Encyclopedia of Fantasy and Horror Fiction [Paperback]

Don D'Ammassa (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 8 Up–D'Ammassa has assembled hundreds of brief articles, a little more than half of them profiling authors and the rest describing individual works. The author entries mention one work after another with brief plot summaries. The articles on the individual works and series seem arbitrarily chosen; for example, there's an entry on each of the Harry Potter novels, yet none on the Goosebumps series. Students looking for personal information on the authors, extensive plot summaries, literary critique, or an analysis of why fantasy and horror appeal so strongly to so many readers will have to look beyond this ready-reference resource.–Walter Minkel, New York Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

With the increasing popularity of books and films like The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia, fantasty fiction has come to stand apart from its science fiction kin. This volume is part of the Facts On File Literary Movements series and forms a companion to the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (2005). Horror fiction, like Anne Rice's vampire tales, is also included. The author is active in the Horror Writers of America and also wrote the science fiction volume in the series.

Entries cover "significant writers" as well as "a sampling of newer writers who may become the leading names over the next few years." There are also entries for selected best or most influential novels and short stories. Author entries describe works, and novel and story entries give plot summaries. Historical titles like The Worm Ourobous, by E. R. Eddison, and Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, are covered. No further reading lists accompany the entries, although an extensive "Bibliography of Fantasy and Science Fiction" and a much shorter bibliography of secondary works are appended. Other appendixes include award winners and a two-page glossary.

The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy (2005) has a different focus, although where these works overlap, the Greenwood title is more detailed. The Reference Guide to Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror (Libraries Unlimited, 2002) is a guide to the reference literature, rather than to authors and stories. The Encyclopedia of Fantasy and Horror Fiction will be a popular biographical and readers' advisory title in both public and academic libraries. Jack O'Gorman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 488 pages
• Publisher: Checkmark Books; 1 edition (October 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0816069247
• ISBN-13: 978-0816069248
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,461,329 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Don D'Ammassa was born in 1946 and was reading adult fiction by age six. He has been accumulating books ever since and his library is now approaching 60,000 volumes. He began reviewing science fiction and fantasy in the 1960s and sold his first novel, Blood Beast, in 1988. Since then he has sold well over one hundred stories, six more novels, and three reference books. He currrently lives in Rhode Island.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fine reference not to be missed, July 22, 2006

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Encyclopedia of Fantasy and Horror Fiction (Literary Movements) (Hardcover)

Any collection strong in fantasy and horror fiction will want to have this reference on hand: it adds to Facts on File's 'Literary Movements' series, providing a guide to the history and current nature of the genre and packing in entries on major writers and works. Both works and authors are covered, receiving half a page or more of detail on plots, themes, impact, and notable uses of language. From children's fantasy author Tamara Pierce to Andre Norton's extensive series titles and Garth Nix's modern dark fantasies, this is a fine reference not to be missed.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Free SF Reader, September 3, 2007

By 

Blue Tyson "- Research Finished" (Legion clubhouse) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Encyclopedia of Fantasy and Horror Fiction (Literary Movements) (Hardcover)

A reasonable overview, it is not overly long or large, so in no way a Clute/Nicholls or anything of that magnitude. As you can probably tell, as combining two genres and trying to make something comprehensive, let alone just one, is an impossible task. However, this is new, so more up to date and not a bad overview.