Science Fiction London
We meet on the first Saturday of the month at 1:30 PM Eastern Time to discuss the selected topic, which could be a science fiction book, short story, movie, TV show, or theme. Detailed information on topic selection, meeting times and locations can be found on the meetings page.
Our upcoming topics
April 5, 2025
21st Century Science Fiction
editors David Hartwell, Patrick Nielsen Hayden
Presented by JD D.
Twenty-First Century Science Fiction is an enormous anthology of short stories―close to 250,000 words―edited by two of the most prestigious and award-winning editors in the SF field and featuring recent stories from some of science fiction's greatest up-and-coming authors.
The meeting will cover the following stories from the anthology.
Rogue Farm by Charles Stross, presented by Mark E.
The Gambler by Paolo Bacigalupi, presented by Stephanie H.
Tidelines by Elizabeth Bear, presented by JD D.
A Vector Alphabet of Interstellar Travel by Yoon Ha Lee, presented by Cassandra
Island by Peter Watts, presented by Mark A.
Chicken Little by Cory Doctorow, presented by Albert A.
Availability Available from the London Public Library or from book stores e.g. Chapters/Indigo or Amazon or local used book shops.
May 3, 2025
The Apollo Murders
by Chris Hadfield
Presented by Mark A.
1973. A final, top-secret mission to the Moon. Three astronauts in a tiny module, a quarter of a million miles from home. A quarter of a million miles from help.
As Russian and American crews sprint for a secret bounty hidden away on the lunar surface, old rivalries blossom and the political stakes are stretched to the breaking point back on Earth. Houston flight controller Kazimieras “Kaz” Zemeckis must do all he can to keep the NASA crew together, while staying one step ahead of his Soviet rivals. But not everyone on board Apollo 18 is quite who they appear to be.
Full of the fascinating technical detail that fans of The Martian loved, and reminiscent of the thrilling claustrophobia, twists and tension of The Hunt for Red October, The Apollo Murders puts you right there in the moment. Experience the fierce G-forces of launch, the frozen loneliness of Space and the fear of holding on to the outside of a spacecraft orbiting the Earth at 17,000 miles per hour, as told by a former Commander of the International Space Station who has done all of those things in real life.
Strap in and count down for the ride of a lifetime.
Availability Available from the London Public Library or from book stores e.g. Chapters/Indigo or Amazon or local used book shops.
June 7, 2025
Children of Time
by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Presented by Manon C.
The last remnants of the human race left a dying Earth, desperate to find a new home among the stars. Following in the footsteps of their ancestors, they discover the greatest treasure of the past age - a world terraformed and prepared for human life.
But all is not right in this new Eden. In the long years since the planet was abandoned, the work of its architects has borne disastrous fruit. The planet is not waiting for them, pristine and unoccupied. New masters have turned it from a refuge into mankind's worst nightmare.
Now two civilizations are on a collision course, both testing the boundaries of what they will do to survive. As the fate of humanity hangs in the balance, who are the true heirs of this new Earth?
Availability Available from the London Public Library or from book stores e.g. Chapters/Indigo or Amazon or local used book shops.
Topic selection for September 2025 to February 2026 will also be decided at this meeting. Please use the Topic Proposal form to submit an idea.
July 5, 2025
The Fold
by Peter Clines
Presented by Margot B.
Step into the fold. It's perfectly safe.
The folks in Mike Erikson's small New England town would say he's just your average, everyday guy. And that's exactly how Mike likes it. Sure, the life he's chosen isn't much of a challenge to someone with his unique gifts, but he's content with his quiet and peaceful existence. That is until an old friend presents him with an irresistible mystery, one that Mike is uniquely qualified to solve.
Far out in the California desert, a team of DARPA scientists has invented a device they affectionately call the Albuquerque Door. Using a cryptic computer equation and magnetic fields to "fold" dimensions, it shrinks distances so a traveler can travel hundreds of feet with a single step. The invention promises to make mankind's dreams of teleportation a reality. And, the scientists insist, traveling through the door is completely safe. Yet evidence is mounting that this miraculous machine isn't quite what it seems - and that its creators are harboring a dangerous secret.
As his investigations draw him deeper into the puzzle, Mike begins to fear there's only one answer that makes sense. And if he's right, it may be only a matter of time before the project destroys...everything. A cunningly inventive mystery featuring a hero worthy of Sherlock Holmes and a terrifying final twist you'll never see coming, The Fold is that rarest of things: a genuine pause-resister science-fiction thriller. Step inside its audio and learn why author Peter Clines has already won legions of loyal fans.
Availability Available from the London Public Library or from book stores e.g. Chapters/Indigo or Amazon or local used book shops.
August 2, 2025
Parable of the Sower
by Octavia E. Butler
Presented by James J.
When global climate change and economic crises lead to social chaos in the early 2020s, California becomes full of dangers, from pervasive water shortage to masses of vagabonds who will do anything to live to see another day. Fifteen-year-old Lauren Olamina lives inside a gated community with her preacher father, family, and neighbors, sheltered from the surrounding anarchy. In a society where any vulnerability is a risk, she suffers from hyperempathy, a debilitating sensitivity to others' emotions.
Precocious and clear-eyed, Lauren must make her voice heard in order to protect her loved ones from the imminent disasters her small community stubbornly ignores. But what begins as a fight for survival soon leads to something much more: the birth of a new faith . . . and a startling vision of human destiny.
Availability Available from the London Public Library or from book stores e.g. Chapters/Indigo or Amazon or local used book shops.