SF Encyclopedia Home Page
Sunday 18 January 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 14 January 2026
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von Däniken, Erich
(1935-2026) Swiss author of a series of purportedly nonfiction books, beginning with Erinnerungen an die Zukunft (1968; trans Michael Heron as Chariots of the Gods? 1969), which, based on a mass of often suspect and internally inconsistent data, argues that the Earth was visited by at least one Alien spacefaring race before and at the dawn of historical time; thus, for example, the Great Pyramid of ...
Adams, Scott
(1957-2026) US author and cartoonist best known for the Dilbert strip published from 1989, which when at its best superbly (in terms of concept and accuracy of Satire rather than quality of drawing) satirized contemporary office life and corporate incompetence. As with most ambitious modern comic strips, it segues frequently into sf and fantasy tropes – such as Robot office workers, wish-fulfilling ...
Parker, Steve
(? - ) UK author, resident in Japan, associated exclusively with the Warhammer 40,000 universe, beginning with Warhammer 40,000: Rebel Winter (2007), where his gritty, down-to-earth style has been considered effective. [JC]
François, Yves Regis
Working name of French-born author Yves Regis François Barbero (1943-2009), in the US from early childhood; in his Space Opera, The CTZ Paradigm (1975), the Interstellar Confederation is threatened by religious fanatics (see Religion) whose shock troops, Androids constructed from Aliens, threaten to conquer the galaxy. [JC]
"Noname"
A House Name for the Frank Tousey publishing firm, used in the late nineteenth century for boys' fiction in several genres, including mysteries and Westerns as well as sf. Of most sf interest were the Frank Reade, Jr. tales (see Frank Reade Library; Luis Senarens) and the slightly later Jack Wright tales (see Luis ...
Nicholls, Peter
(1939-2018) Australian editor and author, primarily a critic and historian of sf through his creation and editing of The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction [see below]; resident in the UK 1970-1988, in Australia from 1988; worked as an academic in English literature (1962-1968, 1971-1977), scripted television documentaries, was a Harkness Fellow in Film-making (1968-1970) in the USA, worked as a publisher's editor (1982-1983), often broadcast film and book reviews on BBC Radio from 1974 and ...