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Joachim Boaz

@joachimboaz.bsky.social

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History PhD. Defender of Liberal Arts. History of Leftist Thought. Joachim Boaz (he/him) maps the topography of science fiction between 1945-1985. Creator of the fanzine Science Fiction and Other Suspect Ruminations: https://sciencefictionruminations.com/

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Joachim Boaz @joachimboaz.bsky.social · 6d

Short Fiction Reviews: George H. Smith’s “The Last Days of L.A.” (1959) and “In the Imagicon” (1966) sciencefictionruminations.com/2025/10/04/s...

#scifi #sciencefiction

Paul Orban’s interior art for George H. Smith’s “The Last Days of L.A.” in If, ed. Damon Knight (February 1959)

Man's head superimposed over a city exploding after a nuclear bomb hit.

Cover for the February 1966 issue of Galaxy. An old man holds another mini-old man. A robot looks over his shoulder. In the background various humanoids push boxes while others drift by on carts.

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Reposted by Joachim Boaz

Classic SF with Andy Johnson @andyjohnson.xyz · 4h

Written by "Murray Constantine" (Katharine Burdekin) and published in 1937, Swastika Night is a terrifying vision of a far-future fascist dystopia, and a novel which is troublingly relevant today. This week's article is here.

Reign of evil: Swastika Night (1937) by Murray Constantine

An extraordinary and “exceptionally nightmarish” dystopian vision

www.andyjohnson.xyz

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Joachim Boaz @joachimboaz.bsky.social · 1d

.....I've read Turner's Beloved Son. Can't say I enjoyed that one despite the fantastic premise and moments of potential. Couldn't write a review.

Joachim Boaz @joachimboaz.bsky.social · 1d

If you are interested in Margo Herr's art process for Doubleday Books, check out my 2016 interview with Doubleday SF artist Emanuel Schongut: sciencefictionruminations.com/2016/08/01/a...

Adventures in Science Fiction Cover Art: Interview with Emanuel Schongut and a selection of his 1970s SF covers

(Cover for the 1972 edition of Recalled to Life (1958), Robert Silverberg) “I think the 60s and 70s were probably one the most creatively interesting periods for everyone. Art, music, film al…

sciencefictionruminations.com

Joachim Boaz @joachimboaz.bsky.social · 1d

While an author primarily of my youth, I have reviewed a few of Herbert's non-Dune novels and a handful of short stories since I started my site (please note how old the reviews are): sciencefictionruminations.com/science-fict...

Herbert, Frank
“Death of a City” (1973)
The Eyes of Heisenberg (1966)
The God Makers (1972)
The Worlds of Frank Herbert (1970)
“The Tactful Saboteur” (1964)
“By the Book” (1966)
“Committee of the Whole” (1965)
“Mating Call” (1961)
“Escape Felicity” (1966)
“The GM Effect” (1965)
“The Featherbedders” (1967)
“Old Rambling House” (1966)
“A-W-F, Unlimited” (1961)

Joachim Boaz @joachimboaz.bsky.social · 1d

Artist and Ballantine Books art director Margo Herr (1937-2005) was born on this day. Bibliography: www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.c...

L, 1973; R, 1980

Cover for Zelazny's To Die in Italbar. Various plumes of stylized smoke rises. A man's face seems reflected below. the moon is above.

Cover for Strete's If All Else Fails... Person holds a stopwatch with a Native American face. There are various other symbols of Native culture flying around. There's a mountain range in the background.

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Joachim Boaz @joachimboaz.bsky.social · 2d

Frank Herbert (1920-1986) was born on this day. Bibliography: www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.c...

L, Vincent Di Fate, 1976; R, uncredited, 1970
#scifi #sciencefiction #books

Cover for Children of Dune. Two figures approach a small town in the desert of Arrakis.

Cover for Destination: Void. Two figures float next to a huge brain inside of a spaceship

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Joachim Boaz @joachimboaz.bsky.social · 2d

Ted Reynolds (1938-) was born on this day. Bibliography: www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.c...

L, Earl Keleny, 1989; R, Roger Stine, 1980
#scifi #sciencefiction #books

Cover for The Tides of God. Inlayed image shows a spaceship flying over earth.

Cover for the June 1980 issue of Asimov's. A group of green aliens rip sections of a spaceship apart.

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Joachim Boaz @joachimboaz.bsky.social · 2d

George Turner (1916-1997) was born on this day. Bibliography: www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.c...

