
Classic SF with Andy Johnson
Exploring classic science fiction, with a focus on the 1950s to the 1990s.
Episodes
148 episodes
#148 Out of the darkness: Flowers for Algernon (1966) by Daniel Keyes
Flowers for Algernon is a science fiction classic which crossed over into the mainstream. Originally published in novel form in 1966, Daniel Keyes' only fully-fledged SF book not only won a Nebula, but was adapted to film, and f...
•
Episode 148
•
9:11

#147 Armed to the teeth: The Jagged Orbit (1969) by John Brunner
A plea for human connection in a computerised worldThe reputation of John Brunner rests largely on his four "tract novels" published between 1968 and 1975. Complex and imposing, they are fictional explorations of issues and crises...
•
Episode 147
•
8:16

#146 Digging up the future: Icehenge (1984) by Kim Stanley Robinson
A moving meditation on revolution, knowledge, and human longevityKim Stanley Robinson has been a major fixture of American SF for 30 years. Best known for his Mars trilogy from the 1990s, each of his recent novels has been a major...
•
Episode 146
•
12:35

#145 Heavy weather: Mission of Gravity (1954) by Hal Clement
The classic which helped to define hard science fictionWhatever your definition of "hard science fiction", Hal Clement's 1954 novel Mission of Gravity is sure to meet it. Rich with meaty discussions of the hard sci...
•
Episode 145
•
8:37

#144 Beating the odds: The Grand Wheel (1977) by Barrington J. Bayley
In which life, the universe, and everything are just a gameIn his 1976 novel The Garments of Caean, Barrington J. Bayley applied his unique approach to a space opera centred on clothes with strange powers. For his next tr...
•
Episode 144
•
7:00

#143 The enemy within: The Second Trip (1971) by Robert Silverberg
A controversial psychological SF novel of crime and rehabilitation The Second Trip is a 1971 novel by Robert Silverberg which incorporates aspects associated with both the US and UK conceptions of the New Wave. Th...
•
Episode 143
•
8:30

#142 Tipping the scales: Dreamsnake (1978) by Vonda N. McIntyre
A unique and moving feminist post-apocalyptic taleTo win the Hugo Award for Best Novel is one thing, but to secure the Hugo, the Nebula, and the Locus Awards is another thing entirely. Vonda N. McIntyre's 1978 novel Dreams...
•
Episode 142
•
7:27

#141 A horrorshow cure: A Clockwork Orange (1962) by Anthony Burgess
"When a man cannot choose, he ceases to be a man."Stanley Kubrick's film A Clockwork Orange was as controversial as it was profitable. Its depiction of a dystopian near future terrorised by ultraviolent teenage gangs made a sta...
•
Episode 141
•
9:00

#140 Plucked from the past: Picnic on Paradise (1968) by Joanna Russ
A feminist subversion of SF adventure on a snowbound world.Joanna Russ was an American writer of science fiction and fantasy best known for her strident feminist perspective. Her most acclaimed book is The Female Man fro...
•
Episode 140
•
6:26

#139 In the days of their strength: Pavane (1968) by Keith Roberts
Exploring a unique alternate history and a classic of British SF.It is the late 20th century - but not as we know it. There is no electricity, let alone nuclear energy. Steam-powered road trains are the fastest means of transport...
•
Episode 139
•
8:55

#138 Death is no obstacle: The Ophiuchi Hotline (1977) by John Varley
Hundreds of years from now, there is not a single human being on Earth. The species has been exiled to the moon, Mars, and other worlds of the solar system. A powerful alien race has reserved the planet we think of as "ours", and given it over ...
•
Episode 138
•
8:45

#137 The Ten Best SF(F) Books I Read in 2024
With another year drawing to a close, it's time to assess the ten best novels I read in 2024: all of them featured on the show at some point. Which books will make the cut? Also: my biggest reading disappointment of the year, some honourable me...
•
Episode 137
•
17:12

