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Tuesday 17 March 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 16 March 2026
Sponsor of the day: Andy Richards of Cold Tonnage Books
Dietz, William C
(1945-2026) US author who began to publish sf with War World (1986; vt Galactic Bounty 1997), the first volume of his Sam McCade sequence of sf adventures about an interstellar bounty hunter, which continued with Imperial Bounty (1988) and two further titles. The galactic venue of the series exhibits some interesting kinks, and McCade himself gradually gains individuality. Although the angle of approach differs – the protagonist this time ...
Giant Gila Monster, The
Film (1959). Hollywood Pictures Corporation/McLendon-Radio Pictures Distributing Company. Produced by Ken Curtis. Directed by Ray Kellogg. Written by Jay Simms from an original story by Kellogg. Cast includes George "Shug" Fisher, Fred Graham, Cecil Hunt, Lisa Simone, Janice Stone, Don Sullivan and Bob Thompson. Gay McLendon. 74 minutes. Black and white. / As the film begins, two teenage lovers are attacked and killed by the titular Monster in their ...
Silver, Steven H
(1967- ) US author, editor, reviewer and fan, long associated with the Sidewise Awards for Alternate-History fiction which (with Evelyn C Leeper and Robert B Schmunk) he created in 1995. For many years he was most visible as compiler of the useful online news diary at SF Site, from its launch in 1997 until the feature went on hiatus in 2018. His ...
Byrne, Eugene
(1959- ) Irish-born UK author whose first sf publication was "In the Air" in Interzone for January 1991 with Kim Newman, with whom he collaborated on other short fiction and on his first novel (see Kim Newman for discussion). He has also written under the name Myles Burnham (see Games Workshop). His first solo novel, ThiGMOO (June 1997 ...
Fellman, Isaac
(? - ) US author, who wrote as Rachel Fellman before his transition. His first novel, The Breath of the Sun (2018) as by Rachel Fellman, was reissued (2019) as by Isaac R Fellman; complexly Equipoisal amongst readings as Fabulation, fantasy and self-Parodying sf, the tale focuses on attempts to understand, through climbing, a great mountain (not on ...
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 ...