# 1952 in science fiction

The year 1952 was marked, in science fiction, by the following events.

## Births and deaths
### Births

* Douglas Adams (d. 2001)
* Robin Wayne Bailey
* Kage Baker (d. 2010)
* Steven Barnes
* João Barreiros
* Candas Dorsey
* Debra Doyle (d. 2020)
* Valerio Evangelisti (d. 2022)
* Jane Fancher
* Kathleen Ann Goonan (d. 2021)
* Muhammed Zafar Iqbal
* Gwyneth Jones
* Sharon Lee
* Brad Linaweaver (d. 2019)
* Nathan Lowell
* Susan R. Matthews
* Patrick O'Leary
* Marek Oramus
* Tim Powers
* Kim Stanley Robinson
* Mary Rosenblum (d. 2018)
* Al Sarrantonio
* Dana Stabenow
* Somtow Sucharitkul (also known as S. P. Somtow)
* Yoshiki Tanaka
* Tais Teng
* Lisa Tuttle
* Kathy Tyers
* David Weber
* David Zindell

### Deaths
## Literary releases
### Serialized novels

* Big Planet by Jack Vance, Startling Stories (September), published in book form in 1957.
* The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester, Galaxy Science Fiction (January–March), published in book form in 1953, when it won the Hugo Award for Best Novel.
* Gravy Planet by Frederik Pohl and Cyril M. Kornbluth, published in book form as The Space Merchants in 1953.
* Tramp Space Ship by Robert A. Heinlein, Boys' Life (September–December), expanded and published in book form as The Rolling Stones, also in 1952.

### First editions

* Les Animaux dénaturés by Vercors (in French), anthropologists find "missing links" in New Guinea, sparking a trial over their humanity after a scientist kills a hybrid offspring.
* Ballroom of the Skies by John D. MacDonald, leaders of an intergalactic empire are always chosen from among humans but must first be tested by extreme hardship.
* City by Clifford D. Simak, a collection of interconnected stories exploring humanity's future and its interactions with robots and aliens.
* The Crystal Horde by John Taine, silicon crystalline lifeforms threaten to overwhelm carbon life on Earth.
* The Currents of Space by Isaac Asimov, involves intrigue and political maneuvering on a remote planet in a galactic empire.
* Double Jeopardy by Fletcher Pratt, tackles industrial espionage and a locked-room mystery, both linked to a revolutionary matter-duplication process.
* Foundation and Empire by Isaac Asimov, continues the saga of the Foundation as it confronts challenges from within and without the galaxy.
* The Long Loud Silence by Wilson Tucker, Corporal Gary survives a post-apocalyptic America, facing quarantine, cannibals, and military, ultimately reuniting with a fellow survivor.
* Player Piano by Kurt Vonnegut, dystopian novel exploring the consequences of automation and its impact on society.
* Sentinels From Space by Eric Frank Russell, Captain David Raven must stop a mutant-led war for Mars and Venus's independence to keep humanity united for interstellar contact.
* The Sound of His Horn by Sarban, an alternate history where a Nazi officer hunts humans for sport in a dystopian future.
* The Starmen by Leigh Brackett, a space opera concerning the only race that is able to endure the rigors of interstellar travel.
* This Island Earth by Raymond F. Jones, a race of aliens recruiting "Peace Engineers" are actually using Earth as a pawn in an intergalactic war.
* The Weapon Makers (revised edition) by A. E. van Vogt, explores a future society where advanced weapons technology plays a crucial role in political power struggles.

### Novellas

* Cholwell's Chickens by Jack Vance, Thrilling Wonder Stories (August)

### Short stories

* "A Sound of Thunder" by Ray Bradbury, Collier's (June 28, 1952)
* "Surface Tension" by James Blish, Galaxy Science Fiction (August)

### Juveniles

* Five Against Venus by Philip Latham (juvenile), the Robinson family crash-lands on Venus, survives with a scientist's help, and discovers a valuable antibiotic from a nuisance mold.
* Islands in the Sky by Arthur C. Clarke (juvenile), follows a young boy's adventure aboard a space station and his encounters with space travel.
* Marooned on Mars by Lester del Rey (juvenile), survival and adventure on the Martian surface.
* Mists of Dawn by Chad Oliver (juvenile), Dr. Nye's space-time machine sends his nephew to 50,000 BC, where he must survive for two weeks with minimal supplies.
* Rip Foster Rides the Gray Planet by Blake Savage (juvenile), Lt. Rip Foster must retrieve a valuable thorium asteroid while facing rival Space Force crew and enemy agents.
* Rocket Jockey by Lester del Rey (juvenile), a young man dreams of becoming a rocket pilot and exploring space.
* The Rolling Stones by Robert A. Heinlein (juvenile), follows the Stone family's spacefaring adventures.
* Son of the Stars by Raymond F. Jones (juvenile), a teenager discovers an alien survivor and works to protect him from the military while signaling for his rescue.

## Movies

| Title | Director | Cast | Country | Subgenre/Notes |
| Alraune | Arthur Maria Rabenalt | Hildegard Knef, Erich von Stroheim | West Germany | Horror |
| 1. April 2000 | Wolfgang Liebeneiner | Hilde Krahl, Joseph Meinrad, Curd Jürgens | Austria | Comedy Fantasy Romance |
| Captive Women | Stuart Gilmore | Robert Clarke, Margaret Field, Gloria Saunders | United States | |
| Invasion USA | Alfred E Green | Gerald Mohr, Peggie Castle, Dan O'Herlihy | United States | Drama War |
| Mother Riley Meets the Vampire a.k.a My Son, the Vampire (USA) | John Gilling | Arthur Lucan, Bela Lugosi | UK | Horror Comedy |
| Radar Men from the Moon | Fred C. Brannon | George D. Wallace, Aline Towne, Roy Barcroft | United States | Action Family Serial film |
| Red Planet Mars | Harry Horner | Peter Graves, Andrea King, Orley Lindgren | United States | Drama |
| Untamed Women | Merle W. Connell, James R. Connell | Mikel Conrad, Doris Merrick, Richard Monahan | United States | War |
| Zombies of the Stratosphere | Fred C. Brannon | Judd Holdren | United States | Action Adventure Serial film |

## Awards

The main science-fiction awards known at the present time did not exist at this time.