Over a Century of Science Fiction Quiz

Two of the best known writers from this period are French author Jules Verne and British author H G Wells. Verne generally explained his technology, whereas Wells tended to gloss over the technological aspects, using them more as plot devices. As was the practice at the time, "The War of the Worlds" was first serialised in 1897 before being published as a novel in 1898. It is an early example of mankind battling against a technologically-superior alien invader, in this case from Mars. The invaders land in England with the defenders being outclassed. Help comes from an unexpected quarter.

First serialised in a pulp fiction magazine, "A Princess of Mars" by American author Edgar Rice Burroughs was published as a novel in 1917. He was also writing his Tarzan stories around this time. The science fantasy novel was the first in his Barsoom series, the locals' name for Mars.

It introduces the American Civil War veteran John Carter who undergoes various adventures on Mars involving romance, sword fighting and telepathy.

Written by Russian writer Yevgeny Zamyatin in 1920-21, the highly-influential dystopian novel "We" was not published in the Soviet Union until 1988. A translated version was first published in 1924 in USA. The novel describes a totalitarian surveillance state where people are reduced to numbers living in One State which has conquered the world.

The narrator is D-503, chief engineer of a spacecraft construction project, who becomes aware of an organisation working to bring down the One State.

"Brave New World", by British writer Aldous Huxley, was first published in 1932. Another highly influential novel, it also appears in the American Library Association's 1990-1999 list of top 100 banned and challenged books. In this society, citizens are born in artificial wombs and chemically manipulated into castes, with indoctrination mostly through sleep conditioning.

The novel explores what happens when someone is brought into the World State society from outside the system.

The 1951 science fiction novel "Foundation" is first of a series which eventually extended to nine novels by American author Isaac Asimov with a prequel trilogy by approved authors following his death. The novel consists of five previously-published short interconnected stories separated in time.

It describes the early days of the Foundation in a waning Galactic Empire some 50,000 years into the future. Founded by psycho-historian Hari Sheldon, the Foundation's purpose is to preserve the best of the Empire after its predicted demise.

Frank Herbert's 1965 novel "Dune" was the first in another series based on a late-stage empire. The novel is a combination of two previously-published magazine series. It is set in a feudal interstellar society where interstellar navigation is dependent on a drug called Melange.

The drug is sourced solely from the desert planet of Arrakis, which results in a complex weave of politics and religion mixed with technology. Herbert wrote five sequels and, following his death, his son used Herbert's notes for prequels and further sequels.

Part of her series of Hainish Cycle novels, the award-winning science fiction novel "The Dispossessed" by Ursula K Le Guin covers themes including utopianism, anarchy, individualism and collectivism. Although fifth in the series, the novel is first chronologically.

A key plot device is the faster-than-light communication technology known as ansible. The narrative alternates between the planet Urras and its moon Anarres. The reader follows the protagonist about as he seeks to pursue his research within different political systems.

First of the "Sprawl" trilogy, the 1984 science fiction novel "Neuromancer" was American-Canadian author William Gibson's debut novel and a catalyst in the cyberpunk movement. Various cyberpunk terms have their origin in the novel. The story is set in a dystopian near-future involving a computer hacker being recruited for a heist, however the employer turns out to be an artificial intelligence called Wintermute with a different goal in mind involving an artificial intelligence called Neuromancer.

American writer Neal Stephenson's "The Diamond Age" (1995) depicts a 22nd century world with all-pervasive nanotechnology. The story follows Nell, whose development and social status is boosted by a stolen Primer. Another story line follows the life of the nanotech engineer John Percival Hackworth from whom the Primer was stolen.

The award-winning "The Three-Body Problem" (2008) by Cixin Liu is the first of the "Remembrance of Earth's Past" trilogy. The trilogy falls into the hard science fiction genre with scientific accuracy being of importance. The title refers to an orbital mechanics problem which in the novel is represented by an alien planet orbiting a three-star system, resulting in chaotic living conditions.

The aliens are alerted to Earth's presence by radio transmissions and make preparations to take over, including interfering with Earth's technological development.