Event Type: Branch

Takes Place: 23rd October 2025

Time: 4.30-5.45 pm, meet at 4.20pm

Venue: Special Collections, University of Liverpool, meet in the reception area of the Sydney Jones Library, Chatham St, Liverpool L7 7BD, at 4.20pm

Description: Desert planets, ocean moons, and worlds covered by jungle – the planetary scale of science fiction has long made it a literature suited to exploring ecology. With the onset of climate change, science fiction novels have increasingly mirrored the concerns of environmentalism and to this day continue to reflect on the effects of humanity on our world, whether this be through the analogy of an alien planet or depicting climate catastrophe in our own future. The event will be an opportunity to explore how science fiction has engaged with questions of the environment, through a display of science fiction related materials and a short talk by the collection’s curator Tom Dillon. Items will be drawn from the Science Fiction Collections at the University of Liverpool, the largest collection of science fiction in the UK. The talk will give an overview of the theme of environment in science fiction and then focus on the works of Brian W. Aldiss, an author who consistently engaged with ecology in his career.

How to book: For all enquiries, please contact Dr Heather Hatton Merseysideha@gmail.com

Price: Free to HA branch members. £4 per event for non-members. Associate membership £15 per year.

Email: Merseysideha@gmail.com

Website: https://merseysideha.co.uk/

Organiser: Merseyside HA

Lecturer: Dr Tom Dillon (Science Fiction Collections Curator, University of Liverpool)

Region: North-West England

Branch: Merseyside