Unknown Orbits

0046: The Large Ant, by Howard Fast

What would you do if you turned around and found a fourteen-inch Zanti misfit staring at you? So would I. In Howard Fast's The Large Ant the protagonist makes the same decision, and that - of course - leads to a philosophical discussion of Mankind's place amoung intelligent species. 

0045: A Can of Paint, by A.E. Van Vogt

In A Can of Paint by A. E. van Vogt, the first landing on Venus finds a simple can of paint. But is it really simple, or an advanced alien artifact? Then we touch on the writing techniques of A. E. van Vogt and others.

0044: The Silly Season, by C. M. Kornbluth

Spheres, domes and bottomless holes appear in C. M. Kornbluth's The Silly Season, but how are they connected? We discuss this memorable story from 1950, then move on to the actual newspaper silly season, secret aircraft, UAPs, and the time we embarrassed a Milwaukee Journal reporter.

0043: Childhood’s End, by Arthur C. Clarke

Today we talk about Arthur C. Clarke and his 1953 novel Childhood's End, and how some science fiction writers helped poularize space exploration during the early U.S. space program.

0042: A Pail of Air, by Fritz Leiber

Fritz Leiber's A Pail of Air is a unique view of life on Earth after the end of the world. This inspires us to categorise end of the world movies, and somehow we spend a lot of time talking about Tarzan and the Valley of Gold (a.k.a. Tarzan and the Lost City). 

0041: Foundation, by Isaac Asimov

Foundation by Isaac Asimov leads us into discussing other future histories in science fiction, then we go on to our own view of the quality and style of Asimov's writing.

0040: Costigan’s Needle, by Jerry Sohl

Could you rebuild civilization without tools, books, or even the fillings in your teeth? In Jerry Sohl's Costigan's Needle, a neighborhood of 400 people are thrust naked into a different Earth, one without people. We finish by discussing Jerry Sohl's scriptwriting career.

0039: The Foghorn, by Ray Bradbury

Did the producers of The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms get inspiration from Ray Bradbury's The Foghorn? Or did the connection between the two get some help from Ray Harryhausen? After the discussion we go on to compare our favorite monster movies from the 1950s. 

0038: A Canticle for Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller

We discuss the Hugo Award winning novel, A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller, a huge maintream success. Then we take a quick look at High School recommended reading lists.

0037: Scanners Live in Vain, by Cordwainer Smith

Scanners Live in Vain by Cordwainer Smith is a classic story of the genre. So naturally we disagree over it, then switch things up by argueing about world-building.