025 Astounding by Alec Nevala-Lee and the Golden Age of SF

Author Alec Nevala-Lee stops by to discuss his monumental biography of the early days of science fiction. His book, Astounding, details the rise of SF through the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. This was the age of a magazine called Astounding, today known as Analog Science Fiction and Fact. In those early decades, John W. Campbell served as editor of Astounding and he left an indelible mark on the genre, for better or worse. Campbell fostered talented writers like Robert A. Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, L. Ron Hubbard, and so many more. He indisputably shaped what we understand as Science Fiction today. But he upheld a distinctly white, male, capitalist outlook. Meanwhile, as science fiction found its footing in American culture, it also spun off the creation of a new religion. Was this an accident, or was it inevitable? We discuss this and some of Nevala-Lee's own fiction feature in the collection, Syndromes. Learn more about Alec Nevala-Lee's work: https://nevalalee.com Read Astounding: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780062571946 Listen to Syndromes: https://nevalalee.wordpress.com/2020/04/14/listening-to-syndromes/ Learn more about Mikel's work at www.mikelwisler.com