By Mikel J. Wisler
4.9
77 ratings
The podcast currently has 30 episodes available.
Because I love science fiction, I don't just talk about it. Occasionally, I write sci-fi stories. And because I used to be a narrative filmmaker, I still pick up and camera and do a little cinematography. In this episode, I invite actor and director Diana Porter to discuss with me why she agreed to direct and star in "Subscribed," this short film I wrote out of concerns over how faceless corporations might exploit artificial intelligence as a tool to transform us into cogs in their profit machine. I also ask what first got Diana interested in science fiction.
The Tomorrow War offers us big-budget sci-fi with hand-wavy time travel and deadly aliens. What's not to love? On this episode, I invite a couple of friends who also love a good sci-fi flick to join me for a lively discussion about the merits and flaws of this tropy action movie. Be warned, we discuss the move at length, so expect a lot of spoilers.
Follow Naa Dodoo on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/facelessfoods/
Keep up with my writing news (including updates about my own time-travel novel): www.mikelwisler.com
Author and science communication specialist Octavia Cade joins me for an important conversation about climate change, effective communication of science to the public, and protecting data and scientific integrity in a world driven by politics and profit margins. In this challenging and eye-opening episode, Cade and I discuss the real-world inspiration for her novel, The Stone Weta, about the women who put their lives and work at risk to project damning data on climate change. While the novel is fiction, the reality it draws from is something we must face head-on in a world increasingly engaged in science denial.
Learn more about Octavia Cade's work at www.ojcade.com
The recent John Oliver episode I mentioned can be seen here: https://youtu.be/gPHgRp70H8o
For more on my books and my blog, visit www.mikelwisler.com
Author Terri Favro joins me to discuss her non-fiction book, Generation Robot, which gives us a look back at the history of robotics and AI and a well-researched look forward into what lies ahead in the coming decades. Science fiction has given us a wide range of views on robots. But has sci-fi really got it right? What will happen if we succeed in giving AI consciousness? What will our responsibility to AI be at that point? What is a realistic view of our relationship to robots in the future? We discuss these questions and much more.
Learn more about Favro's work at terrifavro.ca
Join the discussion on Discord: https://discord.gg/HKfpNXwhdV
Check out my blog and books at mikelwisler.com
Andy Weir, author of The Martian, has a new novel out, Project Hail Mary. In this episode, I dive into what works and what doesn't about this book, how Weir has given us a better character journey, and more. Weir returns to some familiar territory with this plausible hard SF adventure. First 20-minutes are spoiler free.
Join the discussion on Discord: https://discord.gg/Arsbp5MAhq
Grab a copy of Wisler's Hard SF Cyberpunk Thriller: https://www.doxanousmedia.com/product-page/sleepwalker
Learn more at www.mikelwisler.com
Author Alec Nevala-Lee stops by to discuss his monumental biography of the early days of science fiction. His book, Astounding, details the rise of SF through the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. This was the age of a magazine called Astounding, today known as Analog Science Fiction and Fact. In those early decades, John W. Campbell served as editor of Astounding and he left an indelible mark on the genre, for better or worse. Campbell fostered talented writers like Robert A. Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, L. Ron Hubbard, and so many more. He indisputably shaped what we understand as Science Fiction today. But he upheld a distinctly white, male, capitalist outlook. Meanwhile, as science fiction found its footing in American culture, it also spun off the creation of a new religion. Was this an accident, or was it inevitable?
We discuss this and some of Nevala-Lee's own fiction feature in the collection, Syndromes.
Learn more about Alec Nevala-Lee's work: https://nevalalee.com
Read Astounding: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780062571946
Listen to Syndromes: https://nevalalee.wordpress.com/2020/04/14/listening-to-syndromes/
Learn more about Mikel's work at www.mikelwisler.com
Orson Scott Card and the late Ben Bova are two giants of the science fiction literary world. Bova has long been one of my favorite authors and his Grand Tour books have been an enormous influence on me. I recently dug up some solid advice from established professionals in the SF writing world and I found Card and Bova had both written books on writing SF. In this episode, I explore some of the connecting big themes both authors discuss in their books about what makes science fiction a challenging but worthwhile genre. I break down some examples of where some stories fail and others succeed. But this is not just an episode for writers. This is a look at why the genre matters, and why it may be the most fundamental human activity at this point in our evolution.
If you want to check out my books, please visit www.mikelwisler.com
Sherryl Vint teaches Science Fiction Media Studies at the University of California, Riverside and has written several books exploring the various philosophical and cultural aspects of science fiction. Her latest book, Science Fiction, published as part of the MIT Press Essential Knowledge Series. This latest book is a guide for the casual sci-fi fan interested in understanding how the genre has evolved and how it has become one of the most important forms of storytelling in our society's rapid technological and cultural development. Join us for a great discussion.
Learn more about Sherryl Vint's work here: https://profiles.ucr.edu/app/home/profile/sherrylv
Join the discussion on Discord: https://discord.gg/HKfpNXwhdV
Learn more about Wisler's work: mikelwisler.com
Have you seen the new Netflix sci-fi thriller, Stowaway? In this episode, I review the movie and discuss what worked and what didn't about it and why I want to see more movies like this made. The first portion of the episode is spoiler free, so even if you haven't seen the movie, you can listen to the first part and get a sense of whether this is something you want to watch. Then you can come back a listen to the rest of the episode to see if I got it right.
Join the discussion on Discord: https://discord.gg/HKfpNXwhdV
Check out my stories at mikelwisler.com
S.B. Divya's debut novel, Machinehood, is a thrill ride of plausible future conflict between developing AI and augmented human beings who have given up privacy and now rely on daily updates to their medication to combat designer viruses and remain competitive in the gig marketplace. Divya is also the co-editor of Escape Pod, which is a science fiction magazine podcast that features short stories by many of the greatest writers in the genre weekly. Join me for a lively discussion with S.B. Divya about how she got into the SF in the first place and how she went about creating her very plausible vision of the future in Machinehood.
Learn more about S.B. Divya and her work: sbdivya.com
Listen to Escape Pod: escapepod.org
Join the discussion on Discord: https://discord.gg/HKfpNXwhdV
The podcast currently has 30 episodes available.