Science Fiction as it Happens Trivia Quiz

The earliest of the events in this quiz, this plot point is the basis upon which "Journey to the Center of the Earth" was built. Published in 1864 by science fiction pioneer Jules Verne, the story is one of grand adventure, following a professor and his assistant as they descend into the Earth through a crater in Iceland and manage to stumble on subterranean rivers, long-hidden dinosaurs, and prehistoric forests before emerging out 'the other end', the volcanic peak of Stromboli off the coast of Sicily.

Notably, the tale was set in the year before it was published, making it a rarer case of being a sci-fi novel that doesn't hypothesize a new future, but one that bases itself in a speculative 'now'. Perhaps most interesting is that the idea of the Hollow Earth is a pseudoscientific concept that's been around since the 17th century, and while it's persisted in the fringes since then, it found particular popularity as a sci-fi concept in a handful of 19th century works, including Verne's novel here and Edgar Allan Poe's "The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket".

This plot point refers specifically to the events that occur in George Orwell's 1949 dystopian classic, "Nineteen Eighty-Four", and as such they occur in the prospective year for which the book was named.

Considered a benchmark for dystopian fiction, the novel follows Winston Smith, who contends with life as it is in Oceania (formerly Britain) during what he believes could be 1984, though even this could just be doublethink. Working at the Ministry of Truth, Winston's job of redacting and revising historical documents comes at odds with his understanding that the wool is being pulled over the public's eyes, and that continual propaganda is flooding society in an effort to prop up Big Brother's totalitarian state.

"Nineteen Eighty-Four" has, consistently, been regarded as one of the most influential works of fiction of the 20th century with many of its uniquely-created concepts, from 'doublespeak' to 'thoughtcrimes' to 'newspeak' to 'Big Brother' becoming part of widespread lexicons in pop culture and beyond.

Written and published by Michael Crichton in 1990, "Jurassic Park" does bear many similarities to the subsequent 1993 blockbuster directed by Steven Spielberg, notably the dinosaurs, but it focuses more on the theoretical science behind the whole situation. After all, the film is an action-packed adventure through Isla Nublar wherein the first guests to the impossible theme park are beset upon by hungry beasts.

The book, meanwhile, follows many of the same beats but diverges towards the end, being much more of an indictment on man's incapability of controlling both nature and itself. By the end of the book, set in 1989, many of the characters have died whether of their own hubris or otherwise, Isla Nublar is razed to dust by napalm, and dinosaurs have somehow made it to mainland Costa Rica.

Crichton followed up the work with "The Lost World" in 1995. Spielberg adapted that one as well, in 1997.

Written concurrently with the famous sci-fi epic of the same name by Stanley Kubrick, "2001: A Space Odyssey" may be Arthur C. Clarke's most famous work, and it stretches from the days of early primates to the year 1999, when a signal being broadcast near one of Saturn's moons prompts a mission into space for the Discovery One. What follows is a hunt for the source of the signal (an interstellar anomaly to say the least) and a face-off against HAL 9000, the AI computer designed to protect the crew which subsequently works against their best interests to preserve itself.

Sir Arthur Charles Clarke, considered one of the foremost sci-fi writers of his day, followed up "2001" with "2010: Odyssey Two" in 1982, "2061: Odyssey Three" in 1987, and "3001: The Final Odyssey" in 1997. All of them were set in the years described, naturally.

Although originally released under the Richard Bachman pseudonym, this 1982 novel was written by Stephen King and eventually republished under the correct name. In this one, Ben Richards lives in a dystopian 2025 in which he applies to be a contestant on the hit TV show "The Running Man", which makes its players enemies of the state, sends them out on the run, and asks them to survive as long as possible for up to a billion dollars. The catch is that the show is popular, and while Richards has to survive the bounty hunters out to get him, the public may also choose to help or hinder him for their own gain.

"The Running Man" released as a feature film in 1987 with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the lead role. Let's just say that the endings of both the film and the book deviate quite a bit

In a perhaps-just-too-pertinent bit of speculation, Octavia E. Butler's 1993 novel "Parable of the Sower" foresaw a future wracked by climate change and societal inequalities in the way that Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale" held a terrifying portent of what could happen if people let their guards down just a bit too much. Though this book begins in 2024, the story pushes into 2026 as Lauren, born into a gated community in California, contends with the dissolution of institutions, authoritarian rule, and the threat of destruction.

Sure enough, in 2026, as the town of Robledo is attacked by the outsider class, Lauren's family is killed and she's forced to flee. The subsequent escape is what leads her to create her own religion, Earthseed, thinking beyond the perils of modern Earth.

Before passing in 2006, Butler wrote one sequel, "Parable of the Talents", in 1998.

A month-long expedition to Mars ends in catastrophe in this 2011 Andy Weir novel in which Mark Watney, a botanist/astronaut, is accidentally left behind, believed to have perished, on the red planet while his crew returns to Earth. What follows is a year-and-a-half-long survival story in which Mark's ingenuity and resourcefulness allows him not only to push to withstand the punishing planet, but also to prevent himself from perishing altogether while his crew loops around to retrieve him. All of this happens, specifically, starting in the year 2035.

"The Martian" was a New York Times Bestseller and kicked off a strong sci-fi fiction career for Weir. The rights were picked up shortly after and a feature film adaptation, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Matt Damon, would release in 2015, taking seven Oscar nominations.

Set in 2045, Ernest Cline's "Ready Player One" is a nostalgia treasure trove for readers looking to see retro references in dystopian sci-fi. The book follows Wade Watts as he strives for escapism in a problematic world by plugging into a virtual reality MMORPG called 'OASIS'. When the creator of the game dies, he advises that an item hidden in the game unlocks full control over the virtual world, and the first person to find it will own it all. The novel starts five years after this as the true hunt starts to reveal itself.

"Ready Player One" subsequently became a film in 2018 directed by, of all people, Steven Spielberg, whose references pepper the plot. Cline would follow the novel up with a sequel in 2020-- "Ready Player Two"-- though it wasn't well-regarded.

First published in 1932, Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World" is amongst the juggernauts of dystopian fiction, depicting a world in which it seems that everyone could have their lives put at ease by scientific advancements. The reality is more horrifying, and as more elements of this new world become clear, it appears that the simplification of peoples' lives (by reducing work and normal functions) and the mental placation brought on by a drug known as 'soma' actually hollow out meaningful living-- at least to some of the protagonists.

All of this takes place in the year 632 AF (or After Ford), indicated as such because of Henry Ford's position as a God-like figure in this new world. Tracking these dates places the actual year of the book somewhere in the 2540s and, ironically, not in any sort of utopia it seems to promise.

"Battlefield Earth", subtitled "A Saga of the Year 3000", is the latest of the events provided, taking place hundreds of years after even "Brave New World" in a time when aliens have arrived to harvest Earth's precious resources. In this world, created by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, the meagre amount of humans left alive on the planet decide to rebel against the Psychlos, even though it may be a true underdog effort-- after all, the Psychlos have ruled for centuries at this point, wiped out the majority of humankind, and have overseen much of the galaxy.

And yes, this was the book adapted into a 2000 film that John Travolta funded, developing it into what is commonly regarded as one of the worst movies ever made.