Looking far, far into the future: Olaf Stapledon

An important figure in the early years of science fiction, Olaf Stapledon is known for some of the genre’s greatest works, such as Last and First Men and The Star Maker. Both novels imbue philosophy with speculation and look far into humanity’s future. A student of history and philosophy, Stapledon’s works show us just how big the universe is around us.

Catch up with all the Sci Fi classics with Jules Verne's 'Moonshot.'

William Olaf Stapledon was born May 10, 1886, in Cheshire, England. At an early age, his family relocated to the Port Said in ...

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Jules Verne’s Moonshot

On Dec. 21, 1968, science fiction became science fact when a rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., and shot toward the moon.

Crewed by Mission Commander Frank Borman, Command Module Pilot Jim Lovell, and Lunar Module Pilot Bill Anders, Apollo 8 would become the first manned mission to leave Earth’s gravitational influence and orbit the moon. Until that point, science fiction had been our only way to the moon, most notably with Jules Verne’s two novels, From the Earth to the Moon (1865) and Round the Moon (1870).

Read the last SF Signal on SF series still ...

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H.G. Wells and the Decline of Empires

One of the greatest science fiction novels of all time, The War of the Worlds, has continued to entertain readers over a century after its first publication. The book combines a striking element of social commentary along with a solid understanding of science that continues to remain relevant to the present day.

Read more on classic sci-fi tales with Edgar Allan Poe and Jules Verne.

Herbert George Wells was born in 1866. From early on, he valued his education, eventually attending school in London under English biologist Thomas Huxley, a contemporary and advocate of Charles Darwin. The year that Wells ...

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Ray Bradbury, 1920-2012

On June 5, 2012, science fiction author Ray Bradbury passed away at his home in Los Angeles. One of the greatest science fiction authors of the 20th century, Bradbury was a prolific author whose bibliography counted over 50 books and approximately 600 short stories, in addition to the plays, screenplays and essays that he wrote.

Read more books in honor of Ray Bradbury.

Born Aug. 22, 1920, Bradbury grew up in a time of major changes in the United States. From an early age, his imagination was captured with the stories his mother read to him, including L. Frank Baum ...

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The Strange Tale of Edgar Allan Poe and Jules Verne

When thinking about some of the early influences in American speculative fiction, one name comes to mind right away: Edgar Allan Poe. Author of many dark and strange stories, Poe was one of the first professional writers in the United States. In addition to the stories that continue to entrance readers, Poe’s influence on the genre extended to one another visionary: Jules Verne, author of From the Earth to the Moon and Journey to the Center of the Earth, in addition to many others.

Read Andrew Liptak's last post on the birth of Frankenstein.

Born in 1809, Poe ...

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A Meeting in Geneva: The Birth of 'Frankenstein'

It seems fitting to begin a look at the history of the speculative-fiction genre with the beginnings of a classic: Frankenstein: or, the Modern Prometheus, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley.

Read more books about Mary Shelley and Frankenstein.

This book was not the first work of science fiction, but it had captured the public’s imagination like no other, and provides a good starting point for this column. While the book itself is a great read, the origins of the Frankenstein are just as interesting.

Mary Shelley had both a tragic and dramatic childhood. Just 11 days after her birth, her ...

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