Overview

Masculinity in Contemporary Science Fiction by Men: No Plans for the Future is the first comprehensive study of the self-representation of men in SF novels published in the twenty-first century by male authors. Exploring a broad selection of writers and works, the fourteen chapters present a panoramic overview of men’s contributions to current SF and explore their slow but noticeable progress in the representation of gender. The impact of feminism and gender studies, and the demands of readers, have profoundly transformed men’s SF, which now presents far more caring and vulnerable male characters. The old stereotypes are being replaced by a collective reflection on how men and masculinity are changing, though the lack of a common agenda results in novels that, while exciting and often challenging, sometimes miss the chance to imagine a better, anti-patriarchal, pro-feminist future for men and for all human beings. The authors analysed include Robert Charles Wilson, Geoff Ryman, Samuel R. Delany, Richard K. Morgan, John Scalzi, Iain M. Banks, Ernest Cline, James S.A. Corey, Colson Whitehead, Andy Weir, Daniel H. Wilson, Ian McDonald, Yoon Ha Lee, Tade Thompson, Neal Stephenson and Kim Stanley Robinson.

Full Product Details

Author:   Sara Martín
Publisher:   Liverpool University Press
Imprint:   Liverpool University Press
Volume:   84
ISBN:  

9781836245704

ISBN 10:   183624570
Pages:   272
Publication Date:   01 August 2025
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Introduction: A Missing Agenda 1. How to Stop Future Patriarchy: Robert Charles Wilson’s The Chronoliths 2. Queer SF and the Pursuit of Happiness: Geoff Ryman’s Lust *and Samuel R. Delany’s *Through the Valley of the Nest of Spiders 3. Body to Body: Ghostly Masculinity in Richard K. Morgan’s Takeshi Kovacs Trilogy 4. The Marrying Kind: John Scalzi’s Old Man’s War Series 5. The Soldier, the Villain, and Hell: Iain M. Banks’s Surface Detail 6. Of Nerds and Geeks: Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One and Ready Player Two 7. The Quixotic Space Captain: James S.A. Corey’s Expanse Series 8. Facing Disaster: Colson Whitehead’s Zone One and Andy Weir’s The Martian 9. The Hero’s Archive and the Evil AIs: Daniel H. Wilson’s Robopocalypse and Robogenesis 10. The Capitalist on the Moon: Ian McDonald’s Luna Trilogy 11. The Revenant General in the Woman’s Body: Yoon Ha Lee’s Machineries of Empire 12. The Cowardly Hero That Nobody Likes: Tade Thompson’s Wormwood Trilogy 13. The Billionaire in the Digital Afterlife: Neal Stephenson’s Fall; or, Dodge in Hell 14. Men in Despair: Kim Stanley Robinson’s The Ministry for the Future Conclusion

Reviews

‘A crucial and timely addition to masculinity studies, No Plans for the Future, in surveying male-authored speculative fiction, illuminates how such writers have inadequately challenged the patriarchal elements of the genre. Martín delivers a call for male writers that is informed by the current global political landscape: imagine better, anti-fascist worlds and use the tools of science fiction to resist authoritarianism.’ - Michael Pitts, author of Alternative Masculinities in Feminist Speculative Fiction: A New Man ‘A breath of academic fresh air, and a much needed fresh angle of approach. In her critique of male SF, Sara Martín takes the path less travelled by, and we are all the better for it. Rather than any smug blanket criticism of maleness, what Martín offers here is an enthusiastic curiosity about what the men are doing and a principled but impassioned engagement with why.’ - Richard K. Morgan ‘In a manner somewhat similar to Fredric Jameson’s The Political Unconscious, this work explores the “Gender Unconscious” in the science fiction of many recent writers, showing how their texts, in obvious or hidden ways, reveal themselves as statements in the rapidly changing (or not) world of contemporary masculinities. Extremely thought-provoking; it will send you back to the books with new eyes.’ - Kim Stanley Robinson

Author Information

Sara Martín teaches English Literature and Cultural Studies at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain. Her research applies gender studies to the study of popular fictions in English.

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