Classic SF with Andy Johnson
@andyjohnson.xyz
Exploring classic science fiction, with a focus on the 1950s to the 1990s. Weekly articles and podcast at andyjohnson.xyz
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Thoroughly enjoyed launching MANIC STREET PREACHERS: SONG BY SONG at Curio in Oxford last night, very grateful to everyone who came along!
Eon (1985) by Greg Bear ✅ - a hollow asteroid arrives in Earth orbit, full of empty cities and incredible technology. Will its presence prevent, or cause, a catastrophic nuclear exchange?
October 1, 2026 at 8:33 AM
Eon (1985) by Greg Bear ✅ - a hollow asteroid arrives in Earth orbit, full of empty cities and incredible technology. Will its presence prevent, or cause, a catastrophic nuclear exchange?
Reposted by Classic SF with Andy Johnson
China continues to absolutely crush it where book design is concerned. Some UK classic SF authors in translation, represented in the huge Eslite store in Suzhou.
September 29, 2026 at 12:31 PM
China continues to absolutely crush it where book design is concerned. Some UK classic SF authors in translation, represented in the huge Eslite store in Suzhou.
China continues to absolutely crush it where book design is concerned. Some UK classic SF authors in translation, represented in the huge Eslite store in Suzhou.
September 29, 2026 at 12:31 PM
China continues to absolutely crush it where book design is concerned. Some UK classic SF authors in translation, represented in the huge Eslite store in Suzhou.
Reposted by Classic SF with Andy Johnson
Space elevators have shown up frequently in SF, but Arthur C. Clarke popularised them with his novel The Fountains of Paradise (1979). My new piece looks at this optimistic story of mega-engineering, set in a version of Sri Lanka.
Down to the wire: The Fountains of Paradise (1979) by Arthur C. Clarke
A better future through mega-engineering
www.andyjohnson.xyz
September 21, 2026 at 8:12 PM
Space elevators have shown up frequently in SF, but Arthur C. Clarke popularised them with his novel The Fountains of Paradise (1979). My new piece looks at this optimistic story of mega-engineering, set in a version of Sri Lanka.
The Day of Creation (1987) by J. G. Ballard ✅ - the archetypal Ballard protagonist (a listless middle-aged doctor) accidentally "creates" a river and causes psychic and ecological upheaval in a fictional African country.
September 25, 2026 at 7:20 AM
The Day of Creation (1987) by J. G. Ballard ✅ - the archetypal Ballard protagonist (a listless middle-aged doctor) accidentally "creates" a river and causes psychic and ecological upheaval in a fictional African country.
The prolific, sometimes brilliant, British SF writer John Brunner (1934 - 1995) was born on this day. I've covered his work fairly extensively, most recently his fourth and final "tract novel", The Shockwave Rider (1975). As a prediction of an online society, it is by turns prescient and naive.
Computer fugitive: The Shockwave Rider (1975) by John Brunner
On the run in the networked society
www.andyjohnson.xyz
September 24, 2026 at 10:14 PM
The prolific, sometimes brilliant, British SF writer John Brunner (1934 - 1995) was born on this day. I've covered his work fairly extensively, most recently his fourth and final "tract novel", The Shockwave Rider (1975). As a prediction of an online society, it is by turns prescient and naive.
If you're in the vicinity of exotown LV-539 (AKA "Brighton") on 14 October, and you like Aliens - and who doesn't? - this sounds like a great time!
Small event update: the venue is open til 11pm.
Wanted to also be clear that your ticket gets you a cocktail on arrival, included in the price. It's an Alien cocktail! With an egg in it!
Me, speaking with Alien game devs, at Loading Bar Brighton, on October 14. It'll be fun!
luma.com/p4pjgibd
Wanted to also be clear that your ticket gets you a cocktail on arrival, included in the price. It's an Alien cocktail! With an egg in it!
Me, speaking with Alien game devs, at Loading Bar Brighton, on October 14. It'll be fun!
luma.com/p4pjgibd
Aliens: The Video Games: In Conversation · Luma
Join author Mike Diver in conversation with Steve Collett (Alien 3, 1993) and Howard Rayner (Alien: Isolation, 2014), for an insightful chat about making Alien…
luma.com
September 24, 2026 at 9:16 PM
If you're in the vicinity of exotown LV-539 (AKA "Brighton") on 14 October, and you like Aliens - and who doesn't? - this sounds like a great time!
Via @renay.bsky.social, here's an interesting Five Books interview with Mingwei Song on Chinese SF, including an interpretation of the "poetic heart" of Liu Cixin's Three Body Problem series.
