Some Hope For The Future Trivia Quiz

Answer: Isaac Asimov

Isaac Asimov's 1951 novel "Foundation" is one of the most famous and influential works in the genre. It explores the fall of the Galactic Empire and the establishment of a new society through the lens of "psychohistory", a mathematical sociology concept invented by the character Hari Seldon.

It was originally part of a trilogy with "Foundation and Empire" (1952) and "Second Foundation" (1953), but in the 1980s and 90s Asimov added four more books. After his death, other writers added several more.

Answer: Arthur C. Clarke

Arthur C. Clarke's "Childhood's End", published in 1953, is one of his most important early works, which investigates themes such as the evolution of humanity and the enigmatic nature of extra-terrestrial intelligence. The story revolves around the peaceful invasion of Earth by an advanced alien race known as the Overlords, who guide humanity towards a utopian existence.

However, as the Overlords' true intentions become clear, the novel explores the implications of their intervention on the future of human civilization.

Answer: Robert A. Heinlein

Robert A. Heinlein's satirical classic "Stranger in a Strange Land", published in 1961, tells the story of Valentine Michael Smith, a human raised by Martians who returns to Earth and challenges its social, political, and religious norms. Smith's unique perspective and abilities lead to the creation of a new philosophy and a movement that tears apart many of the moral and social tenets of post-war America.

Answer: Frank Herbert

Frank Herbert's 1965 novel "Dune" is renowned for its intricate world-building and thoughtful exploration of themes such as politics, religion and ecology. Set on the desert planet of Arrakis, "Dune" follows the story of Paul Atreides, a young noble who must navigate treacherous feuds and harness the power of the spice melange (harvested on the planet) to fulfil his destiny.

Herbert wrote several sequels, as did other writers, and it has been adapted for film and television several times, most recently as a two-part epic directed by Denis Villeneuve and released in 2021 and 2024.

At the time of writing (2025), a third film, based on Herbert's 1969 sequel "Dune Messiah", was at the planning stage.

Answer: Ray Bradbury

First published as a single work in 1950, Ray Bradbury's "The Martian Chronicles" is constructed from a series of earlier short stories about the colonization of Mars by humans fleeing from a troubled Earth. Bradbury explores the consequences of human expansion, the clash of cultures, and the enduring power of memory and loss.

The work is ambivalent about mankind's future, and by the end of the novel Earth has been rendered uninhabitable by nuclear war.

Answer: Harry Harrison

Harry Harrison's "The Stainless Steel Rat", first published in 1961, introduces the character of James Bolivar "Slippery Jim" diGriz, a master criminal in a future interstellar society. Known for his wit, resourcefulness, and knack for outsmarting the authorities, diGriz is eventually recruited by the Special Corps, a law enforcement agency composed of former criminals.

The story is typical of science fiction at its most entertaining and action-packed, and was followed by 11 other novels written by Harrison between 1971 and 2010.

Answer: Philip K. Dick

Philip K. Dick's 1962 novel "The Man in the High Castle" is an alternative history set in a world where the Axis powers won World War II and divided the United States into territories controlled by Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. Central to the narrative is a forbidden book, "The Grasshopper Lies Heavy", which presents an alternate history where the Allies won the war, serving as a source of hope and resistance for the characters.

A television series based on the book was broadcast on Amazon Prime between 2015 and 2019.

Answer: E. E. "Doc" Smith

E. E. "Doc" Smith's "First Lensman", published in 1950, is part of the Lensman series, a classic work in the so-called "space opera" subgenre. The novel follows Kimball Kinnison, the first of the Galactic Patrol's Lensmen, who are an elite group of interstellar law enforcers with telepathic abilities granted by the mysterious lenses. The series plays fast and loose with real science, concentrating instead on a series of epic inter-galactic conflicts and the struggle between humanity and evil alien forces.

Although "First Lensman" is chronologically the second novel in a six-part series, it was actually the last to be written, four others being published as serials in the magazine "Astounding Stories" between 1937 and 1948. A sixth novel, "Triplanetary", was published in 1948 as a prequel to the other five, having first appeared in "Amazing Stories" magazine in 1934 as a stand-alone story.

Answer: Alfred Bester

Alfred Bester's 1953 novel "The Demolished Man" is set in a future society where telepathy is common among a segment of the population. The story revolves around Ben Reich, a powerful businessman who plans and executes a murder, believing he can outsmart the telepathic police force.

It works as both a detective novel and a work of speculative fiction and won the first ever "Hugo" Award given by the World Science Fiction Society for the year's best science fiction novel.

Answer: Walter M. Miller Jr.

Walter M. Miller Jr.'s "A Canticle for Leibowitz", published in 1959, is a post-apocalyptic science fiction novel set in a distant future where humanity has regressed into a new Dark Age following a nuclear holocaust. It follows the monks of the Albertian Order of Leibowitz in their quest to preserve the remnants of scientific knowledge. It was based on three linked novellas Miller had published between 1955 and 1957, and although it was widely praised and won several awards, Miller never published another work during his lifetime.

After his death, a sequel on which he had been working, "Saint Leibowitz and the Wild Horse Woman", was completed by his friend Terry Bisson and published in 1997.