Understanding Contemporary American Science Fiction: The Formative Period (1926-1970)

Clareson gives a good answer to those who take SF lightly. With its brilliant language, UCASF is a neat, organized history of the Formative Period of Science Fiction in the USA.

Clareson has created an entertaining examination of the development of American Science Fiction from the pulp magazines in the twenties and thirties to ground breaking and innovative novels existent at the end of the sixties. He shows the progression of modern science fiction and fantasy by exploring and developing the genesis of current tropes taken as a given by the modern reader. In the process of developing his themes, he revives the memory of writers now forgotten and out of print. After reading this work, I sought out the novels of Mack Reynolds, Cordwainer Smith, Samuel R. Delaney, Leigh Brackett, and Poul Anderson. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that many of the ideas and themes of Iain Banks, Charles Stross, and Neal Asher had been explored many years before. All in all, Clareson's text is interesting, eye opening, informative, and a rich resource for anyone interested in the formative years of Science Fiction.