Chuck AdlerWizards, Aliens, and Starships: Physics and Math in Fantasy and Science Fiction

Princeton University Press, 2014

by Sol Lederman on February 14, 2014

Chuck Adler

View on Amazon

[Re-posted with permission from Wild About Math] I’ve admitted before that Physics and I have never gotten along. But, science fiction is something I enjoy. So, when Princeton University Press sent me a copy of Physics Professor Chuck Adler‘s new book Wizards, Aliens, and Starships: Physics and Math in Fantasy and Science Fiction I was intrigued enough that I wanted to interview the author. This interview rambled, but in a good way. Chuck is a great guest, he’s passionate about physics and math as well as fantasy and science fiction. We flowed through a number of subjects and had a grand time.

Interview with Chuck Adler [ 1:34:10 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
submit to hubski

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Ben HatkeLegends of Zita the Spacegirl

September 2, 2013

In this sequel to Zita the Spacegirl, Zita faces the perils of being a famous space hero. Ben Hatke once again combines whimsical and lovely drawings with a great sense of humor. Although I purchased Legends of Zita the Spacegirl (First Second, 2012) for my daughter, I think that I’ve re-read it nearly as many [...]

Interview with Ben Hatke [ 53:59 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
Read the full article →

Hugh C. HoweyWool

July 17, 2013

Hugh C. Howey, author of the award-winning Molly Fyde Saga, is best known for his self-published and bestselling series Wool. This post apocalyptic tale of human survival within the infamous silos has taken the world by storm. The Wool Omnibus Edition (Simon & Schuster, 2012) won the Kindle Book Review’s 2012 Indie Book of the Year [...]

Interview with Hugh C. Howey [ 37:46 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
Read the full article →

Patrick James and Abigail RuaneThe International Relations of Middle-Earth: Learning from the Lord of the Rings

June 6, 2013

Patrick James is the Dornsife Dean’s Professor of International Relations at the University of Southern California. A self-described intellectual “fox,” James works on a wide variety of subjects in the study of world politics. But one of his latest books, co-authored with Abigail E. Ruane, breaks even his eclectic mold. The International Relations of Middle-Earth: Learning from the Lord [...]

Interview with Patrick James [ 30:41 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
Read the full article →

R.S. BelcherSix-Gun Tarot

February 4, 2013

R.S. Belcher‘s first book, Six-Gun Tarot (Tor, 2013), has receive widespread praise in the online reviewing community. It tells the fantasy-western-horror story of a Nevada town, called Golgotha, that is home to an unusual assortment of men and women, spirits and angels, and Lovecraftian waiting to unleash havoc upon the world. Throughout the book, Belcher [...]

Interview with R.S. Belcher [ 58:12 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
Read the full article →

Ramez NaamNexus

January 18, 2013

Ramez Naam is a computer scientist who lives in the pacific northwest. His debut novel, Nexus (Angry Robot, 2012), has received an impressive level of positive buzz, including an endorsement from one of our past interview subjects, Alistair Reynolds. Although this is his first work of fiction, Naam is no stranger to writing. His previous [...]

Interview with Ramez Naam [ 28:25 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
Read the full article →

Felix GilmanThe Rise of Ransom City

January 8, 2013

I first learned about Felix Gilman‘s work from the influential academic blog Crooked Timber. I proceeded to read Thunderer, Gears of the City, and Half-Made World and found myself impressed by Gilman’s distinctive settings, themes, and voice. It should surprise no one, in my view, that Thunderer received a nomination for the 2009 Locus Award [...]

Interview with Felix Gilman [ 1:11:05 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
Read the full article →

Michael GordinThe Pseudoscience Wars: Immanuel Velikovsky and the Birth of the Modern Fringe

December 19, 2012

When I agreed to host New Books and Science Fiction and Fantasy there were a number of authors I hoped to interview, including Michael Gordin. This might come as a surprise to listeners, because Michael is neither a science-fiction nor a fantasy author. He is, rather, a prominent historian of science at Princeton University. But [...]

Interview with Michael Gordin [ 1:00:05 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
Read the full article →

Alastair ReynoldsBlue Remembered Earth

October 31, 2012

Blue Remembered Earth (Gollantz, 2012) takes place roughly 150 years in the future. Climate change, as well as the political and economic rise of Africa, have transformed the planet. Humanity is colonizing the solar system. Geoffrey Akinya, grandson of a visionary businesswoman, cares most about his scientific work with elephants. His sister, Sunday, pursues the [...]

Interview with Alastair Reynolds [ 1:12:05 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
Read the full article →

Madeline AshbyvN: The First Machine Dynasty

October 19, 2012

Amy Peterson is a five-year old self-replicating android who lives with her synthetic mother and human “father.” Her struggles might be that of any super-intelligent youngster whose body and mind mark her as different than her schoolmates, but then her grandmother, Portia, appears at her kindergarten graduation and attacks her mother. Amy’s intervention leads to [...]

Interview with Madeline Ashby [ 39:27 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
Read the full article →

← Previous Entries