L, Tony Roberts, 1984; R, Geoff Taylor, 1989
#scifi #sciencefiction #books

Cover for Beloved Son. The cover seems to be a ruined spaceship with a large net or webs around it.

Cover for The Sea and the Summer. Two humans look over the ruined remains of a city from a high point on a ledge.

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Joachim Boaz @joachimboaz.bsky.social · 2d

Anyone know a good used book store (for science fiction) in Pittsburgh, PA? Visiting at the moment.

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Joachim Boaz @joachimboaz.bsky.social · 4d

The book that made me fall in love with reading. My mother started reading it to my sister and I at night. I was so transfixed that I pulled out the little book light my dad gave me but never used, and read the rest... all night.

Reactor Magazine @reactorsff.bsky.social · 4d

Today's Classic Cover of the Day is Brian Jacques' Redwall! Troy Howell illustrated the US editions of the series, including the 10th and 20th anniversary editions of Redwall

Joachim Boaz @joachimboaz.bsky.social · 4d

Yup. I teach dual credit US and Western Civ.

Joachim Boaz @joachimboaz.bsky.social · 4d

I wrote a dissertation about a vast medieval encyclopedia that was not "fun" to read. I have high tolerance for all types of texts if the history is interesting :)

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Joachim Boaz @joachimboaz.bsky.social · 4d

I treat what I read as historical evidence for the questions I want to answer. From a literary standpoint, it depends on the author. Lem, yes. The 19th century utopian lit? It can be a struggle.

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Joachim Boaz @joachimboaz.bsky.social · 4d

Or, a more extreme example, late 19th century utopian lit. It's futuristic rumination but often more essay on utopian potential and how society would/should function with "characters" as didactic mouthpieces (I've been reading tons for @hugobookclub.bsky.social's list on futuristic unions).

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Joachim Boaz @joachimboaz.bsky.social · 4d

There are many examples of science fiction that reads more as non-fiction essay -- Stanisław Lem comes to mind. His Master's Voice (1968) is a spectacular philosophical essay on first contact -- and also science fiction. There's space in SF for these types of variations...

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Joachim Boaz @joachimboaz.bsky.social · 4d

Karl Kofoed's interior art for D. D. Storm's "Mud/Aurora" in Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine (November 1981)
#scifi #sciencefiction #art #artist

Two humanoids walk past what looks like a large vegetal structure with a small lizard-like creature (with wings) on top. There are. various flowing plants with their flowers aimed at the people.

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Joachim Boaz @joachimboaz.bsky.social · 4d

David Brin (1950-) was born on this day. Bibliography: www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.c...

L, Jim Burns, 1983; R, Tom Hallman, 1985
#scifi #sciencefiction #book

Cover for Startide Rising. Two people in diving suits hang out with dophins (with contraptions around their heads).

Cover for The Postman. Man wanders across a cracked landscape. There's the outline of a city in the background.

Joachim Boaz @joachimboaz.bsky.social · 4d

Well that Octavia E. Butler novel kicked me in the gut... will try to give it a full length review. I always struggle to write about her work.

Joachim Boaz @joachimboaz.bsky.social · 5d

I’m reading Butler’s utterly brutal, horrifying, and transfixing Clay’s Ark (1984)

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Joachim Boaz @joachimboaz.bsky.social · 5d

AI at its peak.

Scene from Silent Running (1972). Dern hangs with a robot.

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Joachim Boaz @joachimboaz.bsky.social · 5d

1930s pulp SF caveman bottom got flagged by the filter...

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Joachim Boaz @joachimboaz.bsky.social · 5d

Virgil Finlay's interior art for Otto Binder's "From the Beginning" in Weird Tales (June 1938) (written as Eando Binder)
#scifi #sciencefiction #art

A man (cave man?) walks towards a robot. The man has a spear.

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Joachim Boaz @joachimboaz.bsky.social · 6d

You can read both stories at the links provided in the review.

Joachim Boaz @joachimboaz.bsky.social · 6d

George H. Smith’s “The Last Days of L.A.” (1959) is the far more interesting of the two stories -- a deep-dive into a brain (rendered in second person -- "you") slipping into psychosis due to the traumatic terror of possible nuclear annihilation.

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Joachim Boaz @joachimboaz.bsky.social · 6d

Smith's “In the Imagicon” (1966), an intriguing take on a personal virtual reality machine, is the 34th story in my series on media landscapes of the future.

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