Regarding Avatar: Is it appropriate for an 11 year old (who's REALLY into scifi) and which 3D system? [more inside]
posted by cowmix on Dec 18, 2009 - 12 answers

Sci-fiShortStoryFilter: A generation ship on a long-term voyage slowly forgets the purpose of its mission and begins to interpret the mission control manual and previous captain's logs as religious works, and cease working toward their target. Basically all other details I've forgotten, and I'm pretty sure it's not "Thirteen to Centaurus" by JG Ballard that I'm thinking of.
posted by palindromic on Dec 14, 2009 - 29 answers

Hive authors: help me publish a sci-fi story! [more inside]
posted by Salvor Hardin on Dec 2, 2009 - 26 answers

Bookhunt: What's the name of a sci-fi novel involving giant engines forming in a ring shape around the Earth? I seem to remember the title being a word with four letters in it. [more inside]
posted by CrystalDave on Dec 1, 2009 - 6 answers

I'm trying to find a short sci-fi story I read over 10 years ago that I barely remember. It may have involved some or all of the following: bicycle repair, ripe banana smelling bacteria used as deodorant and anti-libido medication. [more inside]
posted by jrishel on Nov 19, 2009 - 7 answers

Help me find the name of this fantasy or scifi movie I saw as a child. [more inside]
posted by xenophile on Nov 15, 2009 - 11 answers

I'm trying to remember the name of a sci-fi book. I read it like 10 years ago, so my memory of it's a bit fuzzy. One of the major topics was something about the religion of science. I remember a guy who was able to trick people, a traveling salesman of sorts, who sold someone a machine that turned lead into gold. The machine actually worked, but would stop working after he got away with his money. I don't *think* I'm imagining this book, but who knows...
posted by Political Funny Man on Nov 11, 2009 - 5 answers

Looking for a short sci-fi story that I read on the internet. It was about a police force who worked in the very risky highways of the future, where rocket cars zoomed around at hundreds of miles an hour. [more inside]
posted by chrisamiller on Nov 1, 2009 - 5 answers

Sci-Fi Movie Filter: Trying to locate the title of a movie I saw in the late 80's. It was set in the US in the near future. A private eye or cop was trying to track down someone smuggling a deadly drug or chemical that - when it came in contact with the human body - dissolved it in a fantastically gruesome fashion with smoke and screaming. [more inside]
posted by ninazer0 on Nov 1, 2009 - 5 answers

If I'm sitting on the terraformed surface of a Culture orbital, what does the horizon look like? [more inside]
posted by reverend cuttle on Oct 26, 2009 - 12 answers

In the early 1980s, Starlog magazine ran a column called Quest that featured readers' artistic submissions. To this day, I still recall a story called "Bomb Run," which dealt with an Enola Gay-style bombing of an alien planet. Did anyone else read this story, and if so, do you know where can I find it online or at least learn the author's name?
posted by nightengine on Oct 14, 2009 - 2 answers

Back in the 70's/80's, I remember seeing a series of scifi/fantasy books, where the cover art for all the books had a consistent theme of a red/orange sun that figured prominently. What was it? [more inside]
posted by nomisxid on Oct 6, 2009 - 19 answers

What are the most alien aliens in Comics, TV or Movie SF? [more inside]
posted by signal on Sep 29, 2009 - 53 answers

I'm trying to remember the title and author of a young adult sci-fi novel from the early '90s (or earlier) with a character named Alana (or Alanna) and a boy who gets taken to another world. Help! [more inside]
posted by ilana on Sep 17, 2009 - 1 answer

NameThisMovieFilter: Dystopian society of people living in a domed city, who don't leave their homes and spend a great deal of their time in their dream machines. [more inside]
posted by sunshinesky on Sep 14, 2009 - 10 answers

