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Science Fiction Quizzes, Trivia and Puzzles
Science Fiction Quizzes, Trivia

Science Fiction Trivia

Science Fiction Trivia Quizzes

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Other worlds. Other times. What do you know about adventures in space and time? From Adams to Zelazny, they're all here.
217 Science Fiction quizzes and 3,038 Science Fiction trivia questions.
Sub-Categories:
1.
Sci Fi Character Conundrum
  Sci Fi Character Conundrum   top quiz  
Classification Quiz
 16 Qns
Classify the Sci Fi Characters
These sixteen characters are the brainchildren of four incredible science fiction authors. Can you place them in their correct slots?
Easier, 16 Qns, trident, Feb 08 24
Easier
trident editor
Feb 08 24
327 plays
2.
  Pre-20th Century Science Predictions   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
As the 19th century arrived, future fiction writing moved from the fantastic to a more scientific foundation. These are examples of some of the developments anticipated.
Average, 10 Qns, suomy, Oct 30 24
Average
suomy
Oct 30 24
196 plays
3.
  Science Fiction Masterpieces    
Match Quiz
 10 Qns
Top 100 or thereabouts!
Only ten of some of the greatest works of Science Fiction. Match the title with the author.
Easier, 10 Qns, gme24, Aug 23 24
Easier
gme24 gold member
Aug 23 24
143 plays
4.
  More Sci-Fi in Literature    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
More questions dredged from my collection of books
Average, 10 Qns, awkins, Sep 20 16
Average
awkins
1192 plays
5.
  Atomic Brain   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Call it "doomsday" lit if you will, but many novels deal with nuclear warfare and/or its after-effects. Zip up your haz-mat suit and take a look at some of them.
Average, 10 Qns, Jakeroo, Sep 07 12
Average
Jakeroo
6038 plays
6.
  The History of the Future as Written   top quiz  
Ordering Quiz
 10 Qns
These classics of the Science Fiction genre have stood the test of time, but do you know which was written when? See if you can order them from the earliest published to the most recent.
Average, 10 Qns, reedy, Jan 02 22
Average
reedy gold member
Jan 02 22
436 plays
7.
  Classic Science Fiction Short Stories   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
I've been reading SF for the last 65 years and I thought I'd share some of my favourite short stories with you in the form of this quiz. Enjoy!
Tough, 10 Qns, Southendboy, Apr 24 23
Tough
Southendboy gold member
Apr 24 23
206 plays
8.
  Unprecedented Times    
Match Quiz
 10 Qns
The future is not set, as many time travel stories will conclude. Can you match the authors to these tales lost in time?
Average, 10 Qns, reedy, Jun 26 21
Average
reedy gold member
Jun 26 21
368 plays
9.
  Classic Characters in Science Fiction and Fantasy   top quiz  
Multiple Choice
 15 Qns
These are the great characters from speculative fiction. I'll give you their names, you give me the writers who created them.
Average, 15 Qns, john_sunseri, Aug 23 18
Average
john_sunseri
Aug 23 18
1993 plays
10.
  Once Upon a Time   top quiz  
Multiple Choice
 15 Qns
If you have time, you may wish to try this quiz about works of fiction which involve time travel. Fittingly, our own journey through the history of this branch of science fiction literature will be taken in chronological order.
Average, 15 Qns, Wizzid, Oct 30 11
Average
Wizzid
1040 plays
trivia question Quick Question
In Kurt Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse Five" we meet a time traveling Billy Pilgrim and aliens from what planet?

From Quiz "Science Fiction Literature - An Orbital Survey"




