We devotees of SF enjoy its diversity of opinion, the bustle of bright and dark, the clash of progress and entropy, the clamour of theories about the past, the future, the ever-present present, everything. In this fascinating collection of essays, one of the world's pre-eminent SF writers explores a wide range of SF and fantasy writers and writing. Contents: Acknowledgements Introduction Thanks for drowning the ocelot 'A robot tended your remains...' Between privy and universe: Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) The immanent will returns - 2 A whole new can of worms Science fiction's mother figure Sturgeon: The cruelty of the gods The downward journey: Orwell's 1984 Peep Culture: it is worth losing your balls for? Wells and the leopard lady The adjectives of Erich Zann: A tale of horror Jekyll One hump or two Kafka's Sister Campbell's Soup Some early men in the moon Kaliyuga, or Utopia at a bad time The Atheists Tragedy revisited The pale shadow of science Decadence and Development The Veiled World A Personal Parabola Index
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Pseudonyms: Jael Cracken, Peter Pica, John Runciman, C.C. Shackleton, Arch Mendicant, & "Doc" Peristyle. Brian Wilson Aldiss was one of the most important voices in science fiction writing today. He wrote his first novel while working as a bookseller in Oxford. Shortly afterwards he wrote his first work of science fiction and soon gained international recognition. Adored for his innovative literary techniques, evocative plots and irresistible characters, he became a Grand Master of Science Fiction in 1999. Brian Aldiss died on August 19, 2017, just after celebrating his 92nd birthday with his family and closest friends. Brian W. Aldiss Group on Good Reads
