Product Details
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan (December 10, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0230546919
ISBN-13: 978-0230546912
The first comprehensive critical history of SF for thirty years, this book traces the origin and development of science fiction from Ancient Greece, via its rebirth in the seventeenth century, up to the present day. Concentrating on literary SF and (in the later chapters) cinema and TV, it also discusses the myriad forms this genre takes in the contemporary world, including a chapter on graphic novels, SF pop music, visual art and ufology. The author is ideally placed to write it: both an academic literary critic and also an acclaimed creative writer of science fiction, with five novels and many short stories to his credit. Written in lively, accessible prose, this study is specifically designed to bridge the worlds of academic criticism and the SF fandom.
The History of Science Fiction argues that, even today, this flourishing cultural idiom is shaped by the forces that determined its rise to prominence in the 1600s: the dialogue between Protestant and Catholic world-views, the emerging technologies of the industrial age, and the cultural anxieties and excitements of a rapidly changing world. Now available in paperback, it will be of interest to all students, researchers and fans of SF.
5/5 The definitive history of SF
By K. Bunker "K. Bunker" on February 21, 2013
In this landmark volume, Adam Roberts has created what will undoubtedly be regarded as the definitive history of science fiction for many years to come.
With hugely impressive scholarship, Roberts covers the great swath of literature that fits under the broad umbrella of "science fiction." The density and quantity of information in this book are staggering, and yet the writing style is friendly and eminently readable. Furthermore, to the best of my knowledge, the accuracy of that information is excellent. I'm fairly well-read in the field of SF studies, and the only errors I saw in this book were on utterly trivial matters.
Inevitably, some readers will have an argument with the very breadth of this book's coverage. As Roberts notes, various people in the field have argued that SF, properly defined, begins with Edgar Allan Poe, or Shelley's Frankenstein, or Verne and Wells, or even as recently as Hugo Gernsback. Roberts, by contrast, dates the genre back to the "fantastic voyage" novels of ancient Greece (he doesn't attempt to establish any firm date for the "first" example of SF). I disagreed with Roberts' "long history" approach when I began this book, but I was soon won over by his arguments that the roots of the genre can be traced back as far as he says. Not only did I find the chapters covering the early history to be completely engaging and entertaining to read, I came to agree with Roberts that this long history gives a genuinely useful insight into modern SF. (The book arrives at the era of Verne and Wells a little more than one third into its length.) As Roberts' history moves into modern times, the focus remains on SF literature, but the SF of movies, TV, comics, and other media are also discussed.
Roberts is generally even-handed when discussing the range of opinions about such issues as the relative merits of a particular book or author, but at the same time he's not averse to making his own opinion clear (stating, to give just one example, that Dune stands up better to a present-day reading than the Foundation trilogy does). This gives the book a personal feel; you know it was written by a human being with an emotional connection to his subject.
If you have any interest in the history or study of science fiction, this book should be a centerpiece of your SF-studies library.
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