Speculative Fiction

The Man from Earth Movie Poster

The Man from Earth

Science fiction is one of the toughest genres to do well in film, let alone doing it on a tiny budget and without any special effects.

Frank Herbert Chapterhouse: Dune Book Cover

Chapterhouse: Dune

The last novel we have from Frank Herbert leaves me feeling a bit empty.

War of the Worlds Movie Poster

War of the Worlds

Much of the film is high energy fluff, but its family dynamics and stellar performances elevate it above a simple visual spectacle.

Frank Herbert Heretics of Dune Book Cover

Heretics of Dune

Despite not matching the highs of previous books, it provides unique offerings that make it a worthwhile continuation of the series.

The Matrix Reloaded Movie Poster

The Matrix Reloaded

Though it falters in several unfortunate ways, Reloaded is a worthy follow-up and serves its purpose of expanding the universe of The Matrix very well.

Philip K. Dick The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch Book Cover

The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch

Dick’s straightforward and decidedly unpoetic prose is remarkably effective at disorienting the reader, as well as inducing unease.

Frank Herbert God Emperor Of Dune Book Cover

God Emperor of Dune

God Emperor of Dune is Herbert at his most measured, thoughtful, and profound.

Frank Herbert Children of Dune Book Cover

Children of Dune

what really propels this into the upper echelon of science fiction is that many thought-provoking ideas are wrapped within a page-turning story.

Frank Herbert Dune Book Cover

Dune

Dune endures because it excels at integrating a cornucopia of interesting ideas into a seamless whole, without force feeding the reader and actually encouraging them to develop their own thoughts on the subject matter.

Stanislaw Lem Solaris Book Cover

Solaris

Mankind does not understand itself deeply, and yet we persist in our investigations into the mysterious and risk being overwhelmed by things we can’t comprehend.