"Game of Thrones" highlights the dangers of pinning our hopes on supposedly admirable political leaders wielding vast, concentrated power. Sadly, modern Americans are almost as susceptible to that error as the misguided characters on the show.
Like Warren, I'm a fan of the Dragon Queen. But Warren overstates the character's virtues and minimizes her flaws - sometimes in ways that reveal shortcomings of Warren's own worldview.
Harvard Kennedy School Prof. Christopher Robichaud interviews me on this topic for his "This Week in Dystopia" podcast series.
The science fiction writer appealed to traditionalists with tales of far-flung futures.
The imminent start of the final season of Game of Thrones is a good time to consider the series' political message, and reprise some of my work on that subject. Plus, a discussion of the political economy portrayed in George R.R. Martin's recently published prequel to the series.
An anthology series about sad salesmen, space marines, super-intelligent yogurt, and the national debt
Marvel's first female-fronted superhero film is a woke superhero fantasy scared to take any risks.
A joyous, energetic Spider-Man remix shows what superhero movies can be.
mine is The Player of Games, by Iain Banks
The show's derivative mimickry of time-skipping ruins the tension.
Kirk, Spock, and Khan have much to teach us about contemporary politics.
Less creator than editor, pathetic company man, purveyor of childish nonsense? No amount of next-level quasi-sophisticated Stan Lee critique can avoid the proper conclusion: He was the Man.
Marvel's former chief left behind a massive cultural legacy preaching tolerance and personal responsibility.
The dull new movie makes for a marked contrast with the delightful new Spider-Man video game.
Shane Black's lackluster entry doesn't understand the appeal of John McTiernan's action classic.
The 70mm restoration of Stanley Kubrick's sci-fi masterpiece is a reminder of the ways advances in technology can help keep old formats alive.
Reading Zora Neale Hurston's study of the life of the last "black cargo" and watching Westworld
The science fiction maverick helped fill generations of fans with a winning sense of courage and rebellion.
In honor of Star Wars Day, a roundup of links to my writings and talks on the politics of one of the world's most popular science fiction franchises.
Reason writers debate which fictional dystopia best predicted our current moment.
Mary Shelley's misunderstood masterpiece turns 200.
How libertarians learned to stop worrying and love The Dispossessed
The show, based on the work of Philip K. Dick, is like Black Mirror but if people were sometimes good.
"The Last Jedi" focuses on the value of institutions, not just individual heroes. But it's still hard to tell what the rebels are fighting for.
All culture is participatory culture, and none more so than Star Wars. A debate hotter than the twin suns of Tatooine.
Time travel and originalism (not in the same book!)
Netflix sci-fi series draws comparisons to Stranger Things that do it no favors.
Weir's new book Artemis imagines life in a lunar settlement.
Friday A/V Club: Celebrate Halloween with Gerald Heard, Boris Karloff, and some killer bees.
The hit cartoon depicts how out of control presidential power has gotten.
Friday A/V Club: Celebrating half a century of an individualist TV show
The author of Little Brother and Walkaway on dystopia, the end of scarcity, and what's going to get him arrested
CBS show is disposable summer television at its worst.
Confused adaptation of Stephen King's novella dissipates the tension.
The novelist, activist, and BoingBoing founder on cyber warfare, Uber-style reputation economics, and what he's likely to get arrested for someday.
The scandal has exposed odd taboos in the liberal-leaning Drupal community and how hypocritical their talk of tolerance can be.
The annual prize honors libertarian-themed science fiction.
Trump haters rush to buy the famous dystopian novel.
Finalists for a libertarian literary prize
The author of We Need to Talk About Kevin and The Mandibles pulls no punches when it comes to race, sex, or economics.
You can't blame the filmmaker for being annoyed. But audiences are always repurposing art, sometimes in creepy ways, sometimes in ways that are more appealing.
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