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Posts Tagged “

Frank Herbert

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scifi sagas

7 Reasons Why Scifi Book Series Outstay Their Welcomes

Why do so many amazing novels sprawl into so-so trilogies? Let alone blah tetralogies, or dull ten-book series? Blame "Herbert's Syndrome," in which a great writer gets tempted to keep writing about a popular universe, like Frank Herbert's Dune, long after its expiration date. (The Fantasy Review coined the term "Herbert's Syndrome" back in 1984, so Brian Herbert didn't enter into it.) Here's a handy guide to the symptoms and causes of Herbert's unfortunate ailment. More »

4:30 PM on Wed May 14 2008
By Charlie Jane Anders
23,754 views, 141 comments

islam in science fiction

SF Writers Use Islam To Explore The Familiar Alien

The Islam And Science Fiction website is addictive reading, mostly because it shows how many different ways non-Muslim writers have portrayed Islam in SF works. I already knew that Dune borrows tons of ideas from Islam, but I'd forgotten that Philip K. Dick's Eye In The Sky used a fundamentalist Islamic world to reflect paranoia about McCarthyism and Communist hysteria. (In a few works, Islam seems to be the "safe" other to project an author's fears of oppression onto.) But since 9/11, portrayals of Islam have actually become more sympathetic in novels such as Charles Stross' Accelerando and Brian Aldiss' Harm. [Islam In Science Fiction]

12:10 PM on Wed May 7 2008
By Charlie Jane Anders
1,152 views, 25 comments

Latest by n/a: Uhg...If Frank Herbert was alive today he would slap Brian's mama. more »

mega-sentients

The Largest Mega-Sentients In The Entire Universe

Are you ashamed of your size? You should be! Compared to Ego The Living Planet or Unicron the planet who turns into a giant robot, you're not only puny and tiny, you're kind of dumb as well. If there's one thing that science fiction teaches us, it's that you need a sun-sized brain to think truly cosmic thoughts. (And to eat other planets for lunch, too.) But which life form in scifi is the hugest (and therefore the smartest)? We've got the answer. More »

4:30 PM on Tue May 6 2008
By Charlie Jane Anders
6,708 views, 56 comments

Latest by n/a: @ ac14112 No, not the only one, just one of the few ... You are correct sir (or madam as the case maybe) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaia_%28Foundation_universe%29 Gaia was the planet sized "seed" from which Galaxia would/did grow (is growing?) So ... as far as >one< fictional veiw more »

triviagasm

Listen Up -- We've Got 11 Classic Scifi Audiobooks

Books on tape might be extremely dead technology, but iPods and eBook readers like the Amazon Kindle have reanimated the medium and turned audiobooks into the commuter's wonder drug. When the book is read well, you'll find yourself sitting mesmerized in your parking space just listening, instead of heading into work. Check out our list of eleven classic scifi audiobooks, and listen up. More »

11:00 AM on Fri Jan 11 2008
By Kevin Kelly
5,356 views, 30 comments