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Thursday 16 July 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 July 2026
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Synchronic
Film (2019). Patriot Pictures in association with Pfaff and Pfaff Productions, Love and Death Productions and Rustic Films. Directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead. Written by Justin Benson. Cast includes Katie Aselton, Jamie Dornan, Allie Ioannides, Anthony Mackie and Ramiz Monsef. 102 minutes. Colour. / New Orleans paramedics Steve (Mackie) and Dennis (Dornan) encounter a spate of unusual and baroque deaths among the City's drug-using population, ...
Bailey, Mark
(? - ) US author whose Saint: A Novel of Intrigue and Faith (1997) applies speculative Genetic Engineering concepts – the transfer of human personalities via DNA samples – to a tale involving high Religion (the Pope has St Peter resurrected) and intrigue, as St Peter is being stalked by an assassin. Bailey's handling of these issues is light-hearted. [JC]
Fichman, Frederick
(? - ) US author whose SETI (1990) pits its teenaged hero against both US and Soviet governments – whose representatives are envious of his freelance initiatives – in the race to make First Contact (see also SETI). The teenager does very well. The SETI sequence is continued in self-published sequels: see Checklist below. [JC] see also: ...
Ripley, Karen
Pseudonym of US author Mary K Urhausen (1948- ) who began publishing work of genre interest with "In Another Land" for If in 1968 as Mary Urhausen, but whose later work is always signed Karen Ripley. It includes the Prisoner of Dreams sequence comprising Prisoner of Dreams (1989) and The Tenth Class (1991), which features the adventures of a female starship-pilot who must cope with repressive authorities and with ...
Mars Attacks!
Film (1996). Warner Bros. Directed by Tim Burton. Written by Jonathan Gems, based on the "Mars Attacks" series of Topps trading cards (1962). Cast includes Annette Bening, Pierce Brosnan, Jim Brown, Glenn Close, Danny DeVito, Michael J Fox, Lukas Haas, Tom Jones, Jack Nicholson, Sarah Jessica Parker, Natalie Portman, Martin Short and Rod Steiger. 106 minutes. Colour. / This anarchic Satire ...
Clute, John
(1940- ) Canadian critic, editor and author, in the UK from 1969; married to Judith Clute from 1964, partner of Elizabeth Hand since 1996. He began to publish work of genre interest with an sf-tinged poem "Carcajou Lament" in Triquarterly for Winter 1960 [ie Autumn 1959]; he began consistently publishing sf reviews in his "New Fiction" column for the Toronto Star ...