Science Fiction: The Illustrated Encyclopedia

I liked John Clutes book just fine till I read his Edgar Rice Burroughs Bios. John Clute decided to bad mouth the guy that probable sold more books and made more money than any other author out there! haha There are movies about his characters, and they are still being made 100 years after he wrote the books. A whole town named after Tarzan! I read the whole Tarzan series many years ago and learned a lot from Tarzan's Character which I never forgot. One thing I learned, "Never give up till your last breath has left your lungs! after that, well there is CPR, so "Never Give UP! Burroughs books are very entertaining Adventure books, not something to be embarrassed about.

As a reader of science fiction for almost five decades now, I would have to say that this is the finest single-volume reference on the history of the field that I have ever seen. It gains from the fact that it is written by a Brit, since you get many British works and authors that probably would not be covered in an American collection, as well as, a decent covering of international efforts from Europe and Japan. This is a high quality production, the illustration is generous and gorgeous- and the quality of printing and manufacture is top notch. I especially liked the decade-by-decade illustrated timelines stretching back to the 19th century. You have a veritable road map to the development of the genre. Plus, the manner in which actual historical events of the times are incorporated with the sci-fi shows that this was written by a thoughtful, educated, man and not some sci-fi fanboy living in a vacuum and divorced from reality. Yet it is scholarly without being the least bit boring. I wouldn't call it perfect, however. From the decades that I am most familiar with, the 50's and 60's, I noticed a few significant ommissions. First of all, Lester del Ray only gets a single mention in small print? Plus, why is it that NOBODY seems to mention or remember MacK Reynolds? Also, how can you cover American sci-fi television without mention of Tom Corbett, Space Ranger, Space Angel, or Fireball XL-5? In the area of films, why no mention of Invaders from Mars (1953), Robinson Crusoe on Mars (1964), or Moon Zero Two (1970)?

John Clute's "Encyclopedia of Science Fiction" is the master reference to the field. This illustrated volume is at best a companion, and anyone needing the full answers should go to that encyclopedia. That said, I love this illustrated edition. I have spent many hours poring over the paintings, pictures, illustrations and timelines. It is not an exhaustive look, but rather a selection, but a selection done by someone who knows the field as well as anyone does. One of my particular favorites in this book are the author photographs: not every author has a face as famous as Asimov or Heinlein, and it was fun finally seeing what my favorite authors looked like. As a teacher of science fiction and fantasy, I also appreciate its didactive qualities, since students are often lured in by the reproductions of golden age covers that sparkle with life and that inimitable sense of wonder so important to the field. If you love science fiction, you'll love this book.

This is an excellent reference work filled with information and superb pictures. The bios of noted science fiction uthors are especially interesting and helpful. This book has numerous minor problems, though. There is a blizzard of unnecessary commas that hurts the rhythm of the sentences. Many sentences are so parenthetically convoluted that Faulkner will seem like a minimalist in comparison. The page layouts are so poor in some cases that you're not sure if you're reading text or captions to the pictures. The author gives an excellent definition of cyberpunk, then contradicts himself by calling Dickens and Dostoevsky early cyberpunk authors. By Clute's own definition they are Punk but definitely not Cyber. Finally, the many different type sizes may give you a headache. Even with the minor problems this book is still easily five stars.

John Clute has provided instructors of this genre with an easily accessible tool that students can understand and appreciate. The divisions into areas of classic sci-fi, graphic novels, and the social context of sci-fi (through a helpful series of timelines), makes this text an excellent source to own. College sci-fi courses use this text for reference material. Excellent!!

This book serves as an excellent guide to the finest works of science fiction. If you are an avid SF reader, it is an invaluable reference.Mr. Clute does an excellent job of providing an overview of the major authors and works. As a result, I have enjoyed some great books that I otherwise would never have read.It is entertaining as well.Thanks Mr. Clute!