Gateways to Forever: The Story of the Science-Fiction Magazines, 1970-1980 (Liverpool University Press - Liverpool Science Fiction Texts & Studies)
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • A Clear Look at a Complex Decade
Gateways to Forever: The Story of the Science-Fiction Magazines, 1970-1980 (Liverpool University Press - Liverpool Science Fiction Texts & Studies)
Mike Ashley
Manufacturer: Liverpool University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

GeneralGeneral | Classics | United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | Classics | Comic | Contemporary | Literary
GeneralGeneral | Criticism & Theory | History & Criticism | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Ashley, MikeAshley, Mike | ( A ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
History & CriticismHistory & Criticism | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
History & CriticismHistory & Criticism | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
CultureCulture | Sociology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
All TitlesAll Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:
  1. Transformations: Volume 2 in the History of the Science Fiction Magazine, 1950-1970 (Liverpool University Press - Liverpool Science Fiction Texts & Studies) Transformations: Volume 2 in the History of the Science Fiction Magazine, 1950-1970 (Liverpool University Press - Liverpool Science Fiction Texts & Studies)
  2. Breakfast in the Ruins Breakfast in the Ruins
  3. Time Machines: The Story of the Science-Fiction Pulp Magazines from the Beginning to 1950 (Liverpool University Press - Liverpool Science Fiction Texts & Studies) Time Machines: The Story of the Science-Fiction Pulp Magazines from the Beginning to 1950 (Liverpool University Press - Liverpool Science Fiction Texts & Studies)
  4. The Nail and the Oracle: Volume XI: The Complete Stories of Theodore Sturgeon The Nail and the Oracle: Volume XI: The Complete Stories of Theodore Sturgeon
  5. Emshwiller Infinity x Two: The Life and Art of Ed and Carol Emshwiller Emshwiller Infinity x Two: The Life and Art of Ed and Carol Emshwiller

ASIN: 1846310024

Book Description

In the 1970s science fiction exploded into the popular consciousness, appearing everywhere along the cultural spectrum—from David Bowie’s alien stage persona to the massively successful global juggernaut that was Star Wars. With the American involvement in Vietnam reaching its bitter conclusion, the Apollo moon program ending, and awareness of humanity’s destructive impact on the environment increasing, our planet began to seem a smaller, lonelier, more fragile place—and the escapist appeal of science fiction grew.
Corresponding with these tumultuous events was a period of significant American economic decline, and, as Mike Ashley shows in Gateways to Forever, the once-enormously-popular science fiction magazines struggled to survive. The third volume of this award-winning series chronicles the publications’ most difficult period so far. The decade began with the death of John Campbell Jr., the man who launched the magazine Astonishing, and with it science fiction’s prominence as a genre. The widespread popularization of sci-fi imagery reflected a newly diversified market—new anthologies, fanzines, role-playing games, comics, and blockbuster films all fought for the attention and money of sci-fi fans. Ashley shows how the traditional magazines coped with these setbacks but also how they, as always, looked to the future, as the decade closed and the earliest precursors to the Internet emerged.
Mike Ashley’s groundbreaking history is a monument to science fiction’s evolution. As the genre continues to infiltrate mainstream literature, Gateways to Forever is essential reading for anyone interested in seeing how it all began.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars A Clear Look at a Complex Decade.......2007-09-01

Mike Ashley's history of science fiction magazines continues its high standard with "Gateways to Forever." This is the first volume Ashley has devoted to a single decade, but the Seventies were complex enough that he needed to. Topics covered include the decline and fall of If, Galaxy and Fantastic and the emergence of Asimov's and Omni, as well as the challenge posed to the magazines by the original anthologies and the impact of "Star Wars."

