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 two amazing authors to discuss Cordwainer Smith's 1950 (written in ’45) story Scanners Live in Vain. duncan b. barlow is a musician, academic, and author of several amazing books, including his amazing new short story collection Awry. Brian Evenson is the award-winning author of one of my favorite novels, Immobility, and several amazing short story collections.

We talk about the weird and cool history of Paul Linebarger, AKA Cordwainer Smith, and the publication history of this story. We go deep into the themes of this amazing story and the author. Yes, the SF Hall of Fame is back in action. We are on track for Ray Bradbury next!