Episode 41: Planet of the Apes

Kim Hunter, as the scientist (ape) Zira, in planet of the apes
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Mark kicks off the podcast with a diabolical question for Joe and their guest, renowned Canadian science fiction writer, Robert J. Sawyer.

“If you could write – and consume – only one of these genres of science fiction, what would you pick? Space opera. Post-Apocalyptic. Or Cyberpunk?”

Everyone has an answer and it connects with the piece of art that Rob wanted to chat about – the 1968 science fiction classic, Planet of the Apes.

For Rob, the film (and book it was based upon) shows how science fiction can tackle the most pressing and important issues of the day. In the case of Planet of the Apes: race relations and nuclear war.

Rob also thought the way the movie was made was important to the development of science fiction being taken as a serious art form. Kim Hunter (shown left as the ape scientist, Zira) was an academy-award winning actor, as was the lead actor, Charlton Heston. The production values of the film were all academy-award level as well. The inventor of the makeup for the film, John Chambers, was awarded an honorary Oscar for his achievements. The film also received nods for the score and the costume design.

The three have an engaged and engaging conversation about science fiction in general, and Rob’s career in particular.

Rob gets into how he has managed to win so many awards of his own over the years, and why he continues to innovate within the genre. Fans won’t want to miss this conversation!


Support Our Guest

Robert J. Sawyer has been called “the dean of Canadian science fiction” by The Ottawa Citizen and “just about the best science-fiction writer out there” by The Denver Rocky Mountain News. He’s one of only eight writers in history (and the only Canadian) to win all three of the science-fiction field’s top honors for best novel of the year:

  • the World Science Fiction Society’s Hugo Award, which he won for his novel Hominids
  • the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America’s Nebula Award, which he won for his novel The Terminal Experiment
  • the John W. Campbell Memorial Award, which he won for his novel Mindscan

His newest release is The Downloaded, Rob’s first post-apocalyptic novel, which is available for Audible members for free here:

You can learn more about Rob at his website, and you can also support him via his Patreon for all kinds of cool perks.

Rob Sawyer, smiling at the camera

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