Articles inspired by and concerning speculative fiction.
Editorial – To the Stars, Through Difficulties
by Isaac Bell, Issue Editor —I wasn’t aware of the danger when I sat down to dinner with friends at the end of our two-week writing workshop...
Editorial – The Universal Motivator
by Douglas McKinney — In sum, James Gunn’s Ad Astra presents you with thirteen Featured Selections dealing with a broad spectrum of themes centered on communication and information. Just as I did when reading these works for the first time, I hope you will find within them plenty to think about.
Mutation and Infertility References
By Victor Grech, et al. These are the articles referenced in "Mutation and Infertility in Science Fiction" Aldiss B. W. (1973). Billion Year Spree: The True History Of Science Fiction. Garden City: Doubleday. Althusser L. (1976). Reply to John Lewis (self-criticism). Essays in self-criticism. (Grahame Lock Trans.). London: New Left. Anderson P. (1989). “Iron.” Man-Kzin wars [...]
Fantastic Journeys References
By Sheila Finch These are the sources referenced in Sheila Finch's "Fantastic Journeys of the Mythic Kind by Sheila Finch ." Benford, G. (1987). Great sky river. New York: Bantam. Benford, G. (1989). Tides of light. New York: Bantam. Campbell, J. (1949). The hero with a thousand faces. N.J.: Princeton University Press. Clement, H. (1954). [...]
Human Evolution References
By Jean Asselin These are the articles referenced in Jean Asselin's "Human Evolution As a Framework for the Themes of Science Fiction." Antón, S. C., & Swisher, C. C., III. (2004). Early dispersals of Homo from Africa. Annual Review of Anthropology, 33, 271-296. Barthell, R. J. (1971). SF: A literature of ideas. Extrapolation, 13, 56-63. [...]
Mutation and Infertility in Science Fiction
by Victor Grech, et al. — Mutation in the Science Fiction (SF) genre is viewed with revulsion as it results in strange beings, threatening monsters and alien others. Infertility is a common problem, worldwide, that will eventually affect up to a third of couples. This paper will discuss the role of mutation in nature and provide an overview of mutations resulting in infertility in SF. The science behind some of the narratives will be explained while extrapolations that exceed reasonable poetic license will be pointed out.
Fantastic Journeys of the Mythic Kind
by Sheila Finch — Much of the best science fiction draws on mythic themes and tropes, sometimes consciously on the part of the author, to apply this wisdom to its dreams about tomorrow. In doing so, science fiction acknowledges that while the environment we find ourselves in may change, the element that makes us human will not. This paper concentrates on one core myth, the Hero’s fantastic journey, as it is used or referred to in science fiction from Jules Verne to the recent work of Mary Doria Russell.
Human Evolution as a Framework for the Themes of Science Fiction
by Jean Asselin — This article integrates previous discussions of theme into a system to classify the literature of Science Fiction (SF). Its aim is to provide a set of tools by which themes are: (1) used to communicate the relevance of SF; (2) organized under a structure that distinguishes SF themes from SF subgenres; (3) applied to categorize SF literature in databases, thus enabling further quantitative research such as trends analysis or gender issues; and (4) recognized as future speculation on ancient concerns stemming from humanity’s evolution as a species.