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Saturday 5 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. ...
Mysterious Island
Film (1961). American Films/Columbia. Produced by Charles H Schneer. Directed by Cy Endfield. Written by John Prebble, Daniel Ullman and Crane Wilbur, based on L'île mystérieuse (1874-1875; trans W H G Kingston as The Mysterious Island 1875) by Jules Verne. Cast includes Michael Callan, Michael Craig, Joan Greenwood and Herbert Lom. 100 minutes. Colour. / This is a jovial ...
Koch, Polly
(? - ) US author of Invisible Borders (1991) whose protagonist Timeslips from back and forth between her 1950s childhood and her Near Future life in a commune constructed on Feminist principles; the world of the future is, however, envelopingly Dystopian. [JC]
Pugner, Carol
(1943- ) US editor and reviewer whose only sf-related book is the reprint Anthology A Science Fiction Reader (anth 1973) edited with Harry Harrison. This assembles fourteen stories, most of them much-reprinted favourites, by Brian W Aldiss, Poul Anderson, Isaac Asimov, James ...
Unobtainium
The pseudo-Element or alloy unobtainium – sometimes spelt unobtanium – is a traditional, half-serious joke of physics and engineering dating from the mid-twentieth century: it denotes an ideal material from which frictionless bearings, massless levers and other desirable but unfeasible experimental components might be made. It was first formally defined in the US Air Force Air University's Interim Glossary, Aero-Space Terms (1958) by ...
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 ...