Science Fiction, Alien Encounters, and the Ethics of Posthumanism: Beyond the Golden Rule

by Elana Gomel

Science Fiction, Alien Encounters, and the Ethics of Posthumanism offers a typology of alien encounters and addresses a range of texts including classic novels of alien encounter by H.G. Wells and Robert Heinlein; recent blockbusters by Greg Bear, Octavia Butler and Sheri Tepper; and experimental science fiction by Peter Watts and Housuke Nojiri.

Genres: Nonfiction

243 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Born in Ukraine and currently residing in California, Elana Gomel is an academic with a long list of books and articles, an award-winning writer, and a professional nomad. She has taught and researched in Israel, Italy, and the US, and is known in the academy for her (purely theoretical) interest in serial killers, alien invasions, and rebellious AIs. She is the author of more than a hundred stories, several novellas, and six novels of dark fantasy and science fiction. Her latest fiction publications are the dark fairy tale Nightwood (Silver Award in the Bookfest 2023 competition) and Girl of Light, a historical fantasy.

Reviews

[ECH]

Highly engaging premise, but I didn't like where the argument was going. Decided not to push through for fun. Definitely did make me think so it might be worth trying again at some point, if I get a good deal more disenchanted with humanism.