L. Frank Baum: The Road to Oz (Book 5)

Title: The Road to Oz
Author: L. Frank Baum
Publication Date: 1909

While trying to find the road to Butterfield, Dorothy meets the Shaggy Man and they get lost on an enchanted road. As they travel they meet the rainbow's daughter, Polychrome, and a little boy, Button Bright. They have all sorts of strange adventures on the way to Oz.

(Wikipedia entry on the Oz books, showing the original cover)

Link: Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz


Technorati Tags: speculative fiction, book, fantasy, novel, Baum, Oz

Bob Shaw: Light of Other Days

Title: Light of Other Days
Author: Bob Shaw
Publication Date: 1968

This classic short story involoves "slow glass" that transmits light so slowly you can make windows that see the past.

Link: Light of Other Days

Technorati Tags: speculative fiction, science fiction,short story

L. Frank Baum: Dorothy and the WIzard in Oz (Book 4)

Title: Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz
Author: L. Frank Baum
Publication Date: 1908

Dorothy visits her cousin, Zeb, in California. She and her cousin, their horse and cat are swallowed up in an earthquake (disasters follow Dorothy around). They meet up with the Wizard, and make their way back to Oz.
(Wikipedia entry on the Oz books, showing the original cover)

Link: Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz


Technorati Tags: speculative fiction, book, fantasy, novel, Baum, Oz

Audio book: Cory Doctorow's Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom

Title: Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom
Author: Cory Doctorow. Book read by Jill A. Smith.
Publication Date: 2003

If you aren't in the mood to read "Down and Out", you can listen to it instead.

Link: Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom

Technorati Tags: speculative fiction, science fiction, fantasy, novel

L. Frank Baum: Ozma of Oz (Book 3)

Title: Ozma of Oz
Author: L. Frank Baum
Publication Date: 1907

Dorothy is swept overboard while traveling to Australia. She ends up in Ev, a country across the desert from Oz. With her new friend TikTok, she saves Ev's royal family from the Nome King. She is returned to Oz with the help of Ozma. This is my favorite book in the series, particularly because of Princess Langwidere and her head collection (read it and find out more).

Links:
- Wikipedia entry on the Oz books, showing the original cover)
- Free text of Ozma of Oz


Technorati Tags: speculative fiction, book, fantasy, novel, Baum, Oz

Cory Doctorow: Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom

Title: Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom
Author: Cory Doctorow
Publication Date: 2003

Doctorow's story is set in a future where reputation (Whuffie), not money, is the only currency.

Link: Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom

Technorati Tags: speculative fiction, science fiction, fantasy, novel

L. Frank Baum: The Marvelous Land of Oz (book 2)

Title: The Marvelous Land of Oz
Author: L. Frank Baum
Publication Date: 1904

A little boy, Tip, escapes from his evil guardian, the witch Mombi, with the help of a walking wooden figure with a jack-o'-lantern head named Jack Pumpkinhead (brought to life with the magic Powder of Life Tip stole from Mombi), as well as a living Sawhorse (created from said same powder.) Tip ends up on an adventure with the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman.

(Wikipedia entry on the Oz books, showing the original cover)

Link: The Marvelous Land of Oz


Technorati Tags: speculative fiction, book, fantasy, novel

Diana Paxson: When Coyote Came to Town

Title: When Coyote Came to Town
Author: Diana Paxson
Publication Date: 1998

Every Westrian child knows the story of the Cataclysm, when the old powers of the Earth rose up in wrath against the destruction caused by men and reclaimed their sovereignty. They know how some of the survivors eventually learned how to speak with those powers and made a Covenant with them. But few stories about the first generation, the ones who had to make the transition from the old world into the new have survived. This is one of them.

Link: When Coyote Came To Town

Technorati Tags: speculative fiction, fantasy, Short Story

L. Frank Baum: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Title: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Author: L. Frank Baum
Publication Date: 1900

Dorothy is swept into the Land of Oz, where she meets a cowardly lion, a tin man, a scarecrow and the Wizard himself.

(Wikipedia entry on the Oz books, showin the original cover)

Link: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz


Technorati Tags: speculative fiction, book, fantasy, novel

Diana Paxson: The Name of A King

Title: The Name of A King
Author: Diana Paxson
Publication Date: (see below)

A novella written in the early 1980's, a shorter version was published in The Book of Kings in 1995. The story takes place in Westria, "four years before The Earthstone (or, if you prefer, sixteen years into Silverhair the Wanderer."

