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Sunday 15 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 ...
Vansittart, Peter
(1920-2008) UK author best known for his densely written historical novels, whose polymathic metaphoric richness brought an aesthetic seriousness and density to that form; his consistent failure to gain a wide readership, over a career that lasted more than six decades, must qualify any claim that he transformed the historical novel as a whole – though it seems certain that those who read him were deeply influenced by his example. Vansittart's first novel, however, is sf, a form he used ...
Bennett, Gregory
(1950- ) US author of sf stories, beginning with "Swan Song" in Analog for August 1993, the journal where all his assertively technophilic fiction has appeared. In 1993 he also founded The Artemis Project, which advocates a resumption of humanity's progress into space (see Artemis Magazine). [JC]
Zahn, Timothy
(1951- ) US author with a master's degree in physics who began publishing sf with "Ernie" in Analog for September 1979, and early proved himself an adept and productive creator of the problem-oriented Hard SF characteristic of that magazine. Some better examples of his work are assembled as Cascade Point (coll 1986), Time Bomb and Zahndry Others (coll 1988), ...
2300 AD
Role Playing Game (1987). Game Designers' Workshop (GDW). Designed by Marc Miller, Timothy Brown, Lester Smith, Frank Chadwick. / 2300 AD is a loose sequel to GDW's Twilight: 2000, referred to as Traveller: 2300 in the first edition, but renamed for the much improved 1988 second edition to prevent confusion with Traveller ...
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 ...