So they actually did it: They turned the sprawling, insane Cloud Atlas into a movie, one that actually makes the book look straightforward and uncontroversial. It just goes to show, no matter how unconventional or sprawling a book is, there's a way to adapt that sucker into a movie. Except sometimes, no.
Can you name the 10 greatest science fiction novels by women authors published in the past decade? That's a meme that's been making the rounds, in response to a perceived increase in the marginalization of women in SF.
The Washington Post quizzes a bunch of famous and high-powered scientists about the books they read for fun, and the books that inspired them when they were younger. Their answers show how some science-fiction books have shaped their lives.
Some of our favorite science fiction authors appear to have left SF behind, after creating stories that live with us forever. We asked Nicola Griffith, Karen Joy Fowler, Samuel R. Delany and Mary Doria Russell why they left the genre.
Chances are when alien visitors show up, they won't speak any language we can recognize. We'll be lucky if they have recognizable music, like the aliens in Mary Doria Russell's The Sparrow. They may not have eyes or ears, as we understand them. So how can we prove to our first contacts that we're smart enough to talk…
