Science Fiction Trivia

[Disembodied]

OK, let's try another multi-answer question: name three fictional fictions - that is, works of fiction (books, plays, films, TV series, HoloSoap, ThreeDee Interactive Opera, etc.) which are themselves fictional, and which are mentioned *by name* within a real work of science fiction. The fictional fictions do not themselves have to be SF (but there will be MBPs for any answers which meet this SF-within -SF description).

One example per SF universe.

[ffutures]

Lords of the Swastika by Adolf Hitler from Norman Spinrad's The Iron Dream (1972) - Hitler's novel is borderline post-apocalypse science fantasy.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Iron_Dream

[Disembodied]

Lords of the Swastika by Adolf Hitler from Norman Spinrad's The Iron Dream (1972) - Hitler's novel is borderline post-apocalypse science fantasy.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Iron_Dream

That would definitely count - and wins a shiny MBP for being SF-within-SF.

Two to go.

[Old Murgh]

The fictitious Vonnegut sci-fi writer Kilgore Trout is credited with scores of books, including Barring-gaffner of Bagnialto or This Year's Masterpiece ( mentioned in Breakfast of Champions), The Big Board and The Gospel from Outer Space (mentioned in Slaughterhouse-Five), The Era of Hopeful Monsters (mentioned in Galápagos), First District Court of Thankyou (mentioned in God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater) and many many more..

[Disembodied]

The fictitious Vonnegut sci-fi writer Kilgore Trout is credited with scores of books, including Barring-gaffner of Bagnialto or This Year's Masterpiece ( mentioned in Breakfast of Champions), The Big Board and The Gospel from Outer Space (mentioned in Slaughterhouse-Five), The Era of Hopeful Monsters (mentioned in Galápagos), First District Court of Thankyou (mentioned in God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater) and many many more..

Yes, any of those would qualify! Have two MBPs for so many sci-(scifi)-fi examples. Even though Kilgore Trout did actually manage to cross over into the Real and publish Venus on the Half-Shell with the assistance of Philip José Farmer …

Next one wins the pickled herring.

[spud42]

Jubal Harshaw from Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein

he is a writer of many genre but not sure any was sci fi.....

[Disembodied]

Jubal Harshaw from Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein

he is a writer of many genre but not sure any was sci fi.....

It's fictional works of fiction I'm looking for, not fictional writers, alas. There is for example a fictional TV series, created as a cover for the activities of the characters in the TV show in which this is all embedded …

[RockDoctor]

Jubal Harshaw from Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein

he is a writer of many genre but not sure any was sci fi.....

It's fictional works of fiction I'm looking for, not fictional writers, alas.

Yeah, the problem is that an awful lot of Jubal Harshaw's output was so distasteful to him that he left actually coming up with titles to his various buxom and tax-deductible secretaries, and the naming was done "off stage".
But Heinlein liked his stories to include some under-appreciated genius, slaving away at the typewrite to support malingering types of offspring and hangers-on with the sweat of his (or her) fingertips, for example Stone (pere) replaced by Stone (grande-mere) slaving away on unending episodes of ....
Oh, hang on - I'm not touching that chalice, it's poisoned!

[RockDoctor]

OK, let's try another multi-answer question: name three fictional fictions - that is, works of fiction (books, plays, films, TV series, HoloSoap, ThreeDee Interactive Opera, etc.) which are themselves fictional, and which are mentioned *by name* within a real work of science fiction. The fictional fictions do not themselves have to be SF (but there will be MBPs for any answers which meet this SF-within -SF description).

One example per SF universe.

I remembered my secret stash of pre-mixed Chalice Antidote, checked that it's still there, and that's all looking good. So I'll hold my nose and opine the in Heinlein's "The Rolling Stones", Stone (father) earned a crust penning "to turn out three episodes a week of The Scourge of the Spaceways" for broadcast (I think on radio) on a fairly short production timescale so he had to build up a stock of episodes "in the can" to accommodate long trips - a recurring theme through the story, even after the job was passed over to Stone (grandmother)

[Disembodied]

I remembered my secret stash of pre-mixed Chalice Antidote, checked that it's still there, and that's all looking good. So I'll hold my nose and opine the in Heinlein's "The Rolling Stones", Stone (father) earned a crust penning "to turn out three episodes a week of The Scourge of the Spaceways" for broadcast (I think on radio) on a fairly short production timescale so he had to build up a stock of episodes "in the can" to accommodate long trips - a recurring theme through the story, even after the job was passed over to Stone (grandmother)

The fictional space opera serial The Scourge of the Spaceways is number three - MBPs abound. Do not operate heavy machinery after drinking from the poisoned chalice!

The fictional (fictional) TV series I was thinking of was Wormhole X-Treme!, from Stargate SG-1 …

[RockDoctor]

The fictional space opera serial The Scourge of the Spaceways is number three - MBPs abound. Do not operate heavy machinery after drinking from the poisoned chalice!
The fictional (fictional) TV series I was thinking of was Wormhole X-Treme!, from Stargate SG-1 …

The SF-comedy film "Galaxy Quest", (with Sigourney Weaver not getting chewed up by Giger-designed aliens), was on the telly a couple of times in the last month. It starred the "nominal" cast of the in-film TV series "Galaxy Quest". I guess that would have worked as an answer too.

Anyway, choices, choices. Let's try this one : I can think of at least one SF short story which has a CHALICE as a minor, but important, bit of the scenery. Like stereotypical chalices, it is poisoned, to provide relief to aspirant diplomats to the planet of "Waterloo" in Piers Anthony's short story "On the Uses of Torture.

Trigger warning : not for reading at the dinner table. Well, probably not. But that Chalice (also called a grail in-story) is carefully poisoned and very non-accidental, and no longer on the table.

Can people come up with THREE other SF chalices. I doubt there are any un-poisoned ones, but that's for you to find out.

I'll put a 7-day limit on it. No point thrashing you from the point of titillation to frank torture. Or is there?

I leave the idea of selecting politicians by sequential torture as the only qualifying test for the political roles as a proposal for reforming politics. I wonder what Plato would have thought of it?

[Cholmondely]

I wonder what Plato would have thought of it?

Plato was into Philosopher-Kings - he recognised that his major problem was persuading one of his philosopher kings to abandon philosophy long enough to bother ruling his republic. I presume that he'd have been against it as it would not have acted as much of an enticement. He might well have approved of torturing any non-Philosopher King rulers, though!

[RockDoctor]

But do you have a chalice to submit?

My memory is telling me of a "wormhole" type long-distance transport which went by the name of a "chalice", but I'm damned if I can remember either author or title.

Given the news, the idea of ... testing the fitness of a new monarch in the Waterloo style has a certain appeal. It's that, or making the selection process gladiatorial in a comprehensively Roman meaning of the word. Short, stabby gladius hispanicus and only one politician walks away from the election.

If we hit the 7-day timeout, do I put up a new question, or nominate some unlucky soul ?

[spud42]

nah , you dont get out of it that easily! its yours till the end of time, unless you ask an easy enough question.

i am wracking my memories for a chalise in sci fi. remembered a few from fantasy but that does not count...

[ffutures]

nah , you dont get out of it that easily! its yours till the end of time, unless you ask an easy enough question.

i am wracking my memories for a chalise in sci fi. remembered a few from fantasy but that does not count...

Same here. There are grailstones in the Riverworld series by Philip Jose Farmer, do they count?