If you love Starship Troopers, check out our review of the wisdom of Grand Admiral Thrawn – Michael

The Best Sci-Fi Robot Stories

The future of robots is here and is complex and necessary reading in these sci-fi tales.

I, Robot by Isaac Asimov

Isaac Asimov’s intriguing work introduced the laws of robotics that all robots must adhere to work alongside humans.

All Systems Red by Martha Wells

The first novel in the Murderbot Diaries, All Systems Red, follows a cyborg that goes by the name Murderbot contends with self-awareness in the corporate-dominated future.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

The beginning of the Lunar Chronicles series is a retelling of Cinderella from the point of view of a cyborg.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick

Famed for its eventual big-screen adaptation, Blade Runner, this novel recounts a future in which highly realistic artificial fugitives are on the run from bounty hunter Rick Deckard.

The Alchemy of Stone by Ekaterina Sedia

Mattie is an automaton in this steampunk and urban fantasy novel involving gargoyles, Mechanics, and Alchemists.

The Best Sci-Fi Mars Stories

Our neighbor, the red planet Mars, beckons to us. What would it be like to walk on the shifting red sands of Mars? Find out in these Martian classics.

The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

Ray Bradbury’s mesmerizing prose introduces us to a Mars full of exotic possibility, soon plundered by humanity’s arrival.

Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson

The first in the Mars Trilogy, Red Mars, involves the colonization and terraforming of Mars and the conflicting moral questions that result.

The Martian by Andy Weir

Astronaut Mark Watney is left behind on a Mars mission and must draw upon his skills and ingenuity in order to survive.

Mars by Ben Bova

Navajo geologist Jamie Waterman joins the first expedition of scientists exploring Mars. The grounded approach Bova takes to all the interaction, politics, and bureaucracy help achieve a plausible future story.

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

The first book in the Red Rising Trilogy envisions a future of planetary colonization in which caste systems abound. Darrow must fight against this system of overlords.

The Best Sci-Fi Fantasy Books

Fly high with dragons, roam lands on epic quests, and learn the hearts of true heroes in the fantasy masterpieces.

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien

J.R.R. Tolkien’s magnum opus spans three books, opening up a fantastically detailed and wholly invented universe in Middle Earth that was hinted at in The Hobbit. Considered the ultimate work of fantasy, The Lord of the Rings brings myth, allegory, poetry, song, war, and melancholy to heights of realism and wonder.

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

The first novel in The Earthsea Cycle tells the tale of the wizard Ged, and his journey to redeem his reckless past.

A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin

Beginning with A Game of Thrones, Martin’s elaborate, dark fantasy series covers land in which seasons last decades, and a terrible force from the north threatens to bring an icy apocalypse to an area filled with rulers jockeying to take the Iron Throne.

The Dragonriders of Pern Series by Anne McCaffrey

This remarkable series takes place in the world of Pern, where people telepathically bond with dragons. Dragonflight is the first in the series.

The Fifth Season: The Broken Earth, Book 1 by N.K Jemisin

The Fifth Season marks the first book of the award-winning The Broken Earth trilogy. Set against civilization’s collapse and natural disaster, Essun endures great personal tragedy in her quest to rescue her daughter.

The Best Sci-Fi Dystopian & Apocalyptic Books

Set in a nightmare future, these dystopian and apocalyptic legends will keep you up at night.

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

In a totalitarian future America, handmade Offred is forced to bear children to men of a ruling class. The tale follows her harrowing life in a bleak future, and the attempt to escape and bring down the subjugating class to restore rights.

The Stand by Stephen King

A deadly pathogen escapes a military installation, rapidly spreading and bringing civilization essentially to an end. A group of survivors makes its way to a form of a promised land while battling a malevolent group seeking domination.

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

In the near future breakdown of the society of Los Angeles, empathic teenager Lauren believes in a better future entailing traveling to other planets. Lauren gathers followers to her belief as she makes her way north.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

Set in the Great Lakes region of America, a group of nomadic creatives picks up the pieces after the fall of civilization due to pandemic flu. Station Eleven has been adapted for HBO Max.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The first book in the Hunger Games Trilogy follows the immense challenges that Katniss Everdeen faces in the post-apocalyptic version of America called Panem. She takes her sister’s place in the government-sponsored Hunger Games to compete for survival in a no-holds-barred and deadly competition.