Can you recommend any good stories/books that deal with unobtrusive time travel tourism? Tourists from the future going back in time to view historical events, or catch a glimpse at a historical person, but not interacting or interfering in any way, shape, or form... read-only time travel, if you will.
posted by bjork24 on Sep 14, 2009 - 15 answers

Please help me find this SciFi story I remember reading as a kid. [more inside]
posted by mahke on Sep 11, 2009 - 2 answers

Please name some sci- fi space movies that have a team of (at least) four characters, a team of heroes that eventually forms organically over the course of the film (ex: Star Wars.) [more inside]
posted by np312 on Sep 2, 2009 - 29 answers

Dr. Who question. Can the Tardis ever appear inside itself? Has it ever?
posted by geekhorde on Aug 31, 2009 - 14 answers

Another forgotten book from childhood. Time travel/survival. Dinosaurs. And yes, it vibrates. Help? [more inside]
posted by rokusan on Aug 26, 2009 - 9 answers

Looking for book recs about sci-fi, specifically about gender issues and jetpack-related physics. [more inside]
posted by mumble on Aug 23, 2009 - 27 answers

My visceral dislike of the movie District 9 combined with years of other sub par science fiction movies has pretty much killed any desire to see more films of the genre. Help me rekindle the flame. (Minor District 9spoilers inside) [more inside]
posted by Brandon Blatcher on Aug 19, 2009 - 82 answers

What are some or how can one best find science-fiction novels that are good by general literary standards? [more inside]
posted by colinmarshall on Aug 18, 2009 - 75 answers

What are the best examples of music that is unapologetically science fiction/fantasy ? I love hawkwind(especially 77-79 era), Gary numan, the legendary pink dots, devo, fad gadget and the like. Help me make the perfect sci-fi playlist. [more inside]
posted by donabean on Aug 16, 2009 - 66 answers

Looking for fiction and non-fiction about Jupiter's moon Europa. [more inside]
posted by moonroof on Aug 13, 2009 - 13 answers

Looking for sci-fi novel recommendations, preferably of the “harder” variety. My two favorite authors are Alastair Reynolds and Vernor Vinge. Some other books & authors that I’ve liked (and a few I’ve disliked) below the fold, to hopefully give a better sense of what I’m looking for. Thanks! [more inside]
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell on Aug 11, 2009 - 38 answers

In your opinion, who are the best alien super-villains? Difficulty: I'm only interested in those that originated from comic books. [more inside]
posted by np312 on Jul 23, 2009 - 25 answers

What would spaceship "shields" look like in reality? [more inside]
posted by parallax7d on Jul 13, 2009 - 30 answers

Want to help remember a book title? 'Course ya do! It's from the 80s and, if I remember correctly, involves some kids that discover a new game at the local arcade. There's a pilot's helmet on top of the machine, and when they try it on and attempt the game they find they can travel through time. I believe the cover was a picture of the machine and the helmet. At one point they use it to break into a research facility or something, but before that I think they go back too far and it's still being built (leading to some fretting about jumping forward in time and ending up halfway through a wall or floor). I know somebody out there can field this one!
posted by Monster_Zero on Jun 23, 2009 - 2 answers

Please help me identify this scifi movie from my childhood? [more inside]
posted by jbenben on Jun 11, 2009 - 14 answers

Science Fiction films dealing with sex-change? [more inside]
posted by kolophon on Jun 11, 2009 - 21 answers

I've just finished reading Let The Galaxy Burn, a collection of Warhammer 40k short stories, and I really liked it. What are some other good Warhammer 40k books? [more inside]
posted by thewittyname on Jun 9, 2009 - 11 answers

Recommend post-apocalyptic man+woman team vs world sci-fi. [more inside]
posted by low affect on Jun 5, 2009 - 27 answers

I'm writing a novel that's a mix of Douglas Adams-like humorous sci-fi and Tom Sharpe-like bawdiness. Am I mad? Would you be interested in such a book? Read on for more info. [more inside]
posted by deeper red on May 29, 2009 - 23 answers

