THE SCI-FI READER
Lester Dent’s Pulp Paper Master Fiction Plot

Lester Dent’s Pulp Paper Master Fiction Plot

Lester Dent’s pulp fiction plot formula powered Doc Savage and helped shape the golden age of science fiction. Here’s how his formula works—and why it still holds up.

Lester Dent’s Pulp Paper Master Fiction Plot

Lester Dent’s pulp fiction plot formula powered Doc Savage and helped shape the golden age of science fiction. Here’s how his formula works—and why it still holds up.

The Best Matrix Fan Theories

The Best Matrix Fan Theories

Is Neo the One? Is Zion just another level of the Matrix? These are the best fan theories about The Matrix films.

The Best Matrix Fan Theories

Is Neo the One? Is Zion just another level of the Matrix? These are the best fan theories about The Matrix films.

The Best Portal Fiction Novels: 12 Books That Defined the Genre

The Best Portal Fiction Novels: 12 Books That Defined the Genre

Portal fiction is escapism in the purest sense. Here are twelve novels tracing its influence from Oz to Narnia, from Peter Pan to the Dark Tower.

The Best Portal Fiction Novels: 12 Books That Defined the Genre

Portal fiction is escapism in the purest sense. Here are twelve novels tracing its influence from Oz to Narnia, from Peter Pan to the Dark Tower.

How Chichen Itza Inspired a Sci-Fi Novel

How Chichen Itza Inspired a Sci-Fi Novel

I swam in a sacred cenote, walked the ruins of a thousand-year-old city, and heard a dying language spoken aloud. Two months later, I was writing a novel.

How Chichen Itza Inspired a Sci-Fi Novel

I swam in a sacred cenote, walked the ruins of a thousand-year-old city, and heard a dying language spoken aloud. Two months later, I was writing a novel.

Synthwave-style pop art of a two-faced man

Split Personalities in Science Fiction and Fantasy

Why do we love characters with fractured minds in sci-fi and fantasy? And what do they reveal about us?

Split Personalities in Science Fiction and Fantasy

Why do we love characters with fractured minds in sci-fi and fantasy? And what do they reveal about us?

What Is Speculative Fiction?

What Is Speculative Fiction?

Speculative fiction is an umbrella term for science fiction, fantasy, horror, and other genres. Here's what it means and where it came from.

What Is Speculative Fiction?

Speculative fiction is an umbrella term for science fiction, fantasy, horror, and other genres. Here's what it means and where it came from.

About The Sci-Fi Reader

The best science fiction doesn't always find you — sometimes you have to go looking. The Sci-Fi Reader is a curated guide to the books, stories, and ideas worth your time: golden age classics, public domain gems, recommended reading lists, and deep dives into popular sci-fi tropes and themes. Written by M.G. Herron, author of 15+ science fiction novels.