The Best Sci-Fi Near Futures Books

The future is here, or nearly so, in these ground-breaking novels set close to our present day.

Contact by Carl Sagan

Scientist Ellie Arroway detects a potential extraterrestrial signal from space, which appears to instruct humanity in how to build a machine. She faces self-doubt amid scrutiny to uncover the mysteries of the discovery.

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

This cautionary tale about genetic engineering in which scientists make living, cloned dinosaurs for an amusement park. Mayhem ensues.

2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke

Mysterious monoliths appear across many worlds, seeding life with intelligence. Following the discovery of one such monolith on the moon, Dr. Bowman and a team of scientists investigate the signal it sends to Saturn’s moon Iapetus. The onboard AI begins exhibiting dangerous behavior during the journey.

Flashforward by Robert J. Sawyer

A physics experiment creates an unintended consequence of everyone on earth losing consciousness for two minutes. Each person sees a “flash forward” decades in the future while they are unconscious. The resulting accidents and visions challenge everyone’s ideas of free will.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

In dystopian 2044, impoverished Wade Watts navigates through the virtual reality world of the OASIS, seeking to reverse his fortune.

The Best Sci-Fi Books for Younger Readers

Take adventures through time and space, no matter your age!

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

The Murry children and Calvin O’Keefe crosses universes and space-time to try to find their missing father. Their tale is a mind-bending adventure of good vs. evil.

His Dark Materials Trilogy (The Golden Compass/The Subtle Knife/The Amber Spyglass) by Philip Pullman

The Golden Compass/Northern Lights begins this sweeping saga of two children, one born in a parallel universe, one born in our own. In Lyra’s world, people’s souls exist in animal form, called daemons. Her father and mother represent warring factions determined to control all universes. Filled with talking animals, witches, airships, and strange creatures, His Dark Materials packs an emotional punch.

The Apothecary Series by Maile Meloy

Set in the 1950s, The Apothecary starts this highly entertaining, thrilling adventure series in which American Janie Scott meets Benjamin Burrows, the son of an apothecary. After Benjamin’s father is kidnapped, the teenagers uncover a terrifying plot that could result in humanity’s end. They use potions with magical effects to try and stop the impending doom.

The Serpent's Secret (Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond #1) by Sayantani DasGupta

The first of the Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond series, book one begins with Kiranmala discovering her parents are missing, and there is a demon in her kitchen! Two princes recruited her and sent to another dimension, where she must battle the Serpent King and the Rakkhoshi Queen to rescue her parents and save the Earth.

The Wild Robot by Peter Brown

This delightful middle-grade novel recounts a discarded robot named Roz and her search for love and acceptance.

The Best Sci-Fi Ponderous Books

These mind-bending sci-fi novels will have you thinking for a long time afterward.

Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein

Raised on Mars, Valentine Michael Smith returns to Earth and tries to fit in. His unusual upbringing makes him seem superhuman, but he attempts to help his Earth kin understand things from a different perspective.

The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester

Set in the 24th century when telepaths (“Espers”) are common, and police are telepathic as well. Ben Reich tries to evade the telepathic police for a murder he wants to commit. The story opens up the moral issues of using telepathy, regulated mostly by a guild, but raises concerns about the exclusion of telepaths who run astray as well as psychological intrigue.

Solaris by Stanislaw Lem

Solaris follows humans’ failed attempts to communicate with extraterrestrial intelligence. The sentient planet tests the researchers with their memories and emotions.

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

A story spanning time and space and connections between various characters, Cloud Atlas explores the theme of fate with a mind-bending narrative.

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

This classic tale follows the journey of Genly Ai on his mission to the planet Gethen. The ambisexual Gethenians present challenges and growth for Ai.

The Best Sci-Fi Cyberpunk Books

If you dream of the future lit by neon, shadowed by noir, and fueled with intrigue, these seminal cyberpunk novels are for you!

Neuromancer by William Gibson

In the first novel of the Sprawl Trilogy, hacker Henry Case is hired to help an AI take over the global network called The Matrix.

