Articles on Arabo-Islamic SF Literature
The emergence of science fiction in Arabic literature Snir, Reuven, Der Islam, vol. 77, no. ii, pp. 263-285, 2000 Fantascienza in Mauritania. La storia di un uomo nato nel 1034 emorto nel 2055: Madinat al-riyahdi Musa Wuld Ibnu Camera d’Afflitto, I., Oriente Moderno, no. 16, pp. 331-340, 1998 Remembering theContinue Reading
G. K. Chesterton’s The Flying Inn
G. K. Chesterton’s 1914 novel, “The Flying Inn” is set in a near-future (for 1914) United Kingdom which has been taken over by Muslims. The Muslims have imposed Shariah and banned alcohol, and the two main characters (who are English) have taken it upon themselves to smuggle alcohol all overContinue Reading
Arthur C. Clarke’s Hammer of God
In Arthur Clarke’s Hammer of God there is a religion called Chrislam which is based on Islam and Christianity. The religion is founded by a female veteran of the Gulf War. [Thanks to Guido N. for pointing this out]
Ted Chiang’s The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate
Here is an excerpt from a review of The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate by William Mingin at Strange Horizons. “Fuwaad ibn Abbas, a fabric merchant, tells this story to the Caliph of Baghdad, perhaps in the classic “Arabian Nights” period of the Caliphate, as “a warning to those whoContinue Reading
Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game
Some especially gifted children (a generation’s Pattons, Eisenhowers, Curies, and Alexander’s) are trained to command humanity’s fleet. Andrew “Ender” Wiggin is particularly young, and becomes friends with a devout Muslim named Alai, who greets him with “Salaam” at several “tipping points” in Ender’s Game, and the character and his newContinue Reading
John Brunner’s Stand on Zanzibar
In John Brunner’s Stand on Zanzibar, one of the major protagonists of the story is a Muslim. [Thanks to Robert G., Karl S.]
Stephen Baxter’s Evolution
In one of last chapters of Stephen Baxter’s novel Evolution there is a character named Ahmed who is one of four people to be revived from cytogenesis after thousands of years only to find out that the human race has devolved.
Greg Bear’s Strength of Stones
Greg Bear’s novel Strength of Stones is mainly concerned with Judeo-Christian themes, but Islam exists in the background. [Thanks to Marshall A. for the synopsis]
Brian Aldiss’ Harm
The protagonist is Brian Aldiss’ novel Harm is a Muslim. Here is a description of the novel from the publisher’s weekly. “British SF legend Aldiss offers a hard-hitting view of the global war on terror in this cautionary tale of the near future. Paul Fadhil Abbas Ali winds up inContinue Reading
Islam in Science Fiction Hacked!
Last week when I checked the website after a couple of weeks, to my surprise and horror the website had been hacked. The Islam and Science Fiction website was hacked by some hacker named PalEstiniaN_CraCkeR. It was a senseless act and I have no idea why the website was hackedContinue Reading