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Friday 4 September 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 31 August 2026
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Murray, Will
Working name of US author William Patrick Murray (1953-2026), who showed an interest throughout his career in Superheroes of the Pulp tradition (on which he was a known authority) such as Doc Savage, about which figure he wrote the nonfiction Secrets of Doc Savage (1981 chap). In this context he had been literary agent for Lester Dent's estate since 1979. ...
Far Frontiers
US magazine in pocketbook format; it could also be regarded as an Original Anthology series. Quarterly, published by Baen Books, edited by Jerry Pournelle and James Baen and (uncredited) John F Carr; seven issues, from Far Frontiers (anth 1985) in January 1985 to Far Frontiers Vol VII (anth Winter ...
Mackenzie, Compton
(1883-1972) UK author, in active service during World War One, mostly in Scotland from around 1925; best known for his influential Bildungsroman, Sinister Street (1913-1914 2vols). He contributed several fantasies for younger readers to various issues of the ongoing Joy Street anthology series between 1923 and 1936, assembling earlier contributions as Told (coll 1930) [for details of later stories see Checklist]. ...
Oriel, Antrim
Pseudonym of Irish journalist and author William Arthur Moore (1880-1962), his nom de plume being taken from his county of birth. His Near Future Satire, The Miracle (1908), caricatures various politicians, mostly British, as Europe drifts in the direction of another War whose origins – presciently – he places in the geopolitical nightmare of the Balkans. [JC]
Sussex, Lucy
(1957- ) New Zealand-born author and critic, mostly in Australia since 1971; she began publishing work of genre interest with "The Parish and Mrs Brown" in Dreamworks: Strange New Stories (anth 1983) edited by David King, the first of a number of interesting sf Fabulations like "The Lipton Village Society" (in Strange Attractors, anth 1985, edited by Damien ...
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 ...