(Big Ship, by Stephan Martiniere. Used with Permission)

The oldest picture book in our possession is the midnight sky.

— E. W. Maunder, Nineteenth Century, September 1900.

Precious few of the humans who have inhabited this planet have been able to not only see that midnight sky, but ride off into it as well. And precious few of us alive now ever will. Yet that does not stop so many of us from dreaming of the possibilities. Raised on Golden Age pulp stories, early low-budget televised adventures, or the more realistic special-effects-laden offerings of the last few decades, untold numbers of us believed in our childhood innocence that we would already be traipsing around the galaxy by now. Many of us who have given up on space travel being a reality in our lifetimes continue to travel the stars anyway, in our imaginations.

The skillful wordsmiths who craft science fiction tales, and the production crews who create beloved science fiction television shows and films, and the creative teams who make games that allow us to adventure in virtual space, help to ignite our imaginations, and in their works we boldly go.

For several years I have been celebrating the beginning of the new year by immersing myself in science fiction and encouraging others do so also. This two month Experience previously ran from January 1st through the end of February, but over the years I’ve discovered that as soon as it starts to get chilly here in Missouri, I ache to embrace science fiction stories. Thus, a few years ago, I changed the period of The Sci-Fi Experience to begin on December 1st and end on January 31st. This allows us to end the current year and begin the new one by looking to the stars.

Every cubic inch of space is a miracle.

— Walt Whitman

Won’t you join us out there?

Events like these are all about taking the largely solitary act of reading and viewing and gaming and adding the element of “community” to it.

The Sci-Fi Experience will hopefully give people an opportunity to:

a) Continue their love affair with science fiction
b) Return to science fiction after an absence, or
c) Experience for the first time just how exhilarating science fiction can be.

If you have ever wanted to give science fiction a try, or are already a fan of the genre and are looking for a group of kindred spirits, this is the event for you.

This is the most laid back of the events I host here. There are no challenges to meet, no limits to how little or much you can participate. You can read short stories, novels, comics, art books…anything with a science fictional bent. You can read nonfiction about space, space travel, other planets, etc. You can watch television shows, films, YouTube series. You can play video or table top games.

We will once again be promoting Andrea’s Vintage SF Month as an event that you will also hopefully participate in. The event runs through the month of January and is focused on reading science fiction novels published pre-1979. It is a great time and I look forward to reading some classics for The Experience during the month of January. For more information on Vintage SF Month, please follow this link. Andrea always reads interesting classics and writes great reviews, so you will want to stay tuned to her site leading up to, and during, this event.
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You are welcome to participate in the 2017 Sci-Fi Experience as much or as little as you would like over the next two months. If you write any posts about science fiction related books you are reading, television shows or films you are watching, games you are playing or science fiction art you are appreciating, please feel free to link those on the Review Site. If you want to sign up to let us know you are taking part, please do so in the Mr. Linky at the end of this post.
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Once again a wonderful creator in the fantastic art community has allowed the use of their work for the banner. This year is a return to the work of artist Stephan Martiniere. Stephan Martiniere has had his work featured on numerous book covers over the years, and of late he has been doing more and more conceptual work for games and films. You can see his book cover images, work on projects like Fallout 4 and Disney resorts, and films like Guardians of the Galaxy, Suicide Squad and more over on his website. Go visit, it is filled with stunning work.

Thank you so much, Stephan, for allowing us to use your work for the banner this year.
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As always, there are a number of banners of different sizes for your use if you choose to post about the event and/or link to it on your blog (which is not necessary for participation).

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I like making lists of potential reads, although I rarely follow through with them, whim-reader that I am. The books that have been tugging at me of late are:

Xenocide by Orson Scott Card
Space Lords by Cordwainer Smith (re-read)
The Planet Buyers and The Underpeople by Cordwainer Smith (collectively known as Norstrilia, re-read)
Rogue One Catalyst by James Luceno
Startide Rising by David Brin
More of the EarthCent Ambassador series by E.M. Foner
Ellie Quin in Wonderland by Alex Scarrow
Ellie Quin Girl Reborn by Alex Scarrow
The Star Are Ours by Andre Norton (for Classic Science Fiction Book Club)
Trade Secret by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

and I’m sure there are many more calling my name.
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If you write any posts about science fiction related books you are reading, television shows or films you are watching, games you are playing or science fiction art you are appreciating, please feel free to link those on the Review Site.

If you want to sign up to let us know you are taking part, please do so in the Mr. Linky below.

I know the stars are my home. I learned about them, needed them for survival in terms of navigation. I know where I am when I look up at the sky. I know where I am when I look up at the Moon; it’s not just some abstract romantic idea, it’s something very real to me. See, I’ve expanded my home.

— Eugene Cernan, astronaut and moonwalker, Life magazine, November 1988.

I look forward to our journey to the stars, and beyond.