Alan Smale on Lunar Warfare in 'Hot Moon'

Alan Smale on Lunar Warfare in 'Hot Moon'

Author: Marty Kurylowicz and Holly Carson February 27, 2025 Duration: 1:04:46
Marty talks to Alan Smale, a professional astronomer and author of hard science fiction, alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy, and horror. We talk to him about his most recent book 'Hot Moon' - an alternate history set in 1979 where the USSR won the space race to land the first man on the moon, changing the balance of power during the cold war and accelerating the space race to push both the Americans and the Soviets to have permanent moon bases, orbiting space stations, and manned ...

Ever wonder how close that far-future technology in your favorite novel really is, or what a biologist thinks about the alien ecosystems a writer dreams up? That’s the space where The Science in The Fiction lives. Hosted by Marty Kurylowicz and Holly Carson, this series bridges two worlds that often talk past each other. Each episode begins with a conversation with a science fiction author, pulling apart the big ideas and speculative concepts woven into their work. Then, they bring a scientist or expert into the studio to examine those same ideas through the lens of current research and theory. The real magic happens when these perspectives collide, creating a genuine dialogue. You’ll hear a physicist geek out over warp drive mechanics with an author who just wrote about them, or an ethicist debate artificial consciousness with the novelist who imagined it. It’s not just about fact-checking fiction; it’s about using narrative to ask better questions and using science to deepen our sense of wonder. This podcast operates on a simple, powerful belief: that science fiction can make science more compelling and accessible, and that solid science can, in turn, inspire more thoughtful and visionary stories. If you’ve ever finished a brilliant sci-fi book and immediately fallen down a research rabbit hole, this show feels built for you. Tune in for conversations that are as insightful about human creativity as they are about quantum mechanics or xenobiology, all designed to fuel your curiosity.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 65

The Science in The Fiction
Podcast Episodes
Stephen Gay and Ben Feist on Moon Colonization in 'Night Owls' [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:36
This is our favorite kind of episode, hosting a conversation between e a science fiction author and a scientist, where each shares their work and expertise with the other to the benefit of both. Stephen Gay is a science…
Damien Walter Part 2 - The Sociology of Science Fiction [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:14
This is part two of our conversation with Damien Walter, the science fiction guru. He is the host of the Science Fiction Podcast and Science Fiction Facebook group. He is also a critical thinker about culture, and a prop…
Damien Walter Part 1 - The Psychology of Story [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:30
Damien Walter is one of the world’s foremost voices in critical thinking about science fiction as the emerging cultural mythos of our modern global civilization. In this episode we discuss some of Damien’s ideas about th…
Cory Doctorow's 'Red Team Blues' - Chapter 1 of Audiobook [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:15
Cory Doctorow has given us permission to play the first chapter of Red Team Blues directly on our podcast! And as an added treat, the audio-book is read by none other than Will Wheaton, the actor who played Wesley Crushe…