All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders

A modern cyberpunk tale is weaving together magic and science, with wit and feeling.

Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan

Set in the 25th century, humans have spread through the galaxy and can be preserved after death via cortical stacks, then essentially regenerated or “re-sleeved” into another body. Takeshi Kovacs stumbles upon a vast conspiracy after his latest “sleeve.”

The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester

This early entry into cyberpunk sci-fi follows teleporter Gully Foyle, an outcast considered dangerous.

Synners by Pat Cadigan

The synthesizers, or Synners, are people who can turn mental images into products for consumption. The story is told via various characters’ viewpoints.

The Best Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books by Indie Authors

Discover the latest sci-fi and fantasy stories, while supporting independent authors!

Mindful Things by Mya Duong

Nineteen-year-old Lauren begins to experience visions and uncovers the fact her deceased parents were witches. A madman hungry for power pursues her, and she must embrace her magical heritage to try to stop him.

The Infinite by John W. Akers

The inventor Pax works on a secret project that can revolutionize human cognition. His plans are derailed by a computer virus that could end civilization, so Pax is forced to choose how he can help humanity survive.

Threadwalkers by Joanna Volavka

Miranda Woodward undergoes a discordant series of events following her father’s death. This is a young adult time travel tale.

Resonance by Jennifer Greenhall

In Book One of the Resonance Series, Sophia Walsh uses her psionic abilities for good but finds herself the next target of a killer.

Heliopause: The Questrison Saga®: Book One by J. Dianne Dotson

Heliopause by J. Dianne Dotson kickstarts The Questrison Saga®, a four-book series science fiction and fantasy series. In Heliopause, a mystery at the edge of the solar system reveals a galactic menace. A galactic natural disaster unfolds, aiding the monster in the void. Human Forster and human-looking, ageless Galla-Deia team up with telepaths, galactic mages, aliens, and androids to face the greatest threat to all life in the galaxy. Full of diverse characters and exotic worlds, found and made families, heartbreak, and whimsy, this space opera recalls Star WarsDoctor Who, and Game of Thrones.

At Your Money Geek, we are huge fans of the science fiction genre, everything from military science fiction to novels about space travel, parallel worlds, and fantasy novels. We are always looking for new books to read and exciting sci-fi writers to profile, let us know in the comments what authors you are currently enjoying.

This post was produced and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.

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J. Dianne Dotson dreamed up other worlds and their characters as a child in the 1980s in East Tennessee. She formed her own neighborhood astronomy club before age 10, to educate her friends about the universe. In addition to writing stories, she drew and painted her characters, designed their outrageous space fashions, and created travel guides and glossaries for the worlds she invented.

As an adult, Dianne earned a degree in ecology and evolutionary biology, and spent several years working in research. She published Heliopause: The Questrison Saga®: Book One (2018) and its sequels Ephemeris: The Questrison Saga®: Book Two (2019), Accretion: The Questrison Saga®: Book Three (2020) and her last novel in the saga, Luminiferous: The Questrison Saga®: Book Four (2021).

Dianne is also a science writer, content writer and manager, short story writer, watercolorist, and illustrator. She lives with her family.

Who wrote "Binti," a Hugo-award-winning African futuristic science fiction horror story?

Authors from the Arab world and Africa add distinct cultural perspectives and social critique.

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Content: Discover New Worlds: Top 10 Science Fiction Books for Young People
If you ’ re looking for a novel, thrilling events, elaborate details and a mystery, Ahmed Khaled Tawfik ’ s novel In the Rat Corridor is your best choice, published in 2016 and one of the best Arabic science fiction novels.
(Explanatory)
Reading is the food of the mind and a window to learn about new worlds you may not know anything about, giving you a different pleasure through which you can overcome boredom and depression and spend your free time reading your favorite book, but the most important question remains: Why read science fiction books?
Especially since there are thousands of books specialized in history and different civilizations throughout the ages that require reading and learning about them?
The answer is simply that sometimes we need to let go of the past, the present and even think about the future and let our imagination take a fun journey with science fiction books, which makes us fly into a parallel world where we can make our own laws and build our own world as we want.
10 Best Science Fiction Books Worth Reading
1.
In the Rat Corridor by Ahmed Khaled Tawfik
If you ’ re looking for a novel, thrilling events, elaborate details and a mystery, Ahmed Khaled Tawfik ’ s novel In the Rat Corridor is your best choice, published in 2016 and one of the best Arabic science fiction novels.
The story is about a huge meteor collision with the planet, blocking the sun ’ s rays from the earth, and thus the lack of all sources of energy and the creation of a system of “Commander ”, which criminalizes the generation of any source of energy or even the ignition of fire.
After the emergence of a group of rebels calling themselves the "Illuminati", the story ends with a tragic and unexpected end.
2.
Call for Carl Sagan.
Contact is the masterpiece of writer Karal Sagan, the novel talks about the realization of the dream of humans to discover another life somewhere else in the universe, but contrary to expectations people do not care about this discovery due to their preoccupation with their human world full of various political conflicts.
The adventure begins with a message explaining how to get to this place with a specially made machine for this journey, called a trip to the edge of the universe, where man sees what he has never seen before, where the huge stars and amazing scenes from a new world beyond our comprehension, and during this journey one can experience an adventure like never before.
3.
Traveler Zero by Ahmed Abdel Fattah Saleh
Traveler Zero, one of the most beautiful Arabic science fiction books, revolves around the character of a man named Sharif who wakes up one day to find himself in a world other than his own, and a life he knows nothing about, and that the last thing he remembers is his sleep as a college student and waking up as a married man with children and a different and new life. The truth about himself and the reason why he suddenly fell into this situation.
This novel is characterized by its attractive style of narration, as the writer relied on images, symbols and fictional situations that added to the novel a lot of elements of suspense and pleasure, and in which you can not stop reading if you have already begun.
4.
Dr. Morrow Island by Herbert George Wells.
This novel is the simplest example of an intellectual revolution, where it revolves around an Englishman descended from a class of nobility named Edward Brendick, all things change Edward when he goes on a trip to an island in the Pacific Ocean and his ship crashes and is rescued by a man named Montgomery, who takes him on a boat to the island inhabited by this man, in addition to a mad animal anatomist named Moro, and a number of half-humans. Created by this scientist with surgical methods and other interventions in animal life, Edward's adventure begins.
5.
The Ferry Man by Justin Cronin
This novel is about a group of survivors who are on a hidden utopia, but the truth is not what it seems.
Set in the Prospera archipelago, founded by the mysterious genius known as the designer far from the horrors of the deteriorating outside world, this island paradise has a long and satisfying life until the screens installed in their arms, aimed at measuring their physical health and well-being, drop to less than 10% and retire, and set off on a ferry trip to the island known as the nursery, where their bodies are renewed. Their memories are erased and they are ready to be brought back to life.
The story centers on Proctor Bennett of the Department of Social Contracts who finds himself questioning everything he once believed in, involved in a much larger cause than he was connected to and in a desperate mission to uncover the truth, after mounting unrest and rumors of a resistance group known as the “Expatriates ”, which may incite a revolution.
6.
The Time Machine of Herbert George Wells.
This book is considered one of the best and most important science fiction books, written by Herbert George Wells, one of the founders of science fiction and thriller.
The story revolves around a physicist who has developed a device through which he can see the future, and the extent of the major conflicts between two species of humans in the future, one of them is the Elroy luxuriant who is stupid behind the graces and lives on the surface of the earth, and the other is the Morlock, the species that lives underground and never sees the sun. Louie. "
7.
The Storm of Swords by George Martin.
This novel is the third part of the epic "Ice and Fire", one of the most famous books by George Martin, and revolves around the story of the Storm of Swords about the Five Kings, especially the young King Jeffrey, who seeks to secure his rule, and at this stage many battles and wars between the family and other kings, in an atmosphere full of excitement, suspense and science fiction.
8.
A Land Without Shadow by Mohamed Abdel Aal Al Khatib
This novel delves into the sea of science fiction and takes place in the future, where the debris of a planet flies in the sky, and each period the debris of this planet comes closer and closer to the inhabitants of the Earth, who live in a state of unprecedented fear and horror, and the population begins to search for another planet to escape to it by researchers and thinkers.
9.
The truth about Dan Brown.
One of the works of the American novelist Dan Brown is one of the most famous science fiction novels, and it is difficult to start without finishing it immediately; it revolves around the conspiracy theory and the involvement of NASA with a large research agency to convince the world of the existence of a meteor coming, and thus the public is preoccupied with many social problems and economic situation experienced by the country. There are a lot of corruption cases in the United States.
10.
Earth to the Moon by Jules Verle.
At the end of the list is one of the best science fiction novels worth reading, one of the oldest works that predicted human travel to the moon, by French writer John Ferrell, published in 1865.
A group of scientists from a club called Cannon developed a cannon shot designed to take them to the moon, and this book predicts the fact that humans arrived on the moon almost 100 years before it actually happened.
In this article, we have presented to you 10 books and novels that are considered one of the most famous and best science fiction books for leading writers, which many have enjoyed reading and enjoying.

Youssef Ezzedine Issa adds new themes to science fiction’s global conversation.

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Content: General Supervision
Elham Aboul Fath
Editor-in-Chief
Thank you for your patience.
General Supervision
Elham Aboul Fath
Editor-in-Chief
Thank you for your patience.
Birthday of Yusuf Izz al-Din..
The pioneer of science fiction writing in the 20th century
Today is the 17th of July, the birthday of Dr. Youssef Ezzedine Issa, one of the prominent figures of the twentieth century. He is a writer and thinker. He has a special school in fiction, where imagination and dream are symbolically mixed with reality, to create an accurate analysis of the real world we live in today. He is the pioneer of science fiction in Egypt.
Dr. Yousef Ezzedine Issa practiced all forms of writing and excelled in all of them, writing short story, novel, play, poetry, essay, and analytical studies.
The Writings of Jesus
Isa ’ s writings are characterized by not talking about a particular region of the world or problems related to a specific place, but he often talks about man everywhere with a comprehensive, neutral and understanding view, that is, man in its universal sense, believing that the earth is one place where all human beings live, share feelings and suffering, and meet the same fate, which is death.
In 1987, he was awarded the State Appreciation Award in Literature, the highest and most prestigious award in Egypt because, according to the Committee's reasoning, "...
He founded a new school of literary writing that influenced many writers... "
He is the first (and only) Egyptian writer to be awarded the State Prize for Literature while living outside the capital.
Moreover, the nomination or even nomination of a professor of science for a state prize in literature was out of the question.
Dr. Yousef Izz al-Din Issa received another award from the state in 1978 for his radio work and the committee stated that among the reasons for receiving the award was that the radio drama on his hands turned into a high type of literature.
It was also the first and only time an Egyptian writer was awarded a state award for his radio drama.
Other honours awarded to Dr. Yousef Ezzedine Issa include the Order of Science and Arts of the first class twice, in 1979 and again in 1988, the Order of the Republic in 1981, and the Silver and Gold Jubilee of Radio and Television.
Dr. Yousef Ezzedine Issa was awarded the Knight of Literature Medal in 1999, a few months before his death, for his pioneering role in enriching the literary movement.
The introduction of a new kind of literature has influenced a lot of writers. ”
In addition to many honours, silver and gold shields and certificates of appreciation from the palaces of culture in Egypt, he has also been awarded many honours and certificates of appreciation in the field of science from Alexandria University and other universities in addition to obtaining them from other universities.
Youssef Ezzedine Issa wrote about 200 short stories, 9 novels, 6 plays, and a number of poems and songs, in addition to his writings for radio drama, which amounts to about 400 works.
Best Literary Personality in Egypt
Dr. Youssef Ezz El-Din Issa was selected as the best literary figure in Egypt for 1998 and 1999.
In 2001, the lecture hall at the Freedom Culture Palace (now the Creative Center) was named the “Cultural Salon of Yousef Ezzedine Issa ” to symbolize intellectual giving.

Awards and anthologies elevate diverse voices, from the Hugos to the blind selection of Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy.

