Category Archives: science fiction

Heinlein’s STARMAN JONES (1953)

Posted on 20 October 2021 by Mark R. Kelly

Starman Jones is the 7th of 14 novels that Heinlein published from 1947 to 1963, at annual intervals except for a four-year gap between the last two, that were called “juveniles” at the time — that is, designed for younger … Continue reading →

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Personal History: World Fantasy Con Badges

Posted on 17 October 2021 by Mark R. Kelly

One more set of badges with commentary for today, then I’ll move on to other things, and catch up on links and comments. Today: badges from World Fantasy Conventions.

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Personal History: Worldcon Badges

Posted on 16 October 2021 by Mark R. Kelly

Another afternoon of sorting and photographing photos and artifacts. For today, here’s a group shot of badges I’ve collected from the World Science Fiction Conventions (Worldcons for short) over the years.

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Robert Sheckley, MINDSWAP (1966)

Posted on 12 October 2021 by Mark R. Kelly

Robert Sheckley was a science fiction writer who debuted in the early 1950s, right about the time Philip K. Dick that did. They were both prolific short story writers through the ’50s, each publishing several stories a year, in the … Continue reading →

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PKD: The Man in the High Castle

Posted on 8 October 2021 by Mark R. Kelly

I am going to begin posting relatively *brief* comments about books I’ve read lately, to keep up with what I’ve been reading. My extensive book summaries with comments take a long time to set up; by waiting to post anything … Continue reading →

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Thinking About SF: Classic Erosion

Posted on 6 October 2021 by Mark R. Kelly

What do Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Star Trek TOS, and Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series have in common?

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Ls&Cs: Computer world views; science fiction vs. fantasy

Posted on 24 September 2021 by Mark R. Kelly

A couple non-political posts today.

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Notes and Quotes: Robert A. Heinlein’s BETWEEN PLANETS

Posted on 5 March 2021 by Mark R. Kelly

This is the fifth of Heinlein’s so-called “juveniles,” what would be called YA (young adult) books today, that Heinlein published from the late 1940s to the early 1960s. I posted about the second of them, SPACE CADET, here last year, … Continue reading →

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Notes and Quotes: Arthur C. Clarke’s THE DEEP RANGE (1957)

Posted on 24 January 2021 by Mark R. Kelly

Here’s a relatively quick take on a 1950s novel I reread this past week — not as long or as polished as my Black Gate reviews have been. (I’ll be resuming those in February.) THE DEEP RANGE was the 8th … Continue reading →

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Heinlein, SPACE CADET (1948)

Posted on 2 August 2020 by Mark R. Kelly

I’m reviewing detailed notes of books I’ve read in recent years but not yet posted about, and boiling them down into summaries and comments more useful to readers than if I simply posted all the detailed notes. (And in truth, … Continue reading →

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