Sunday, 7 September 2025

SF Of Its Time

Science fiction reflects the time in which it is written.

In The Time Machine, Victorian class division becomes devolution into Morlocks and Eloi whereas, in Poul Anderson's Maurai History and There Will Be Time, nuclear war in the Northern Hemisphere causes a shift of political power to the Southern Hemisphere.

In Robert Heinlein's Future History, DD Harriman lives underground as a precaution against nuclear attack whereas, in Anderson's Genesis, Laurinda Ashcroft lives underground for ecological reasons.

In James Blish's A Case Of Conscience, not just rich individuals like Harriman but entire populations live permanently underground in Shelter cities.

I trust that these five examples:

Wells
Anderson (2)
Heinlein
Blish

- make their point in this midnight post.

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