Critic Reviews
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Based on 9 reviews on
In doing so, he presents a whole generation of revered musicians as the sci-fi-obsessed conjurers they really were: from Sun Ra lecturing on the black man in the cosmos, to Pink Floyd jamming live over the broadcast of the Apollo 11 moon landing; from a wave of Star Wars disco chart toppers and synthesiser-wielding post-punks, to Jimi Hendrix distilling the "purplish haze" he discovered in a pulp novel into psychedelic song. Of course, the whole scene was led by David Bowie, who hid in the balcony of a movie theater to watch 2001: A Space Odyssey, and came out a changed man...
If today's culture of Comic Con fanatics, superhero blockbusters, and classic sci-fi reboots has us thinking that the nerds have won at last, Strange Stars brings to life an era of unparalleled and unearthly creativity--in magazines, novels, films, records, and concerts--to point out that the nerds have been winning all along.
A podcast of wild speculation about David Bowie & his favorite books. You can find us more frequently on Instagram at bowiebookclub & @BookClub@mastodon.social
Kristianne finished reading Strange Stars by @jason_m_heller, @melvillehouse as an extra #BowieBookClub pick and recommends it to you today on @ShelfAwareness! https://t.co/A7mO3P3koT
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We made it to #FridayReads! I'm reading my man @jason_m_heller's new book STRANGE STARS -- how about you?
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Bravo @jason_m_heller! We're happy to inform you that "Strange Stars" made it to BookAuthority's list of best Pop Music books of all time! https://t.co/Z6HlQitEwN
"...an impressive guide for anyone who wants to explore the ear-tingling sci-fi pop of the turbulent 1970s." --Starburst
"Strange Stars is an ultra-engaging dive into science fiction's impact on the rock and pop music we know and love. Heller's exploration of where these fandoms intersect and become one is gloriously nerdy delight that expands far beyond Bowie. It connects the essential dots between the transportive work of J.G. Ballard, Jimi Hendrix, P-Funk, British New Wave, and Phillip K. Dick." --Jessica Hopper, author of The First Collection of Criticism by a Living Female Rock Critic
"Strange Stars is full of cosmic wisdom that will open your mind to alien melodies, and also make you hear your favorite classic rock and funk in a whole new way. This book taught me so much about the science fiction influences of some of my favorite albums, but also a ton of surprising stuff about how music shaped the worlds of science fiction. A totally indispensible guide." --Charlie Jane Anders, author of All the Birds in the Sky
"There's never been anything like Strange Stars before--a fantastic voyage through rock & roll history, decoding the sci-fi inspiration that's always lurked at the heart of it. Jason Heller finds the interstellar connections between visionaries from Sun Ra to Kraftwerk to P-Funk to Bowie, from The Left Hand of Darkness to The Dark Side of the Moon. This brilliant book makes you hear whole new strains of weirdness in music you thought you already knew." --Rob Sheffield, author of On Bowie
"Jason Heller's fun and authoritative new book makes a compelling case for how science fiction defined a decade in music." --Shelf Awareness
"Enlightening... excellent." --Tor.com
"Heller does an admirable job...incredible... Strange Stars is a marvelous guide to a little-explored corner of the musical universe...[a] mindblowing work." --Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction
"An authoritative look at the intersection of science fiction and music in the 1970s." --Vulture
"Interesting... Heller's digging reveals some great factoids." --University Bookman
"Indeed, Heller can champion any nerd who needs redemption. Strange Stars finds common ground and a parallel trajectory between rock and the cosmos." --Salt Lake City Weekly