What exactly does “anarchist science fiction” mean? Stories written by anarchists? Stories with anarchist characters? Stories with anarchist settings? Stories that make anarchist political and social points? Stories with an “anarchist sensibility” (whatever that is)? Stories that anarchists will simply enjoy? All of the above? Who knows….. Because of this, I’ve taken a somewhat expansive […]
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Anarchist Science Fiction: Essential Novels
Posted: October 24, 2013 in Anarchism, Anarchist science fiction, Book Reviews, Science FictionTags: Alastair Reynolds, Anarchist science fiction, Annalee Newitz, Arkady Strugatsky, Boris Strugatsky, Charles Stross, Christopher Brown, Claire North, Cory Doctorow, Dennis Danvers, Eliot Peper, George Orwell, George Turner, Greg Egan, Harry Harrison, Iain M. Banks, James P. Hogan, John Brunner, John Shirley, Ken Macleod, Kim Stanley Robinson, L.X. Beckett, Margaret Atwood, Marge Piercy, Mick Farren, Mike Resnick, Nicholas P. Oakley, Norman Spinrad, Omar El Akkad, Paolo Bacigalupi, Paul J. McCauley, Richard K. Morgan, Robert Anton Wilson, Robert Heinlein, Robert Shea, Rudy Rucker, T.C. Weber, Ursula LeGuin, Yevgeny Zamyatin, Zeke Teflon
Anarchist and Atheist Science Fiction Novels
Posted: July 30, 2017 in Anarchism, Anarchist science fiction, Atheism, Book ReviewsA few years ago we put up lists of what we consider the best anarchist and atheist science fiction novels, along with brief comments about the books, and cover images from many of them. Since then, we’ve been adding new titles, new comments, and new cover images, especially over the last year or so. At […]
Our First 1,000 Posts — Best Science Fiction Posts
Posted: September 15, 2016 in Anarchist science fiction, Book Reviews, Movie Reviews, Science FictionTags: Andy Weir, Ann Leckie, Ben Bova, C.J. Sansom, Charles Stross, Cory Doctorow, David Brin, George Takei, George Turner, Iain M. Banks, James P. Hogan, Ken Macleod, Kim Stanley Robinson, Mick Farren, Neal Stephenson, Nick Whates, Norman Spinrad, Paolo Bacigalupi, Philip Wylie, robert j sawyer, Robert Silverberg, Terry Bisson, Yevgeny Zamyatin
Sharp and Pointed has been around for just over three years, and we’ve put up just over 1,000 posts — this is number 1,001 — in 37 categories. Coincidentally, we reached 30,000 hits yesterday. Science fiction is probably our most popular category, and we’ve put up nearly 100 sci-fi posts. Here, in no particular order, are those we […]
(corrected post) PDF Book Samples — Anarchism, Atheism, Humor, Music, Politics, Psychology, Religion, Science Fiction, Skepticism
Posted: September 3, 2016 in Anarchism, Anarchist science fiction, Atheism, Christianity, Humor, Mormonism, Music, Politics, Psychology, Religion, Science Fiction, Skepticism(It’s shocking, we know, but we made typos when we put up this list a couple of weeks ago, and as a result “404ed” our readers when they clicked on the links. Our apologies if you were one of them. All of the links work correctly now, so . . . back to the original […]
Best Blog Posts 2014 (Science, Skepticism, & Science Fiction)
Posted: March 11, 2016 in Science, Science Fiction, SkepticismTags: Alcoholics Anonymous, Ancillary Justice, Astrology, Charles Stross, Culture novels, Homeopathy, Iain M. Banks, James P. Hogan, Michael Crichton, Robert Pirsig, Terry Bisson, The Player of Games, The Rhesus Chart, Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
We started this blog in July 2013. Since then, we’ve been posting almost daily. When considering the popularity of the posts, one thing stands out: in all but a few cases, popularity declines over time. As well, the readership of this blog has expanded gradually over time, so most readers have never seen what we consider […]
Recommended Science Fiction Books (as Holiday Gifts)
Posted: November 27, 2015 in Book Reviews, Science Fictioncompiled by Zeke Teflon Since this blog began in July 2013, I’ve reviewed approximately 50 science fiction novels, short story collections, and anthologies, some old, most new. Over the last five years, I’ve also read probably another 200 to 300 sci-fi books and started but not finished probably twice that many. (So many books, so […]
Australian Science Fiction Great George Turner (part III)
