CALGARY! Book launch for SAWYER ON SCIENCE FICTION is this Saturday, Aug 15, at 1:30pm at Thomson Social Hub (Hyatt Regency) 700 Centre St S. Free! Everyone welcome! Bonus! If you buy the book from publisher, Shadowpaw Press, at the launch, you get a free coupon for the ebook edition, as well!

Now reading: Sawyer On Science Fiction. I'm not far in yet, but as I expected, so far there’s no shortage of incisive insights. ✏️🚀🛸🚀🛸🚀🛸🚀🛸🪐 #SawyerOnScienceFiction #sciencefiction @robertjsawyer.com 📚🪐

A quote from my SAWYER ON SCIENCE FICTION:

Lance Robinson@lancerobinsonwriter.com · 2w ago

“Truth is, there’s very little ambitious science fiction left; most of what little is still published is fungible military SF or space opera with no intellectual or emotional heft. The genre that was once rich with speculation and social comment has shrunk to a tiny puddle of escapism.” (Yup.)

So thrilled to be a Featured Guest at the Los Angeles World Science Fiction Convention (the Worldcon) later this month:

Los Angeles Worldcon@laworldcon.bsky.social · 2w ago

A Hugo-winning novelist who is known for making time for his fans, @robertjsawyer.com was a guest of honor at the 2023 Worldcon. We're very pleased to have him as a featured program participant this year.

CBC Books has a terrific article about this year's winners of the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Awards ("the Auroras"): www.cbc.ca/books/sci-fi...

Sci-fi author Robert J. Sawyer among winners of the 2026 Aurora Awards | CBC Books

Robert J. Sawyer wins for best novel. Shannon Lee and Fonda Lee win the award for best YA novel. Kelley Armstrong, James Alan Gardner and Mike Glicksohn honoured for their contributions to the genre.

cbc.ca

Winners in Las Vegas! Yesterday, at ST:LV, my dear friend Chase Masterson received The Fleet’s Star Cross Founder Award for her spectacular charity work with the Pop Culture Hero Coalition, and today I won Canada's Aurora Award for Best Novel of the Year for THE DOWNLOADED 2: GHOSTS IN THE MACHINE.

Today's ceremony for the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Awards (the Auroras) is now online. Here it is, cued up to the Best Novel category: my THE DOWNLOADED 2: GHOSTS IN THE MACHINE was the winner, and you can watch my acceptance speech: www.youtube.com/live/xMO5oUJ...

The 2026 Aurora Awards

YouTube video by Mark Leslie Lefebvre

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At 5:00 p.m. Eastern time today (Sunday, August 9), this year's ceremony for the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Awards (the Auroras) streams live online. My THE DOWNLOADED 2: GHOSTS IN THE MACHINE is one of the nominees for year's best novel: www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMO5...

The 2026 Aurora Awards

YouTube video by Mark Leslie Lefebvre

youtube.com

TODAY is the official publication date of SAWYER ON SCIENCE FICTION, my 225,000-word collection of articles, columns, speeches, and more, celebrating the genre I've devoted my life to. SAWYER ON SCIENCE FICTION Robert J. Sawyer ISBN 978-1-998273-74-4 sfwriter.com/buylinks.htm...

Buying links for Robert J. Sawyer books

Author of 26 bestselling novels including The Oppenheimer Alternative and FlashForward

sfwriter.com

My 19-minute interview on CFRB NewsTalk Radio Toronto this morning about SAWYER ON SCIENCE FICTION, with the great @towhey (Mark Towhey): www.iheart.com/podcast/962-...

Mark Towhey (@Towhey) speaks with Robert J. Sawyer (@RobertJSawyer), one of Canada’s most celebrated science fiction writers. They dive into Sawyer’s new nonfiction book on science fiction. - The Jerr...

The Best of Jerry Agar on NEWSTALK 1010

iheart.com

My programming schedule for LAcon V, the World Science Fiction Convention ("Worldcon") in Los Angeles:

On Hannah Murray's 'TRE in the Afternoon' from 15.00CET, Emma Petersen's 'Healthyish High Protein', 'David Hamilton's Long and Winding Road', Franny Catz' 'Humpday Happenings', and @robertjsawyer.com 's 'Sawyer on Science Fiction'

Today's TORONTO STAR on SAWYER ON SCIENCE FICTION: A wonderful anthology. Sawyer has all the qualities you could want in a guide, being well read, perceptive and a keen and generous critical writer. You can dip into this book at any point and come away with some insight that will stick.

