Science Fiction Literature - An Orbital Survey Quiz

Answer: The Food of the Gods

The new growth agent results in an uncontrollable spread of horrors. Giant chickens, rats, and insects run amok. Abnormal mental powers in humans result in increased hatred and intolerance between ordinary humans and mental giants. Wells, a forward-looking, perhaps even prophetic social critic, touches on an area that still gives GMO (genetically modified organism) critics nightmares.

The 1904 work is only 200 pages and still poses some questions that we have yet to answer.

Answer: The Andromeda Strain

Nine years before Stephen King's post-apocalyptic novel "The Stand", Michael Crichton released this chilling tale of a government that almost destroys humanity while looking for a new biological warfare agent. A chilling read at 327 pages, the 1971 movie with Arthur Hill and David Wayne is almost as good, at just over 2 hours.

Answer: A robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings except...

As originally published...

"The First Law of Robotics: A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

The Second Law of Robotics: A robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

The Third Law of Robotics: A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws."

Much of the book deals with the complexities inherent in the rules and what happens when these laws are relaxed. Released over 60 years ago, the novel "I, Robot" is still spot on in the primary aspects of interest, robotics and artificial intelligence.

It's clear where much of the Star Trek character Data got his initial inspiration.

For a science fiction novel to have aged this well and still have relevance today is amazing. That it's still a fun read is genius.

Answer: A Wrinkle in Time

As described in Madeline L'Engle's "A Wrinkle in Time", a tesseract is an interstellar shortcut, more or less. A point, a line, a plane, and a cube are just 0, 1, 2, and 3 dimensional representations of the same reality. Take that to one more dimension and we have a tesseract.

In her book, and in much science fiction to follow, tesseracts are just a convenient way around that whole "not going faster than light" limitation. Sure, L'Engle got there first, but when it comes to tesseracts is "first" even a meaningful concept?

Answer: Dune

Since 1965 Frank Herbert's "Dune" has introduced millions to Paul Atreides, the 'spice' melange, sandworms, mentats, Sardaukar, Muad'Dib, and Bene Gesserit. In addition to the score of novels (now written by son Brian Herbert) there are movies and computer games that continue and expand the mythos. If you haven't yet, don't be afraid to read the original...

As the Bene Gesserit say, "Fear is the mind-killer!"

Answer: Tralfamador

Kurt Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse Five" is partly a science fiction book and partly a social commentary. It is perhaps one of the all-time best anti-war books as well. Like most of the other books in this quiz, there are movie versions extant but this is one where one should really read the book first.

Answer: Gone

Michael Grant's "Gone" is one of the darker young adult books I've read lately. This series walks a fine line between science fiction and horror fantasy, but has moments of real brilliance. If you liked the "Star Trek:The Original Series" episode "Miri" but wished it had gone deeper into the premise, you may well like Grant's "Gone" series.

Answer: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Jules Verne's 1870 "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" is as much adventure story as science-fiction yarn. It even spawned an 1874 sequel, "The Mysterious Island."

"Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" has been translated from the original French a number of times, (with varying degrees of success) so if you've ever tried it and found the book not to your taste, I'd suggest that you switch to a different translation and try it again.

Answer: a video game

When doing a quiz about Sci-Fi books it's almost mandatory to include a book that started as a movie rather than the other way around. Alan Dean Foster does a great job of taking the movie plot and creating a light-hearted read that's perfect for the beach.

He's also done Star Trek and Star Wars tie-ins, if that's more to your liking. Unlike many of the lesser known authors, Foster generally finds a way to work a bit of a deeper meaning into what might otherwise be an overly simple plot-line. Sure, they're fun reads, but if you can stumble across a new idea or two along the way, where's the harm?

Answer: a mouse

The 1968 novel "Flowers for Algernon" tells of Charlie Gordon, an intellectually disabled man who undergoes an experiment that gives him the intelligence of a genius. The experimental procedure was first done on a mouse named Algernon hence the title of the novel. Initially the procedure goes well, but when the mouse dies...

The book has been filmed twice, first as "Charley" (1968) with Cliff Robertson in the lead role, and again in 2000 with Matthew Modine in the role of Charlie.

As with any great science fiction, this 1966 novel is thought provoking at the same time that it is emotionally engaging. At just over 200 pages, this is a lightning fast read but it's the kind of story that sticks with you.