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Prometheus Award
The Prometheus Award is an award for libertarian science fiction given annually by the Libertarian Futurist Society. American author and activist L. Neil Smith established the Best Novel category for the award in 1979; however, it was not awarded regularly until the newly founded Libertarian Futurist Society revived it in 1982. The Society created a Prometheus Hall of Fame Award (for classic works of libertarian and anti-authoritarian science fiction and fantasy, not necessarily novels) in 1983, and also presents occasional one-off Special Awards. While the Best Novel category is limited to novels published in English for the first time during the previous calendar year, Hall of Fame nominees — which must have been published at least 20 years ago — may be in any narrative or dramatic form, including novels, novellas, stories, films, television series or episodes, plays, musicals, graphic novels, song lyrics, or verse. The Best Novel winner receives a plaque with a one-ounc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Science Fiction
Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space exploration, time travel, Parallel universes in fiction, parallel universes, and extraterrestrials in fiction, extraterrestrial life. The genre often explores human responses to the consequences of projected or imagined scientific advances. Science fiction is related to fantasy (together abbreviated wikt:SF&F, SF&F), Horror fiction, horror, and superhero fiction, and it contains many #Subgenres, subgenres. The genre's precise Definitions of science fiction, definition has long been disputed among authors, critics, scholars, and readers. Major subgenres include hard science fiction, ''hard'' science fiction, which emphasizes scientific accuracy, and soft science fiction, ''soft'' science fiction, which focuses on social sciences. Other no ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1978 In Literature
This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 1978. Events *March 8 – Douglas Adams' comic science fiction series ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' originates as a radio comedy broadcast on the U.K. BBC Radio 4. *March – Philip Larkin ends his relationships with Maeve Brennan and Betty Mackereth. *April – James Blaylock's first published story, "The Ape-Box Affair", appears in ''Unearth'' magazine, pioneering steampunk fiction. *August 1 – Barbara Pym is a guest on ''Desert Island Discs''. *October – The Bookseller/Diagram Prize for Oddest Title of the Year, a humorous award given annually to books with unusual titles, is launched at the Frankfurt Book Fair. The first winner is ''Proceedings of the Second International Workshop on Nude Mice''. *November 15 – Harold Pinter's play '' Betrayal'', inspired by a seven-year clandestine extramarital affair with BBC Television presenter Joan Bakewell, opens at the National Theatr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster LLC (, ) is an American publishing house owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts since 2023. It was founded in New York City in 1924, by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. Along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group USA, Hachette, HarperCollins and Macmillan Publishers, Simon & Schuster is considered one of the Big Five (publishers), 'Big Five' English language publishers. , Simon & Schuster was the third largest publisher in the United States, publishing 2,000 titles annually under 35 different Imprint (trade name), imprints. History Early years In 1924, Richard L. Simon, Richard Simon's aunt, a crossword puzzle enthusiast, asked whether there was a book of ''New York World'' crossword puzzles, which were popular at the time. After discovering that none had been published, Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster, Max Schuster decided to launch a company to exploit the opportunity.Frederick Lewis Allen, ''Only Yesterday: An Informal History of the 1920s'', p. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Songs From The Stars
''Songs from the Stars'' is a novel by Norman Spinrad published in 1980. Plot summary ''Songs from the Stars'' is a novel in which Clear Blue Lou and Sunshine Sue help manage the society of Aquaria, the only earth-based human civilization that survived a devastating nuclear war. However, the technocratic Space Systems Inc has also survived in Earth orbit and schemes to displace the technological stasis in which they perceive Aquaria to have lingered in order to resurrect spaceflight on this post-apocalyptic world. Reception ''Kirkus Reviews'' states "Debates on communications and karma ensue. Gassy." Tom Easton reviewed ''Songs from the Stars'' for ''Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact'', and commented that "I enjoyed ''Songs'', and I believe it should be read widely. Spinrad has split human life into technophilia and technophia, and effectively dramatized the necessity of reconciling the two if anyone is to have a life of freedom and comfort." Greg Costikyan reviewed ''Song ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Crown Publishers
The Crown Publishing Group is a subsidiary of Penguin Random House that publishes across several fiction and non-fiction categories. Originally founded in 1933 as a remaindered books wholesaler called Outlet Book Company, the firm expanded into publishing original content in 1936 under the Crown name, and was acquired by Random House in 1988. Under Random House's ownership, the Crown Publishing Group was operated as an independent division until 2018, when it was merged with the rest of Random House's adult programs. Crown authors include Jean Auel, Max Brooks, George W. Bush, Eitan Bernath, Deepak Chopra, Ann Coulter, Andrew Cuomo, Giada De Laurentiis, Will Ferrell (as fictional character Ron Burgundy), Gillian Flynn, Jim Gaffigan, Ina Garten, Greg Gutfeld, Mindy Kaling, Rachel Maddow, Jillian Michaels, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Theresa Rebeck, Mark Brennan Rosenberg, Judith Rossner, Rebecca Skloot, Suzanne Somers, Martha Stewart, Jonah Goldberg, Michael Jackson ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alongside Night
''Alongside Night'' is a dystopian novel by science fiction writer J. Neil Schulman intended to articulate the principles of Agorism, a political philosophy created by Samuel Edward Konkin III, to whom Schulman dedicated the work. It was first published during 1979 by Crown Publishers, with subsequent paperback editions released by Ace Books during 1982, Avon Books during 1987, Pulpless.com during 1999, and Amazon Kindle during 2009. The novel received endorsements from Anthony Burgess and Milton Friedman and was entered into the Libertarian Futurist Society's Prometheus Hall of Fame in 1989. Ross Ulbricht credited the novel and Konkin's writings as inspirations for the creation of the online marketplace Silk Road. A film adaptation, written and directed by Schulman, was released in 2014 via Tugg and later on Amazon Prime and home video. It was accompanied by an audiobook version of the novel as well as a graphic novel adaptation of the screenplay. Plot summary The story beg ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1979 In Literature
