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You're watching a brief but compelling excerpt from an interview with SF-giant Isaac Asimov. Originally aired in 1988, the conversation touches on such topics as the future of creativity in education, the necessity for scientific inquiry, and the vilification of intellectualism. It is absolutely incredible how many of the interview's topics, and Asimov's points, are as relevant today as they were 24 years ago. More »
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Many of science fiction's most rosy ideas of the future seem less and less likely, or they've already failed to materialize on schedule. But the future could still be a beautiful place. More »
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Last week it came to our attention that the phrase "blast off" was coined—not in a purely scientific context, but a science fictional one—by E. E. Smith, an early science fiction author often referred to as "the father of space opera." The term appeared in Smith's 1937 story Galactic Patrol, when one character inquires of another, "How long do you figure it'll be before it's safe for us to blast off?" More »
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Nowadays, we take for granted the idea that if you go travel back in time and interact with your own past, you can create a huge crazy time paradox. But who first came up with this idea? More »
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If you love science fiction anthologies and treasure the breadth and depth of story collections about the fantastic, then you owe a great debt to Martin H. Greenberg, who died over the weekend. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5816105&view=rss&microfeed=true The Guardian's book section has been running a slew of interesting and thought-provoking articles about science fiction books, including excerpts of rare interviews with Isaac Asimov and Douglas Adams, great authors choosing their favorite books, and a terrific China Mieville profile. Well worth checking out. More »
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Though not without its flaws, Forward the Foundation is a fascinating book, in which both author Isaac Asimov and his hero scientist Hari Seldon strive to finish the works that would define them after they were gone. More »
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In the prequel Prelude to Foundation, Isaac Asimov takes us back to see how psychohistory, the science that saved humanity, was born — and it's kind of a crazy ride. Knife fights, mustaches, and high-level math await! More »
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Having determined the fate of the galaxy, our intrepid space travelers move on to the next task at hand — finding the long-lost planet where humanity was born. It's a strange trip into yesteryear, in Isaac Asimov's Foundation and Earth. More »
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Three decades after his Foundation stories became classics, Isaac Asimov returned to that universe. In Hugo winner Foundation's Edge, he covers old ground and new, and shows how a whole galaxy can work in harmony, in more than one sense. More »
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The Mule has disrupted Hari Seldon's plan, and nothing can save the Foundation. Unless — yes! There's another Foundation, hidden away at Star's End. Or is there? Let's find out, as we dig into Second Foundation, by Isaac Asimov. More »
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Hari Seldon's plan is working perfectly, and thanks to psychohistory, the Foundation is well on its way to saving what remains of Galactic civilization. And then Isaac Asimov throws a wrench or two into the works, in Foundation and Empire. More »
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On the planet Terminus, a group of academics struggles to survive as the Galactic Empire crumbles. With no weapons, all they can rely on are the predictions of a dead genius named Hari Seldon. That's right - it's time to discuss Isaac Asimov's Foundation! More »
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Anybody can vaporize you with a disintegrator gun or blow up your planet with an ultimate weapon — but it takes a real badass to thrash you with a fictional martial art. Especially a discipline designed for many-armed aliens. More »
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In the two years before he died, Asimov was prepping a TV series about the thin line between science and science fiction - and how we need to embrace the future. Now you can see footage from it for free online. More »
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A ship plunges boldly into the swirling eye of an event horizon, criss-crossed by a searing beam of purple light. What happens next? It's the sort of tantalizing image that leaves you dreaming — and desperate to read the book that the image adorns. More »
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For a guy who felt that science fiction was dead a few years ago, Ridley Scott seems to have renewed his interest in the genre of late. He's producing a show for the Science channel paying tribute to scifi's creators. More »
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Most long-time science fiction fans consider the Golden Age to have started with the July 1939 issue of Astounding Science Fiction. That issue contained Isaac Asimov's first Astounding story ("Trends") as well as A.E. Van Vogt's first story, "Black Destroyer." More »
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With The Tempest, opening tomorrow, Julie Taymor and Helen Mirren bring a splashy fantasy vibe to the Bard. But science fiction and fantasy have been playing with Shakespeare forever. Here are the greatest Shakespeare homages and cover versions in SF. More »