11.
  Dark and Deep Dystopia   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Would you want to live here? Events have taken a downwards turn and society is losing its moral compass...
Easier, 10 Qns, AcrylicInk, Nov 09 19
Easier
AcrylicInk gold member
Nov 09 19
626 plays
12.
  Apocalypse When?   top quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
The idea of an apocalyptic event bringing about the end of civilization as we know it has fascinated writers for longer than you might think. This quiz is about just ten of the most interesting examples of post-apocalyptic fiction.
Average, 10 Qns, stedman, Apr 16 13
Average
stedman editor
1230 plays
13.
  Classic SF - Novellas   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Science Fiction, as a genre, is particularly well suited to those long short stories known as novellas and novelettes. Here are a selection of classics, most of them Hugo winners. There will be some spoilers.
Average, 10 Qns, agony, Apr 18 23
Average
agony editor
Apr 18 23
818 plays
14.
  Llamas in Space editor best quiz   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
The Llama Book Club couldn't agree on which Sci-Fi book would be next on the reading list, so everyone was asked to put forward their suggestions. Can you figure out which books have been recommended?
Average, 10 Qns, reedy, May 05 14
Average
reedy gold member
1371 plays
15.
  Classic and Iconic Science Fiction quiz    
Multiple Choice
 15 Qns
This is quiz on classic and iconic Science Fiction. There are some interesting bits and bobs of information in the results.
Average, 15 Qns, Tielhard, Aug 27 24
Average
Tielhard
Aug 27 24
2919 plays
16.
  Something Doesn't Add Up    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Science fiction novels where something just isn't right.
Average, 10 Qns, Godwit, Dec 07 19
Average
Godwit gold member
Dec 07 19
373 plays
17.
  Living in a Mechanical World    
Match Quiz
 10 Qns
They're not real but, without robots, "Star Wars" would have lost some of its magic. The following robots have also bought life to their own stories, match them to the author who gave them us.
Average, 10 Qns, pollucci19, Mar 13 20
Average
pollucci19 gold member
Mar 13 20
317 plays
18.
  Wrong Place, Wrong Time   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
The pages of science fiction are filled with people who have been unceremoniously yanked elsewhere and elsewhen. Test your knowledge of these ten inadvertent time travelers.
Average, 10 Qns, CellarDoor, Dec 01 12
Average
CellarDoor gold member
582 plays
19.
  Dystopias in Literature   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Sometimes the future just isn't all that it was made out to be.
Average, 10 Qns, kevinatilusa, Mar 03 05
Average
kevinatilusa
2351 plays
20.
  Automatons Anonymous   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Robots, automata, artificial intelligences. These are staples of science fiction that seem to come into reality more and more as technology advances. Take a look at these works that have brought them to life.
Average, 10 Qns, trident, Jul 26 19
Average
trident editor
Jul 26 19
251 plays
21.
  Authors of Destiny    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Can you correctly answer questions about popular sci-fi authors?
Easier, 10 Qns, nyirene330, Aug 31 15
Easier
nyirene330
411 plays
22.
  Hugo Runners-up   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Many well-loved SF novels were nominated for Hugo Awards, but were beaten by stiff competition. See if you can remember these runners-up, by plot description. Most will be from the sixties and seventies, and some authors will appear more than once.
Average, 10 Qns, agony, Dec 22 17
Average
agony editor
627 plays
23.
  Smoke Rings   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Here's a walk through a series of science fiction stories where rings play some significant role. Best of luck.
Average, 10 Qns, pollucci19, Jan 02 18
Average
pollucci19 gold member
363 plays
24.
  Time is Running Out   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
The end of the world is nigh in these stories. Sometimes it's the apocalypse; sometimes it's the end of life as we know it; sometimes its to make space for a hyper-spatial express route.
Average, 10 Qns, AcrylicInk, May 10 20
Average
AcrylicInk gold member
May 10 20
381 plays
25.
  Speculative Science Fiction   top quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Speculative science fiction is a type of work which focuses more on a fascinating setting or situation than on characters or plot details. In each question you will be given one of these situations, and must identify the work or author from which it cam
