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Wednesday 9 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.
Site updated on 7 July 2025
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Wells, David A
(1828-1898) US engineer, economist, editor, inventor and author, mostly of nonfiction like The Science of Common Things (1857) and a very popular textbook, Wells's Natural Philosophy (1863); he was a free-trade advocate, holding influential positions during the presidencies of Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson. He is of sf interest for Robinson Crusoe's Money; Or, the Remarkable Financial Fortunes and Misfortunes of a Remote Island Community (1876), ...
Dying Earth
A not uncommon category of sf story which has now developed its own melancholy mythology. Since the Sun is invariably moribund if not extinguished, this could also be called the dying-sun theme. Jack Vance gave this Far Future subgenre its name in The Dying Earth (coll of linked stories 1950). Important precursors are the section of H G Wells's ...
Madden, Timothy A
(1941- ) US author of Outbanker (1990), a Space Opera, and of The Bruja's Tale (2008), and occult fantasy. [JC]
Minority Report
Film (2002). Twentieth Century Fox and DreamWorks Pictures present a Cruise/Wagner/Blue Tulip/Ronald Shusett/Gary Oldman production. Directed by Steven Spielberg. Written by Scott Frank, Jon Cohen, based on "The Minority Report" (January 1956 Fantastic Universe) by Philip K Dick. Cast includes Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, Kathryn Morris, Samantha Morton and Max von Sydow. 145 ...
Steiger, A J
(1900-1970) US author and journalist, a Moscow-based foreign correspondent, whose philosophical novel The Moon Man (1961) involves the thoughts of immortals (see Immortality) from another Dimension who may seek our aid in a fight to preserve peace in the universe. [PN]
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 ...