The Mammoth Encyclopedia of Science Fiction

by George Mann

Book Overview

From Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, and Arthur C. Clarke to Chelsea-Quinn Yarbro and Roger Zelazny, from science fiction authors worldwide to the directors of sci-fi films for movies like 2001: A Space... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0786708875
• ISBN13: 9780786708871
• Release Date: July 2001
• Publisher: Running Press Book Publishers
• Length: 608 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.7" x 5.0" x 7.7"

Customer Reviews

4.5 stars

I agree that alot of worthy authors were left out of this book(Michael Swanwick, James Morrow and Neil Gaiman to name a few), but the vast ammount of information that is included makes it well worth the price! Half of the book is comprised of author bios including some of the top new writers like Ken MacLeod and Michael Marshall Smith. Another section is dedicated solely to themes, terms, and devices in SF. Overall this book is very current and very well done. In future editions it would be a good idea if the History of SF section were dropped(It has been done SOOO many times) and the SF Film section were its own book. That way all 612 pages would be strictly authors, books, lists and awards. Also my cover art is different(much better) than the one shown above, and it also includes some of the authors previous reviewers were missing from their copys. The only other Encyclopedia that comes close to this one is the book by John Clute, but it's more than twice as much and its a bit dated(time for a new edition?).

A British, fannish view of the field of SF

I bought this book sight unseen or without even a description, since i do love things SF. Upon opening and beginning to read it, I realized that it wasn't quite what I expected.First of all, its from England, which is not a bad thing at all, but it does mean that British authors have a more prominent and highlighted presence in this work than Americans are accustomed to reading about. Iain Banks and Stephen Baxter have pretty big entries, for example, and George R.R. Martin has none at all.And second, it was written by a fan for a fan (admitted in the first paragraph of the preface). I had been expecting something like the big encyclopedias out there, done by an editor or a writer that I had simply not heard of. So, the viewpoint is different, and much more subjective than you might expect. You won't find cold and clinical analysis of the entries. This can be a good thing, if you don't mind the presence of the author bias.The Encyclopedia itself is broken up into several parts. After a preface, Mann discusses the origins and history of SF. The next section, the longest, discusses selected authors. The subsequent section looks at SF in movies and TV. Much like the Encyclopedia of SF, Mann has a goodly section on thematic entries, as well. Finally, he finishes the work with a look at SF societies and awards and such, and has a substantial section on internet resources. Although the hazards of the Internet make such sections perilously prone to being outdated, it was a pleasure to see one here. The book is cross-referenced quite well, too. Those looking for a large, exhaustive encyclopedia on the order of the John Clute Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (or his one for Fantasy) should look elsewhere. If you want a more idiosyncratic view, with a British slant on authors and SF in general,this may be more of your cup of tea. And it IS cheaper and more intimate than the other monster SF encyclopedias on the market. It was not what I expected, but I am well satisfied with the Mammoth Encyclopedia of SF.