The Mammoth Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (Mammoth Books)
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.58 (724 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0786708875 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 608 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2015-03-10 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Jvstin said A British, fannish view of the field of SF. I bought this book sight unseen or without even a description, since i do love things SF. Upon opening and beginning to read it, I realized that it wasn't quite what I expected.First of all, its from England, which is not a bad thing at all, but it does mean that British authors have a more prominent and highlighted presence in this work than Americans are accustomed to reading about. Iain Banks and Stephen Baxter have pretty big entries, for example, and George R.R. Martin has none at all.And second, it was written by a fan for a fan (admitted in the first paragraph of the preface). I had been expecti. scififan310 J.R. Richards There is so much wrong with this book its hard to put it in a short review. Let me keep it objective and give just a few of the many, many inaccuracies that fill its pages. First, this pompous tome refers to the movie "When Worlds Collide" as being based on the pulp fiction of the 1930's, when as everyone else knows it was based on the acclaimed novel of the same name by Philip Wylie and Edwin Balmer (the book is not even mentioned in the description of this classic film). Another example of a clear disconnect with the material it claims as subject is the entry which describes the milieu of the film "S. TLR said Worth browsing through. I was lucky to find a free PDF of this book at the Internet Archive. Otherwise I wouldn't have bought it. As others have mentioned, there are a lot of important people missing. I noticed that the important early television series, TALES OF TOMORROW (which influenced THE TWILIGHT ZONE and others) is not mentioned. But this is a problem with any survey of the genre, which is much too large and complicated to fit into any book. The internet is now a better resource for this kind of thing.
From Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, and Arthur C. Clarke to Chelsea-Quinn Yarbro and Roger Zelazny, from science fiction authors worldwide to the directors of sci-fi films for movies like 2001: A Space Odyssey and television series like Star Trek, from the magazines that publish the writers in this exciting and extraordinarily inventive field to the Hugos, Nebulas, and other awards that annually honor them, this encyclopedia offers the most concise, clear, and comprehensive guide currently available to one of fiction's most popular and intriguing genres. In an A-to-Z format, augmented by an ample index and helpful cross-references, this richly informative volume presents science fiction as it appears in film as well as in the print media, including entries on important illustrators, and covers both the modern developments in the field and the classic landmarks. Equally invaluable is the opening chapter, which gives a brief history of the genre and traces its evolution from origins that long precede the twentieth century.. Furthermore, each author entry ends with an "Also see" section that directs readers to related topics, and all e
His favourite author is Peter Hamilton. George Mann works in the book retail industry and edits Ottakar's science fiction magazine. . He has had poetry and short stories published and is currently working on a science fiction novel
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.. Mann, editor of Ottaker's science fiction magazine, defines his variegated, evolving subject (e.g., what differentiates SF from fantasy?) while remaining flexible and forward-thinking. Entries in this comprehensive reference guide include several descriptive and factual paragraphs, cross-references, suggested reading and bibliographic information. From Publishers Weekly From steampunk to space opera to humanist sci-fi, from Arthur Conan Doyle to The Six Million Dollar Man, a