SF Encyclopedia Home Page
Tuesday 28 November 2023
Welcome to the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, Fourth Edition. Some sample entries appear below. Click here for the Introduction; here for the masthead; here for 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 27 November 2023
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Compton, D G
(1930-2023) UK author, born of parents who were both in the theatre; he increasingly lived in the USA after 1981. As Guy Compton, he published some unremarkable detective novels, beginning with Too Many Murderers (1962), and as by Frances Lynch produced some nonfantastic Gothics throughout his career; but soon turned to sf with tales almost always set in the Near Future, and anatomizing moral dilemmas within that arena: the future is very clearly ...
Hodder, Reginald
(1867-1926) New Zealand journalist, later in the UK; author of The Daughter of the Dawn: A Realistic Story of Maori Magic (1903), a Lost Race tale set in the heart of New Zealand, as narrated by a Maori chief; The Vampire (1913) is horror; Ultus, the Man from the Dead (1916), despite its alluring title, is a non-fantastic thriller. [JC]
Milbank, Walter
Pseudonym of an unidentified UK author (? -? ) whose Vane's Invention: An Electrical Romance (1888) features the Invention of an electrical Power Source, and much action. [JC]
Brain from Planet Arous, The
Film (1957). Marquette Productions Ltd/Howco International. Produced by Jacques R Marquette. Directed by Nathan H Juran (credited as Nathan Hertz). Written by Ray Buffum. Cast includes John Agar, Joyce Meadows and Dale Tate. 71 minutes. Black and white. / Young Scientist Steve March (Agar) is about to marry Sally (Meadows) when the criminal Alien brain Gor (voiced by Tate) arrives on Earth, and takes possession of Steve's ...
White, James
(1928-1999) UK author from Ulster who initially worked for various Belfast tailoring firms, as assistant manager of a department store, and from 1965 in various capacities for an aircraft company, ultimately as publicity officer 1968-1984; this mixed occupational experience is reflected in several of his works. His visible involvement with Fandom began with Slant (1948-1953); his articles appeared in many other ...
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 ...