Science Fiction First Lines Trivia Quiz

Answer: Earth Abides

"Earth Abides" by George R Stewart was first published in 1949.
It tells the story of Isherwood Williams and a small band of survivors, left alone in San Fransisco after a plague wipes out the vast majority of humanity.

Answer: Day Of The Triffids

"Day of the Triffids" by John Wyndham was first published in 1951. It was also known as "Revolt of the Triffids".
The story was adapted as a radio play by the BBC in 1957, and as a television series in 1981.
A film was made in the UK in 1962, but it differs from the book in significant ways, such as the triffids being melted by seawater!
There is a sequel called "Night of the Triffids" which was written in 2001 by Simon Clark.

Answer: Stranger In A Strange Land

Published in 1961, the story of Valentine Michael Smith won the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1962, for author Robert A Heinlein.

Answer: Make Room! Make Room!

"Make Room! Make Room!" by Harry Harrison, was published in 1966.
The film "Soylent Green" was based on the book, and the phrase "Soylent Green Is People" became a catch phrase, even though in the book, soylent is made from vegetables, and the 'green' bit is not mentioned.

Answer: Brave New World

"Brave New World" is one of Aldous Huxley's most famous books. First published in 1932, it has remained in print ever since.
Huxley also 'revisited' the work in 1958 and considered whether the world had moved towards his vision of the then future.
The book has been made into a film in 1998, a stage play in 2003, a musical (in German) in 2006, and even a concept album by Iron Maiden, released in 2000.

Answer: Children Of The Dust

"Children of the Dust" by Louise Lawrence was published in 1985. Telling the story of an atomic war and the aftermath for the survivors, it follows three generations of one family as they work to rebuild their corner of England.

Answer: Alas, Babylon

"Alas, Babylon" tells the story of a small Florida town in the aftermath of a pre-emptive nuclear strike on the USA by Russia. Written by Pat Frank, it was first published in 1959.

Answer: The Time Machine

Technically a novella, as it has just 38,000 words, "The Time Machine" was first published in serial form in the "New Review" throughout 1894 and 1895. In 1960 a film version was produced and directed by George Pal, which won an Oscar for the innovative special effects used.

Answer: Riddley Walker

"Riddley Walker" by Russell Hoban, was first published in 1980, with an 'expanded edition' (containing a whole fourteen extra pages!) published in 1998.
Written in 'dialect' to reflect the imagined speech patterns of a 12 year old man in a community scraping a bare living over 2000 years after the nuclear holocaust, the major form of 'public information' comes via Punch and Judy shows.

Answer: 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea

Jules Verne's novel was first published in French in 1870.
The original French of the title had "Seas" plural rather than sea, which clarifies the fact that the '20,000 Leagues' are distance travelled rather than depth under the water.
The first translation from French to English, was carried out in 1873, and in spite of numerous mistakes, some of which changed the entire meaning of Verne's words, it remained the standard text until a new translation was done between 1989 and 1991.