Bøger i Critical Explorations in Science Fiction and Fantasy serien

A prolific author, Isaac Asimov is most admired for his science fiction, including his collection of short stories I, Robot and his Robot, Empire and Foundation series novels. While each of these narratives takes place in a different fictional universe, Asimov asserted at the end of his career that he had, with his last Robot and Foundation novels, unified them into one coherent metaseries. This reference work identifies and describes all of the characters, locales, artifacts, concepts and institutions in Asimov's metaseries. Mimicking the style of The Encyclopedia Galactica, the fictional compendium of all human knowledge that features prominently in the Foundation series, this encyclopedia is an invaluable companion to Asimov's science fiction oeuvre.

Prolific, popular and critically acclaimed, Michael Moorcock is the most important British fantasy author of his generation. His Elric of Melnibone is an iconic figure for millions of fans but Moorcock has also been a pioneer in science fiction and historical fiction. He was hailed as the central figure of the "New Wave" in science fiction, and has won numerous awards for his fantasy and SF, as well as his "mainstream" writing. This first full-length critical look at Moorcock's career, from the early 1960s to the present, explores the author's fictional multiverse: his fantasy tales of the "Eternal Champion"; his experimental Jerry Cornelius novels; the hilarious science-fiction satire of his "End of Time" books; and his complex meditations on 20th century history in Mother London and the Colonel Pyat tetralogy.

As the first extended, critical study dedicated to Star Trek: Voyager, this book examines how the series uses the physical distance from the crew's home quadrant and the effect this has on the dynamic between community formation, self-creation and a sense of place.

Locating the consequences of the eruption of magical unreason within the context of England's imperial history, this study examines Merlin and his legacy, the roles of magicians throughout history, the racism at work in the character of Stephen Black, the meaning behind the fantasy of magic's return, and the Englishness of English magic itself.

Building on the ideas of the nineteenth-century Gothic and utopian movements, speculative writers anticipated literary Modernism and blazed alternative literary trails. This book documents the Gothic and utopian roots of speculative fiction and explores how these authors played a crucial role in shaping the culture of the new century.

Exploring the roles of monsters in coming-of-age narratives and the need to confront and understand the monstrous, this work explores recent developments in the presentation of monsters in maturation narratives, discusses monsters inhabiting the psychic landscapes of child characters, and touches on monsters in science fiction.

J. R. R. Tolkien is arguably the most influential fantasy writer of all time - his world building and epic mythology have changed western audiences' imaginations and the entire fantasy genre. This book offers the first wide-ranging Christian Platonic reading on Tolkien's fiction.

Uses an own-voices approach to examine the nature, genesis, and history of Arabic and Muslim science fiction, as well as the challenges its authors face. Through personal narratives, these authors share their stories and their struggles with the censors, recalcitrant publishers, critics, the book market, and the literary establishment.

Offers a new perspective on Mary Shelley and on science fiction, arguing that Shelley both established a new discursive space for moral thinking and laid the groundwork for the genre of science fiction.

Writers such as Arthur C. Clarke, Philip K. Dick, Robert Heinlein, H.P. Lovecraft, and others are examined in this exploration of Fortean science fiction - a genre that borrows from the reports and ideas of Charles Fort and others who saw the possible science-fictional nature of our reality.

Caitlin R. Kiernan is at the forefront of contemporary gothic, weird and science fiction literature. This first full-length look at Kiernan's body of work explores her fictional universe through critical literary lenses to show the depth of her contributions to modern genre literature.

Concentrating both on studies of Philip K. Dick's writing from recent critical perspectives, and on reassessing his legacy in light of his new status as a "major American author", these essays explore, just what happened culturally and critically to precipitate his extraordinary rise in reputation.

Features over a dozen interdisciplinary scholars reading popular texts through critical lenses that range from traditional literary studies, to video game scholarship, to ecocriticism. Challenging the field of popular vampire studies, this book asks the question: What is the vampire in different global contexts, and what does it represent?

From the Star Wars expanded universe to Westworld, the science fiction western has captivated audiences for over fifty years. This unique collection concentrates on the female characters in the contemporary science fiction western, addressing themes of power, agency, intersectionality and the body.

Star Trek: The Next Generation blended speculative science fiction and space opera in its portrayal of communication. This book proposes that these patterns of communication reveal a foundational philosophy of Star Trek that informs the series as a whole while also enticing millions of viewers.

We live in an information economy, a vast archive of data ever at our fingertips. In the pages of science fiction, powerful entities - governments and corporations - seek to use this archive to control society, enforcing conformity or turning citizens into passive consumers. Opposing them are protagonists fighting to liberate the collective mind.