Ashley keeps things clear and is remarkably even-handed in his treatment of controversial issues, such as the impact of editor Roger Elwood on the field. He makes the case that Seventies science fiction, often viewed as a dull time between the New Wave and Cyberpunk, was actually quite good and showed how the field was maturing. Strongly recommended to anyone with an interest in how science fiction developed.
Attending Daedalus: Gene Wolfe, Artifice and the Reader (Liverpool University Press - Liverpool Science Fiction Texts & Studies)
Average customer rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
  • An academic critique - with all the academic faults
  • A highly enlightening guide to why Wolfe's narrative technique is so gripping
  • arguably one of the worst books i have ever read
Attending Daedalus: Gene Wolfe, Artifice and the Reader (Liverpool University Press - Liverpool Science Fiction Texts & Studies)
Peter Wright
Manufacturer: Liverpool University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

GeneralGeneral | Classics | United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | History & Criticism | United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
20th Century20th Century | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | Classics | Comic | Contemporary | Literary
GeneralGeneral | Criticism & Theory | History & Criticism | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
History & CriticismHistory & Criticism | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
History & CriticismHistory & Criticism | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:
  1. Solar Labyrinth: Exploring Gene Wolfe's "Book of the New Sun" Solar Labyrinth: Exploring Gene Wolfe's "Book of the New Sun"
  2. The Long and the Short of It: More Essays on the Fiction of Gene Wolfe The Long and the Short of It: More Essays on the Fiction of Gene Wolfe
  3. The Urth of the New Sun: The sequel to 'The Book of the New Sun' (New Sun) The Urth of the New Sun: The sequel to 'The Book of the New Sun' (New Sun)
  4. Soldier of Sidon Soldier of Sidon
  5. Sword & Citadel: The Second Half of 'The Book of the New Sun' (New Sun) Sword & Citadel: The Second Half of 'The Book of the New Sun' (New Sun)

ASIN: 0853238286

Book Description

This new study of the fiction of Gene Wolfe, one of the most influential contemporary American science fiction writers, offers a major reinterpretation of Gene Wolfe’s four-volume The Book of the New Sun and its sequel The Urth of the New Sun. After exposing the concealed story at the heart of Wolfe’s magnum opus, Wright adopts a variety of approaches to establish that Wolfe is the designer of an intricate textual labyrinth intended to extend his thematic preoccupations with subjectivity, the unreliability of memory, the manipulation of individuals by social and political systems, and the psychological potency of myth, faith and symbolism into the reading experience.

Customer Reviews:

2 out of 5 stars An academic critique - with all the academic faults.......2006-07-16

Tylor Monroe (below) is a little harsh - but not very. This book is an academic critique of Wolfe's masterpiece, and like a lot of contemporary academic literary criticism, cannot get out of its own way. Lots of theory, lots of jargon, little illumination of the work for the average reader. This is the sort of book which gets on the author's resume, counts toward his publication list for tenure - and is immediately forgotten!

I do not want to say that that all of his ideas are worthless; just that they are very hard to extract from the jargon, and may not be worth the effort.

5 out of 5 stars A highly enlightening guide to why Wolfe's narrative technique is so gripping.......2006-05-01

Gene Wolfe's four-volume (plus coda) work The Book of the New Sun is widely regarded as one of the greatest works in science fiction, with a setting of great mystery and plot of enormous complexity. Since its publication in the 1980s, it has won many admirers, but few detailed examinations, and most of what's in print, such as the guides of Andre-Driussi and Borski, are amateurish and self-published. In ATTENDING DAEDALUS: Gene Wolfe, Artifice, and the Reader (Liverpool University Press, 2003), Peter Wright presents the first critique of academic quality on Wolfe's masterpiece.

ATTENDING DAEDALUS begins with a general introduction to Wolfe's body of writing, and two of his early stories are explored in depth, "Trip, Trap" and "In the House of Gingerbread". What I found especially enlightening here is that Wright presents the long series of critical reactions to Wolfe's work, even admitting that CASTLEVIEW is a problematic novel, and showing that OPERATION ARES was worth surpressing.

Wright's examination of the Urth cycle is based on two aspects of the work that have gained wide consensus through discussion on the Urth mailing list and other fora. The first is the deceitful religiosity of the book. While the Hierogrammates seem divine, the Claw a holy relic, and the deluge upon the coming of the New Sun sacrificial, humanity is really only being manipulated by the inhabitants of Yesod into furthering their own ends. God is, in the final analysis, nowhere in the picture. The second is the unreliability of Severian as narrator. Wolfe attended introductory courses in psychology in Texas and later in Ohio, and Wright conjectures that here Wolfe would have studied historic cases of perfect memory, providing a model for Severian's behaviour. Just as historic mnemonists, such as "S." studied by Aleksandr Romanovich Luria, were incapable of reflecting on their experiences, instead merely re-remembering events without analysis, so Severian stands between the reader and the true events of the work.

