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Sunday 13 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 7 September 2026
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Rayner, Claire
(1931-2010) UK agony aunt – noted for her no-nonsense frankness and for the wide range of her compassion – campaigner for various causes, and author of several historical novels; she is of sf interest for The Meddlers (1970; vt The Baby Factory 1971), a Near Future tale tracing the life of the first Genetically Engineered test-tube baby, who is subsequently experimented upon by ...
Extraterrestrial
In sf Terminology, this is typically a noun denoting a creature (usually intelligent) from beyond Terra; that is, from off Earth. When used as a noun, and occasionally in its adjectival mode, the word may be shortened to "et", "e-t" or "ET" (pronounced "eetee"). Of course the adjectival form need not imply life or consciousness – a Meteorite, by definition, comes from extraterrestrial regions – ...
Barry, Iris
(1895-1969) UK-born critic, film curator, poet and author, in US from 1930; she lived with Wyndham Lewis for several years from around the end of World War One until 1922, having two children with him. She was primarily a writer on film – D W Griffith: American Film Master (1940 chap) was published by the Museum of Modern Art in New York – and as the founder in 1935 and curator until her 1950 retirement of the MOMA Film Library was a ...
Dune: Part One
Film (2021). Warner Brothers, Legendary Entertainment, Villeneuve Films. Directed by Denis Villeneuve. Written by Eric Roth, Jon Spaihts and Villeneuve. Based on Frank Herbert's novel Dune (fixup 1965). Cast includes Javier Bardem, Dave Bautista, Josh Brolin, Timothée Chalamet, Chen Chang, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Rebecca Ferguson, Stephen McKinley Hender, Oscar Isaac, Jason Momoa, Charlotte ...
They Came from Outer Space
US tv series (1990-1991). The Finnegan-Pinnchuk Company/MCA Television Entertainment. Syndicated. Created by Tom McLoughlin. Produced by Patricia Finnegan, Sheldon Pinnchuk and Loretta Taub. Directors included Chuck Bowman, Sidney Hayers and Jefferson Kibbee. Writers included Peter I Baloff, McLoughlin and Dave Wollerts. Cast includes Dean Cameron, Christopher Carroll, Stuart Fratkin and Alan Royal. Twenty 42-minute to 45-minute episodes. Colour. / Twin teenage brothers Bo (Cameron) ...
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 ...