SF Encyclopedia Home Page
Monday 16 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
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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 ...
Glynn, A A
(1929-2019) UK author, a former commercial artist and long-time newspaper journalist, well known in British Fandom during the 1950s. He began to publish work of genre interest with "Perseus" for Futuristic Science Stories #7 in 1952; other SF Magazine stories followed, including two as by Anthony Martin. His sf novels – both routine Pulp productions typical ...
Jarrett, David
(1943-2010) Welsh author, mostly on the history and theory of gardening, though The Gothic Form in Fiction and Its Relation to History (1980) includes sharp studies of various authors, among them Franz Kafka (see Gothic SF). He is of sf interest for Withering (1979), which begins as a Twice-Told rendering of the legend of the Seventh Swan [for Twice-Told see The ...
Davies, Gruff
(1970- ) UK software designer, entrepreneur and author, developer of Kwiziq, a "language coach" for communicating with and instructing AIs. He is of sf interest for The Looking Glass Club (2010), which examines the consequences, twenty-five years into the Near Future, of a 2010 experiment in reality-manipulation (see Perception; ...
Solaris
1. Russian two-part Television play (1968). Central Television Studio. Directed by Boris Nirenberg and Lidiya Ishimbyeva. Written by Nicolay Kemasky, based on Solaris (1961; trans 1970; new trans 2011 ebook) by Stanisław Lem. Cast includes Vladimir Elush, Vasily Lanovoy, Antonina Pilyus and Viktor Zozulin. 143 minutes. Black and white. / After ...
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 ...