#136 Hell freezes over: Ice (1967) by Anna Kavan
Dramatic climate breakdown is causing extremes of weather never seen before, and contributing to a succession of convulsive wars, with no end in sight. This isn't the 21st century - it's a unique entry in the tradition of the British catastroph...
•
Episode 136
•
7:23

#135 Take these broken wings: Windhaven (1981) by George R. R. Martin and Lisa Tuttle
On the constantly stormy planet of Windhaven, elite messengers take to the skies using flying rigs made from the remnants of an ancient starship. But who deserves to wear the wings?George R. R. Martin is one of the world's best-selling ...
•
Episode 135
•
6:11

#134 Out of body experience: The Palace of Eternity (1969) by Bob Shaw
This is a neccesarily brief episode - because there is much in this book that must not be spoiled. The Palace of Eternity is an excellent 1969 novel by the Northern Irish writer Bob Shaw. It is a fast-paced, dynamic piece of wor...
•
Episode 134
•
5:55

#133 A century of screams: Breakfast in the Ruins (1972) by Michael Moorcock
Breakfast in the Ruins is a sometimes harrowing experimental novel by Michael Moorcock. Originally published in 1972, the novel is a loose sequel of sorts to Moorcock's earlier novel Behold the Man - covered in episode ...
•
Episode 133
•
7:38

#132 Retirement plans: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968) by Philip K. Dick
Since he died in 1982, Philip K. Dick has become, and has remained, one of the best-known science fiction writers of all time. He has recognition not only from established fans of SF, but also from more general audiences - very unusual for a wr...
•
Episode 132
•
9:59

#131 El Dorado of the mind: The Embedding (1973) by Ian Watson
Oddly, the British author Ian Watson may be best known today for his various novels in the Warhammer 40,000 setting. Long before he flirted with "the grim darkness of the far future", Watson carved a space for himself as one of the mos...
•
Episode 131
•
8:59

#130 Thousand island blessing: The Howling Stones (1997) by Alan Dean Foster
It's been over a year since we last covered a novel in Alan Dean Foster's expansive Humanx Commonwealth setting. In these far-future novels, humanity has allied with the insectoid thranx species, which resemble huge, intelligent ants. Together,...
•
Episode 130
•
7:12

#129 Blind man's bluff: Night Walk (1967) by Bob Shaw
In recent years, the reputation of the Northern Irish writer Bob Shaw has grown. He died in 1996, but left behind a large body of cleverly entertaining science fiction series, novels, and stories. Today, more readers are discovering Shaw's work...
•
Episode 129
•
7:14

#128 Space and the mind: The Black Corridor (1969) by Michael Moorcock and Hilary Bailey
The hugely prolific Michael Moorcock is credited with making a major contribution to New Wave science fiction, mainly due to his editorship of the pivotal British magazine New Worlds. Moorcock wrote relatively few science fiction novel...
•
Episode 128
•
6:52

#127 Science fiction in disguise: Inversions (1998) by Iain M. Banks
The time has come to continue exploring Iain M. Banks' Culture series. Inversions is the fifth of nine novels, and also the last to be published in the 1990s. This time, Banks stretched himself further than ever before, experime...
•
Episode 127
•
8:13

#126 A very British disaster: The Day of the Triffids (1951) by John Wyndham
No discussion of classic British science fiction could be complete without mentioning John Wyndham, and perhaps especially his 1951 novel The Day of the Triffids. A pioneer in the noble tradition of the British disaster novel, t...
•
Episode 126
•
8:14

#125 Future faith: Let the Fire Fall (1969) by Kate Wilhelm and Strength of Stones (1981) by Greg Bear
This episode covers two quite different science fiction novels by two quite different writers, published more than a decade apart. What links them is their emphasis on religious themes. Let the Fire Fall by Kate Wilhelm was publ...
•
Episode 125
•
7:50

#124 Moral hazard: Preferred Risk (1955) by Frederik Pohl and Lester del Rey
Back in episode 111, I took a trip back to the 1950s, and looked at three books written collaboratively by Frederik Pohl and Cyril M. Kornbluth. The first two of these, The Space Merchants and Gladiator-at-Law, are major landm...
•
Episode 124
•
8:15
