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Wednesday 23 April 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.
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Broderick, Damien
(1944-2025) Australian author, editor and critic; he had a PhD in the semiotics of fiction, science and sf with special reference to the work of Samuel R Delany. He edited four anthologies of Australian sf: The Zeitgeist Machine (anth 1977), Strange Attractors (anth 1985), Matilda at the Speed of Light (anth 1988) and Centaurus: The Best of Australian Science Fiction (anth ...
Stephens, Ann Sophia
(1810-1886) American author, who sometimes wrote as Mrs Ann S Stephens, and whose Malaeska: The Indian Wife of the White Hunter (February-April 1839 Ladies' Companion; 1860), was Number One in the Beadle's Dime Novels series, and was therefore the first dime novel (see Dime Novel SF). Also printed in that series, Mahaska: The Indian Princess: A Tale of the Six Nations (1863) and its sequel The Indian Queen ...
Horne, Richard Henry
(1803-1884) UK dramatist, poet and author, who changed his name to Richard Hengist Horne in 1867; credited by William Wilson as the author of what is, according to Wilson's Definition of SF, an exemplary work of "Science-Fiction": The Poor Artist, or Seven Eye-Sights and One Object: "Science in Fable" (1850; vt with added essay The Poor Artist, or Seven Eye-Sights and One Object 1871 as by ...
Cameron, Verney Lovett
(1844-1894) UK naval officer, explorer and author; after Henry Stanley had found David Livingstone in central Africa (and lost him), Cameron mounted a second expedition, which found the explorer's body. He was subsequently the first European to cross Africa east to west. In contemporary terms, his explorations were comparatively enlightened: he did not shoot animals, except for food; and he did not murder Africans. Most of his early work consists of nonfiction descriptions of his travels; after ...
Starship Troopers
Film (1997). TriStar Pictures and Touchstone Pictures (see The Walt Disney Company) present a Jon Davison production. Directed by Paul Verhoeven. Written by Ed Neumeier based on Starship Troopers (October-November 1959 F&SF as "Starship Soldier"; 1959) by Robert A Heinlein. Cast includes Clancy Brown, Jake Busey, Casper Van Dien, ...
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 ...