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Wednesday 11 March 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 March 2026
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Kensett, Percy F
(1868-1940) UK author of The Amulet of Tarv: A Romance of the South Downs, 1,000 BC (1925), a Prehistoric SF tale whose present-day protagonists are given access via Time Viewer to the era in question; they are then able to establish Communications with the past. [JC]
Skelton, Robin
(1925-1997) UK-born poet and author, in Canada from 1962, who began to publish work of genre interest with "The Angel" in 1984 (magazine not identified). He was extremely prolific both as a poet and academic. Of sf interest is Fire of the Kindred (1987), a Prehistoric SF tale set at time just before the matriarchal world depicted (see Feminism; Women in SF) is about be forcibly ...
Pygaster, Cal I
(? - ) US author of an sf Sex tale, Zero Gravity Swap (1970), which is set in space. The presumed pseudonym appears to be derived from "callipygean", i.e. having attractively shaped buttocks. [JC/DRL]
Thomas, Craig
(1942-2011) Welsh author of Technothrillers, one of the earliest practitioners of the form; of his eighteen novels, those of most sf interest comprise the Firefox sequence – Firefox (1977) and Firefox Down (1983) – about a Near-Future Russian fighter, the MiG-31, which boasts both anti-radar and a Weapons system operated by thought waves (see ...
Book of the New Sun, The
Major sf work with a Far-Future, Dying Earth setting by Gene Wolfe (whom see for fuller discussion). The Book of the New Sun (1980-1983 4vols) was followed by the nonfiction commentary The Castle of the Otter: A Book About The Book of the New Sun (coll 1983), the direct sequel The Urth of the New Sun (1987), several shorter tales and two further series: the ...
Clute, John
(1940- ) Canadian critic, editor and author, in the UK from 1969; married to Judith Clute from 1964, partner of Elizabeth Hand since 1996. He began to publish work of genre interest with an sf-tinged poem "Carcajou Lament" in Triquarterly for Winter 1960 [ie Autumn 1959]; he began consistently publishing sf reviews in his "New Fiction" column for the Toronto Star (1966-1967), and later in ...