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Wednesday 16 July 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.
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Biggles
1. Nickname of airman James Bigglesworth, a character created by W E Johns (whom see) for a lengthy sequence of books and stories published from 1932, beginning with his exploits flying Sopwith Camels in World War One. Biggles's adventures continued through World War Two and well into the post-war era until the author's death in 1968, and after; a final book of uncollected stories appeared ...
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US tv series (1972-1973). Warner Brothers Television for NBC-TV. Series created by Leslie Stevens. Produced by Robert H Justman, Anthony Spinner. Directors included Russ Mayberry, Allen Reisner, Philip Leacock. Writers included Robert C Dennis, Brad Radnitz, Michael R Stein. Cast includes Anthony Franciosa, Doug McClure, Burgess Meredith and Hugh O'Brian. One 100-minute pilot film entitled Probe, plus 23 50-minute episodes. Colour. / This sf detective series is an example of ...
Back to the Future Part III
Film (1989). Credits as for Part II, but also starring Mary Steenburgen. 119 minutes. Colour. / The final sequel to Back to the Future (1985). Made with Back to the Future Part II and released soon after, this is a hammy but enjoyable resolution of the Time Travel story. Where Part II emphasizes change and darkness, this emphasizes continuity and ...
Levy, Joseph Hiam
(1838-1913) UK economist, journalist and author, active from before 1870, in politics a radical individualist whose later arguments prefigure American thought many years later (see Libertarian SF), and which led him to oppose vaccination and other social measures (in this, too, he prefigured later positions). An Individualist's Utopia (1912) presents in lightly fictionalized terms a Utopia drawn up on these lines, ...
Real Genius
Film (1985). Tri-Star/Delphi III. Directed by Martha Coolidge. Written by Neal Israel, Pat Proft, Peter Torokvei, based on a story by Israel and Proft. Cast includes William Atherton, Gabe Jarret, Val Kilmer, Michelle Meyrink and Robert Prescott. 106 minutes. Colour. / Genius students at a college for advanced science are manipulated into designing a high-power laser by their corrupt professor (Atherton), who unknown to them is supplying it to a cold-blooded government agency as a ...
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 ...