Synopsis
How does science fiction envision new forms of life — plausible yet radically different from what we know?
Fluid Futures explores how science fiction offers bold, thought-provoking scenarios that challenge our assumptions about time, technology, and the limits of human experience. Rather than predicting the future, sci-fi reveals how emerging developments could unfold in unexpected and transformative ways. As Rod Serling famously said, science fiction is “the improbable made possible.”
This book examines three core methods science fiction uses to imagine the future: extrapolation, speculation, and fabulation. Through literature and film, Fluid Futures showcases how sci-fi rethinks time, reconfigures narrative, and constructs possible worlds that stretch our imagination. Instead of imposing a single theory of science fiction, it highlights how the genre itself theorizes and reimagines concepts we take for granted.
Key Features:
- Extrapolation, speculation, and fabulation—the three essential techniques sci-fi uses to construct futures
- Deep dives into literature and film, showing how sci-fi envisions alternative realities
- Exploration of time and narrative, revealing how science fiction reshapes our perception of possibility
- A fresh perspective on sci-fi theory, emphasizing how the genre creates new ways of thinking
Perfect for readers of speculative fiction, futurism, and literary theory, Fluid Futures is an essential guide to how science fiction opens doors to new worlds of thought.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author
Steven Shaviro is the DeRoy Professor of English at Wayne State University in Detroit, and a recipient of the Science Fiction Research Association’s award for lifetime achievement in science fiction scholarship. Besides his work in science fiction scholarship, he has also written about film theory, music videos, speculative realism, and the philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Search results for Fluid Futures: Science Fiction and Potentiality
Stock Image
Fluid Futures: Science Fiction and Potentiality
Seller: ThriftBooks-Atlanta, AUSTELL, GA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: As New. No Jacket. Pages are clean and are not marred by notes or folds of any kind. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less. Seller Inventory # G1915672465I2N00
Seller Image
Fluid Futures: Science Fiction and Potentiality
Seller: Blue Vase Books, Interlochen, MI, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: good. The item shows wear from consistent use, but it remains in good condition and works perfectly. All pages and cover are intact including the dust cover, if applicable . Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May NOT include discs, access code or other supplemental materials. Seller Inventory # BVV.1915672465.G
Stock Image
Fluid Futures: Science Fiction and Potentiality
Seller: WorldofBooks, Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Very Good. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Seller Inventory # GOR013799235
Buy Used
US$ 10.33
Shipping:
US$ 7.39
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Quantity: 1 available
Seller Image
Fluid Futures : Science Fiction and Potentiality
Seller: GreatBookPrices, Columbia, MD, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: As New. Unread book in perfect condition. Seller Inventory # 46865279
Seller Image
Fluid Futures : Science Fiction and Potentiality
Seller: GreatBookPrices, Columbia, MD, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: New. Seller Inventory # 46865279-n
Stock Image
Fluid Futures: Science Fiction and Potentiality
Seller: INDOO, Avenel, NJ, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: New. Seller Inventory # 9781915672469
Stock Image
Fluid Futures (Paperback)
Seller: Grand Eagle Retail, Bensenville, IL, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. How does science fiction imagine forms of life that are plausible, and yet different from anything that we already know?Fluid Futures is about how science fiction imagines an open future. Science fiction does not claim to predict what will actually happen in times to come. But it offers pictures of potential developments; it narrates the unfolding of possibilities for change that are already implicit, or incipient, in the present moment. As Rod Serling said, science fiction is "the improbable made possible."The book starts by looking at three tools that are commonly used in science fiction to address futurity- extrapolation, speculation, and fabulation. It goes on to consider concrete examples of how science fiction texts employ these tools to illustrate ways in which the future might be different from - but not entirely discontinuous with - the present-day conditions with which we are familiar. Fluid Futures insists upon the aboutness of science fiction, as it depicts situations and ideas that are at once possible and difficult to grasp. The book then explores how the genre embraces fictionality and narrative, reconceives time, and projects images of possible worlds. The point of the book is not to give a theory of science fiction. Instead, it emphasizes the ways that science fiction texts themselves propose theories, leading readers to reconceive concepts that we have taken for granted. How does science fiction imagine forms of life that are plausible, and yet different from anything that we already know? Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9781915672469
Seller Image
Fluid Futures
Published by
Watkins Media Limited, GB, 2024
ISBN 10: 1915672465
ISBN 13: 9781915672469
New
Paperback
Seller: Rarewaves USA, OSWEGO, IL, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: New. How does science fiction imagine forms of life that are plausible, and yet different from anything that we already know?Fluid Futures is about how science fiction imagines an open future. Science fiction does not claim to predict what will actually happen in times to come. But it offers pictures of potential developments; it narrates the unfolding of possibilities for change that are already implicit, or incipient, in the present moment. As Rod Serling said, science fiction is "the improbable made possible."The book starts by looking at three tools that are commonly used in science fiction to address futurity: extrapolation, speculation, and fabulation. It goes on to consider concrete examples of how science fiction texts employ these tools to illustrate ways in which the future might be different from - but not entirely discontinuous with - the present-day conditions with which we are familiar. Fluid Futures insists upon the aboutness of science fiction, as it depicts situations and ideas that are at once possible and difficult to grasp. The book then explores how the genre embraces fictionality and narrative, reconceives time, and projects images of possible worlds. The point of the book is not to give a theory of science fiction. Instead, it emphasizes the ways that science fiction texts themselves propose theories, leading readers to reconceive concepts that we have taken for granted. Seller Inventory # LU-9781915672469
Seller Image
Fluid Futures
Published by
Watkins Media Limited, GB, 2024
ISBN 10: 1915672465
ISBN 13: 9781915672469
New
Paperback
Seller: Rarewaves.com USA, London, LONDO, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: New. How does science fiction imagine forms of life that are plausible, and yet different from anything that we already know?Fluid Futures is about how science fiction imagines an open future. Science fiction does not claim to predict what will actually happen in times to come. But it offers pictures of potential developments; it narrates the unfolding of possibilities for change that are already implicit, or incipient, in the present moment. As Rod Serling said, science fiction is "the improbable made possible."The book starts by looking at three tools that are commonly used in science fiction to address futurity: extrapolation, speculation, and fabulation. It goes on to consider concrete examples of how science fiction texts employ these tools to illustrate ways in which the future might be different from - but not entirely discontinuous with - the present-day conditions with which we are familiar. Fluid Futures insists upon the aboutness of science fiction, as it depicts situations and ideas that are at once possible and difficult to grasp. The book then explores how the genre embraces fictionality and narrative, reconceives time, and projects images of possible worlds. The point of the book is not to give a theory of science fiction. Instead, it emphasizes the ways that science fiction texts themselves propose theories, leading readers to reconceive concepts that we have taken for granted. Seller Inventory # LU-9781915672469
Stock Image
Fluid Futures
Seller: PBShop.store UK, Fairford, GLOS, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
PAP. Condition: New. New Book. Shipped from UK. Established seller since 2000. Seller Inventory # GB-9781915672469
Buy New
US$ 20.66
Shipping:
US$ 6.62
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Quantity: 3 available