Posted: October 5, 2015 in Book Reviews, Science FictionTags: Anarchism, Australian Science Fiction, Brain Child, Communism, Drowning Towers, Genetic Soldier
The Political, Social, and Economic Concepts in George Turner’s Science Fiction Novels by Zeke Teflon There are three central socio-political-economic assumptions in George Turner’s sci-fin novels. One is that advanced society can’t exist without coercive authority. The second is that human beings will continue to reproduce willy nilly in all social conditions. Turner has Nick, one […]
An Anarchist Bibliography
Posted: June 25, 2015 in AnarchismTags: Anarchist Cookbook, Chaz Bufe, Chris Hedges, Keith McHenry
This is the bibliography from our upcoming release, The Anarchist Cookbook, by Keith McHenry with Chaz Bufe, introduction by Chris Hedges (October 2015). For decades, anarchists have talked about publishing a real anarchist cookbook–a book that accurately reflects its title, a book with recipes for social change and tasty food, and accurate information on […]
Notable Atheist Science Fiction Novels
Posted: January 5, 2015 in Anarchist science fiction, Atheism, Book Reviews, Religion, Science FictionTags: Charles Stross, Douglas Preston, G. Richard Bozarth, Gore Vidal, Iain M. Banks, James Morrow, James P. Hogan, John Brunner, John Wyndham, Ken Macleod, Kim Stanley Robinson, Margaret Atwood, Mick Farren, Norman Spinrad, Robert Anton Wilson, Robert Charles Wilson, Robert Heinlein, Tom Flynn, Victor Koman
MOST SCIENCE FICTION IS IRRELIGIOUS — in most sci-fi stories, religion is simply not there. Some sci-fi novels, however, are implicitly or explicitly atheist: some have atheist characters, some revolve around the conflicts of atheists with religious believers and religious institutions, and — to make the definition even looser — some that I’d classify as atheist […]
Positive Science Fiction: Iain M. Banks’ “Culture” Novels
Posted: November 25, 2014 in Anarchist science fiction, Atheism, Book Reviews, Science FictionTags: Consider Phlebas, Culture series, Positive sci-fi, Post-scarcity anarchism, The Player of Games, The Wasp Factory
by Zeke Teflon One of the current standard complaints in science fiction circles is that there’s too much dystopian sci-fi (and way too much hack-work, trivial sci-fi, though the complainers rarely mention this), and too little “positive” sci-fi. There’s some truth in such complaints, given that authors’ environments inevitably influence what they write, and there’s little […]
Book Review: American Science Fiction: Four Classic Novels 1953-1956
Posted: January 14, 2014 in Book Reviews, Science FictionTags: 1950s Science Fiction, C.M. Kornbluth, Fred Pohl, Phillip K. Dick, Science fiction, The Space Merchants
(Gary K. Wolfe editor, Library of America, 2012) reviewed by Chris Edwards What novel best captures the ethos of the 1950s? Someone fresh from an American Lit survey course would likely reply, On the Road. But did Kerouac write anything which is still relevant to the structure of society today, anything that is now […]
Our Best Posts (Addictions, Anarchism, Atheism, Baseball, Capitalism)
Posted: September 27, 2019 in Addictions, Anarchism, Atheism, Baseball, CapitalismTags: Addictions, Alcoholics Anonymous, Anarchism, Atheism, Capitalism, Christianity, Faith, God, Islam, Lee Elia, Nonviolent direct action, Prostitution, Quotations, Religiosity, Science fiction, Self-made man, Wage Labor, Yogi Berra
We hit 100,000 views a few days ago, and to celebrate (if that’s the right word) we’re listing the best posts we’ve published, divided by category. Here’s the first installment. Addictions Alcoholics Anonymous Does More Harm Than Good Alcoholics Anonymous Is Not Effective Alcoholics Anonymous Is Religious, Not Spiritual Anarchism Anarchist Science Fiction: Essential Novels […]
Our 50 Best Posts of 2017
Posted: December 30, 2017 in Addictions, Anarchism, Atheism, Book Reviews, Christianity, Cults, Economics, Evangelicals, Humor, Interviews, Islam, Jokes, Livin' in the USA, Mormonism, Music, Politics, Religion, Science, Science FictionTags: Best-of lists
We published about 250 posts in 2017, and consider the following the 50 best. We’ve divided them into categories to make navigating easier; as with our past “best of” lists, the Humor, Politics, Religion, Music, and Science Fiction categories account for most of the posts. (Because several of the posts fit into more than one […]