Science Fiction
Vincent Price was born 100 years ago
Vincent Leonard Price Jr. was born on May 27, 1911, in St. Louis, Missouri. He died on October 25, 1993, due to lung cancer. He’s particularly famous for starring in many horror movies, often low budget.
Vincent Price was recognizable for his voice, his aristocratic manners, his height, and his expression midway between serious and comic. His presence turned so many films that otherwise would probably have been forgotten in cult movies that are still broadcast on TV today.
Hellstrom’s Hive by Frank Herbert
The novel “Hellstrom’s Hive” by Frank Herbert was published for the first time in 1973. The author is inspired explicitly to “The Hellstrom Chronicle”, a film shot as a documentary in which a scientist named Nils Hellstrom explains a theory that the insects will eventually become the rulers of Earth thanks to their adaptability and their ability to reproduce rapidly. In his novel Frank Herbert starts with the idea of the film but creating a human hive exploring some of his favorite topics: the evolution of humanity and the relationship between biology – both in terms of the influence of instincts over human behavior and the influence of chemicals on humans – and society.
James Blish was born 90 years ago
James Benjamin Blish was born on May 23, 1921 in East Orange, New Jersey, USA. In 1968 he moved to Oxford, England, where he worked until his death in 1975 from lung cancer. He’s famous for writing the Cities in Flight saga, the novel “A Case of Conscience” and many other space travel and colonization stories. He also wrote many Star Trek novels and anthologies.
Rogue Moon by Algis Budrys
The novel “Rogue Moon” by Algis Budrys was published for the first time in 1960 in the magazine “The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction”. In 1961 it was a finalist for the Hugo Award as the best novel. A shorter version was published in the anthology “The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume Two”.