With these in mind, Wright's main thesis is that the Book of the New Sun is the epitome of a very complicated literary technique devised by Wolfe in which the reader is consistently challenged and baffled, and yet consistently given the necessary keys to unlocking the plot. Wolfe also consistently reminds the reader that what he is reading is fiction through a continual stream of metaliterary allusions and jibes. Wright's assertion that all of Wolfe's novels after the Book of the New Sun are meant to provide a series of elucidations for its mysteries is sure to be controversial, but is for me nonetheless quite convincing in many instances.

If you are a dedicated fan of Wolfe, having sought out everything he's ever put written and read the Urth cycle more times than you can remember, I would highly recommend ATTENDING DAEDALUS. With the intricacies of plotting revealed here, I appreciate Wolfe's skill more and more, and see him as one of the most significant English-language writers of our time. Don't heed what naysayers claim, this book is entirely dedicated to Wolfe's oeuvre and is very relevant to those investigating the Urth cycle.

1 out of 5 stars arguably one of the worst books i have ever read.......2006-02-24

i bought this book assuming that it would be similar to robert borski's "a solar labyrinth", in that it would hopefully shed some of light on some of the interesting and random little aspects of the book of the new sun that the casual reader would never notice or deduce. however, this is not the case at all. be prepared for long-winded blather and lots of "big words". i place "big words" in quotes, because within the first few pages of this novel, it becomes quickly evident that wright is far more concerned with attempting to impress the reader with his own intelligence, as opposed to providing any real content. the book amounts to little more than wright patting himself on the back over how intelligent he believes himself to be, while simultaneously essentially calling anyone else who has an opinion about the book of the new sun too stupid to really understand it. there is nothing at all in the way of actual content - most of the book is devoted to wright picking out random bits of text and then supporting his own beliefs about them with unrelated quotes (often hacked up and paraphrased to the point that they have come meaningless) from other book critics who (frequently) do not even have a background in science fiction. don't get me wrong - i absolutely love gene wolfe. however, i believe wright is giving him far too much credit for supposedly intentionally placing all these little allusions and whatnot throughout the book. sadly, the entire book sounds like a desperate author painstakingly trying to convince himself that his theories are correct by overanalyzing minute parts of the novel that fit vaguely within the confines of his boring ideas. as wright notes in the intro, this book originally started as his doctoral thesis - and unforunately, it reads like one. i'm sure this book would be great if you needed to skip on down to some professors' lounge at harvard and impress them with long-winded and essentially meaningless dialogue about "ulysses" (which wright practically spends more time discussing than wolfe's work), but if you want to learn something about the book of the new sun, dear god please look elsewhere.

as an aside, if you decide to purchase this book despite my best efforts to warn you of its terribleness - amazon shows this book's length at 240 pages. be warned - it's really not at all. expect more than 30 pages of footnotes and bibliography, as well as nearly 50 more pages that barely give the book of the new sun any mention (as these are dedicated to more vague and generally disinteresting dissections of minute parts of wolfe's other novels and short stories). if you want to actually read something interesting that provides legitimate insight into the book of the new sun itself, i highly recommend borski's "a solar labyrinth".
Time Machines: The Story of the Science-Fiction Pulp Magazines from the Beginning to 1950 (Liverpool University Press - Liverpool Science Fiction Texts & Studies)
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear
Time Machines: The Story of the Science-Fiction Pulp Magazines from the Beginning to 1950 (Liverpool University Press - Liverpool Science Fiction Texts & Studies)
Mike Ashley
Manufacturer: Liverpool University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

HistoryHistory | Subjects | Books | Africa | Americas | Ancient | Arctic & Antarctica | Asia | Australia & Oceania | Books on CD | Books on Cassette | Europe | Gay & Lesbian | Historical Study | Large Print | Middle East | Military | Military Science | Russia | United States | World
Popular CulturePopular Culture | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Classics | United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | Classics | Comic | Contemporary | Literary
GeneralGeneral | Criticism & Theory | History & Criticism | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Publishing & Books | Reference | Subjects | Books
Ashley, MikeAshley, Mike | ( A ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
History & CriticismHistory & Criticism | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
History & CriticismHistory & Criticism | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:
  1. Transformations: Volume 2 in the History of the Science Fiction Magazine, 1950-1970 (Liverpool University Press - Liverpool Science Fiction Texts & Studies) Transformations: Volume 2 in the History of the Science Fiction Magazine, 1950-1970 (Liverpool University Press - Liverpool Science Fiction Texts & Studies)
  2. Gateways to Forever: The Story of the Science-Fiction Magazines, 1970-1980 (Liverpool University Press - Liverpool Science Fiction Texts & Studies) Gateways to Forever: The Story of the Science-Fiction Magazines, 1970-1980 (Liverpool University Press - Liverpool Science Fiction Texts & Studies)

