Anatomy of Wonder: A Critical Guide to Science Fiction

Barron's classic work has been updated and reorganized to reflect changes in the genre over the past decade, and meet the needs and tastes of today's readers and those who work with them. Renowned experts in the field have contributed to this new edition, providing authoritative historical and contemporary coverage of the best in science fiction. Users will find succinct, critical discussions of more than 1,400 SF novels, story collections, and anthologies. In addition, there is a comprehensive survey of the secondary literature-books and other resources that discuss fantastic literature, film, and illustration-plus chapters on teaching SF and a directory of libraries containing significant collections of science fiction. Titles appropriate for or appealing to teens are noted, as are award-winning titles and titles of literary merit. Author, title, and theme indexes provide additional points of access. An essential tool for collection development, research, and reference, this book also supports readers' advisory work. Young adult and adult. Grades 9 and up.

Those lucky few amongst us who can get a break from wrestling with the Hairy Xbnsiks of Arestus IV will find over 1,400 entries in the primary literature section of this new edition, listed by author. They will also find an annotated bibliography of criticism and other secondary literature of over 300 pages, including entries for history, online resources, author studies, teaching resources, and examples of SF in popular media. Contributors examine SF from 1516 to 2004 and list awards, series, and other SF-related information for librarians and other non-specialist researchers. Editor Barron includes a very nice set of indices; that listing SF themes is particularly helpful for budding authors seeking to write or research such issues as absurdism, aliens, linguistics, women, or perhaps better ways to deal with Hairy Xbnsiks of Arestus IV without all that wrestling. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

School Library Journal

An update of a book widely considered to be one of the bibles of scholarship on the genre. It offers an overview of the English-language science-fiction field for a wide audience, including casual readers, devoted fans, librarians, teachers, and scholars. The volume is divided into three parts: a history of science fiction; a critical examination of 1400 novels, single-author collections, and multiple-author anthologies; and a survey of the secondary literature such as film and illustration. Each annotation in the bibliography includes cross-references to similar works and a listing of relevant themes. The contributors include scholars, professors, and critics; their writing styles differ greatly, adding to the volume's appeal. The final chapter, "Listings," consists of the best books chosen by the contributors, major awards, important series, young adult books, translations, and organizations. There are indexes for titles, authors, and themes. There have been many changes made since the fourth edition: young adult books have been integrated with the adult books in the annotated bibliography section, Web sites and author e-mail addresses have been added, and the comics section and poetry have been dropped. The third edition was the last to have an extensive listing of science fiction in 13 languages, so libraries that still have it may want to keep it even if they plan to update. This is a book that belongs in every public library. Those with a large science fiction readership might want to consider pairing it with Barron's What Fantastic Fiction Do I Read Next? (Gale, 1997), which is more of a reader's advisory than a collection-development tool.-Michele Capozzella, Chappaqua Public Library, NY Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

NEIL BARRON editor of previous editions of this popular and critically acclaimed work, has written extensively in the field of speculative fiction. In 1982 he received the Pilgrim award for his overall contributions to science fiction and fantasy scholarship.