This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 1979. Events *May – The Merchant Ivory Productions film '' The Europeans'' is released. Its screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala draws on the 1878 Henry James novel of the same name. *October 25 – The ''London Review of Books'' is first issued, its founding editors being Karl Miller, Mary-Kay Wilmers and Susannah Clapp. For its first six months it appears as an insert to ''The New York Review of Books''. *November – Dambudzo Marechera's ''The House of Hunger'' wins the Guardian Fiction Prize. *''unknown dates'' **K. W. Jeter's novel '' Morlock Night'' pioneers full-length fiction in the genre he later calls steampunk. ** August Wilson's '' Jitney'' is first produced; it becomes the eighth in his "Pittsburgh Cycle". New books Fiction *Douglas Adams – ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' * V. C. Andrews – '' Flowers in the Attic'' *Jeffrey Archer – '' Kane and Abel'' *Barbara Tay ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Probability Broach
''The Probability Broach'' is a 1979 science fiction novel by American writer L. Neil Smith. It is set in an alternate history, the so-called " Gallatin Universe", where a libertarian society has formed on the North American continent, styled the North American Confederacy (NAC). This history was created when the Declaration of Independence has the word ''unanimous'' added to the preamble, to read that governments "derive their just power from the ''unanimous'' consent of the governed". Plot summary Edward William "Win" Bear is an Ute Indian who works for the Denver Police Department in a version of the United States in an alternate history of 1987 that is controlled by an anti-capitalist, ecofascist government complete with a new police force created in 1984 called the Federal Security Police (FSP, or "SecPol" as it is more commonly known) reminiscent of the Gestapo. Henry M. Jackson is president, citizens' freedoms are very limited, and many laws and regulations have been ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1980 In Literature
This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 1980. Events *March 6 – Marguerite Yourcenar becomes the first woman elected to the Académie française. * June 5 **The Royal Shakespeare Company opens a production at the Aldwych Theatre, London, of '' The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby'', adapted from Charles Dickens's novel by David Edgar. ** Willy Russell's comedy '' Educating Rita'' opens in a Royal Shakespeare Company production with Julie Walters in the title rôle, at The Warehouse in London. *September – A production of Shakespeare's ''Macbeth'' with Peter O'Toole in the lead opens at the Old Vic Theatre, London. It is often seen one of the disasters in theatre history. * September 23 – The Field Day Theatre Company presents its first production, the première of Brian Friel's '' Translations'', at the Guildhall, Derry, Northern Ireland. * November 27 – The English playwright Harold Pinter marries the biographer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Del Rey Books
Del Rey Books is an imprint (trade name), imprint of the Random House Group, a division of Penguin Random House. The imprint was established in 1977 under the editorship of Judy-Lynn del Rey and her husband, author Lester del Rey. Today, the imprint specializes in science fiction, fantasy, horror, and fantasy romance. The first new novel published by Del Rey was ''The Sword of Shannara'' by Terry Brooks in 1977. Del Rey formerly published ''Star Wars'' novels under the Lucasbooks sub-imprint (licensed from Lucasfilm, a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios (division), The Walt Disney Studios division of The Walt Disney Company) that are now published by its sister imprint, Random House Worlds. Authors *Piers Anthony *Isaac Asimov *Stephen Baxter (author), Stephen Baxter *Amber Benson *Ray Bradbury *Max Brooks *Terry Brooks *Pierce Brown *John Brunner (author), John Brunner *Bonnie Burton *Jack L. Chalker *Cassandra Clare *Arthur C. Clarke *James Rollins, James Clemens *Dan Cra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Genesis Machine
''The Genesis Machine'' is a 1978 science fiction novel by James P. Hogan. Background Hogan discussed the background of the novel in his essay "Discovering Hyperspace". While developing the setting for ''Inherit the Stars'', Hogan found himself dissatisfied with the use of superluminal travel in science fiction as a plot device, in particular finding that he could not think of a story where the invention of the hyperdrive is central to the plot. The idea for the novel arose when he combined this idea with the concept that the hyperdrive would emerge as a byproduct of other research, in this case military research into superweapon technology. Summary The protagonist Bradley Clifford is a scientist drafted into military research for the American government. Finding the establishment repressive, he leaves and forms a team to develop his methods to create a means of controlling gravity. As this research is also of military importance, the team soon find themselves back under sta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Berkley Books
Berkley Books is an American imprint founded in 1955 by Charles Byrne and Frederic Klein owned by the Penguin Group unit of Penguin Random House. History Berkley Books began as an independent company in 1955. It was founded as "Chic News Company" by Charles Byrne and Frederick Klein, who had worked for Avon; they quickly renamed it Berkley Publishing Co. The new name was a coinage, combining elements of their surnames, unrelated to either the philosopher George Berkeley or Berkeley, California. Under their editor-in-chief Thomas Dardis, over the next few years Berkley developed a diverse line of popular fiction and non-fiction, both reprints and mass-market paperback originals, with a particularly strong history in science fiction (books of Robert A. Heinlein and Frank Herbert’s ''Dune'' novels, for example). The company was bought in 1965 by G. P. Putnam's Sons and in years to follow undertook a hardcover line under the Berkley imprint, chiefly but not only for science fic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
