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Wednesday 16 September 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 September 2026
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Lindner, Robert
(1914-1956) US lay psychoanalyst and prison psychologist who reported on his work in the latter capacity in Rebel Without a Cause: The Hypnoanalysis of a Criminal Psychopath (1944), filmed in 1955. He is of sf interest for "The Jet-Propelled Couch: The Story of Kirk" (December 1954-January 1955 Harper's Magazine), a long narrative essay – later included in The Fifty-Minute Hour: A Collection of True Psychoanalytic Tales (coll 1955; vt ...
Game-Worlds
Although this term may be applied to imaginary worlds governed by the rules of ancient games like Chess, this encyclopedia chiefly applies it to worlds designed by the manufacturers of Games – almost always Role Playing Games (or Gamebooks) or computer Adventure games (see Videogame). In the case of RPGs the ...
My Life with Master
Role Playing Game (2003). Half Meme Press. Designed by Paul Czege. / Role Playing Games have been defined as examples of quantified interactive storytelling. Typically, however, only physical actions are resolved using quantified rules, leaving players and Gamemasters free to portray their characters and control the overall flow of the narrative in whatever way they wish. In ...
Francis, Marianne
(? - ) UK author of Egyptian Light (1950), a dynastic-fantasy-like tale set in Atlantis, featuring a princess in flight and her espousal to the Egyptian pharaoh (see Ancient Egypt in SF) who rescues her after shipwreck. Atlantis sinks. [JC]
Jones, Neil
(? - ) UK editor of two Warhammer 40,000 Ties: Warhammer 40,000: Deathwing (anth 1990; exp 2001) with David Pringle and Warhammer: The Laughter of Dark Gods (anth 2002) with David Pringle. [JC]
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 ...