Sad to be missing Confluence in Pittsburgh right now; I'm speaking at a conference at MIT instead (and missing my friends!). But here's my upcoming appearnce and convention schedule: sfwriter.com/lnappear.htm

Robert J. Sawyer: Upcoming Appearances

“This guy is an absolute eminence”—Barry N. Malzberg

sfwriter.com

Want to get SAWYER ON SCIENCE FICTION from me in person? There are three launch events: WHEN WORDS COLLIDE in Calgary on Saturday, August 15, at 1:00 p.m. WORLDCON in Los Angeles on Saturday, August 29, at 10:30 a.m. BAKKA-PHOENIX BOOKS in Toronto on Saturday, September 12, at 3:00 p.m.

TOS trivia time! Many people were suprised in STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE that the ENTERPRISE suddenly had an "Executive Officer" or "Exec." Actually, though, that role aboard starships WAS established in The Original Series — but by whom and in what episode?

Want an autographed copy of SAWYER ON SCIENCE FICTION? We have stock on hand! sfwriter.com/autograp.htm

Pleased to see SAWYER ON SCIENCE FICTION as the "#1 New Release" in "Literary History & Criticism Reference" on Amazon.com just now: www.amazon.com/dp/B0H5TD3H5J

This is the Coalsack nebula. Trivia time: it's mentioned twice in STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES — by whom and in which episodes?

#0882 of The Stuph File Program has sci-fi author, @robertjsawyer.com with his first non-fiction novel called, "Sawyer On Science Fiction"; Greig Watts is a songwriter, author and mentor who has had 18 Eurovision entries; & Stuart Nulman with Book Banter.

#0882: Robert J. Sawyer; Greig Watts; & Stuart Nulman

YouTube video by Peter Anthony Holder

youtu.be

The table of contents for SAWYER ON SCIENCE FICTION, my massive 225,000-word nonfiction book coming August 4, is now online: sfwriter.com/exso.htm#toc

Sawyer on Science Fiction by Hugo & Nebula Award-winner Robert J. Sawyer

“Incisive and startlingly frank”—Amazing Stories

sfwriter.com

Lovely new review of THE DOWNLOADED 2: GHOSTS IN THE MACHINE, a finalist for the Aurora Award for best novel of the year, at Audible.com: “What a refreshing story! I thoroughly enjoyed book 1 but book 2 was chef’s kiss! The actors and storyline were absolutely amazing. Ugh….so good! A must read.”

”Robert J. Sawyer defined himself as a sci-fi writer. A cancer diagnosis made him question that.” That's the title of the terrific text article the CBC just posted extracting part of the CBC Radio BOOKENDS interview with me. Here it is: www.cbc.ca/books/booken...

Robert J. Sawyer defined himself as a sci-fi writer. A cancer diagnosis made him question that | CBC Books Bookends

The Canadian author discussed his novel, The Downloaded 2: Ghosts in the Machine, on Bookends with Mattea Roach.

cbc.ca

Here's an interview I did while I was writer-in-residence at the Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg Institute for Advanced Study TALK RADIO EUROPE about THE DOWNLOADED 2: GHOSTS IN THE MACHINE: youtu.be/1DvtAXyWt2E?...

The TRE Bookshow. TRE’s Hannah Murray catches up with top authors, to discuss their latest releas...

YouTube video by Talk Radio Europe

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Tomorrow (Sunday, July 5), I'll be on BOOKENDS, CBC Radio One's program about books hosted by Mattea Roach, talking about THE DOWNLOADED 2: GHOSTS IN THE MACHINE. It'll air on all CBC Radio One stations across Canada at 1:00 p.m. AT, ET, CT, MT; 1:30 p.m. NT; and 3:00 p.m. PT.

Received today! My author's copies of the DUTCH edition of THE OPPENHEIMER ALTERNATIVE, titled HET OPPENHEIMER ALTERNATIEF:

It's a bouncing baby book! UPS just delivered my authors copies, straight from the printer. We're on track for the official release on August 4. Pre-order links (pre-orders really help!): sfwriter.com/buylinks.htm...

Delighted to be the 2026 Writer-in-Residence at the Alexandria Writers' Centre Society in Calgary. I'll be doing in-person and online critiquing sessions, hosting workshops, and more during September, October, and November. AWCS puts on Calgary's annual multi-genre When Words Collide convention.

Cover of the Italian edition of my THE DOWNLOADED 2: GHOSTS IN THE MACHINE — cover art by the great Franco Brambilla

FIRST COMICS NEWS has a lovely review of the original THE DOWNLOADED today: "I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and highly recommend it." www.firstcomicsnews.com/the-download...

The Downloaded ⋆ First Comics News

yt4The Downloaded Author: Robert J. Sawyer Published: 2024 by Shadowpaw Press When you pick up a book by Canadian author Robert J. Sawyer, expectations are naturally high. His impressive body of work ...

firstcomicsnews.com