FREE EVENT ORGANISED BY THE MERSEYSIDE HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION
Desert planets, ocean moons, and worlds covered by jungle – the planetary scale of science fiction has long made it a literature suited to exploring ecology. With the onset of climate change, science fiction novels have increasingly reflected environmental concerns and continue to do so to this day, examining the effects of humanity on our world, whether through the analogy of an alien planet or the depiction of climate catastrophe in our own future.
The event will provide an opportunity to explore how science fiction has engaged with environmental questions through a display of science fiction-related materials and a short talk by the collection’s curator, Tom Dillon. Items will be drawn from the Science Fiction Collections at the University of Liverpool, the most extensive collection of science fiction in the UK. The talk will provide an overview of the theme of the environment in science fiction and then focus on the works of Brian W. Aldiss, an author who consistently engaged with ecology throughout his career.
