Mammoth Encyclopedia of Science Fiction [Paperback]

George Mann (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 26, 2001

This encyclopedia is the most up-to-date, concise, clear and affordable guide to all aspects of science fiction, from its background to generic themes and devices, from authors (established and new) to films. Science fiction has evolved into one of the most popular, cutting-edge and exciting fiction geners, with a proliferation of modern and classic authors, themes and ideas, movies, TV series and awards. Arranged in an A-Z format, and featuring a comprehensive index and cross-referencing system, The Mammoth Encyclopedia of Science Fiction is also the most accessible and easy to use encyclopedia of its kind currently available.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

From steampunk to space opera to humanist sci-fi, from Arthur Conan Doyle to The Six Million Dollar Man, and from implants to teleportation, George Mann navigates genre-benders, numerous media, neologisms and common terms, thrills, disappointments and traditions in The Mammoth Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. Entries in this comprehensive reference guide include several descriptive and factual paragraphs, cross-references, suggested reading and bibliographic information. Mann, editor of Ottaker's science fiction magazine, defines his variegated, evolving subject (e.g., what differentiates SF from fantasy?) while remaining flexible and forward-thinking.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

George Mann works in the book retail industry and edits Ottakar's science fiction magazine. He has had poetry and short stories published and is currently working on a science fiction novel. His favourite author is Peter Hamilton.

Product Details

• Paperback: 623 pages
• Publisher: Robinson Publishing (July 26, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841191779
• ISBN-13: 978-1841191775
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,328,544 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A British, fannish view of the field of SF, August 19, 2001

By 

Jvstin "Paul Weimer" (Circle Pines, MN United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Mammoth Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (Mammoth Books) (Paperback)

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.

32 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A Who's Who of Who's Missing, August 22, 2001

By 

Lucius (northeast) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mammoth Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (Mammoth Books) (Paperback)

Expections run high when a 600 plus page encyclopedia of SF is published. The major section of the text, "Science Fiction on the Page," devoted to SF writers, takes up nearly 300 pages. However, this encyclopedia is fannishly idiosyncratic, to say the least, as the following list of omitted writers attests - to wit: Tony Daniel, Avram Davidson, Gordon R. Dickson, George Alec Effinger, James Gunn, Alexander Jablokov, Nancy Kress, Ian McDonald, George R. R. Martin, Andre Norton, Rebecca Ore, Robert Reed, Mike Resnick, Frank M. Robinson, Fred Saberhagen, Charles Sheffield, Dan Simmons, Clifford Simak, Cordwainer Smith, William Tenn, Jack Williamson, George Zebrowski, and David Zindell. No offense, but frankly, I could have done with a little less on Eugene Byrne, Simon R. Green, Kim Newman, et. al., for entries on Terry Bisson, C.M. Kornbluth, Stanley Weinbaum, Robert L. Forward, Michael Flynn, Michael Bishop, Barry Malzberg, James Tiptree, Jr., George Turner, et.al. The number of important SF writers neglected in this enclyclopedia is staggering. This is less a comprehensive reference work than a deficient compilation by a fan whose predisposition toward Brithsh SF and occasional crankiness makes for a disappointing entry into SF reference field.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Could have been good, but it ain't, September 29, 2004

By 

mrliteral - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Mammoth Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (Mammoth Books) (Paperback)

This book, both by title and description, purports to be a reference source on the genre of science fiction. In some ways, it is exactly that, but unfortunately, it has such glaring omissions that it is more of a novelty than a good source of information.

On the plus side is the organization of the book, which is essentially broken down into four sections: a brief history of SF, a listing of authors and their major works, a listing of significant science fiction movies and a glossary of key topics in the genre (aliens, robots, etc.). This format makes the book easy to read either end-to-end or just randomly (although an end-to-end read will be diminished a bit by redundancies). In addition, the author is a decent enough writer to make this a relatively pleasant read.

Unfortunately, the omissions in this book are so apparent that they make the reader question the author's true knowledge of the genre. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the section on authors, where such prominent science fiction names as Piers Anthony, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Keith Laumer and Clifford Simak (one of the legends in the field) are missing while much more obscure authors get space. This is not a judgement on the quality of the authors either mentioned or forgotten, merely their level of contribution to the genre. In addition, there are cases where plot descriptions are inaccurate.

While an interesting read, the flaws in this book are so significant and obvious that it cannot rate any higher than two stars. While this might give a reader a glimpse into the world of science fiction, it is a distorted glimpse, like through a piece of flawed glass: you can get a lot of the details, but the overall picture is a mess.