The Best Chinese Science Fiction
Chinese science fiction is increasingly available in English, and mirrors the country’s philosophical and historical developments. Chinese literature scholar Mingwei Song, a professor at Wellesley, ta...
fivebooks.com
September 24, 2026 at 6:35 PM
Via @renay.bsky.social, here's an interesting Five Books interview with Mingwei Song on Chinese SF, including an interpretation of the "poetic heart" of Liu Cixin's Three Body Problem series.
My actually "low-tech way to enjoy music and movies" is to use elaborate smoke signals to recreate them from memory.
Perhaps you’ve ditched algorithmically curated playlists for vinyl and enjoy DVDs rather than streaming
Are you embracing low-tech ways to enjoy music and movies?
www.theguardian.com
September 24, 2026 at 6:21 PM
My actually "low-tech way to enjoy music and movies" is to use elaborate smoke signals to recreate them from memory.
Space elevators have shown up frequently in SF, but Arthur C. Clarke popularised them with his novel The Fountains of Paradise (1979). My new piece looks at this optimistic story of mega-engineering, set in a version of Sri Lanka.
Down to the wire: The Fountains of Paradise (1979) by Arthur C. Clarke
A better future through mega-engineering
www.andyjohnson.xyz
September 21, 2026 at 8:12 PM
Space elevators have shown up frequently in SF, but Arthur C. Clarke popularised them with his novel The Fountains of Paradise (1979). My new piece looks at this optimistic story of mega-engineering, set in a version of Sri Lanka.
Soldier, Ask Not (1967) by Gordon R. Dickson ✅ - another infallible giga-genius sets the galaxy to rights, this time a "newsman" out for revenge. This one was a slog, slim though it is.
September 21, 2026 at 7:25 PM
Soldier, Ask Not (1967) by Gordon R. Dickson ✅ - another infallible giga-genius sets the galaxy to rights, this time a "newsman" out for revenge. This one was a slog, slim though it is.
Sometimes the best form of spacecraft propulsion is a truck.
They say SpaceX's Starbase Highway 4 is the ultimate roadside rocket-spotting spot, but this Long March 8A rollout has a vibe all its own. An orbital booster rolling upright past coastal roads and palm trees is a pretty spectacular sight!
September 21, 2026 at 10:53 AM
Sometimes the best form of spacecraft propulsion is a truck.
Reposted by Classic SF with Andy Johnson
George R. R. Martin was born on this day in 1948. He may now be "the American Tolkien", but he established himself with his science fiction. Here, I wrote about his books Dying of the Light (1977) and Tuf Voyaging (1986).
A Thousand Worlds: Dying of the Light (1977) and Tuf Voyaging (1986) by George R.R. Martin
A look at the only two full-length works in the Thousand Worlds science fiction setting by the author of A Game of Thrones.
www.andyjohnson.xyz
September 20, 2026 at 3:03 PM
George R. R. Martin was born on this day in 1948. He may now be "the American Tolkien", but he established himself with his science fiction. Here, I wrote about his books Dying of the Light (1977) and Tuf Voyaging (1986).
George R. R. Martin was born on this day in 1948. He may now be "the American Tolkien", but he established himself with his science fiction. Here, I wrote about his books Dying of the Light (1977) and Tuf Voyaging (1986).
A Thousand Worlds: Dying of the Light (1977) and Tuf Voyaging (1986) by George R.R. Martin
A look at the only two full-length works in the Thousand Worlds science fiction setting by the author of A Game of Thrones.
www.andyjohnson.xyz
September 20, 2026 at 3:03 PM
George R. R. Martin was born on this day in 1948. He may now be "the American Tolkien", but he established himself with his science fiction. Here, I wrote about his books Dying of the Light (1977) and Tuf Voyaging (1986).
The Fountains of Paradise (1979) by Arthur C. Clarke ✅ - classic Clarke, about the construction of a space elevator in a slightly fictionalised Sri Lanka. A very solid tale, hardly cutting edge even for its time, but with a quite moving ending.
September 16, 2026 at 12:53 PM
The Fountains of Paradise (1979) by Arthur C. Clarke ✅ - classic Clarke, about the construction of a space elevator in a slightly fictionalised Sri Lanka. A very solid tale, hardly cutting edge even for its time, but with a quite moving ending.
Reposted by Classic SF with Andy Johnson
the only threats "AI" poses to society are when people put it in charge of things that require thought, or crash the economy over it, or destroy the environment to power it. but it's people doing all of those things. AI poses zero threat by itself as it cannot do anything due to not existing
September 15, 2026 at 1:50 AM
the only threats "AI" poses to society are when people put it in charge of things that require thought, or crash the economy over it, or destroy the environment to power it. but it's people doing all of those things. AI poses zero threat by itself as it cannot do anything due to not existing
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell [Volume II] (2004) by Susanna Clarke ✅ - another 370 pages of this flew by, and it's still witty and engaging. But good grief is it circuitous, circling constantly while scarcely going anywhere.