Average, 10 Qns, kevinatilusa, Dec 15 15
Average
kevinatilusa
2132 plays
26.
  Fly Me to the Moon   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Science fiction takes its readers across galaxies and even universes, but some works stop closer to home. Test your knowledge of ten books and stories where Earth's Moon plays a role.
Average, 10 Qns, CellarDoor, Jun 29 10
Average
CellarDoor gold member
909 plays
27.
  After the End of the World   top quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
The aliens have landed, the disease has spread, the bombs have exploded, the climate has changed: any way you slice it, civilization as we know it is not coming back. Let's see how people from the pages of science fiction are coping with the aftermath.
Average, 10 Qns, CellarDoor, Dec 26 22
Average
CellarDoor gold member
Dec 26 22
712 plays
28.
  Distopia/Datopia    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Can you correctly match these futuristic novels with their authors and/or plots?
Average, 10 Qns, nyirene330, Jul 30 15
Average
nyirene330
352 plays
29.
  Let Me Play Among the Stars   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
There's no limit to how far science fiction can take you: other worlds, other galaxies, and even other universes! Come to the stars with me and let's see where we can go.
Average, 10 Qns, CellarDoor, Oct 07 17
Average
CellarDoor gold member
511 plays
30.
  Science Fiction First Lines    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Can you spot which famous science fiction novel the following first lines are from? (I have used the first "proper" line, not any chapter heading quotes or forewords.)
Average, 10 Qns, Rowena8482, Jan 08 14
Average
Rowena8482 gold member
1563 plays
31.
  Another Day Breaks    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Another daybreak on a ruined Earth. All the books in this quiz are about the destruction of Earth/the human race.
Average, 10 Qns, Christinap, Jul 05 15
Average
Christinap
477 plays
32.
  It Still Hasn't Happened Yet    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Answer these ten questions from ten works of fantasy and science fiction that were set in the far future when their authors wrote them.
Average, 10 Qns, bernie73, Mar 09 18
Average
bernie73 gold member
Mar 09 18
390 plays
33.
  Science Fiction For The Heirs of Eisenhower    
Multiple Choice
 15 Qns
Sci-fi isn't just Star Wars and Captain Kirk. Sci-fi goes back years, to Jules Verne and H.G. Wells. A lot of things have been written by authors and screenwriters you might not have heard of...or maybe you have!
Average, 15 Qns, photoscribe, Jun 17 23
Average
photoscribe
Jun 17 23
670 plays
34.
  Dark All Around    
Match Quiz
 10 Qns
This is a quiz of science fiction with titles that refer to "dark", one way or another. Match the work with its author.
Average, 10 Qns, ertrum, Mar 10 20
Average
ertrum gold member
Mar 10 20
146 plays
35.
  Judging More SF Books by Their Covers    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
You liked the first one, so here's more. I'll describe the cover of a science fiction classic. Then you see if you can identify the correct book from the clues on the cover (and believe me, you won't need to have the same edition).
Average, 10 Qns, Flamis, Aug 21 10
Average
Flamis
340 plays
36.
  Did I Hear Someone Say, "Loser!"?    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
SF & Fantasy novels which, although runners-up to the award winner, were better than, or at least as good as, the book which did win. (Using the advantage of hindsight.) I'll tell you a bit about each one, and who wrote it; you pick out the title.
Average, 10 Qns, Rimrunner, Jun 04 13
Average
Rimrunner
277 plays
37.
  Hugo Winners Since 2000    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
The Hugo Award for Best Novel is given each year to a speculative fiction novel from the previous year. Though this award was first given in 1953, this quiz will focus on winners from the 21st century, some well-known, some more obscure.
Average, 10 Qns, rose1729, Nov 26 19
Average
rose1729
Nov 26 19
153 plays
38.
  The Rockets Ride Into Sci-Fi Literature!    
Multiple Choice
 15 Qns
The Rockets big quiz on Sci-Fi literature...enjoy! (submitted by both past and present Rockets that we still hold dear to our hearts!)
Average, 15 Qns, gidday_mate, Jun 07 22
Average
gidday_mate
