The DICTIONARY OF SCIENCE FICTION PLACES [Paperback]

Brian Stableford (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0684849585 | ISBN-13: 978-0684849584 | Publication Date: April 29, 1999

GILEAD, Margaret Atwood's sexually oppressive society in THE HANDMAID'S TAIL. A.E. Vogt's IMPERIAL CITY, the seat of power of the Ishar dynasty, who ruled Earth, Mars, and Venus for nearly five thousand years. Isaac Asimov's utopian space habitat, ROTOR. These are but a few of the places Brian Stableford visits in this extraordinary guidebook, designed and organised in the bestselling tradition of THE DICTIONARY OF IMAGINARY PLACES. With the same skills displayed in his own popular works and the depth of understanding of a scholar of the genre, the internationally acclaimed Stableford has created an all-inclusive popular directory on the strange worlds created by writers ranging from H.G. Wells to Arthur C. Clarke, Ursula K. Le Guin to William Gibson and Ray Bradbury and illuminates their histories, geography, the physical and social characteristics of their populations. This unique volume is a browsers delight and a first class reference book for every science fiction fan.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This unique reference book is exactly what its title suggests, a dictionary devoted to cataloging, in the words of its editor, "imaginary places devised by writers of science fiction." The entries begin with Abatos, introduced in Philip José Farmer's short story Father, and end at Zygra, the imaginary world from John Brunner's 1966 novel A Planet of Your Own. Along the way are stops such as the Fire Station from Fahrenheit 451, Anne McCaffrey's famous world of Pern, and the unforgettable Trafalmadore featured in The Sirens of Titan and Slaughterhouse Five.

The dictionary has more breadth than depth, which is understandable given its subject matter, and the selections can at times seem a bit unusual. But it covers most of the major SF places, ranging from things as grand as Isaac Asimov's Para-Universe to individual buildings like the Monarch Tower from Alfred Bester's The Demolished Man. In between are hours of fun reading, a few good reminiscences of forgotten realms, and answers to pesky questions like, "How wide is Ringworld?" (Answer: 997,000 miles) --Craig E. Engler

About the Author

Brian Stableford is a world-renowned writer, critic, and scholar of science fiction and horror.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Fireside (April 29, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684849585
• ISBN-13: 978-0684849584
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,902,870 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #99 in Books > Education & Reference > Dictionaries & Thesauruses > Geography

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A bit off target, June 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The DICTIONARY OF SCIENCE FICTION PLACES (Paperback)

This is a fairy nice book, and it's fun to look through (though I'm not sure I agree with all of the artist's interpretations) but I found it a little unsteady. I would invest in the excellent "The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction", it's more general but oddly, it's also more in depth.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good addition to any collecter, December 15, 1999

By 

Robert E Willmore (Republic Of Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The DICTIONARY OF SCIENCE FICTION PLACES (Paperback)

I constantly find myself going back to this book and looking up odd facts about both books I have read and books I havent. This is a great book for any serious sciencefiction fan.!

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Book of Places, July 20, 2011

By 

Paul Camp (Chattanooga, TN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The DICTIONARY OF SCIENCE FICTION PLACES (Paperback)

This was a great idea; and to a certain extent, it is a well-executed one. Here is an alphabetical guide to science fictional settings, complete with excellent indexes that will aide you in finding the setting. Suppose that you don't remember the name of the planet in Jack Vance's _Son of the Tree_. A "Works Cited" index will quickly guide you to the entry for Kyril. There are famous places like Arrakis, Mesklin, Diaspar, Moderan, Helliconia, Big Planet, and Darkover. There are lesser known places like Chiron, Chronopolis, Sirene, Xanadu, Malacandra, Handrea, Enigma, and God-Does-Battle. There are utopias like Ecotopia, Ledom, Herland, and Mizora. There are buildings and artifacts like the Fire Station (from _Fahrenheit 451_), the White Hart, the Monarch Tower (from _The Demolished Man_), the Webster House (from _City_), and the Pyramid atop Mt. Everest (from _Wolfbane_). There is the mathematical world of the Planiverse. There are space habitats like Cay Habitat, the Brick Moon, Raft, Rama, and Retort City. Brian Stableford's entries balance knowledge of these settings with a sense of good fun.

The one problem that I had with the book were the illustrations by Jeff White. They are numerous enough. But they are also routine and uninspired. The field of science fiction has been a field where there has usually been at least a certain amount of dazzle in its illustrations, art that gives the reader a feel of viewing something rich and strange. And White's illustrations don't do that. So I am reluctantly forced to give this book a rating that falls short of the very best. But it is still a volumn that is worth having on your shelf-- if not on your coffee table.