Science Fiction

Still, a couple of the more thoughtful had reservations about branding the demonstration an outright trickery. And what about the nearly-complete full-size Machine in the Traveler's laboratory?

Confronted at the next party by the disheveled Traveler, who had apparently suffered privations and who displayed two curious flowers of no known type, the Narrator's wonderment increased. For the Traveler provided a perfectly arresting story to explain his condition - a surprising tale of a far future where humankind divides into a carefree above-ground race, the Eloi, and a mechanical subterranean race, the Morlocks. A tale in which it appears that the inheritors of the Earth inhabit it as cattle for the feeding of their underground cousins!

Believe, or disbelieve? But perhaps the inventive genius of a man who can translate "thousands of millions of days" of time travel into an exact date should not be doubted! (Intro by Mark F. Smith)

The title of the novel refers to the scientist, Victor Frankenstein, who learns how to create life and creates a being in the likeness of man, but larger than average and more powerful. In modern popular culture, people have tended to refer to the Creature as "Frankenstein" (especially in films since 1931), despite this being the name of the scientist, and the creature being unnamed in the book itself. Frankenstein is a novel infused with elements of the Gothic novel and the Romantic movement. It was also a warning against the "over-reaching" of modern man and the Industrial Revolution, alluded to in the novel's subtitle, The Modern Prometheus. The story has had an influence across literature and popular culture and spawned a complete genre of horror stories and films. It is arguably considered the first fully-realised science fiction novel and raises many issues still relevant to today's society. (Summary from Wikipedia.org, adapted by Cori Samuel.)

It’s the story of Jason dinAlt a professional gambler with psionic skills who finds himself on Pyrrus the deadliest planet to be colonized by humanity. Violent weather, active tectonics, heavy gravity, abundant predators, and a hostile splinter group of colonists is only the beginning of Jason’s quest to learn the truth about Pyrrus. (Summary by Gregg Margarite)

Carter soon falls in among the Tharks, a nomadic tribe of the planet's warlike, four-armed, green inhabitants. Thanks to his strength and combat abilities he rises in position in the tribe and earns the respect eventually the friendship of Tars Tarkas, one of the Thark chiefs.

The Tharks subsequently capture Dejah Thoris, Princess of Helium, a member of the humanoid red Martian race. The red Martians inhabit a loose network of city states and control the desert planet's canals, along which its agriculture is concentrated. Carter rescues her from the green men to return her to her people. (Summary from Wikipedia)

However, the novella's more enduring contribution is its examination of dimensions; in a foreword to one of the many publications of the novella, noted science writer Isaac Asimov described Flatland as "The best introduction one can find into the manner of perceiving dimensions." As such, the novella is still popular amongst mathematics, physics and computer science students. (Summary by Wikipedia)

That was why young Ross Murdock, above average in intelligence but a belligerently independent nonconformist, found himself on a "hush-hush" government project at a secret base in the Arctic. The very qualities that made him a menace in civilized society were valuable traits in a man who must successfully act the part of a merchant trader of the Beaker people during the Bronze Age.

For once they were transferred by time machine to the remote Baltic region where the Russian post was located, Ross and his partner Ashe were swept into a fantastic action-filled adventure involving Russians, superstitious prehistoric men, and the aliens of a lost galactic civilization that demanded every ounce of courage the Americans possessed. [summary taken from Gutenberg e-text]

Everyone else is convinced robots are nothing more than tools for human use. Is it so, or is a robot rebellion becoming a more likely prospect as the robots start to seem more intelligent than first thought?

First performed in English in 1922, R.U.R. is most notable for being the play that introduced the word "robot" into the English language and one of the popular early examples of the science fiction genre onstage. (Mary Kay)Cast List:

Narrator: John Trevithick Helena Glory / Robot Helena: Sarah Terry Harry Domin / Primus: ToddHW Dr. Gall: Barry Streifert Mr. Fabry: James Callaghan Dr. Hallemeier / Consul Busman: SteveToner Mr. Alquist: Beth Thomas Nana: KHand Radius: T. Layne Sulla / First Robot: Tina Nuzzi Marius / Fourth Robot: Rosslyn Carlyle A Servant: Etel Buss Second Robot / Third Robot: Kitty Kay / Mary Kay

The story, written in a semi-documentary style, is told in the first person by an unnamed observer. It tells of the events which happen mostly in London and the county of Surrey, England, when a number of vessels manned by aliens are fired from Mars and land on Earth. (Summary by Rebecca)

Warrior Race drops us into an alien race of warriors who fight in a way you will never be able to imagine until you listen. And Beside Still Waters is a gentle story that shows us a man who really wants to get away from it all ... sitting on a rock in the asteroid belt with only a robot for a friend. No girls allowed! A poignant and unsettling story to say the least.

The woods are places where chittering cries move about above your head, as powerful apes move swiftly in the canopy of leaves. Then, a tree splinters nearby, and a dinosaur steps out from his hiding place... and he's eyeing YOU.

Jurassic Park? Not quite. The Lost World was an inspiration for Jurassic Park; in fact, a character in J.P. has the same name as one of the chief characters in The Lost World. It also inspired King Kong. But this is the original! Four adventurers go off to find the place shown in a dead man's sketch book - they find a war between apes and Indians, prowling dinosaurs, a sparkly treasure hidden in the blue clay - they find the Lost World. And because of the treachery of a native guide, their means of escape is destroyed!

Through divine interference, however, the ship is tossed into a storm and everyone but the Lady perishes. Blown up to the North Pole, she inadvertently passes into to another world, the Blazing World, where she is almost immediately made supreme ruler. As the Lady begins to exercise her will, Cavendish lays out her own Utopia and discusses a wide range of scientific, political, social, and religious topics. But when a war breaks out in her home world, what will the Lady do with all power of the Blazing World behind her? - Summary by Sarah Terry

After six bloody years of conflict the Soviets call for an urgent conference and UN Major Joseph Hendricks sets out to meet them. Along the way he will discover what the Claws have been up to, and it isn’t good… - Second Variety was first published in the May 1953 edition of Space Science Fiction Magazine. (Summary by Gregg Margarite)

A brief inspection of the artifact plunges Stark into the mind of its creator, where he sees, through those long-dead eyes, the unutterably ancient, beautiful, and evil Martian race who are imprisoned in the ice beyond the Gates of Death, alive and plotting to reclaim Mars for themselves and to extend the ice, their world, around the whole planet. Falling into the hands of roving outlaws, Stark survives torture and overcomes his cruel torturer, thereby winning the respect of the leader, who wears black clothing and a fearful mask. After a daring escape, Stark makes his way to Kushat, with the double intent of restoring the artifact and warning the city that the outlaw band intends to attack it. He finds both tasks difficult but at length succeeds in persuading the city officials of the danger. The battle which ensues costs both sides dearly, and it also precipitates the main action of the novel, for a citizen flees the falling city intent upon opening the Gates of Death in the hope that whatever lies beyond will overwhelm the invaders. Stark pursues him, still carrying the ancient amulet, and is himself pursued by the now unmasked, black-clad leader of the outlaw band. Finally three antagonists find themselves bound together in a struggle with the ancients for possession of the planet Mars. (This story was later expanded in book form under the title People of the Talisman 1964.) - Summary by T. A. Copeland

hour distant—the limit of life itself! - Summary by Planet Stories, Fall 1946