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Wednesday 11 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 ...
Collectible Miniatures Game
Term used to describe a form of Wargame which uses miniatures collectible in the manner of a Collectible Card Game (see also Collectibles). Thus the figures are sold in packs, some of which contain rare items distributed at random; this practice encourages the purchase of multiple packs. Figures are sold fully assembled and painted, in contrast to traditional ...
Sahakyants, Robert
(1950-2009) Armenian animator and director born in Azerbaijan; his family moved to Armenia in 1964. He studied at the Khachatur Abovyan Pedagogic Institute, though not often enough, being expelled for non-attendance in 1970; by then he had joined the Armenfilm studio as an animator. Sahakyants was appointed as a director in 1972, producing numerous cartoons. In 2008 he was made a People's Artist of the Republic of Armenia. His surname is sometimes spelt "Saakyants" ...
Dvorkin, Daniel
(1969- ) US author, son of David Dvorkin, with whom he wrote a Star Trek Tie: Star Trek: The Next Generation #8: The Captain's Honor (1989) with David Dvorkin, and Dawn Crescent (2003) with David Dvorkin (whom see for details). [JC]
Something in the Dirt
Film (2017). Rustic Films. Directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead. Written by Justin Benson. Cast includes Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead. 116 minutes. Colour. / In a contemporary Los Angeles (see California) afflicted by unspecified Disasters, a pair of down-on-their-luck neighbours are startled to witness a levitating ashtray in one of their apartments. When the phenomenon repeats, the pair decide to use this ...
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 ...