Link: The Name of A King

Technorati Tags: speculative fiction, fantasy, novella

H.G. Wells: The Stolen Bacillus and Other Incidents

Title: The Stolen Bacillus and Other Incidents
Author: H.G. Wells
Publication Date: 1895

This is H.G. Well's first book, published in 1895. The lead story, The Stolen Bacillus, describes an early attempt at bioterrorism.

I. THE STOLEN BACILLUS
II. THE FLOWERING OF THE STRANGE ORCHID
III. IN THE AVU OBSERVATORY
IV. THE TRIUMPHS OF A TAXIDERMIST
V. A DEAL IN OSTRICHES
VI. THROUGH A WINDOW
VII. THE TEMPTATION OF HARRINGAY
VIII. THE FLYING MAN
IX. THE DIAMOND MAKER
X. AEPYORNIS ISLAND
XI. THE REMARKABLE CASE OF DAVIDSON'S EYES
XII. THE LORD OF THE DYNAMOS
XIII. THE HAMMERPOND PARK BURGLARY
XIV. A MOTH--_GENUS NOVO_
XV. THE TREASURE IN THE FOREST


Link: The Stolen Bacillus and Other Incidents.

Technorati Tags: speculative fiction, science fiction, fantasy, short story, book

Pete Townsend: The Boy Who Heard Music

Title: The Boy Who Heard Music
Author: Pete Townshend
Publication Date: 2005 (ongoing)

Pete Townsend is releasing a novella as single chapter blog entries. It certainly isn't traditional speculative fiction, but there are elements of the genre (virtual reality, future setting, etc). Definitely a story to follow as it develops.

Link: The Boy Who Heard Music

Technorati Tags: speculative fiction, science fiction, fantasy, novella

Film Music Radio

Tune into Film Music Radio to listen to, well, film music. The "Stars of Sci-Fi" program is on 8-9PM on Wednesday and Saturday. There is a regular SCI-FI program on at 9AM-11AM and 9PM-11PM every day of the week (all schedule times PST).

Link: Film Music Radio

Technorati Tags: speculative fiction, science fiction, music

Charles Stross: Accelerando

Title: Accelerando
Author: Charles Stross
Publication Date: 2005

Follow three generations of the disfunctional Macx family in the post-Singularity 21st century, where people live both in cyberspace and "meatspace".

Link: Accelerando.

Check out the Accelerando Technical Companion Wiki.
Read the Blogcritics Review.

Technorati Tags: speculative fiction, science fiction,novel

H.G. Wells: The Food of the Gods and How It Came to Earth

Title: The Food of the Gods and How It Came to Earth
Author: H.G. Wells
Publication Date: 1904

Two scientists, Bensington and Redwood, conduct research into the growth process of living things. The result is a chemical foodstuff (which they name Herakleophorbia IV) that accelerates and extends the process past its normal cycle. Setting up an experimental farm, the pair test the substance on chicks, causing them to grow into giants.

(Wikipedia Entry).

Link: The Food of the Gods and How it Came to Earth

Technorati Tags: speculative fiction, science fiction, novel

Joanna Russ: When It Changed

Title: When It Changed
Author: Joanna Russ
Publication Date: 1972

A story of women in a future. There is an interesting afterword from the author as well.

Link: When It Changed

Technorati Tags: speculative fiction, science fiction, short story

H.G. Wells: The Time Machine

Title: The Time Machine
Author: H.G. Wells
Publication Date: 1898

A man uses a time machine to travel from Victorian England to the distant uture.

Link: The Time Machine

Technorati Tags: speculative fiction, science fiction, novel

Pat Murphy: Rachel in Love

Title: Rachel in Love
Author: Pat Murphy
Publication Date: 1987

"Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Rachel," he said. "She was a pretty girl, with long golden hair like a princess in a fairy tale. She lived with her father and her mother and they were all very happy."

This is the story of Rachel, who believes she is a girl . . .

Link: Rachel in Love

Technorati Tags: speculative fiction, science fiction, short story

Audio books: Stories of James Patrick Kelly

Author James Patrick "Jim" Kelly has posted MP3s of himself reading a number of his short stories on his website. (via BoingBoing)

Link: Jim Kelly's Free Reads

Technorati Tags: speculative fiction, science fiction, fantasy, ShortStory