![]() ![]() The central figure in this development was John W. This, according to Nevala-Lee, was when the field evolved its “most recognizable incarnation,” the lineaments of which we still see today: the lived-in, realistic futures of “Blade Runner” or “The Expanse” the serious speculations about technology, society and the environment the grappling with questions of identity and morality. Wells, but for many of them (especially older ones), the true “golden age” consisted of a span of barely 20 years, between the late 1930s and the late 1950s. Those fans will cheerfully argue about whether it all began with Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” (published 200 years ago this year) or with Jules Verne or H.G. On the other, it remains a specialized interest among readers, never quite as popular as mysteries or romances, but with fiercely loyal and knowledgeable fans - not unlike jazz, with which it has sometimes been compared. ![]() ![]() On the one hand, as Alec Nevala-Lee writes in “Astounding,” a captivating cultural history of the genre, we’re virtually bombarded with it in comics, movies and TV, with the highest-grossing films consistently featuring elements of it or its sister genre, fantasy. Science fiction has long led a strange dual life. ![]()
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