ASIN: 0853238650

Book Description

This is the first of three volumes that chart the history of the science fiction magazine from the earliest days to the present. This first volume looks at the exuberant years of the pulp magazines. It traces the growth and development of the science fiction magazines from when Hugo Gernsback launched the very first, Amazing Stories, in 1926 through to the birth of the atomic age and the death of the pulps in the early 1950s. These were the days of the youth of science fiction, when it was brash, raw and exciting: the days of the first great space operas by Edward Elmer Smith and Edmond Hamilton, through the cosmic thought variants by Murray Leinster, Jack Williamson and others to the early 1940s when John W. Campbell at Astounding did his best to nurture the infant genre into adulthood. Under him such major names as Robert A. Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, A. E. van Vogt and Theodore Sturgeon emerged who, along with other such new talents as Ray Bradbury and Arthur C. Clarke, helped create modern science fiction. For over forty years magazines were at the heart of science fiction and this book considers how the magazines, and their publishers, editors and authors influenced the growth and perception of this fascinating genre.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear.......2004-01-06

While this book had its rough spots, it was very interesting and fair.

Ashley looks at the history of science fiction magazines from the origin of magazines themselves to 1950. There is an awful lot of interesting information here on how magazines developed differently in Britain and the US.

When Ashley gets to the 1926-50 era, he is marvellous when covering the major magazines. He avoids overt deification or demonization and seems quite even-handed when dealing with the "Shaver hoax." Also, he does not take the route that when John W. Campbell became editor of Astounding all the other magazines ceased to be of interest.

This is essential reading for those interested in the early development of science fiction.
Transformations: Volume 2 in the History of the Science Fiction Magazine, 1950-1970 (Liverpool University Press - Liverpool Science Fiction Texts & Studies)
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Excellent
  • Even Better Than the First Volume
Transformations: Volume 2 in the History of the Science Fiction Magazine, 1950-1970 (Liverpool University Press - Liverpool Science Fiction Texts & Studies)
Mike Ashley
Manufacturer: Liverpool University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

20th Century20th Century | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | Classics | Comic | Contemporary | Literary
GeneralGeneral | Criticism & Theory | History & Criticism | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Ashley, MikeAshley, Mike | ( A ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
History & CriticismHistory & Criticism | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:
  1. Time Machines: The Story of the Science-Fiction Pulp Magazines from the Beginning to 1950 (Liverpool University Press - Liverpool Science Fiction Texts & Studies) Time Machines: The Story of the Science-Fiction Pulp Magazines from the Beginning to 1950 (Liverpool University Press - Liverpool Science Fiction Texts & Studies)
  2. Gateways to Forever: The Story of the Science-Fiction Magazines, 1970-1980 (Liverpool University Press - Liverpool Science Fiction Texts & Studies) Gateways to Forever: The Story of the Science-Fiction Magazines, 1970-1980 (Liverpool University Press - Liverpool Science Fiction Texts & Studies)
  3. Wonder's Child: My Life in Science Fiction Wonder's Child: My Life in Science Fiction
  4. Storyteller: Writing Lessons and More from 27 Years of the Clarion Writers' Workshop Storyteller: Writing Lessons and More from 27 Years of the Clarion Writers' Workshop
  5. Brave New Words: The Oxford Dictionary of Science Fiction Brave New Words: The Oxford Dictionary of Science Fiction

ASIN: 0853237794

Book Description

When we think of science fiction, we think primarily of movies and television shows, but this assumption belies the fact that the genre's initial rise to prominence came in pulp magazines. With lurid covers and titles like Galaxy, If, and Thrilling Wonder Stories, the science fiction pulp magazines created the visual and thematic vocabulary that continues to animate today's science fiction blockbusters.

