Pluto in fiction

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pluto was discovered in 1930 and has made several appearances in fiction since.[1] It was initially popular as it was newly discovered and thought to be the outermost object of the Solar System.[2][3] Alien life, sometimes intelligent life and occasionally an entire ecosphere, is a common motif in fictional depictions of Pluto.[1][3][4]

Pluto[]

The earliest story featuring Pluto was likely the satirical 1931 novel by Stanton A. Coblentz, which depicts an advanced Plutonian civilization.[1][2][5] Other early depictions are found in the 1935 short story "The Red Peri" by Stanley G. Weinbaum, where it houses a base for space pirates,[1][2][6] and the 1936 short story "" by Wallace West, where it is inhabited by mist creatures.[2][3][7] Pluto is terraformed in the 1944 short story "" by George O. Smith and colonized in the 1958 novel Man of Earth by Algis Budrys.[3] Aliens from elsewhere have settled Pluto in the 1950 novel First Lensman by E. E. Smith.[2] The 1970 novel by Robert Silverberg portrays an astrobiological expedition to Pluto.[1][8] An astronaut is stranded on Pluto in the 1968 short story "Wait it Out" by Larry Niven.[2] Pluto is found to be artificial in the 1973 short story "" by Clifford D. Simak,[2][4] and an artefact resembling Stonehenge bearing Sanskrit text is discovered on it in the 1984 novel Icehenge by Kim Stanley Robinson.[1][2][4] In the 1959 novel The Secret of the Ninth Planet by Donald A. Wollheim, Pluto originally came from a different solar system and its inhabitants are malevolent.[1][2][9][10] A complex planetary ecosphere on Pluto is depicted in the 1988 novel by Gregory Benford and .[3][4][11] Pluto was reclassified from planet to dwarf planet in 2006, a subject which was later explored in the 2011 novel by Rhys Hughes.[2]

Charon[]

Pluto's moon Charon was discovered in 1977 and appears as a setting in the 1990 novels Take Back Plenty by Colin Greenland and The Ring of Charon by Roger MacBride Allen.[2][3][4] In the 1987 novel by , it is hollowed out and used as a nature reserve for dinosaurs.[3][12]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Westfahl, Gary (2021-07-19). "Outer Planets". Science Fiction Literature through History: An Encyclopedia [2 volumes]. ABC-CLIO. pp. 485–487. ISBN 978-1-4408-6617-3.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Clute, John; Langford, David; Sleight, Graham (eds.). "Outer Planets". The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. Retrieved 2022-02-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Stableford, Brian M. (2006). "Pluto". Science Fact and Science Fiction: An Encyclopedia. Taylor & Francis. pp. 381–382. ISBN 978-0-415-97460-8.
  4. ^ a b c d e McKinney, Richard L. (2005). "Jupiter and the Outer Planets". In Westfahl, Gary (ed.). The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy: Themes, Works, and Wonders. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 448–450. ISBN 978-0-313-32951-7.
  5. ^ Bleiler, Everett Franklin; Bleiler, Richard (1998). "Coblentz, Stanton A[rthur] [1896–1982]". Science-fiction: The Gernsback Years : a Complete Coverage of the Genre Magazines ... from 1926 Through 1936. Kent State University Press. pp. 71–72. ISBN 978-0-87338-604-3.
  6. ^ Bleiler, Everett Franklin; Bleiler, Richard (1998). "Weinbaum, Stanley G.". Science-fiction: The Gernsback Years : a Complete Coverage of the Genre Magazines ... from 1926 Through 1936. Kent State University Press. pp. 482–483. ISBN 978-0-87338-604-3.
  7. ^ Bleiler, Everett Franklin; Bleiler, Richard (1998). "West, Wallace". Science-fiction: The Gernsback Years : a Complete Coverage of the Genre Magazines ... from 1926 Through 1936. Kent State University Press. p. 496. ISBN 978-0-87338-604-3.
  8. ^ Hammel, Lisa (1970-09-20). "Illustration by Peter Spier for "The Erie Canal."". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2022-02-23. Retrieved 2022-02-23.
  9. ^ Langford, David (2015). "Plutocracy". Ansible. Retrieved 2022-02-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ^ "The Secret of the Ninth Planet". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 2022-02-23.
  11. ^ Stableford, Brian (1999). "Gregory Benford". In Bleiler, Richard (ed.). Science Fiction Writers: Critical Studies of the Major Authors from the Early Nineteenth Century to the Present Day (2nd ed.). New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. p. 65. ISBN 0-684-80593-6. OCLC 40460120.
  12. ^ Clute, John; Langford, David; Sleight, Graham (eds.). "Gauger, Rick". The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. Retrieved 2022-02-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

External links[]

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