SF Encyclopedia Home Page
Monday 16 February 2026
Welcome to the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, Fourth Edition. Some sample entries appear below. Click here for the Introduction; here for what we mean by Science Fiction; here for the masthead; here for some Statistics; here for the Acknowledgments; here for the FAQ; here for advice on citations. Find entries via the search box above (more details here) or browse the menu categories in the grey bar at the top of this page.
Site updated on 9 February 2026
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Carver, Jeffrey A
(1949-2026) US author who began publishing sf with "... Of No Return" in Fiction Magazine for 1974. His first novel, Seas of Ernathe (1976), which serves as an introduction to the loose Star Rigger sequence of Space Operas, showed early signs of a love of plot and thematic complexity which would take him some time, and several novels, to control. The continuation, Star Rigger's Way (1978), for instance, combines quest ...
Chambers, Stephen
(?1981- ) US author who began publishing sf with his Hope sequence of tales comprising Hope's End (2001) and Hope's War (2002), a colony planet whose technology (the backstory is moderately complex) is at about the level of medieval Western Europe. The Planetary Romance glow this setting gives off is darkened through the genuine difficulties experienced by the young protagonist Vel in his ...
Weird Science
1. Comic (see Comics). Seminal Anthology comic book published by EC Comics from 1950 to 1953. The 22 issues of the series have returned to print dozens of times since their original publication, although they have not stood the test of time as strongly as other EC publications, such as Tales from the Crypt. Edited, often written and sometimes drawn by Al ...
Miller, Ron
(1947- ) American artist, editor and author, best known for his work in the field of space art. He received a BFA in illustration from the Columbus College of Art and Design, initially worked in commercial art, and then became the art director for the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum's Albert Einstein Planetarium, which gave him some early experience in astronomical art and brought him into contact with NASA, an agency he would continue to work with after leaving the ...
Foy, George
(1952- ) US author who began publishing work of genre interest with "Hellbike" (in Masters of Hell, anth 1987, ed Janet Morris et al). His earlier novels are not fantastic, but his Shift sequence – comprising The Shift (1996), Contraband (1997), The Memory of Fire (2000) and The Last Harbor (2000) – moves from its ...
Langford, David
(1953- ) UK author, critic, editor, publisher and sf fan, in the latter capacity recipient of 21 Hugo awards for fan writing – some of the best of his several hundred pieces are assembled as Let's Hear It for the Deaf Man (coll 1992 chap US; much exp vt The Silence of the Langford 1996; exp 2015 ebook) as Dave Langford, edited by Ben Yalow – plus five Best Fanzine Hugos ...