Jun 07 22
476 plays
39.
  Science Fiction Literature - An Orbital Survey    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Recall how Galileo said that there were four moons around Jupiter? While he wasn't entirely right, the information he provided got us curious enough to do some further research. Hopefully this high level quiz will have a similar result.
Average, 10 Qns, havan_ironoak, Jan 08 21
Average
havan_ironoak
Jan 08 21
200 plays
40.
  Judging an SF Book by its Cover   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
I'll describe the cover of a science fiction classic - in one of its editions. See if you can identify the correct book from the clues on the cover. (Believe me, you won't need to have the same edition to know the answer...)
Average, 10 Qns, Flamis, Jun 07 22
Average
Flamis
Jun 07 22
510 plays
41.
  Oh, the Humanities!    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
All the sci-fi characters in this quiz appear in human form, even though none of them are actually fully human. How many of them do you recognise?
Tough, 10 Qns, Rowena8482, Jun 09 20
Tough
Rowena8482 gold member
Jun 09 20
292 plays
42.
  Classic Sci-Fi Series    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
There is something very satisfying about a good series no matter what the genre. Here are some sci-fi classics to identify.
Average, 10 Qns, StarStruck60, Oct 07 16
Average
StarStruck60
521 plays
43.
  Hugo Award Winners for Best Novel    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
This is a group of questions about Hugo winners for Best Novel from specific years. I describe the book and you choose the correct title from the choices given.
Average, 10 Qns, card183, Dec 18 12
Average
card183
303 plays
44.
  Short (but Sweet) Science Fiction Stories    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Take a tour with me through a galaxy of short fiction stars... and identify the correct short story title from the clues I'll give you.
Average, 10 Qns, Flamis, Nov 20 10
Average
Flamis
368 plays
45.
  The World of Sci-Fi    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
This is a quiz about a bunch of science fiction novels that I like.
Average, 10 Qns, Countryrocks38, May 01 22
Average
Countryrocks38
May 01 22
555 plays
46.
  Fantasy Land    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
'Sometimes a fantasy author has to point out the strangeness of reality.' A quote by Terry Pratchett. All the answers relate to science fiction and fantasy works by various authors.
Average, 10 Qns, Ikabud, Feb 22 09
Average
Ikabud
1300 plays
47.
  Nowhere Man    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
"He's a real nowhere man, sitting in his nowhere land"... So goes the song, but how many of these men, and lands, from some weird and wonderful "nowhere worlds" of science fiction do you know?
Average, 10 Qns, Rowena8482, Jul 02 17
Average
Rowena8482 gold member
252 plays
48.
  Going Off-Road    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Boldly going where no-one has gone before, to places where there are definitely no roads! How many of these sci-fi pioneers and alien first contacts do you remember?
Average, 10 Qns, Rowena8482, May 10 11
Average
Rowena8482 gold member
259 plays
49.
  Master of Your Domain    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
How many of these sci-fi tyrants, dictators, and rulers of worlds can you remember?
Average, 10 Qns, Rowena8482, Mar 11 11
Average
Rowena8482 gold member
254 plays
50.
  'Doctor Who' Novelisations - 'The Five Doctors'    
Multiple Choice
 20 Qns
'Doctor Who - the Five Doctors' was a 'Doctor Who' twenty-year anniversary serial. Terrance Dicks then wrote the novelisation that was released the same year. Warning - contains spoilers.
Average, 20 Qns, JasonOgg, Jul 03 21
Average
JasonOgg
Jul 03 21
286 plays
51.
  SF Character Creators    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Some of our favorite characters in science fiction literature will live forever in our hearts. Some have carried on in stories even after their original author passed on. Can you identify the creator of these popular adventurers?
Average, 10 Qns, JohntheBear, Feb 23 23
Average
JohntheBear
Feb 23 23
717 plays
52.
  Speculative Fiction    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Are you fan of fantasy, science fiction, and horror books? Test your knowledge with this quiz.
Average, 10 Qns, rora234, Jul 23 11
Average
rora234
927 plays
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Science Fiction Trivia Questions

