Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and Science Fact

by Keith Cooper

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to watch a double sunset on Tatooine, stand among the sand dunes of Arrakis or gaze at the gas-giant planet Polyphemus from the moon Pandora? In Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and Science Fact, Keith Cooper explores the fictional planets of films such as Star Wars, Dune and Avatar, and discusses how realistic they are based on our current scientific understanding and astronomical observations. The real exoplanets astronomers are now discovering are truly stranger than fiction, as the author shows. Featuring insights from over a dozen scientists and award-winning science-fiction authors, including Charlie Jane Anders, Stephen Baxter and Alastair Reynolds, Amazing Worlds of Science Fiction and Science Fact is perfect for readers of popular science and fans of science fiction.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science

224 pages, Hardcover

First published March 17, 2025

Reviews

[Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is has relatively light science, and relatively light sci fi references (although very diverse and broad light references, not all Dune like I feared). Somehow, the combo really works, as the scifi keeps the science interesting - what exactly would life be like on a tidelocked world with no seasonal, or daily, changes? Do ice planets actually exist? Is a city planet really a feasible thing? - and I like Cooper's occasional observations on how our current science and cultural understanding influences sci fi (we've had a sharp drop in humanity-settled-planet stories since colonialism fell out of favour!). The spouse liked it a lot more than I did, which was a lot as I quite liked it, and that made me happiest of all.

[Mark Dickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has brought me into contact with a tonne of incredible new science fiction and ignited a spark of interest in exoplanets that I didn’t previously have.

A very deft balance of science and science fiction, although the science did admittedly sometimes go over my head; I definitely could have done with a few more accompanying diagrams. Each informed the other, showing the ways that both have lived alongside and informed each other since we first started wondering what the fuck was going on up there.

Unquestionable recommendation for readers of science fiction or those who want to learn a bit more about the cosmos.

[Brian Clegg · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's something appealing (for a reader like me) about a book that brings together science fiction and science fact. I had assumed that the 'Amazing Worlds' part of the title suggested a general overview of the interaction between the two, but Keith Cooper is being literal. This is an examination of exoplanets (planets that orbit a different star to the Sun) as pictured in science fiction and in our best current science, bearing in mind this is a field that is still in the early phases of development.

It becomes obvious early on that Cooper, who is a science journalist in his day job, knows his stuff on the fiction side as well as the current science. Of course he brings in the well-known TV and movie tropes (we get a huge amount on Star Trek), not to mention the likes of Dune, but his coverage of written science fiction goes into much wider picture. He also has consulted some well-known contemporary SF writers such as Alastair Reynolds and Paul McAuley, not just scientists working on exoplanets.

After some general material, Cooper gets down to a series of types of exoplanet - Earth-like, desert, ocean, partially or wholly winter dominated (including references to Game of Thrones, which isn't exactly science fiction), planets with no rotation (or no star), planets in multiple star systems (very popular in movies since Star Wars), the moons of exoplanets, oddities, and planets which have been taken over by a single city like Trantor in the Foundation series. Cooper gets across a lot of exoplanet science, with more than a touch of astrobiology, at an accessible level. As an SF fan, I would have liked a bit more of the science fiction in the balance - we get many quick references, but I would have liked a bit more depth. Admittedly, if you aren't into SF, this would grate, but I would imagine most purchasers of this book would be happy with a good dose of science fiction.

Although Cooper does mention the planets of the solar system quite regularly, one trick I think he missed is pointing out how much our attitudes to our backyard, notably the Moon, Mars and Venus, has changed in fiction. This would the prefigure his description of how science fiction's exoplanets have become less like Earth as the real science has increasingly shown that Earth-like planets are rare. In the first half of the twentieth century much fiction assumed our solar system neighbours might be habitable by higher lifeforms, but we've seen each pushed off its perch, and, of course, modern science fiction very much echoes this - what has happened with exoplanets is a direct parallel, though arriving later as it has only been since the 1990s we have been able to detect them.

That's a small moan, though - it's a good exploration of the field, with neat SF references.

[Christopher Griffen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a great read! A hearty thank-you to Keith Cooper for writing this thought-provoking book. I'm no gearhead, but I've long been an advocate of incorporating as much real science in our science fiction as possible, especially when it contributes to telling a great story.

So, a couple of things: I loved all the sci-fi references, but I'm going to go off on a brief, but consequential, tangent for a moment. As I read about Tatooine's twin suns, renditions of tidally locked planets, habitable gas-giant moons and other phenomena *just now* getting their due in many works of science fiction, all I could think about was that I've been the beneficiary of (admittedly incomplete) science fact in my sci-fi for decades. The source of that knowledge? The first (and greatest!) sci-fi role-playing game — Traveller! — a game that I'd been a fan of since adolescence.

Decades ago, Traveller introduced me to OBAFGKM, binary and trinary stars, inhabited gas-giant moons, and so much more. For me, current sci-fi that uses exoplanet data is late to the game. Traveller was there a long time ago and mainstream sci-fi is just catching up. Probably because Traveller was inspired by the works of Asimov, Niven, and many others from the golden age of the genre. I'm glad more media are finally catching up!

Some things I would have liked to see discussed in the book:

• When discussing circumbinary planets, I did not see it mentioned that if a planet comes closer to one of the two stars for a period of time, would it have its atmosphere burned off as a result?
• Desert worlds: There was a lot of discussion about whether Arrakis or Tattooine could be habitable worlds, but how would it be possible for them to have an atmosphere? Sure, there are other factors that contribute to whether or not a planet has liquid water on it surface, but how do we explain the presence of oxygen in the atmosphere when there’s no (or very little) photosynthesis to make the oxygen?
• Approximately what is the maximum distance between two companion stars that an Earth-sized planet could orbit in circumbinary fashion?

The author has answered soooo many questions, but it should come as no surprise that we're just getting to the tip of the iceberg here. As we continue to learn more about exoplanets, there will be so many more questions to ask, and so many new things to discover. Looking forward to Cooper's revision or even a new book on the subject.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I reviewed this book for ALA Choice Reviews magazine, so my full review appears there. It's a fun, quick read that connects science and science fiction, exploring the various types of alien worlds, their plausibility, and our recent discoveries on actual exoplanets. The approachable reading style and interviews with both authors and scientists makes this complicated subject very accessible and entertaining!

[Alvaro Zinos-Amaro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review forthcoming

[Ivo · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute little book actually