Join us as we discuss the second Hugo Award winner: Frank Riley and Mark Clifton's They'd Rather Be Right, which is often called 'the worst book to ever win the Hugo'!!
Host: Christine D. Baker, a historian who lives in Vancouver, BC. You can find her at @klaxoncomms.com on Bluesky or follow what she's reading at her website: https://klaxoncomms.com/reading/
This month's guest is Rob Tomshany, @robtomshany.bsky.social, who has near encyclopedic knowledge of 50s and 60s sci fi and fantasy.
From about 2:05 to 9:37, Christine is recapping the book, which has A LOT of spoilers. The rest of the episode isn't spoiler free, but that section goes through the plot in detail.
Some things mentioned in the episode:
- Jo Walton's review of 1955 Hugo winners: https://reactormag.com/hugo-nominees-1955
- 1960s New Wave — Dangerous Vision anthologies edited by Harlan Ellison
- The Hidden Persuaders by Vance Packard
- The Space Merchants by Frederik Pohl
- Stories are Weapons by Annalee Newitz
- Psychological Warfare by Paul Linebarger/Cordwainer Smith
- Turing test
- Arthur C Clark, 2001: A Space Odyssey
- Slan by A.E. Van Vogt
- Judith Merril — intro to story collection of Mike Clifton
- John Campbell — editor of Astounding
- J.B. Rhine — research about telepathy
- Galaxy Magazine
- FNSF (Fantasy & Science Fiction Magazine)
- Robert Heinlein
- The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
- Stranger in a Strange Land
- Isaac Asimov
- L Ron Hubbard
- Dianetics
- To the Stars
- Scientology
- Mark Clifton's short stories
- What Have I Done?
- 8 Keys to Eden
- When They Came from Space
- What Now Little Man
- Hang Head Vandal
- Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged
- The Science Fiction of Mark Clifton, co edited by Martin H. Greenbergand Barry N. Malzberg
- What Have I Done: The Stories of Mark Clifton
- Born Sexy Yesterday (Not Born Again Sexy)