1. Loveday, aka Lovey, started life as the AI "brain" of a spaceship before she died, was revived, and moved herself into a human simulacrum to try and find her "happy ever after". In which book do we hear the story of her new life?

From Quiz
Oh, the Humanities!

Answer: A Closed and Common Orbit

Becky Chambers' novel "A Closed and Common Orbit" (2016) was nominated for both the Hugo Award and the Arthur C. Clarke Award for best book in 2017. It is the second volume of the "Wayfarers" series. The first is "A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet" (2014).

2. In H.G. Wells' "The War of the Worlds", invaders from another planet threatened all life. Which two 'worlds' were involved?

From Quiz Time is Running Out

Answer: Earth and Mars

In "War of the Worlds", invaders from Mars began attacking the Earth and its inhabitants. They killed people and destroyed towns and cities with their superior weapons and technology. Their heat rays and chemical weapons proved no match against the military on Earth. The story is told from the perspective of an unnamed narrator who lived in the south of England near where a group of the aliens had landed.

3. Philip K. Dick gave us a gripping short story about false memory portrayed in the film "Total Recall". On which science fiction short story was the film loosely based?

From Quiz Something Doesn't Add Up

Answer: We Can Remember It for You Wholesale

In "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale" (1966), office worker Douglas Quail buys a Rekal Incorporated memory implant session, so he will believe he has experienced his lifelong dream of going to Mars as a spy. After the implant, to everyone's shock, Quail claims he actually IS a spy who has been to Mars, though his memories of it were wiped. When the implant is removed Quail is uncertain which of his life experiences are real and which are false memory. Arnold Schwarzenegger plays the hero, renamed Quaid, in a 1990 film adaptation. Schwarzenegger penned his autobiography, "Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story" in 2012. The film "Total Recall" was remade in 2012 starring Colin Farrell, though Dick is not credited. "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale" is also a 1990 collection of Philip K. Dick science fiction stories.

4. In 2001, J. K. Rowling won the Hugo for Best Novel for the fourth book in this series featuring a boy wizard.

From Quiz Hugo Winners Since 2000

Answer: Harry Potter

Though this is most certainly the famous book I'll mention on this quiz, the 2001 win for "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" is the only Hugo win that J. K. Rowling has received. She was also nominated for "Prisoner of Azkaban" the previous year.

5. At night, you would experience sleep-learning and you would take soma to remain happy and peaceful. Who wrote 'Brave New World', a novel set in the year AF 632?

From Quiz Dark and Deep Dystopia

Answer: Aldous Huxley

Aldous Huxley's 'Brave New World' was published in 1932. It was set in the year 2540 CE, but within the novel, it was known as AF 632. 'AF' stood for 'after Ford', as in Henry Ford and his assembly line. That year marked the beginning of a new era of technology, science, and productivity. It led to a society of artificially created embryos and clones, a caste system, and control by hypnosis and drug use.

6. Two well-meaning scientists work to end hunger by creating a new growth agent and end up opening a Pandora's box of troubles. Which lesser known work of H.G. Wells am I describing?

From Quiz Science Fiction Literature - An Orbital Survey

Answer: The Food of the Gods

The new growth agent results in an uncontrollable spread of horrors. Giant chickens, rats, and insects run amok. Abnormal mental powers in humans result in increased hatred and intolerance between ordinary humans and mental giants. Wells, a forward-looking, perhaps even prophetic social critic, touches on an area that still gives GMO (genetically modified organism) critics nightmares. The 1904 work is only 200 pages and still poses some questions that we have yet to answer.

7. Which space hero was introduced in the 1928 novella "Armageddon 2419 AD"?

From Quiz It Still Hasn't Happened Yet

Answer: Buck Rogers

In the novella, the given name of "Buck" Rogers is Anthony. "Armageddon 2419 AD" was written by Philip Francis Nolan (1888-1940). In the novella, Buck, a veteran of World War One, is working for a gas company in 1927 when exposure to radioactive gas leaves him in a state of suspended animation for 492 years before awakening to a world where the United States has been taken over by invaders from China. Buck Rogers has appeared in several other media including: a long-running comic strip (1929-1983), a radio program (1932-1947), a 1939 movie serial that starred Buster Crabbe (who also portrayed Flash Gordon), a 1950-1951 television series, and a 1979-1981 television series starring Gil Gerard and Erin Grey. Flash Gordon was created by Alex Raymond in 1934 for the comic strip of the same name. Buzz Lightyear is an astronaut character from the "Toy Story" series of films. John Carter is a character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs in 1912 for his series of books set on Mars.

8. "The Many Coloured Land" (1981) is the first book in which series by Julian May?

