Science Fiction Stories with Good Astronomy & Physics: A Topical Index

[Cheryl]

Andrew Fraknoi wants us to read more plausible science:

https://www.fraknoi.com/wp-content/up...

"This is a selective list of some short stories and novels that use reasonably accurate science and can be used for teaching or reinforcing astronomy or physics concepts. The titles of short stories are given in quotation marks; only short stories that have been published in book form or are available free on the Web are included. While one book source is given for each short story, note that some of the stories can be found in other collections as well. (See the Internet Speculative Fiction Database, cited at the end, for an easy way to find all the places a particular story has been published.) We don’t list self-published books. The author welcomes suggestions for additions to this list, especially if your favorite story with good science is left out."


For example, 'time' -
Time (The Nature of and Travel Through)

Benford, Gregory “Caveat Time Traveler” in Nature, 2 Apr 2009; Anomalies (2012, Lucky Bat Books). Time travel into the future is possible; but you get snapped back with no memories or souvenirs of your trip. (Available on line at: https://www.nature.com/articles/45866... )

Benford, Gregory Timescape. 1981, Pocket Books. A superbly crafted book about time communication using tachyons (faster-than-light particles,) written by a physicist.

Chiang, Ted “Story of Your Life” in The Year’s Best Science Fiction 4, ed. David Hartwell. 1999,
Eos/HarperCollins. Describes an alien approach to linguistics and thought which can alter one’s perception of time, and see all of one’s life at the same time. Interesting allegorical story, made into a science fiction film called Arrival.

Fraknoi, Andrew “Slow-time Station” in Theme of Absence magazine, Apr. 2022. Using time dilation near a black hole to escape the pain of a failed relationship. Online at: http://bit.ly/slowtimestation

Heinlein, Robert “All You Zombies” in 6 x H. 1961, Pyramid. Not realistic science, but this famous story is perhaps the most outrageous exploration of what might happen if we could travel backward in time: a man becomes his own father and mother.

Lightman, Alan Einstein’s Dreams. 1993, Random House. A fugue and meditation on the many different interpretations of time; portrayed as dreams a young Einstein is having.

Niven, Larry World Out of Time. 1976, Ballantine. Using the gravitational time dilation near a supermassive black hole to travel into the distant future.

Stewart, Ian “Grandfather Paradox” in Nature Futures Apr. 29, 2010. Brief story about some of the paradoxes that time travel presents. Online at:
http://www.concatenation.org/futures/...