Science fiction authors Becky Chambers and Annalee Newitz discuss "cozy science fiction" -- stories of the future that feature goodness.From the Conversation...
Never heard the term “cozy scifi” before, but there’s certainly a lot more non-dystopian scifi than you would think, especially if you go back a few years before “dark” became the major profit farm.
I guess I’m saying the term “cozy sci fi” seems to encompass most of the history of sci fi. My favorite authors are all old - from HG Wells and Jules Verne through the “golden age” generation - Asimov, Clark, Heinlein, Doc Smith and that crowd, whose stories mostly involved technology or aliens. Murray Leinster is one of my all-time favorites. For space opera Poul Anderson is great. For creative explorations of cultures and societies try Ursula LeGuin and CJ Cherryh. Googling cozy scifi brings up a list that includes Becky Chambers - interestingly it’s almost entirely women.
I prefer sci fi as an escape from reality, not as a confirmation that it sucks.
I prefer sci fi as an escape from reality, not as a confirmation that it sucks.
I wouldnt think of Chambers’ books as only escapism litterature, even though there’s nothing wrong in my book w/ escapism.
It is escapism yes, im in a tough spot now but at night i dive into her books and forget for a moment about troubles. But it also suggests that reality doesn’t necessarily sucks & won’t necessarily sucks.
Never heard the term “cozy scifi” before, but there’s certainly a lot more non-dystopian scifi than you would think, especially if you go back a few years before “dark” became the major profit farm.
D’you have some names?
I guess I’m saying the term “cozy sci fi” seems to encompass most of the history of sci fi. My favorite authors are all old - from HG Wells and Jules Verne through the “golden age” generation - Asimov, Clark, Heinlein, Doc Smith and that crowd, whose stories mostly involved technology or aliens. Murray Leinster is one of my all-time favorites. For space opera Poul Anderson is great. For creative explorations of cultures and societies try Ursula LeGuin and CJ Cherryh. Googling cozy scifi brings up a list that includes Becky Chambers - interestingly it’s almost entirely women.
I prefer sci fi as an escape from reality, not as a confirmation that it sucks.
TY!
I wouldnt think of Chambers’ books as only escapism litterature, even though there’s nothing wrong in my book w/ escapism.
It is escapism yes, im in a tough spot now but at night i dive into her books and forget for a moment about troubles. But it also suggests that reality doesn’t necessarily sucks & won’t necessarily sucks.