Category Archives: science fiction

The Rogue One Terrorists

Posted on December 21, 2016 by jananson

I used to think of Star Wars as a fairy tale in space. In filling a tempting gap in the storyline, Rogue One offers less in the way of mythological resonance and more of gritty realism. It’s telling that some key … Continue reading →

Posted in film, Politics, science fiction, Uncategorized | Tagged empire, Rogue One, space opera, Star Wars, terrorists | 3 Comments

What’s the Story to Get to a Better Society?

Posted on June 28, 2016 by jananson

I wanted to write something else about the EU referendum – or rather about one aspect of the consequences now unfolding at dizzying speed. How, though, to make that relevant to the focus of this blog? Well, when you stand … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, science fiction | Tagged EU referendum, Greece, Jeremy Corbyn, Labour Party, News from Nowhere, radical left, SYRIZA, UK, utopia, William Morris | 2 Comments

Like a Slow-Motion Car Crash

Posted on June 20, 2016 by jananson

I’ve sometimes wondered what it must be like to live in a time when you can see that your society is wilfully racing towards political disaster – war, say, or violent revolution, or fascist supremacy – and no appeal either … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, science fiction | Tagged Christopher Priest, dystopia, EU referendum, evolution, Fugue for a Darkening Island, migrants, Polly Toynbee, right-wing, science fiction, Stephen Baxter | 4 Comments

Crafting Utopias – by Kirsty Hartsiotis

Posted on April 12, 2016 by jananson

It’s a long way from Central Africa to Gloucestershire, but it’s ideas and commitment, not location, that make a utopia. In Anthony Nanson’s Deep Time we are introduced to a number of different communities, some striving for an ideal and … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, science fiction | Tagged Anthony Nanson, C.R. Ashbee, Cheltenham, communities, Deep Time, Ernest Barnsley, Ernest Gimson, Gloucestershire, Guild of Handicraft, News from Nowhere, Prinknash Abbey, Sidney Barnsley, Taena Community, The Wilson, utopia, Whiteway, William Morris | Leave a comment

Battlestar Galactica and Ecology

Posted on February 29, 2016 by jananson

For several gruelling months at work, it was an episode of Battlestar Galactica each evening that kept me going – till I’d worked through all five box sets. A military SF story about shooting up evil robots may not seem … Continue reading →