Share

Buy New

$28.95

Only 1 left in stock (more on the way).

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Turn on 1-Click ordering for this browser

This item ships to France. Want it Thursday, Dec. 14? Order within and choose AmazonGlobal Priority Shipping at checkout. Learn more

Ship to:

Buy Used

$17.58

+ $0.00 shipping

Used: Good | Details

Sold by ThriftBooks - Atlanta Book Co.

Turn on 1-Click ordering for this browser

Added to

Unable to add item to List. Please try again.

Have one to sell? Sell on Amazon

Flip to back Flip to front

Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

See all 2 images

On SF Paperback – May 20, 2005

by Thomas M. Disch (Author)

2 customer reviews

See all 3 formats and editions Hide other formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Hardcover

"Please retry"

$80.00

Paperback

"Please retry"

$28.95

Arrives before Christmas. Choose delivery option in checkout.

Praise for Thomas Disch:

"One of the most remarkably talented writers around."
---Washington Post Book World

"[Disch] is without doubt one of the really bright lights on the American SF scene."
---Fantasy and Science Fiction

This collection by the much-loved and lauded science-fiction writer Thomas Disch spans twenty-five years of his career, during which he has supplemented his creative output with reviews and critical essays in publications as diverse as the Nation, the New York Times Book Review, the Atlantic Monthly, and Twilight Zone.

Disch's perspectives on his genre are skeptical, novel, and often incendiary. The volume's opening essay, for example, characterizes writers of science fiction as "the provincials of literature." Other essays explore science fiction's roots-Poe, Bradbury, Clarke, Asimov, Vonnegut-as well as modern practitioners such as Stephen King, Philip Dick, Robert Heinlein, L. Ron Hubbard, and William Gibson.

Disch entertains and provokes with essays on UFOs, Science Fiction as a Church, and Newt Gingrich's Futurist Brain Trust. Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Madame Blavatsky also get the Disch treatment. Throughout, the writing is lively, agile, and irreverent, exhibiting an incisive honesty that is undiluted by Disch's own attachments as a sci-fi practitioner. On SF will appeal equally to lovers of science fiction and connoisseurs of the finest critical prose.

On SF

$28.95 Only 1 left in stock (more on the way). Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Customers who bought this item also bought

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading.

James Tiptree Jr.

41

Paperback
$12.54
Chris Taylor

97

Paperback
$12.81

What other items do customers buy after viewing this item?

The DREAMS OUR STUFF IS MADE OF: How Science Fiction Conquered the World Paperback

Thomas M. Disch

33

$15.67

Special offers and product promotions

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Thomas M. Disch is master of many literary genres, including science fiction, poetry, drama, and children's literature. His other books from The University of Michigan Press Include The Castle of Perseverance and A Child's Garden of Grammar.

Product details

Paperback: 280 pages
Publisher: University of Michigan Press (May 20, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0472068962
ISBN-13: 978-0472068968
Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.9 x 9.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 2 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #768,713 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #86 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > History & Criticism
- #433 in Books > Literature & Fiction > History & Criticism > Genres & Styles > Science Fiction & Fantasy
- #481 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > History & Criticism

Would you like to tell us about a lower price?
If you are a seller for this product, would you like to suggest updates through seller support?

NO_CONTENT_IN_FEATURE

Customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars

4 star (0%)

3 star (0%)

2 star (0%)

1 star (0%)

Write a customer review

See all 2 customer reviews

Rated by customers interested in

What's this?

Nintendo DS

5.0 out of 5 stars

Is this feature helpful?

Thank you for your feedback.

Top customer reviews

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Midwest Book Review

For any who would think outside of the box

October 10, 2005

Format: Paperback

Science fiction author Thomas Disch has a strong following in the genre, producing memorable works which have earned an almost cult-like following; but this collection isn't his usual fiction - it's non-fiction containing essays spanning over twenty-five years of his career, offering his perspectives on the genre. From critical assessments of his contemporaries to the roots of science fiction which may be observed in modern writings, Disch offers a range of essays on everything from UFOs and the origins of Christianity to the unsung and too-few heroes of the short fiction genre. Critical, controversial - and thought provoking, On Science Fiction: A Last Judgment On The Genre From Science Fiction's Foremost Critic is for any who would think outside of the box.

0Comment 13 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?

Kindle Customer

Long-needed examination of sf

February 14, 2006

Format: Paperback

I thoroughly enjoyed this idiosyncratic look at a genre which has long-needed a hard, critical eye from someone who knows what they're talking about. Disch, with Sladek, Spinrad, Ballard, Aldiss and Moorcock was one of those associated with the British sf 'new wave' of the sixties, which formed around New Worlds magazine and whose object was to bring the highest literary values to a form they called speculative fiction. Disch's own work is a fine example of their ambition and this book is probably the best so far on the subject. Highly recommended.

0Comment 10 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?

Set up an Amazon Giveaway

On SF

Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers. Learn more about Amazon Giveaway

This item: On SF

Set up a giveaway

English United States

Conditions of Use
Privacy Notice
Interest-Based Ads
© 1996-2017, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates