Great Science Fiction Resources

Great Science Fiction Resources:

Science fiction is a genre of fiction that is much like fantasy in that it includes elements that are not consistent with physical reality as we currently know it. However, while fantasy deals primarily with the imaginary and the impossible, science fiction concerns itself with speculation about what may be possible someday in the future—even if seems highly improbable in the present. In addition, science fiction, by definition, is based to some degree on science or on conjecture, sometimes well-reasoned and sometimes fanciful, about where science might eventually lead the human race. Thus, while magic, fairies, and mythical creatures are common tropes in fantasy literature, science fiction storylines often revolve around such plot devices as visitations from extraterrestrial life-forms, time travel, space travel, sentient androids, radiation-induced mutations, and human cloning. 

One popular form of science fiction is the dystopian novel, which postulates a grim future existence for the human race, usually precipitated by a nuclear war, a disastrous environmental event, a plague, or a time of great political upheaval that results in the loss of freedom, privacy, or other human rights. Prominent examples of dystopian novels include The Last Man by Mary Shelly, 1984 by George Orwell, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, The Children of Men by P.D. James, The Handmaid’s Tale and Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood, and The Road by Cormac McCarthy. The themes of time travel and alien invasion were pioneered by the author H.G. Wells in the novels The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds respectively. 

           Much science fiction deals with the consequence of technology run amok or of humankind’s over-dependence on technological advancements. Examples of science fiction novels that express this anxiety over technology and posit a future based on a destructive conflict between man and machines or artificial-life-forms include Frankenstein by Mary Shelly, 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick. In cinema, The Terminator films and The Matrix films are especially clear examples of this theme.

            Because science fiction involves alien settings and alternate realities, it can be an excellent forum through which to address political or cultural issues that would otherwise be too controversial or distasteful if addressed in a more realistic fictional setting. For instance, the television series Battlestar Galactica took a hard look at the motivations behind terrorism in a series of episodes in which humans repeatedly committed violent acts in order to defeat their Cylon suppressors. In the 1950s and 1960s, when fears about Communist infiltration were at their height, science fiction reflected the growing societal paranoia, exemplified by films such as I Married A Monster from Outer Space in which dangerous aliens disguised themselves as human beings and could not be distinguished from the general populace. When fears of communism reached another peak in the late 1970s and early 1980s, these themes again rose to the forefront, with a remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers and films such as Alien.

           Some of the best and most consistently entertaining science fiction stories are simply adventure tales, but instead of traveling to the Amazon or the Orient, the protagonists travel to the moon, Mars, and beyond. The perennially popular television series Star Trek, which follows the voyages of the crew of the Starship Enterprise as they seek out new life and new civilizations, and Doctor Who, which narrates the escapades of a 900-year-old Time Lord as he travels through space and time in a vehicle that resembles a police box, are examples of this sub-type of science fiction. Two of the earliest extant science fiction stories ever written also fall into this category: Johannes Kepler’s Somnium, about a trip to the moon, and Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver's Travels, which tells of the title character’s travels to the strange lands of Lilliput, Brobdingnag, and Houyhnhnms. The works of Jules Verne, who wrote 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and Douglas Adams, who wrote The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series, are also basic adventure stories set in a science fiction context. In film, the two trilogies that make up George Lucas’s space-opera epic Star Wars are adventure stories that are more about coming-of-age and the ongoing battle between good and evil than about science. 

General Science Fiction Resources:

Science fiction resources abound both on and off the internet. There are professional organizations that cater to science fiction writers and scholars, resource pages designed for educators who use science fiction as a teaching tool in the classroom, and research institutions and facilities that aim to encourage and facilitate the critical study of science fiction and related genres.

• Science Fiction Research Association: The Science Fiction Research Association is a professional organization founded in 1970 and devoted to the academic study of science-fiction literature, film, and television.

• Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America: A professional organization for writers of science fiction and fantasy, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America sponsors the Nebula Awards, which, along with the Hugo Awards, are among America’s most prestigious literary awards for the recognition of excellence in science fiction and fantasy writing. The organization also provides professional support for science fiction writers, including assistance in legal disputes with publishers, emergency grants to authors to cover medical or legal expenses, advice for new writers, information about copyright laws, and lists of literary agents, literary markets, and publishers. The organization’s web site maintains a page of recommended reading for those who want a quick survey of the best of the science fiction genre.

• About SF: A joint project of the University of Kansas, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and the Science Fiction Research Association, About SF is a comprehensive online resource center devoted to speculative literature and science fiction. Emphasis is placed on lesson plans, teaching guides, and other information of help to educations seeking to introduce science fiction into the classroom. 

• SF Hub: SF Hub is a resource portal for scholars of science fiction and fantasy literature based in the United Kingdom. The self-proclaimed aim of the SF Hub is to facilitate research into the science fiction literature and related genres. SF Hub is a project of the University of Liverpool Library and receives funding from Britain’s Arts and Humanities Research Council. 

• The Science Fiction Foundation: The Science Fiction Foundation is a British literary organization devoted to the promotion of science fiction and the facilitation of academic and professional interaction between writers, scholars, educators, and archivists interested in science fiction and related genres. Projects include the regular publication of the literary journal Foundation: The International Review of Science Fiction and the creation of a special research library devoted to science fiction at the University of Liverpool.

• World Science Fiction Society: The World Science Fiction Society awards the prestigious Hugo Awards, which recognize the year’s best in science fiction writing, and sponsors the annual World Science Fiction Convention, popularly known as “WorldCon.”