Science fiction - filter: I used to read and love Dick, Farmer, LeGuin, and others who coupled great writing with directly confronting sex, violence, and societal change. What contemporary authors might I like? [more inside]
posted by Forktine on May 28, 2009 - 40 answers

Can you help me find out the animated short I saw in the late 1990s on SPACE (the Canadian SciFi Channel)? [more inside]
posted by consummate dilettante on May 20, 2009 - 0 answers

Please recommend sci-fi/fantasy shows to this Doctor Who fan. [more inside]
posted by giggleknickers on May 18, 2009 - 23 answers

Looking for a specific illustrated encyclopedia of science fiction aliens. I owned a copy 15 years ago- beautiful glossy pages, each depicting an alien from a sci-fi book, and I believe a short paragraph of description. The cover was black with one of the gorgeous illustrations on the front. The illustrations were very detailed and may have been painted. Wasn't gigantic, maybe a 1/4 inch thick. I have googled and searched amazon to no avail. Thanks in advance.
posted by bmct on May 15, 2009 - 7 answers

Name-that-golden-age-SF-bookfilter: a kid wins a contest to go to a space station, and it's not Have Space Suit--Will Travel. [more inside]
posted by The Bridge on the River Kai Ryssdal on May 7, 2009 - 9 answers

What books or series spur their own mythology or philosophy? I love getting lost in the world of a book or movie. Past books and series such as "Harry Potter," "The Da Vinci Code," "Lost," "The Matrix" movies, "Buffy" and "Star Wars" come with their own universe - people analyze them, look for mythological/philosophical undertones, solve puzzles and come up with their own theories. [more inside]
posted by adverb on Apr 24, 2009 - 69 answers

Looking for science fiction movies/TV shows in which a military force (consisting of aliens or humans, good or evil) has tactically used time travel as a means to win a war. [more inside]
posted by np312 on Apr 18, 2009 - 16 answers

I recall reading a thread years ago on alt.astronomy or one of the similar news groups regarding the, "Pail of Air" scenario. The basic idea is, if the sun were to go out tomorrow how long would life on earth survive? The thread had hundreds, perhaps thousands, of posts and lasted for months. Does anyone have a link to a copy of that discussion?
posted by dustsquid on Mar 26, 2009 - 2 answers

Wanted: Science Fiction Books moved by a great central idea such as: Ringworld by Larry Niven or The Forever War by Joe Haldeman. [more inside]
posted by MasonDixon on Mar 25, 2009 - 34 answers

I'm looking for the title and author of a sci-fi short story about a man who dies creating a rogue black hole, which then falls in love with the man's wife. [more inside]
posted by pointless_incessant_barking on Mar 24, 2009 - 11 answers

Is there any first contact science fiction (or other types of scifi, more generally) where the characters have actually READ first contact science fiction before? [more inside]
posted by OmieWise on Mar 24, 2009 - 23 answers

No more maple syrup candy for you! -- Help me remember this SF novel I read in the 1970s. [more inside]
posted by gum on Mar 22, 2009 - 5 answers

Science Fiction Filter: examples of unreliable aliens? [more inside]
posted by arcanecrowbar on Mar 14, 2009 - 36 answers

Yet another "name that science fiction story" question: Short sci-fi story, probably read in a best-of-year, Hugo, or Nebula collection, possibly from the 80's. [more inside]
posted by mosk on Mar 10, 2009 - 11 answers

Here's a geeky one about Larry Niven's Known Space stories... how come Louis Wu doesn't know that Beowulf Shaeffer is his (step) father? [more inside]
posted by ubermuffin on Mar 3, 2009 - 5 answers

Help me identify this roughly 10-year-old tv movie. It featured an aircraft with a supercomputer onboard, that was deranged and also controlled a powerful weapon. [more inside]
posted by chookibing on Feb 25, 2009 - 5 answers