# 1956 in science fiction

The year 1956 was marked, in science fiction, by the following events.

## Births and deaths
### Births

* K. A. Applegate
* Gillian Bradshaw
* Simon Brown
* Aleksandr Bushkov
* Jack Campbell
* Storm Constantine (d. 2021)
* Hugh Cook (d. 2008)
* Nabil Farouk (d. 2020)
* Richard Foss
* Mary Gentle
* Rick Kennett
* Tom Kratman
* Jean-Marc Ligny
* Ian R. MacLeod
* R. M. Meluch
* Robert A. Metzger
* Brian Plante
* Robert Reed
* Shauna S. Roberts
* Joan Slonczewski
* Sonny Whitelaw
* Jack Womack

### Deaths

* Archibald Low (b. 1888)
* Vladimir Obruchev (b. 1863)
* Bob Olsen (b. 1884)
* Fletcher Pratt (b. 1897)
* F. Orlin Tremaine (b. 1899)

## Literary releases
### Serialized novels

* The Naked Sun by Isaac Asimov, Astounding Science Fiction (October–December), published in book form in 1957.
* The Power by Frank M. Robinson, Blue Book (March), published in book form in May.

### Novels

* The City and the Stars by Arthur C. Clarke, a man questions the perfect but stagnant future city of Diaspar.
* The Crossroads of Time by Andre Norton, an agent travels between parallel worlds to prevent a catastrophic war.
* The Death of Grass by John Christopher, a global famine leads to societal collapse and desperate survival.
* Double Star by Robert A. Heinlein, an actor impersonates a politician in a complex political scheme.
* Highways in Hiding by George O. Smith, intertwines ESP, a disease that turns people to stone, and a secret society with a hidden cure.
* The Man Who Japed by Philip K. Dick, a satirical novel about rebellion in a totalitarian society.
* No Man Friday by Rex Gordon, a science fiction robinsonade set on Mars.
* The Power by Frank M. Robinson, a thriller that explores the concept of a man with the ability to control others.
* The Shrinking Man by Richard Matheson, a man battles to survive as he inexplicably shrinks in size.
* Slave Ship by Frederik Pohl, explores the psychological impact of futuristic warfare and slavery.
* Tiger! Tiger! by Alfred Bester, a man seeks revenge across the galaxy using newfound teleportation powers.
* To Live Forever by Jack Vance, society is divided by the quest for immortality and a man's struggle against it.
* The World Jones Made by Philip K. Dick, a man who can see a year into the future grapples with his power and destiny.

### Short stories

* "The Country of the Kind" by Damon Knight, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (February).
* "The Last Question" by Isaac Asimov, Science Fiction Quarterly (November).
* "The Man Who Came Early" by Poul Anderson, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (June).
* "The Minority Report" (novella) by Philip K. Dick, Fantastic Universe.

### Juveniles

* Danny Dunn and the Anti-Gravity Paint by Raymond Abrashkin and Jay Williams, a lab mishap leads to the creation of anti-gravity paint and an unintended space voyage.
* Time for the Stars by Robert A. Heinlein (juvenile), telepathic twins communicate across vast distances during space exploration.

### Children's books

* The Domes of Mars by Patrick Moore, second of a six-book series following Mission to Mars (1955).
* Stowaway to the Mushroom Planet by Eleanor Cameron, children embark on another adventure to the Mushroom Planet.

## Movies

| Title | Director | Cast | Country | Subgenre/Notes |
| 1984 | Michael Anderson | Edmond O'Brien, Jan Sterling, Michael Redgrave, Donald Pleasence | United Kingdom | Drama |
| The Beast of Hollow Mountain | Edward Nassour, Ismael Rodríguez | Guy Madison, Patricia Medina, Carlos Rivas | United States | Horror Romance Thriller Western |
| The Black Sleep | Reginald Le Borg | Basil Rathbone, Akim Tamiroff, Herbert Rudley, Patricia Blake, Lon Chaney Jr., John Carradine, Bela Lugosi, Tor Johnson | United States | Horror |
| The Creature Walks Among Us | John Sherwood | Jeff Morrow, Rex Reason, Leigh Snowden | United States | Horror |
| Earth vs. the Flying Saucers | Fred Sears | Hugh Marlowe, Joan Taylor, Donald Curtis, Morris Ankrum | United States | Action Horror |
| Fire Maidens from Outer Space | Cy Roth | Anthony Dexter, Susan Shaw | United Kingdom | |
| Forbidden Planet | Fred Wilcox | Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, Leslie Nielsen | United States | Adventure |
| The Gamma People | John Gilling | Paul Douglas, Eva Bartok, Leslie Phillips | United Kingdom | Drama Horror Thriller |
| Godzilla, King of the Monsters! | Terrell O. Morse, Ishirō Honda | Raymond Burr, Takashi Shimura, Akira Takarada, Kenji Sahara, Momoko Kochi | United States Japan | Action Horror Kaijū |
| Indestructible Man | Jack Pollexfen | Lon Chaney Jr., Max Showalter, Marian Carr | United States | Crime Horror |
| Invasion of the Body Snatchers | Don Siegel | Kevin McCarthy, Dana Wynter, King Donovan | United States | Horror |
| It Conquered the World | Roger Corman | Peter Graves, Beverly Garland, Lee Van Cleef | United States | Horror |
| The Mole People | Virgil Vogel | John Agar, Cynthia Patrick, Hugh Beaumont, Nestor Paiva | United States | Adventure Fantasy Horror |
| Rodan (a.k.a Sora no Daikaijū Radon) | Ishirō Honda | Kenji Sahara. Yumi Shirakawa, Yoshifumi Tajima | Japan | Horror Kaijū |
| Satellite in the Sky | Paul Dickson | Kieron Moore, Lois Maxwell, Donald Wolfit, Bryan Forbes | United Kingdom | |
| UFO (a.k.a Unidentified Flying Objects: The True Story of Flying Saucers) | Winston Jones | Tom Towers | USA | Semi-documentary / Sci fi |
| The Werewolf | Fred F. Sears | Don Megowan, Joyce Holden, Steven Ritch, Eleanore Tanin | United States | |
| World Without End | Edward Bernds | Hugh Marlowe, Nancy Gates, Rod Taylor | United States | Adventure Romance |
| X the Unknown | Leslie Norman | Dean Jagger, Edward Chapman, Leo McKern | United States United Kingdom | Horror |

## Awards

* Double Star by Robert A. Heinlein won the Hugo Award for Best Novel.