SF Encyclopedia Home Page
Sunday 18 January 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 14 January 2026
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von Däniken, Erich
(1935-2026) Swiss author of a series of purportedly nonfiction books, beginning with Erinnerungen an die Zukunft (1968; trans Michael Heron as Chariots of the Gods? 1969), which, based on a mass of often suspect and internally inconsistent data, argues that the Earth was visited by at least one Alien spacefaring race before and at the dawn of historical time; thus, for example, the Great Pyramid of ...
Adams, Scott
(1957-2026) US author and cartoonist best known for the Dilbert strip published from 1989, which when at its best superbly (in terms of concept and accuracy of Satire rather than quality of drawing) satirized contemporary office life and corporate incompetence. As with most ambitious modern comic strips, it segues frequently into sf and fantasy tropes – such as Robot office workers, wish-fulfilling ...
Butt, Hamad
(1962-1994) Artist, born in Pakistan, resident in the UK from the age of two, renowned in particular for his literally dangerous installations which reflect his interest in chemistry and potentially harmful gases. His interest in sf is manifested in a very moving sequence of installations, videos and graphic works which use the Triffids from The Day of the Triffids (1951) by John Wyndham as a metaphor for AIDS, both ...
Planeta de las Mujeres Invasoras, El
["Planet of the Female Invaders"] Mexican film (1966; vt Planet of the Female Invaders). Estudios América/Producciones Corsa. Directed by Alfredo B Crevenna. Written by Emilio Gómez Muriel and Alfredo Ruanova. Cast includes Elizabeth Campbell, Ethel Carrillo, Graciela Doring, José Ángel "Ferrusquilla" Espinosa, José Gálvez, Rogelio Guerra, Maura Monti, Guillermo Murray, Raúl Ramirez, Adriana Roel and ...
Morwood, Peter
Pseudonym of UK author Robert Peter Smith (1956-2025), educated at Queen's University, Belfast; married to Diane Duane in 1987 and resident with her in the Republic of Ireland for many years until his death. His competent but routine solo adventure Fantasies fall into several series. The Japanese-mythology-tinged Alban Saga began with his debut novel The Horse Lord (1983), followed by The Demon Lord ...
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 ...