Science Fiction has an advantage when it comes to titles. You can make them as crazy as you like and editors probably won’t complain. Despite this, most SF titles have some context to make you feel better. Here are some classic titles that might frighten off the uninitiated.
What’s In a Name?
Many SF writers take it easy on the reader. They want to suggest strangeness but they give you some context with titles like “The Kokod Warriors” or “The Reflected Men”. These sound strange but you know what a warrior is and reflection is a common phenomenon. You know in time the author will get around to explaining what that means. The anxiety level is middling.
When you want to bump that strangeness level up one you can write a title like”Oh, to Be a Blobel” (Galaxy, February 1964) by Philip K. Dick. You don’t know what a Blobel is– and you don’t know why anyone would be excited about becoming one. That happy sounding title actually hides a Cold War parable in which humans fight a war with the Blobels, and the protagonist becomes one.
“Jackrogue Second” (Rocket Stories, April 1953) by John W. Jakes has a similar familiarity that is as clear as mud. What or who is a Jackrogue and is there a First or a Third? Jakes offers a reincarnated being that finds its terrible purpose.
What’s In Two Names?
Now double the fun and double your pleasure. The classic example of doubling up is “The Gostak and the Doshes” (Amazing Stories, March 1930) by Miles J. Breuer. (The oldest example here.) Einstein’s theory of relativity plays into this one. Those names aren’t people but in “The Orneks and the Gogos” (Cosmos Science Fiction, September 1953) by Charles E. Fritch, they are. The Orneks are pig-like aliens and the human visitors are the Gogos. The question lies in what does that mean and what is for lunch? Theodore Sturgeon went even further with “The Widget, the Wadget and Boff” (F&SF, November 1955). Now you have three things to figure out and why do they go together.
Just Add “The”
Some SF writers don’t want to work that hard. The handy “The” works well here. Just add the to any crazy sounding word and the reader will have to wait and see what it refers to. Some classics are:
“The PRR-R-EET” (Tales of Wonder #1, 1937) by Frank Eric Russell
“The Twonky” (Astounding Science-Fiction, September 1942) by Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore – a robot
“The Slizzers” (Science Fiction Stories #1, 1953) by Jerome Bixby – aliens
“The Cataaaaa” (Fantasy Book #1, 1947) by A. E. van Vogt – cat alien – not AEVV’s first!
In the Know
Sometimes the title appears crazy but for those who are in the know they are actually quite plain. For example, Fredric Brown worked as a printer before following the life of a wandering writer. His “Etaion Shrdlu” (Unknown, February 1942) refers to the arrangement of letters used by printers. The story has an alien hiring a printer to create some crazy letters, and the press retaining some of that alien power.
“Abreaction” (Weird Tales, July 1948) by Theodore Sturgeon uses a psychological term many may not know. Abreaction is the releasing of stress by reliving a trauma and moving beyond it. The word sounds odd but familiar. For those who don’t know its definition, it might as well be made up.
Another is “All Mimsy Were the Borogoves” (Astounding Science-Fiction, February 1943) by Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore (as Lewis Padgett) has a title taken from Lewis Carroll’s Alice stories. If you know that, you won’t be surprised to find the story is about children who inherit a set of future toys. If you aren’t familiar, it looks like a lot of gibberish.
“Croatoan” (Fantasy & Science Fiction, May 1975) by Harlan Ellison is another fine example. The title comes from history. The Roanoke colonists who disappeared in 1585 left this word written on a post. The mystery of the strange word has been explained but in 1975, Ellison used it as a jumping off point for weird mystery.
What the?
Sometimes the writer just puts it out there and you either bite or you don’t. Here is the purest form of Science Fiction invention. The strangest Science Fiction titles give you one word with no context, no explanation. Intrigued? Who can resist?
“Shambleau” (Weird Tales, November 1933) by C. L. Moore – vampire alien
“Sjambak” (If, July 1953) by Jack Vance – a criminal
“Buggaratz” (Worlds of Tomorrow, January 1966) by John W. Jakes – a plant
“Femmequin 973” (Science Fiction Stories, July 1957) by Fritz Leiber – a robot
“Squee” (Future Science Fiction, February 1958) by Margaret St. Clair -robot
Margaret St. Clair was a real master at this game. She created a series of eight stories about futuristic products like “Super Whost” and “Aleph Sub One”. The titles all use these tricks.
Conclusion
The stories I have pointed to here are mostly from the 1950s. That isn’t to suggest that nobody uses this technique any more. “Kiklemo Ultrasheen” by Dare Segun Falowo from Fantasy & Science Fiction, March 2020 or ” Riddlepigs and the Cryla” by Raymund Eich in Analog, January 2021 suggest we are still at it.
“Femmequin” is just wordplay on “mannequin” (literally, “little man”), by way of “femme”=woman.