September 13, 2026 at 9:32 PM
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell [Volume II] (2004) by Susanna Clarke ✅ - another 370 pages of this flew by, and it's still witty and engaging. But good grief is it circuitous, circling constantly while scarcely going anywhere.
Six months ago today (is that a thing?) was the launch event for my first book - great memories of sharing the experience of writing MANIC STREET PREACHERS: SONG BY SONG with a receptive audience!
Thoroughly enjoyed launching MANIC STREET PREACHERS: SONG BY SONG at Curio in Oxford last night, very grateful to everyone who came along!
September 11, 2026 at 7:55 PM
Six months ago today (is that a thing?) was the launch event for my first book - great memories of sharing the experience of writing MANIC STREET PREACHERS: SONG BY SONG with a receptive audience!
The wait for 3 Body Problem series 2 is getting ridiculous at this point - very nearly two and half years and counting.
A new report from Luminate has found that long gaps between seasons of streaming TV shows are leading to major losses in viewership.
More than a 1 year gap is seen to largely cause a significant loss in viewership.
(Source: luminatedata.com/reports/2026...)
More than a 1 year gap is seen to largely cause a significant loss in viewership.
(Source: luminatedata.com/reports/2026...)
September 11, 2026 at 6:01 PM
The wait for 3 Body Problem series 2 is getting ridiculous at this point - very nearly two and half years and counting.
"AI" execs are pushing a transparent con based on a bit of half-remembered print SF, invocations of The Terminator, and their own delusions of grandeur reinforced by the chatbots they made.
This isn't to say the tech isn't causing massive environmental damage (and brain damage to those that use it) and is a huge source of dangerous misinformation, etc-- but these ghouls are evil dorks who are sci-fi brained. Concern is good, but I see people fretting over things said by habitual liars.
September 10, 2026 at 7:52 AM
"AI" execs are pushing a transparent con based on a bit of half-remembered print SF, invocations of The Terminator, and their own delusions of grandeur reinforced by the chatbots they made.
Reposted by Classic SF with Andy Johnson
Art by David B. Mattingly for Manshape by John Brunner (1982)
September 10, 2026 at 12:18 AM
Art by David B. Mattingly for Manshape by John Brunner (1982)
Tactics of Mistake (1971) by Gordon R. Dickson ✅ - the brilliant military hypergenius Cletus Grahame outsmarts ally and enemy alike across multiple worlds. Not surprisingly, this was serialised in Analog.
September 9, 2026 at 3:00 PM
Tactics of Mistake (1971) by Gordon R. Dickson ✅ - the brilliant military hypergenius Cletus Grahame outsmarts ally and enemy alike across multiple worlds. Not surprisingly, this was serialised in Analog.
Never good to see a bookshop close, but this one never seemed too lively and Waterstones moving much closer to it has largely eliminated its reason for being.
Blackwell's bookshop has closed its branch in the Westgate. It opened in 2017 as part of the redeveloped shopping centre. A notice directs customers to the nearby branch of Waterstones, the chain which acquired Blackwell's in 2022 and moved to Queen Street in November.
September 7, 2026 at 6:08 PM
Never good to see a bookshop close, but this one never seemed too lively and Waterstones moving much closer to it has largely eliminated its reason for being.
The Scams of Distant Oafs
Some scams are easier to spot than others.
That said, we get these semi-regularly and they are only getting more focused and custom-tailored, so be careful writers!
And, no, we didn’t reply, but it was super-tempting.
That said, we get these semi-regularly and they are only getting more focused and custom-tailored, so be careful writers!
And, no, we didn’t reply, but it was super-tempting.
September 7, 2026 at 11:48 AM
The Scams of Distant Oafs
Reposted by Classic SF with Andy Johnson
I'm sure the book is very worthwhile but sadly the genuine one itself looks like a low-effort fake. The scammers are the main villains here, but this is just one way publishers undermine writers with cheapjack cover art.
Just went to buy @gilduran.com's "The Nerd Reich" on Google Books, and discovered that the enshittification is so thorough that it's not safe to do so - I was very close to buying one that's actually AI slop with an identical title and author name.
This is utterly insane.
This is utterly insane.
September 6, 2026 at 11:56 AM
I'm sure the book is very worthwhile but sadly the genuine one itself looks like a low-effort fake. The scammers are the main villains here, but this is just one way publishers undermine writers with cheapjack cover art.