Alison Flood

London

Comment and Culture Editor at New Scientist

Comment and culture editor at the New Scientist; formerly @guardianbooks. Reviews thrillers for @ObsNewReview

Articles

Our verdict on Larry Niven’s Ringworld: Sci-fi classic has nice maths, shame about Teela

1 week ago | newscientist.com | Alison Flood

Comment Culture editor Alison Flood rounds up the New Scientist Book Club’s thoughts on our latest read, the science fiction classic Ringworld by Larry Niven It was quite an experience, moving from the technicolour magical realism of Michel Nieva’s wild dystopia, Dengue Boy, to Larry Niven’s slice of classic science fiction, Ringworld, first published in 1970 and very much redolent of the sci-fi writing of that era.
Remarkable photos highlight the haunting resilience of nature

3 weeks ago | newscientist.com | Alison Flood

With a full belly â€“ look closely and you can see the tentacles of the deep-sea squid she has just feasted on, dangling from her mouth â€“ this mother sperm whale sleeps, her calf nearby. This photograph, named Suspended Grace, was taken by photographer Paul Nicklen and is one of a host of images displayed at the photography fair Photo London this week. It exudes peace, but Nicklen was feeling a real mix of emotions when he took it in Dominica in 2019.
Our favourite science fiction books of all time (the ones we forgot)

4 weeks ago | flipboard.com | Alison Flood

12 hours agoPoehler said she went from "crying to laughing so hard that like squirt tears came out." Laughter truly is the best medicine, and no one knows that like Amy Poehler and Jon Hamm. During the newest episode of her podcast, Good Hang with Amy Poehler, Poehler told guest Paul Rudd about the time Hamm made …
23 (more) of the best science fiction books ever - according to New Scientist writers

4 weeks ago | newscientist.com | Alison Flood

Almost exactly a year ago, I asked our team of expert science writers here at New Scientist to name their favourite science fiction novels. Personal tastes meant we ended up with a wonderfully eclectic list, ranging from classics by the likes of Margaret Atwood and Octavia Butler to titles I’d not previously read (Jon Bois’s 17776 was a particularly wild suggestion, from our US editor Chelsea Whyte – but it’s well worth your time). But! We couldn’t stop there.
Crime and thrillers book of the month: Young woman on the road to ruin

4 weeks ago | observer.co.uk | Alison Flood

A hit and run with awful repercussions, a not so perfect marriage – and Stephen King’s favourite detective gets another case There is a death at the heart of Hannah Beckerman’s Three Mothers (Lake Union), and a police investigation into who caused it. But this is not your usual police procedural. Instead, it is a quietly devastating look at the tangled strands that lead up to the death, and the terrible fallout it has for those affected. The victim is 17-year-old Isla, killed in a hit and run.
The best new sci-fi of May 2025 featuring a moving, near-future tale from Grace Chan

1 month ago | newscientist.com | Alison Flood

While there are no big names publishing new science fiction novels this May, there are some real gems nonetheless – including a big tip from me, Grace Chan’s near-future Every Version of You. I want to press it into the hands of everyone I know.
Captivating images expose a 'staged version' of nature

1 month ago | newscientist.com | Alison Flood

A Maasai man looks out at Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve. But this is no pristine wilderness: behind him are the remnants of a “champagne picnic experience” for tourists. “Tourists are paying for the privilege of re-enacting a scene from a colonial film,” says photographer Zed Nelson.
Images capture the timeless beauty of America's ancient forests

1 month ago | newscientist.com | Alison Flood

Life Photographer Mitch Epstein's years-long project highlights the majesty and vulnerability of old growth forests across the US Gnarled, wild and majestic: these two very different trees in California form part of Mitch Epstein’s quest to photograph ancient forests across the US.
Crime and thrillers of the month - review

1 month ago | theguardian.com | Alison Flood

Abigail Dean’s The Death of Us (HarperCollins) opens not with a crime, but with news of an arrest. A serial killer who terrorised south London for decades has been caught, and Isabel, one of his victims many years ago, has been told of the arrest. “He’s called Nigel,” she says, sardonically, to her former partner, Edward, who was in bed beside her when their home was invaded by the killer. “What were you expecting? Adolf?” he answers.
Crime and thrillers of the month – review

1 month ago | msn.com | Alison Flood

Microsoft Cares About Your PrivacyMicrosoft and our third-party vendors use cookies to store and access information such as unique IDs to deliver, maintain and improve our services and ads. If you agree, MSN and Microsoft Bing will personalise the content and ads that you see. You can select ‘I Accept’ to consent to these uses or click on ‘Manage preferences’ to review your options and exercise your right to object to Legitimate Interest where used.