Offers a critical study of the fantastic religions and religious themes present in the works of selected American and Canadian writers. The aim is to reveal and investigate these authors' references to biblical tradition and Christian teachings in order to examine their overall approach to Christianity and to comment on the relationship between Christianity and the fantasy genre.

What are the greatest, most widely read, most influential, most translated and most adapted children's classics? Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass and Carlo Collodi's Le Avventure di Pinocchio are candidates, and through them this book explores what it means to be transnational fantasy icons.

Explores the relationship between the works of British comic `mavericks' such as Alan Moore and the mainstream comic book style that was dominant at the time - how the British Invasion subverted the norm, but also the many ways in which the movement came to rely on the genius of the American system.

This companion to Frank Herbert's six original Dune novels provides an encyclopaedia of characters, locations, terms and other elements, and highlights the series' underrated aesthetic integrity. An extensive introduction covers themes of ecology, chaos theory, concepts and structures, and Joseph Campbell's monomyth in Herbert's narrative.

This is the first book to bring together the imagination and energy of rock music with its sources in mythology and science fiction. The mythological roots of classic rock music artists from David Bowie, the Jefferson Airplane, and Pink Floyd, to Rush, Blue Oyster Cult, and Iron Maiden are explored, along with the stories they tell and the critiques of contemporary society that their songs carry.

Interpreted and adapted for more than a century, H.G. Wells' texts have resisted easy categorization and are perennial subjects for emerging critical and theoretical perspectives. The author examines Wells' works through the post-structuralist philosophy of Gilles Deleuze. Via this critical perspective, concepts now synonymous with science fiction demonstrate the intrinsic relevance of Wells.

From wondrous fairy-lands to nightmarish hellscapes, the elements that make fantasy worlds come alive also invite their exploration and study. This first book-length study of critically acclaimed novelist Patricia A. McKillip's lyrical other-worlds analyses her characters, environments and legends and their interplay with genre expectations.

A literary genre that pervades 21st-century popular culture, science fiction creates mythologies that make statements about humanity's place in the universe and embody an intersection of science, religion and philosophy. This book considers the significance of this confluence through an examination of myths in the writings of H.G. Wells, Arthur C. Clarke, Philip K. Dick and Frank Herbert.

As a pop culture text, the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars offers critical commentary on contemporary issues, marking a moment of interplay whereby author and audience come together in collaborative meaning making. This book critically examines the series as a voice in the political dialogues concerning human cloning, torture, just war theory, peace and drone warfare.

One of the major figures in science fiction for more than sixty years, James Gunn has been instrumental in making the genre one of the most vibrant and engaging areas of literary scholarship. His genre history Alternate Worlds and his The Road to Science Fiction anthologies introduced countless readers to science fiction. He founded the Gunn Center for the Study of Science Fiction in 1982. But Gunn has also been one of the genre's leading writers. His classic novels Star Bridge (with Jack Williamson), The Joy Makers, The Immortals and The Listeners helped shape the field. Now in his nineties, he remains a prominent voice. His forthcoming novel is Transformation. Drawing on materials from Gunn's archives and personal interviews with him, this study is the first to examine the life, career and writing of this science fiction grandmaster.

Science and science fiction have become inseparable--with common stories, interconnected thought experiments, and shared language. This reference book lays out that relationship and its all-but-magical terms and ideas. Those who think seriously about the future are changing the world, reshaping how we speak and how we think. This book fully covers the terms that collected, clarified and crystallized the futurists' ideas, sometimes showing them off, sometimes slowing them down, and sometimes propelling them to fame and making them the common currency of our culture. The many entries in this encyclopedic work offer a guided tour of the vast territories occupied by science fiction and futurism. In his Foreword, David Brin says, "Provocative and enticing? Filled with 'huh!' moments and leads to great stories? That describes this volume."

Do you find yourself contemplating the imminent end of the world? Do you wonder how society might reorganize itself to cope with global cataclysm? (Have you begun hoarding canned goods and ammunition...?) Visions of an apocalypse began to dominate mass media well before the year 2000. Yet narratives since then present decidedly different spins on cultural anxieties about terrorism, disease, environmental collapse, worldwide conflict and millennial technologies. Many of these concerns have been made metaphorical: zombie hordes embody fear of out-of-control appetites and encroaching disorder. Other fears, like the prospect of human technology's turning on its creators, seem more reality based. This collection of new essays explores apocalyptic themes in a variety of post-millennial media, including film, television, video games, webisodes and smartphone apps.

Explores the construction of gendered heroic identity from both production and fan perspectives by applying a variety of critical lens (media, fan culture, and queer theory). In addition, fan fiction, criticism, and videos that celebrate and resist BBC SF television heroes and villains are considered.