Classic SF with Andy Johnson
Exploring classic science fiction, with a focus on the 1950s to the 1990s.
Classic SF with Andy Johnson
Latest Episodes
#196 Winter of the world: Greybeard (1964) by Brian Aldiss
20 years ago, Alfonso Cuaron's film Children of Men was released to some acclaim. Today, its depiction of a decaying, paranoid UK is often described as chillingly prescient. Less discussed is the central concept - of a sterile world, a...
#195 Immortality and morality: The Dancers at the End of Time (1972-6) by Michael Moorcock
This episode returns to the work of Michael Moorcock, and to one of his many trilogies - the playful, baroque books that make up The Dancers at the End of Time. Strongly influenced by the writing and art of the 1890s, these are ...
#194 Where we come from: The Inheritors (1955) by William Golding
Fateful encounters in the long dawn of early humanityNeanderthals seem to have been a recurring theme here lately. They have shown up in Pat Murphy's The Shadow Hunter (episode 157), in Stephen Baxter's Mammoth trilogy (episode 1...
#193 Communication breakdown: Fiasco (1986) by Stanislaw Lem
Humans attempt to communicate with aliens - at any costIt's time to cover - for the first time here - a work by the Polish science fiction icon Stanislaw Lem. It's an unconventional entry point, as this episode focuses on his last...
#192 Mind, body, spirit, space: Alien Embassy (1977) by Ian Watson
A challenging novel of mysticism, power, and alien contactThis week brought the news that the British science fiction writer Ian Waton had passed away in Spain, where he had lived for some time. Coincidentally, I was reading Watso...