From Quiz Smoke Rings

Answer: Saga of the Pliocene Exile

There are four novels to this saga published during the 1980s. In the twenty-first century a gateway appears on Earth that will transport people back millions of years to the Pliocene Epoch. There's only one small catch - it only works one way. The volunteers that do venture through this portal are in for more than they bargained for. When the volunteers arrive, they're confronted by an alien race that had crash landed here previously. The aliens possess extraordinary mental powers that are amplified by rings that they wear around their necks and they use these to enslave the humans. The other books in the series are "The Golden Torc" (1982), "The Non Born King" (9183) and "The Adversary" (1984).

9. This 1962 winner by Robert A. Heinlein contributed the word "grok" to the English language.

From Quiz Hugo Award Winners for Best Novel

Answer: Stranger in a Strange Land

"Stranger in a Strange Land" is about Valentine Michael Smith, a human born on Mars and raised by Martians. "Grok" is a Martian word that Smith introduces to Earth.

10. Here's a meld of science-fiction and fantasy: a 19th-century engineer going back to the chivalrous age of King Arthur! In Mark Twain's telling, just what kind of Yankee went back in time after a blow to the head?

From Quiz Wrong Place, Wrong Time

Answer: Connecticut

Written in 1889, "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" ably skewers chivalry and romanticism, while getting in a few jabs at late-nineteenth-century trends as well. Hank Morgan was an engineer whose technological abilities soon propelled him to the top of King Arthur's court - after his knowledge of astronomy saved him from execution, that is. His efforts to remake medieval technology and industry were tremendously successful, but he had a much greater challenge with the social structure, and a jealous Merlin caused him all manner of problems. In addition to pioneering the idea of a technologically advanced person traveling back in time and modernizing a historical nation, "Connecticut Yankee" is a darned good read.

11. Better known for a novel about a scientist who creates a creature out of body parts, who is the author of the 1826 novel "The Last Man"?

From Quiz Apocalypse When?

Answer: Mary Shelley

Published eight years after "Frankenstein", Mary Shelley's "The Last Man" is often claimed to be the first "post-apocalyptic" novel. It is set at the end of the twenty-first century, in a world devastated by a plague that is slowly killing off the whole population. At the time of its publication, critics were disturbed by its pessimistic tone and it was not well reviewed.

12. "The World Set Free", written in 1914 by the same man who wrote "The Island of Doctor Moreau" is considered by many to be the first novel to foretell the use of nuclear weapons. Who is this author?

From Quiz Atomic Brain

Answer: H.G. Wells

Wells had a certain amount of knowledge regarding the physics of atoms, based on studies by Ramsay, Rutherford and Soddy. His proposed solution to the perceived future problem was a form of "world government" - quite a concept to think of during the initial stages of WWI.

13. In 1843, Charles Dickens wrote one of the earliest works of fiction to feature a person being transported into both the past and the future. What is the name of this story?

From Quiz Once Upon a Time

Answer: A Christmas Carol

This story is often cited as an early example of time travel literature, since the main character, the miserly businessman Ebenezer Scrooge, was not merely presented with visions of the past and future by visiting ghosts, but was described as travelling with the spectres to and within the periods in question. Even though Scrooge was only able to observe events in those distant times and could not make any form of interaction, his journeys through time were pivotal in making him see the error of his miserly and misanthropic ways.

14. Which 1985 book looks at the aftermath of nuclear war by telling the story of one individual from each of three generations?

From Quiz Another Day Breaks

Answer: Children of the Dust

Written by Louise Lawrence and published in 1985, the book opens with a nuclear strike on an English town. It then follows three generations of the survivors as they cope with radiation, a nuclear winter, mutation and all the other horrors of nuclear war.

15. In Hugh Walters' classic "UNEXA" young adult sci-fi series, four intrepid astronauts visit some of the planets in Earth's solar system for the very first time, and even make 'first contact' with an alien. Who are our four brave heroes?

From Quiz Going Off-Road

Answer: Chris, Morrey, Serge, and Tony

Chris Godfrey, Morrey Kant, Serge Smyslov and Tony Hale have various exciting adventures, near death narrow escapes, and are always happy to get back to Earth after one of their pioneering space voyages. There are fourteen books in the series, including "Journey to Jupiter" (1965), "Mission to Mercury" (1965) and "Passage to Pluto (1973).

