Tag Archives: Sci-Fi

Nine Billion Names of God

Posted on October 6, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

“The Nine Billion Names of God” is a 1953 science fiction short story by British writer Arthur C. Clarke. The story was among the stories selected in 1970 by the Science Fiction Writers of America as one of the best science fiction short stories published … Continue reading →

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The Relativity of Wrong

Posted on September 1, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

In the essay below from 1988, the iconic American writer, philosopher, and scientist Isaac Asimov addresses the comforting myth that being ‘wrong’ always means starting from zero, arguing instead that knowledge evolves in degrees rather than absolutes. A wonderful piece … Continue reading →

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Tension for Tears

Posted on August 22, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

As I have previously mentioned, the novels and short stories of Ray Bradbury played an important role in my early love of reading. I recently ran across this marvelous brief video of Bradbury from fifty years ago discussing the importance … Continue reading →

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Build Your Sci-Fi Reading List

Posted on July 21, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Adrienne Westenfeld at Esquire enumerates the 75 best sci-fi books of all time. While I might find fault with some of the choices, and could quibble about the omissions, all in all it’s quite an interesting list. To be fair, I’ve … Continue reading →

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Alien Picnic

Posted on July 11, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

I recently ran across a reference to the fantastic Russian Sci-Fi classic Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky that included a link to a free online version of the novel. You can read or download the book here. The Strugatsky brothers … Continue reading →

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Very Short Stories

Posted on April 29, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

I’m hooked on the ultra short sci-fi  stories on Twitter, @smllwrlds is publishing a new tiny illustrated sci-fi story every day of 2023. Try it and you will be hooked too.  

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Otherwise it looks pretty good

Posted on April 18, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

If you read yesterday’s post on a list of the 50 best sci-fi books, you may have noted that it included The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. I have been a life-long fan of Adams’ brilliant books and have … Continue reading →

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Are these the 50 best scifi books of all time ?

Posted on April 17, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

I read quite a lot of science fiction. My reading habits were informed early in childhood by my love of writers such as Ray Bradbury and Isaac Asimov. These days I find myself leaning towards post-apocalyptic sci-fi and space operas. … Continue reading →

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A Library Is A Spaceship

Posted on January 3, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

I have been a fan of the wildly imaginative writing of Isaac Asimov since I was a child. Recently I ran across a charming story about the iconic sci-fi author and a letter that he wrote in 1971. He sent … Continue reading →

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The Answer is Still 42

Posted on December 11, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

Although the wildely popular comic sci-fi novel The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy was published in the UK in 1979, it wasn’t released in the colonies until 1980. This year, legions of fans in North America are celebrating the 42nd anniversary … Continue reading →

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