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more about #robertaheinlein Counterglow: Just a shout-out to an old high school librarian who's probably dead now. His last name was Johnson. We called him "Wimpy" because of a slight resem... more » hwilam: Anne McCaffery's Pern books create an entire catalogue of teaching ballads to remind humanity of the tasks necessary when the red star comes near. more » Grey_Area: Dan Simmons used the diary bit in Hyperion with the girl who was ageing backwards. That always creeped me out. "See you later alligator." "In a while... more » Dr Emilio Lizardo: Buckaroo Banzai: write it on your palm, lick your palm, slap your mentor on the forehead so he gets a copy too. more » RoboBagins: Gundam is only an acronym in alternative universe of Gundam Seed. In fact, I'm not sure of where it comes from in classic Universal Century (UC). In... more » techgoddess: Only .002 cents per byte: OH GOD TVTROPES Thanks io9, for making me fail this semester!!! XD more » goldfarb: the 'Method of loci' is, and always will be, the coolest way to remember things... more » Belabras: I thought of another one, but I forgot it. more » Vulcan Has No Moon: Neon Genesis Evangelion. The damn writers/producers couldn't think of a way to end that train wreck except by killing off the whole damn cast. They sh... more » Wookie1972: Oh, and is it blasphemy to suggest that Professor Tolkien's work, despite the lack of sex, was just a wee bit soap operatic? more » Wookie1972: Soap operas aren't all that bad- doesn't War and Peace have something like 400 characters? more » ggodo, the man from R.O.A.C.H.: And yet, Sonic's comic books were so much better than any game released this decade. more » Alessar: ALIAS? Here, I can explain Alias: more » atrus123: Another weird thread in BSG was Starbuck and Leoben. They have this long, complex, tormented relationship throughout the series, and then when they d... more » Dirk Anger: what about the Summers family tree? It's even worse than that x-men relationships map: [tvtropes.org] Here's the text version: [members.core.com] (I... more » CleverName: Holy shit! John McCain is in Stargate Universe? more » ♠ Final ♠: I'm still waiting for Forge to show up in Wakanda to take Storm from the arms of T'Challa. Storm out in the rain is still one of my favorite covers o... more » erika: Aw, I thought that you were going to talk about daytime soaps that went sci fi. General Hospital and Days had some great sci fi storylines in the 80'... more » Counterglow: Thank god Wolverine isn't bi. If he was, he'd have banged the whole Marvel universe by now. more » raptor170123: Ok, potshots at BSG are fine, but let's be fair...Head Six showed Baltar the child, and SIX EPISODES later she told him that "Boomer" (the copy later ... more » -
#triviagasm
How To Jog Your Memory, The Science Fiction Hero Way
The busier you get, the more stuff you forget, and navigating that mental clutter can be worse than steering through an asteroid field. Luckily, lots of intrepid galactic heroes have faced faulty memories, and created some handy techniques for remembering. More » -
#top10
Top 10 Most Ridiculous Soap Operas Of All Time
People are complaining that Stargate Universe is becoming a soap opera, but don't worry — it's got a ways to go before it reaches the levels of science fiction/fantasy's most demented, silliest soap operas. More » -
#holycrapwtf
Cheesiest And Most Inappropriate Book Covers Of All Time
Most of us would have no problem being seen in public reading a science-fiction novel... unless it had a cover so hideous, or so wrong, that you might get arrested. Here are the cheesiest and most disturbing science-fiction book covers. More » -
#triviagasm
3 Ways To Meet (And Get Nasty With) Your Opposite-Sex Duplicate
The most frustrating, annoying thing about the opposite sex is that they're not you. Why can't you just meet your exact duplicate — except for sex? You'd be a perfect match. Luckily, science fiction suggests 3 ways it could happen. More » -
#triviagasm
The 10 Greatest Eternally Young Heroes (Who Aren't Vampires)
Everywhere you look nowadays, there are young, fresh-faced vampires. But they're not the only heroes out there who stay eternally young. Some of our favorite science-fiction heroes are blessed (cursed?) with Alphaville's reward. Here are the 10 greatest forever-young heroes.
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#books
The Simple Technology That Could Make Heinlein's Classic Novel Into A Novella
At 220,000 words, Heinlein's Stranger In A Strange Land is one of the most famous doorstoppers in science-fiction history. (There's an edited version, which loses about 60,000 words.) Now a biologist has explained it could be much shorter. More » -
#bookcovers
Can You Come Up With A Science Fiction Book Cover Worse Than These?
Orbit Books is trying to create the worst science fiction book cover of all time — but they're up against stiff competition. Details, and a gallery of some of our fave bad covers, are below. More » -
#genrepioneers
Science Fiction Books That Launched Their Own Genres
Science fiction is all about discovery and invention, but only a few books have actually created whole new genres. Here are 10 books that pioneered a new type of science-fictional story. Do you have what it takes to join them?
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#triviagasm
20 Best (And 20 Worst) Pets In Science Fiction
When humans finally conquer space, we'll still want to keep other creatures as pets. Some science-fiction pets are among our favorite characters, but others, you just want to flush out the airlock. Here's our list of the best and worst. More » -
#spaceopera
What's The Difference Between Space Opera and Military SF?
Stories of valiant spacefarers are making a comeback in science-fiction publishing, while space-war novels still have a healthy niche. Both space opera and military science fiction share similar icons, so why are they considered separate? More » -
#triviagasm
Time Travel: Six Reasons Not to Meet Your Mother
Now, if I could travel through time, I'd head for the future, but for some reason, people just keep heading for the not-so-distant past where they run into their own mothers.
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#triviagasm
Science Fiction's Greatest Stolen Ideas
Science fiction is literature of ideas - it's just that sometimes, those ideas are lifted from elsewhere. Some of the genre's greatest creators have gotten ripped off, or been accused of plagiarism. Here's our list. More » -
#triviagasm
11 Books About People Whose Childhoods Were Worse Than Yours
Are you wasting thousands of dollars in therapy unraveling your horrendous upbringing? Check out 10 science fiction books about kids who really had it rough, and put your issues into proportion. It'll be cheaper!
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#triviagasm
Science Fiction Writers' Craziest Wagers
Science fiction's best authors chart a vast and unpredictable cosmos - but they're not above making a little wager here and there on earthly matters. Here are SF authors' weirdest (and most productive) bets.
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#robertheinlein
Bizarre And Stunning Images From The Set Of Destination Moon
Life Magazine sent a photographer to take pictures on the set of Destination Moon, the 1950 film that Robert Heinlein worked on. They include on-set clowning, like this lunar ballet, but also stunning props. More » -
#sciencefictionart
In Soviet Russia, Space Opera Really Was Operatic
Look at the Russian cover for Robert Heinlein's Stranger In A Strange Land: It's like one of Caravaggio's Bible scenes: lurid, fiery, over-the-top and awesome. It should surprise nobody that Heinlein and Philip K. Dick were fantastically popular in the U.S.S.R., with their sharp social commentary and crazy plot devices. The Russian Science Fiction page (in English, luckily) has a bunch of Heinlein and Dick covers, and we have a gallery of our favorites below. More »