16. Which novella tells us of a United States under the control of "The Major", where teenage boys take part in a grisly competition in which the losers are put to death, and dissenters are "squadded"?

From Quiz Master of Your Domain

Answer: The Long Walk

"The Long Walk" by Stephen King was written in 1979, and originally published under the name Richard Bachman. In 2009 it was published as a single volume under his own name. Each year, 100 teenage boys must begin to walk, at not less than four miles an hour. Each time they slow down, they are warned every thirty seconds. Thirty seconds after the third warning, if they are not back up to speed, they are shot. The last one left alive is the winner.

17. When the crew of the starship Bustler learn they are about to be subjected to a full military inspection they discover they have a small problem...they can't find their "offog". Which short story is this?

From Quiz Short (but Sweet) Science Fiction Stories

Answer: Allamagoosa

This remarkable comic short story won the Hugo for British writer Eric Frank Russell back in 1955, before I was born. It was funny when I read it as a child, and you know what - it's still funny! Some things, especially military bureaucracies, just don't change. The "Allamagoosa" of the title may have been coined by the author, and means "thingamagig".

18. "Ender's Game" is the first in a series by which author?

From Quiz Classic Sci-Fi Series

Answer: Orson Scott Card

"Ender's Game" started life as a short story, but was expanded into a novel in 1984. It won both the Hugo and Nebula awards, as did the sequel "Speaker for the Dead".

19. In this juvenile novel by a well-known author, a teenager wins a space suit in a jingle writing contest. He is inadvertently swept away on an adventure which leads to him having to defend the very existence of humanity! Which book is it?

From Quiz Hugo Runners-up

Answer: Have Space Suit, Will Travel

Kidnapping by aliens, a singing "Mother Thing" and finally an intergalactic tribunal deciding the fate of the human race - like most juvenile novels by Robert A Heinlein, this one is a page turner. "Have Space Suit, Will Travel" was beaten out on the 1959 Hugo by James Blish's "A Case of Conscience". "Who?" by Algis Budrys and "We Have Fed Our Sea" (also known as "The Enemy Stars") by Poul Anderson were also runners-up.

20. The modern version of the cover of this classic depicts an elderly man seated inside a blue cylinder inside two massive doors - which must be surely be somewhere on a planet called Trantor. Which book might this be?

From Quiz Judging an SF Book by its Cover

Answer: Foundation

The man in the cylinder is Hari Seldon, the psychohistorian responsible for establishing the "Foundation" of the title. It's all about the fall of galactic civilisation, and his plan to shorten the barbaric interregnum that would inevitably follow. "Foundation" is among the most famous of Isaac Asimov's works - though it didn't earn him one of his (many) awards. It's been through many editions - my personal copy has a writhing red mass against a black background (what were they thinking of?).

21. Who were two of the first science-fiction writers?

From Quiz The World of Sci-Fi

Answer: H. G. Wells and Jules Verne

Jules Verne and H.G. Wells are credited as the "Fathers of Science-Fiction." Wells wrote "The War of the Worlds", "The Time Machine", and "The Invisible Man." Verne wrote "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea", "A Journey to the Center of the Earth," and "Eight Hundred Leagues on the Amazon." H.G. Wells wrote from the late 1800s to his death in 1946. Jules Verne wrote mostly in the 1800s. Ray Bradbury wrote from the late 1940s all the way up to the new millennium. Arthur C. Clarke wrote stories and novels from the late 1930s all the way up to his death in 2008.

22. 'The Five Doctors' was a twenty-year 'Doctor Who' anniversary novel - so what year was it released?

From Quiz 'Doctor Who' Novelisations - 'The Five Doctors'

Answer: 1983

The first 'Doctor Who' serial, 'An Unearthly Child' was shown in 1963, so, adding twenty years...

23. Isaac Asimov has written books over the course of five decades. Born in Russia in 1920, he is known for over 500 books. One of his collections was based on a character named Norby. Who or what was Norby?

From Quiz The Rockets Ride Into Sci-Fi Literature!