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Hugo ’ s Soul – Hugo Award, the highest honor in contemporary science fiction
A crazy idea from a science fiction novel has come true.
How can they give up this feeling of being in heaven? Of course they want to go on to heaven.
Heaven appeared in Chicago for the second time in 1940 and Denver for the third time in 1941.
However, the Second World War broke out and their annual extravaganza was interrupted.
After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the vast majority of science fiction fans enlisted in the military, and only a few stayed home.
Those who stay will send science fiction magazines to their comrades on the front lines, because the comrades who hide in the trenches must rely on them to protect their souls.
In 1945, a crazy idea in science fiction came true, two atomic bombs exploded in Nagasaki, Hiroshima, Japan, ending the war, bringing peace back, and, of course, heaven. In 1946, the Fourth World Science Fiction Conference reopened in Los Angeles.
At science fiction conventions, sometimes science fiction fans vote for their best novel or short story.
At the Eleventh Congress in 1953, a rocket-shaped trophy was presented to the winner, but it was only a temporary initiative that did not continue the following year.
It was not until the Thirteenth Congress in 1955 that the people decided to make the award a permanent ceremony, and the award was named The Science Fiction Achievement Award, but it was still called the Hugo Award in private in honor of Gensbach ’ s contributions.
In 1958, the Hugo Award became the official name.
And so the Hugo Award was born.
Nearly 70% of the awards were awarded.
Canadian author Jo Walton is the winner of the 2012 Hugo Award for fiction.
Starting in 2010, she spent three years reading the novels that won awards and were shortlisted in the 42-year period from 1959 to 2000, and published them on the science fiction website, and in-depth discussions with the science fiction community, which caused widespread response.
In 2018, she published An Informal History of the Hugos.
She said she expanded her reading range to include the finalists because she was curious to see if the winning entries were actually the best ones of the year.
She concluded that twenty-five of those forty-two years were indeed well chosen, equivalent to 69% of the winning entries.
In addition, why stop at the year 2000? She gives two reasons.
First, she has published her own work since 2000 and was shortlisted for the John Campbell Memorial Award in 2001, so she cannot include her work in the evaluation in order to remain detached and objective.
The second and most important reason is that the work must stand the test of time.
Since she started writing the column in 2010, a ten-year interval is a reasonable time frame.
For example, if a novel published in 2000 is not out of print by 2010, it can barely stand the test of time.
It takes time to see the works from the depth of history.
Finally, she said that because she also won the Hugo Award in 2012, deeply shocked, coupled with reading 250 novels and writing a column for three years, she is more convinced that the Hugo Award is indeed of extraordinary significance, indeed the most important literary award in science fiction.
The Ideal Science Fiction Reading Guide
So, for readers in Taiwan, what does the Hugo Award mean?
Compared to English-speaking countries, Taiwan's science fiction publishing is much cooler, however, with the efforts of many publishers, Taiwanese readers can still get access to some classic works in the history of science fiction.
Therefore, the Hugo Award can still be an ideal reading guide.
For example, the 1966 award-winning Dune is a classic in the history of science fiction.
The film based on this novel has been popular around the world since its recent release, which has sparked a rush to read the original novel.
Successful film and television adaptations do help drive readers ’ interest in science fiction reading.
Similarly, the 2016 Oscar-nominated film “Arrival ” is also based on classic science fiction.
The success of the film has made Chiang Feng-nan, one of the most prominent Taiwanese-American writers of the time, a household name.
His two collections of novels, The Story of Your Life and The Breath, won four Hugo Awards in 2002, 2008, 2009 and 2011.
And the 1966 Hugo Award "Best Science Fiction Series" of the "Base" series (Chinese translation fantasy base publication) is the history of science fiction super classic, the impact on the future generations is unparalleled.
A television series based on the novel is also popular.
The 1970 award winning "Left Hand of Darkness" and the 1976 award winning "Nothing" are representative works of the life of the female writer Esula Le Guen, who is familiar to Taiwanese readers.
The 2002 award for American Gods is the work of Neil Gaiman, a leading contemporary fantasy writer, and his award is the most successful example of a Hugo Award-compatible fantasy genre.
The publication of classic science fiction novels in Taiwan still has a long way to go. (Part II)
Fiction Finalists
The last one.
Sea Star Anti-Epidemic Soup
The next one.
I used to be a fellow traveler.
Extended reading
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