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Over at Shelfari, they're discussing "the worst books of the good authors" in science fiction. Including lone clunkers by Asimov, Heinlein and Niven. What are your least favorite books by your favorite authors? [Shelfari] More »
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You can learn an amazing amount about how to write science fiction from reading Robert A. Heinlein. But his most often quoted bit of writing advice won't help you at all. If anything, it'll mess you up. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5666113&view=rss&microfeed=true Former book editor Larry Ashmead died aged 78 on Friday. During his 43-year career in publishing, he edited more than 40 books by Isaac Asimov. According to AFP, he also rescued Simon Winchester's account of the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary, The Professor and the Madman from the "garbage bin" after everyone else had turned it down. He also published a book of his own in 2007, Bertha Venation And Hundreds of Other Funny Names of Real People, which included names like Ida Slaptor. He died in a Hudson, NY hospital after a brief illness. [AFP] More »
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If you have ever been a fan of science fiction, you cannot do better than to return to the works of Isaac Asimov, argues The Threepenny Review's Wendy Lesser in her review of Asimov's The End Of Eternity. More »
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Science fiction is the literature of our times, the fuel of our imaginations and the source of our favorite imaginary worlds. But what do we mean when we talk about "science fiction?" Here are some of the many definitions. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5622186&view=rss&microfeed=true "Science fiction is naturally melodramatic and extreme... It asks two great questions, "What if?" and "If this goes on?" And it wants its answers — its disasters — to be big enough to be visible and understood. Is this depressing? Not necessarily. There is a line that comes (I think) from Isaac Asimov. It may be the great statement of science fiction. 'There will be a future, and it will be different.' ... As long as there is life, there is change and therefore history; and as long as there is life, there are alternatives." — Eleanor Arnason's Web Log More »
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Great science fiction and fantasy novels don't just expose us to other worlds and alternate timelines — they expand our minds and give us compass to steer by. Here are our favorite bits of advice and maxims from SF books. More »
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At long last we come to perhaps the biggest name in science-fiction literature. Settle in for a long, long — long — look at what might be the least Asimovian story Isaac Asimov ever wrote. More »
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Scientists now believe there's a supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy. But back in the day, we dreamed the galactic center held God's home planet. Or a super-civilization. What else did science-fiction authors think we'd find there? More »
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Space might be the final frontier, but science fiction has always harbored a fascination with worlds under the waves. Here are 11 great examples of scifi's submerged cities. More »
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We're getting to the end of our survey, but 1954 is a ridiculously robust year, with Ray Bradbury delivering Fahrenheit 451, Richard Matheson offering I Am Legend, and Japan unleashing Godzilla: King of the Monsters. More »
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China Miéville's detective story The City And The City is well on its way to being the award-winningest novel of the year. But it's not the only great novel about science fiction/fantasy sleuths. Here are 10 other SF detective classics. More »
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For this installment of Weekend Short Story Club, we'll be looking at Isaac Asimov's "The Last Question." Short stories are an oft-forgotten part of literature, and "The Last Question" showcases every reason why they should stay relevant. More »
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The main problem with a book club, of course, is getting the book. Even in this iPad/Kindle era, it still costs money to get the darn thing. But with Weekend Short Story Club, we're taking the free culture route. More »
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LibraryThing's science fiction group had a great discussion about "wrong book, wrong time" situations, where you hate a book, but much later, you rediscover it and fall in love. What books are you glad you gave a second chance to? More »
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People talk about science fiction as the literature of humanism. But actually, science fiction's explorations put it into conflict with humanism's tenets. The best science fiction questions the nature of humanity, and whether the universe will let us stay human. More »
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Frederik Pohl is blogging about his relationship with Isaac Asimov, which began as teenagers and turned into Pohl being Asimov's agent. Learn why a publisher wouldn't touch Asimov's Foundation and I, Robot, and the weirdest question in Asimov's Phd orals. More »
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Is Roland Emmerich really going to adapt Isaac Asimov's Foundation books? Maybe, but he's doing another movie first. And he's making the writer rewrite the script so the movie will have "a hero" and "a bad guy." Minor spoilers ahead. More »
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Are you facing the prospect of being alone on Valentine's Day? It's not too late to make someone fall in love with you. Science fiction's full of handy ways to make someone swoon into your arms, and here's a list. More »
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