Answer: a robot

Norby is a second-hand robot. Norby appears in over a dozen books by Isaac Asimov and his wife Janet Asimov. The books run from 1983 with "Norby, the Mixed up Robot" to 1991 with "Norby and the Court Jester". The adventures of Norby is a series of delightful science fiction books for children. (Source: Fantastic Fiction) (Contributed by: funnytrivianna)

24. "Just as he pulled himself up to the rock ledge, he heard a rattle and felt the first prick of fangs." Which classic science fiction novel is this the first line of?

From Quiz Science Fiction First Lines

Answer: Earth Abides

"Earth Abides" by George R Stewart was first published in 1949. It tells the story of Isherwood Williams and a small band of survivors, left alone in San Fransisco after a plague wipes out the vast majority of humanity.

25. What were the names of Paul and Chani's children in "Children of Dune"?

From Quiz Science Fiction For The Heirs of Eisenhower

Answer: Ghanima and Leto III

"Children of Dune" was the second sequel in the "Dune" raft of novels, which became kind of a cottage industry while its author, Frank Herbert, was still alive. "Children" dealt with the remnants of the empire Paul Atreides, (known as "Usul" or "Muau'Dib" to his Fremen allies,) had left to his sister Alia to run after he abandoned the throne of Arrakis. He does this after being blinded in the previous novel, "Dune Messiah". He, in fact, actually preaches against his own empire, against the cult of him_self_, as Muau'Dib, who has become a myth _and_ a curse after his jihad spread throughout the known Universe. The first three books of the "Dune" series are fascinating reads, if a little verbose. They pretty much define the word "epic" as they tell the story of the ill-fated, but highly respected and admired House of Atreides, as their fortunes rise and fall over the course of history 8000 years into the future. The first three books are great, but avoid the fourth one, "God Emperor of Dune", or just skim over it. It was apparent Herbert was running out of juice by this time, since the action is completely static and the dialogue circuitous and pretentious.

26. In which novel does Aldous Huxley depict a society in which universal happiness exists, but only through the use of the drug Soma?

From Quiz Dystopias in Literature

Answer: Brave New World

One of the common tactics of dystopian authors is to focus on a trend they see as undesirable in the society of their time and take it to its illogical conclusion in their future society. In 1931 (when Huxley wrote "Brave New World"), the dominant company on the American business scene was Ford Motors, with its assembly-line production that put every person precisely in their place. In "Brave New World", this compartmentalization is extended to every aspect of a person's life, from birth (where they are classified as 'Alphas', 'Betas', etc.) until death. In homage to Ford, the dates in this novel are given as years A.F., or After Ford.

27. From "The Lord of the Rings" by J.R.R. Tolkien, what is Gollum's real name?

From Quiz Speculative Fiction

Answer: Smeagol

Before the Ring came into his possession, Gollum was a hobbit of the tribe of the Stoors. His actual name was Smeagol, a translation of his Westron name, which means "burrow-deep".

28. The word 'Grok' now seems to be firmly established in the English language. In which seminal Robert Heinlein novel of the 1960s was it coined?

From Quiz Classic and Iconic Science Fiction quiz

Answer: Stranger in a Strange Land

All of the other answers are also Robert Heinlein Novels. 'Grok' seems to have become widely coined because of its association with the murderer Charles Manson.

29. Who developed the '3 Laws of Robotics'?

From Quiz More Sci-Fi in Literature

Answer: Isaac Asimov

Initially appearing in Asimov's story 'Runaround' in 'Astounding Science Fiction', March 1942.

30. Margaret Atwood's novel "Oryx and Crake" was the first in a series of books about survivors of a global pandemic. What caused most of the world's population to die?

From Quiz Time is Running Out

Answer: BlyssPluss

Crake was a whiz at bioengineering. While working at the RejoovenEsense compound, he created a whole new race of people known as the Crakers. He also created a deadly illness contained within a wonder-drug called BlyssPluss. Across the world, people hungrily consumed the drug, only realising that it was contaminated when it was too late. The only survivors were a man called Snowman (who was immune), people locked in air-tight facilities, and the new race of Crakers.

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