SF Encyclopedia Home Page
Wednesday 14 May 2025
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 12 May 2025
Sponsor of the day: Conversation 2023
Fabian, Stephen E
(1930-2025) American artist, sometimes credited as Steve Fabian or simply Fabian. The self-trained Fabian first worked as an electronic engineer, but he began contributing art to Fanzines in the late 1960s and became a full-time professional artist in 1973. He did a number of covers and interior art for SF Magazines, mostly Amazing, Fantastic, and ...
Pham, Hoa
(1972- ) Australian playwright and author, active from the early 1990s, much of whose work has been nonfantastic or fantasy. The young protagonist of The Other Shore (2014) finds herself able to communicate with the dead (see Psi Powers), and is ruthlessly exploited by her family, her government, and the dead themselves. The protagonist of Lady of the Realm (2017) suffers deeply ...
Jennings, Gordon
(1896-1953) Special effects pioneer who worked on nearly 200 films in his long career. These included Dr Cyclops (1940), and the supernatural comedy-romance I Married a Witch (1942). He is of most importance to the sf film for overseeing the effects for The War of the Worlds (1953). Unfortunately Jennings died before this film's release and subsequent great success. [GSt]
Wooley, Sheb
(1921-2003) A rodeo rider and character actor particular associated with Western movies, Wooley is included here for his 1958 novelty record "The Purple People Eater"; a bouncy, light-hearted jingle about a space Alien, the "one-eyed, one-horned flying purple people eater" of the title, who descends to earth hoping to join a rock band, an ambition he realizes, perhaps improbably, at the song's end. According to some accounts this release is MGM's best selling single. ...
Millard, Joseph
(1908-1989) US author in several genres who began publishing sf with "The Crystal Invaders" for Thrilling Wonder Stories in January 1941, and was active in the field for a few years, a period which included the magazine release of his only novel, The Gods Hate Kansas (November 1941 Startling; rev 1964), a routine adventure involving manipulation of humans by Aliens. It was filmed, dreadfully, ...
Robinson, Roger
(1943- ) UK computer programmer, bibliographer and publisher, active in UK Fandom for many years. The Writings of Henry Kenneth Bulmer (1983 chap; rev 1984 chap) is an exhaustive Bibliography of one of the most prolific sf writers, Kenneth Bulmer, and Who's Hugh?: An SF Reader's Guide to Pseudonyms (1987) is similarly exhaustive in its ...