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5
votes
2answers
146 views
Why doesn't the Guild control CHOAM?
Given that the Guild controls all interstellar travel, why don't they entirely control CHOAM?
It's pretty clear that CHOAM is basis of the wealth of the galactic nobility (beyond what is available to ...
11
votes
0answers
112 views
Short story where the Apocalypse gets overshadowed by the First World War
I read this in an anthology back in the 90's, but haven't been able to find it again. the gist of it is that the Apocalypse starts during WW1 but no one notices because each of the seals is lesser ...
12
votes
2answers
43 views
What is the earliest literary appearance of zombies?
I guess I have no doubt that zombies are part of the human imagination, and that they would simply spring up in our dreams even if we'd never heard of them. But I'd still like to know what the ...
18
votes
3answers
830 views
Is the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz the first fictional cyborg?
To my surprise, I read that the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz is a cyborg. From Wikipedia:
In the books, the origins of the character are rather gruesome. Originally an ordinary man by the name of ...
7
votes
3answers
173 views
What story involves archeologists in the future that study the 20th century?
My mother remembers reading a book many years ago that took place in the distant future (hundreds or maybe thousands of years, I'm not sure). The idea of the book is that archeologists (of that time) ...
4
votes
2answers
321 views
Where was the fictional material “Unobtainium” first used?
I remember the fictional metal unobtainium used in several science fiction movies / stories, often to the point where my friends and I laugh when it is used.
I know it is used in the movie "The Core" ...
11
votes
4answers
20 views
Why does Gulliver's Travels have “teasers” at the beginning of each chapter?
At the beginning of each chapter is a short summary of that chapter. For example, from Chapter 1:
[The author gives some account of himself and family. His first
inducements to travel. He is ...
13
votes
3answers
619 views
Where to start if I want to get into certain DC comics?
I'm a Marvel boy to the core. Never really read anything outside of the Marvel Universe other than a few things here and there of DC.
Now that some DC movies are getting made, I wanted to get into ...
17
votes
3answers
4k views
Is there a connection between Game of Thrones and The War of the Roses
I have heard that George RR Martin roughly used the events of the War of the Roses in at least the first book, A Game of Thrones. Is this true, and if so what events match up? Is it only the first ...
11
votes
2answers
756 views
What are the major differences between Frank Miller's 300 and the historical event it was based on?
There are many long-winded articles across the net that detail the many alterations and exaggerations that the Graphic Novel and Film makes to history. However, after reading several of these I am ...
14
votes
2answers
481 views
Where did the Q come from, before the Q Continuum?
In the Star Trek Universe where did the Q come from? I mean before they were Q in the Q Continuum? In Star Trek Voyager you learn that the race is somewhat intolerant of individualism (in the episode ...
8
votes
1answer
305 views
A good account of the development of the modern fantasy genre?
I am looking for a good account for the development of modern fantasy, something like this section on Wikipedia, just bigger and covering newer authors like GRRM or Glen Cook (you know an article is ...
21
votes
7answers
545 views
What's the first instance of fictional profanity in sci-fi?
There's a tradition of sorts in sci-fi where aliens or future humans use profanity that doesn't exist in the real world. I'm curious when this started. Which story or novel is the first time the ...
8
votes
1answer
128 views
Is the Lensman series the first instance of “space cops” in SF?
This was prompted by the mention of the Lensman as a possible inspiration for Jedi over here, and them being mentioned on the Green Lantern Wikipedia page as an inspiration. I'm not familiar with ...
3
votes
5answers
375 views
Ghengis Khan as model
It seems that many SF and Fantasy authors use the Roman Empire or the Marines as a model for military organizations. Yet, the Great Khan's empire was larger by far than Rome's, and, in the form of ...
30
votes
2answers
580 views
What popularised the concept of Martians as little green men?
Various works of fiction depict martians as little green men. So does anybody know how this image got popularised?
12
votes
4answers
309 views
Why do anthologies have such a prominent place in the history of written SF?
My obsession with science-fiction first came to me through short stories, read in anthologies and single-writer collections.
Dangerous Visions and The Science-Fiction Hall of Fame are more or less ...
21
votes
4answers
699 views
When did the terms science fiction and sci-fi enter our vernacular?
I know there's some debate on exactly when "science fiction" itself became a genre, but I'm curious if anyone knows either 1) when the term science fiction was coined and 2) when sci-fi became ...
