Join us as we discuss the second Hugo Award winner: Frank Riley and Mark Clifton’s They’d Rather Be Right, which is often called ‘the worst book to ever win the Hugo’!!

Host: Christine D. Baker, a historian who lives in Vancouver, BC. You can find her at @klaxoncomms.com‬ on Bluesky or follow what she’s reading at her website: https://klaxoncomms.com/reading/

This month’s guest is Rob Tomshany, @robtomshany.bsky.social‬, who has near encyclopedic knowledge of 50s and 60s sci fi and fantasy. 

From about 2:05 to 9:37, Christine is recapping the book, which has A LOT of spoilers. The rest of the episode isn’t spoiler free, but that section goes through the plot in detail. 

Some things mentioned in the episode: 

• Jo Walton’s review of 1955 Hugo winners: https://reactormag.com/hugo-nominees-1955
• 1960s New Wave — Dangerous Vision anthologies edited by Harlan Ellison
• The Hidden Persuaders by Vance Packard
• The Space Merchants by Frederik Pohl
• Stories are Weapons by Annalee Newitz
• Psychological Warfare by Paul Linebarger/Cordwainer Smith
• Turing test
• Arthur C Clark, 2001: A Space Odyssey
• Slan by A.E. Van Vogt
• Judith Merril — intro to story collection of Mike Clifton
• John Campbell — editor of Astounding
• J.B. Rhine — research about telepathy
• Galaxy Magazine
• FNSF (Fantasy & Science Fiction Magazine)
• Robert Heinlein 
  • The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
  • Stranger in a Strange Land
• Isaac Asimov
• L Ron Hubbard
  • Dianetics
  • To the Stars
  • Scientology
• Mark Clifton’s short stories
  • What Have I Done? 
  • 8 Keys to Eden 
  • When They Came from Space
  • What Now Little Man
  • Hang Head Vandal
• Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged
• The Science Fiction of Mark Clifton, co edited by Martin H. Greenbergand Barry N. Malzberg
• What Have I Done: The Stories of Mark Clifton
• Born Sexy Yesterday (Not Born Again Sexy)