Episode #176 SF Hall of Fame #11 Murray Leinster’s First Contact

In 1970, Avon Books published a landmark anthology, “Science
Fiction Hall of Fame,” featuring 26 classic short stories that
represent landmark tales of the genre. The stories were voted on
by the members of the new (at the time, in the late 1960s)
organization Science Fiction Writers of America. In this series,
I will be joined by a panel of guests to break down these stories
and talk about the authors in the book.


In this episode, I am joined by retired professors Brian Attebery
and Steven Shaviro. Brian Attebery writer and emeritus professor
of English and philosophy at Idaho State University and The
author of The Fantasy Tradition in American Literature: From
Irving to Le Guin. Steven Shaviro is a retired Wayne State
professor, philosopher, and cultural critic whose areas of
interest include film theory and Science Fiction He is the author
of Fluid Futures.


We talk about Murray Leinster and his 1945 classic First Contact.
We go deep into the aythor’s history, some of his other classic
stories, the issue of Astounding that came out the month of Nazi
surrender. Also I get into his major impact on one of the most
popular authors of all time.