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from: Orbit
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9781857238976
ISBN: 1857238974
Label: Orbit
Manufacturer: Orbit
Number Of Pages: 1408
Publication Date: November 25, 1999
Publisher: Orbit
Sales Rank: 980189
Studio: Orbit
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Editorial Review:
Product Description:
The first edition of this encyclopaedia was published in 1979. This edition, now available in paperback, is intended to be more than a simple updating. The world of science fiction in the 1990s is much more complex than it was in the 1970s. The advent of game worlds, shared worlds, graphic novels, film and television spin-offs, technothrillers, sf horror and others has meant that the book has been expanded dramatically to cope with the complexities and changes in the genre. It contains well over 4300 entries - 1500 more than the original - and, at 1.3 million words, is over half a million words longer than the first edition.
Amazon.com Review:
Did your last con visit leave you feeling out of touch? Was the latest issue of Locus full of unfamiliar writers? Or are you looking for a definitive analysis of the role of eschatology in science fiction? Look no further. You can find all the help you need, and the answers to questions you didn't even know you wanted to ask, in John Clute and Peter Nicholls's invaluable reference work, The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. In the introduction, Clute and Nicholls write, 'We see this book as more than merely an encyclopedia of sf; it is a comprehensive history and analysis of the genre.'
With over 4,360 entries and 1,300,000 words, this is a jam-packed sourcebook on science fiction authors, books, subgenres, movements, and history. You can live without it, but why would you want to? It's got riveting trivia on every page, hours of browsing enjoyment, and endless potential for playing spot-the-error, a game popular among science fiction writers and fans. Clute and Nicholls have put together an admirable, ever-improving encyclopedia that tries to encompass a genre that grows new pseudopods every year. This is a great resource for fans and writers. Those with a yen for a more visual approach might appreciate Clute's Science Fiction: The Illustrated Encyclopedia, and fantasy readers and writers should definitely check out The Encyclopedia of Fantasy when the new edition is published early in 1999. --Therese Littleton
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating: - Not Free SF Reader
Clute and Nicholls have produced a masterful piece of work here, the breadth and detail is immense, and even includes errata and other information at the end. An amazing treasure trove of information and is something I have found myself using many, many times this year, having gone through it from cover to cover. If you see one lying around at what looks like a decent price, get it without hesitation!
You could also use it to bludgeon camels.
Rating: - An absolutely essential reference work for any serious Sci-fi fan
Sometimes they do a book and just get everything right. Many reference works on Sci-fi are distressing by how much truly essential material is left out or ignored. Not this one. For instance, years ago I read an extremely early and very odd book by Philip K. Dick called THE COSMIC PUPPETS. Most Sci-fi reading guides or dictionaries or surveys omit this title, but not this one. I have a friend who is an exceptionally good mainstream novelist, Jack Butler, who usually publishes his highly praised ... Read More
Rating: - 5 stars last century, but now...?
This is a book beyond all expectations. It is thoughtful, detailed, deep, and enlightening. It is truly encyclopedic. SF as a genre had no right to expect such an asset to materialize. But it did, and we all gained something from it, if we loved SF and read any part of this spectacular work.
But...
It came out in 1993. SF is a young field. Where's the 2005 edition? Where are the continuing updates that should be available by subscription? Where's the sense of _community_ ... Read More
Rating: - Everything Your Mother Didn't Tell You
This is a massive reference work and an obvious labor of love. It covers almost every conceivable aspect of science fiction, from movies to history to criticism. This is the second edition of this work, with large updates to bring the work up to the time of publication (1992), especially new authors and newer works by old hands, and there has also been a good deal of new material added to the thematic sections.
For anyone wanting to develop a good course on science fiction , or anyone interested ... Read More
Rating: - The Essential Reference Of Science Fiction
Along with its companion volume, "The Encyclopedia of Fantasy," the editors offer the most comprehensive references currently available on speculative fiction, covering authors both minor and major, discussion of the impact of writers and their works upon the genre, influences both obvious and obscure, as well as erudite observations upon the history and development of imaginative fiction. And this is but a fraction of all this marvelous reference has to offer! Indispensable to either the devotee of the genre ... Read More
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