In Transformations, the second volume in his acclaimed three-volume history of science fiction magazines, science fiction historian Mike Ashley brings his unparalleled knowledge to bear on the period from the beginning of the Cold War through the end of the 1960s, an era of tremendous change in the writing of and the marketplace for science fiction.

Ashley begins his story with the decline of the pulp magazines at the end of the 1940s and their replacement by new digest-sized and glossy magazines. That switch, and the increased respectability that came with it, coincided with a true golden age of science fiction writing in the early 1950s, with such giants of the genre as Isaac Asimov, Philip K. Dick, Frank Herbert, and Harlan Ellison all publishing regularly in a wide range of such magazines.

As Ashley shows, by the end of the decade, sales had slumped, all but six of the science fiction magazines had folded, and the future looked bleak--until the surprising rebirth of the genre through the work of British writers Michael Moorcock and J. G. Ballard. Ashley also considers how the popularity of Star Trek and the movie version of 2001: A Space Odyssey influenced the future of the science fiction magazine.

For fans of science fiction seeking to understand how their favorite genre evolved from Amazing Stories to Babylon 5, Transformations will be essential reading.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Excellent.......2005-08-13

I really can't add much to Michael Samerdyke's fine review. This book is a fascinating read for anyone interested in the history of science fiction.
One semi-complaint: Since cover art played a large part in the story of these magazines (and is often mentioned in this book), I was disappointed that there were no illustrations. But I suppose including color images would have increased the cost of book a lot. My solution was to read Transformations with [...] open on my computer. This is a massive online collection of SF magazine covers. Whenever a cover was mentioned in the book, I would look it up on SciFiList and it was usually there.

I'm eagerly waiting for volume 3 of this history, "Gateways to Forever."

5 out of 5 stars Even Better Than the First Volume.......2005-06-01

Transformations, the second volume in Ashley's three volume history of the science fiction magazine, is even better than the first volume, The Time Machines. He makes a very convincing case that this era (1950-70) was the most vibrant and creative in the history of the magazines.

What I appreciated most about this book was that Ashley brought new facts and interpretations to light. I never knew that the controversy over horror comics hurt the science fiction magazines, nor was I aware of a similar flap over UFO stories in the late 50s. Also, Galaxy Magazine and Worlds of If, which went out of business in the '70s, were only names to me, but Ashley shows how important they were in earlier decades.

Ashley is not the world's most elegant writer, but he knows his material and brings an enthusiasm that sweeps the reader along. Anyone interested in the history of science fiction would learn much by reading this book.
Shadows of the New Sun: Wolfe on Writing / Writers on Wolfe (Liverpool University Press - Liverpool Science Fiction Texts & Studies)
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Shadows of the New Sun: Wolfe on Writing / Writers on Wolfe (Liverpool University Press - Liverpool Science Fiction Texts & Studies)
    Peter Wright
    Manufacturer: Liverpool University Press
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

    GeneralGeneral | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | Classics | Comic | Contemporary | Literary
    GeneralGeneral | Criticism & Theory | History & Criticism | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
    History & CriticismHistory & Criticism | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
    CultureCulture | Sociology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
    Similar Items:
    1. Pirate Freedom (Sci Fi Essential Books) Pirate Freedom (Sci Fi Essential Books)
    2. The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate
    3. The Nail and the Oracle: Volume XI: The Complete Stories of Theodore Sturgeon The Nail and the Oracle: Volume XI: The Complete Stories of Theodore Sturgeon
    4. Soldier of Sidon Soldier of Sidon
    5. Spook Country Spook Country

    ASIN: 184631058X

    Book Description

    Award-winning contemporary science fiction author Gene Wolfe’s densely written and highly imaginative novels have brought him critical acclaim and academic attention—as well as a dedicated fan base. Shadows of the New Sun brings together an impressive selection of hard-to-find resources for the Wolfe reader and scholar. Included are essays on the nature of writing, with discussions of key concepts such as character, structure, and the professional life of the writer; a series of interviews with Wolfe; and the rare Wolfe essay “Books in the Book of the New Sun."
    The Country You Have Never Seen: Essays and Reviews (Liverpool University Press - Liverpool Science Fiction Texts & Studies)
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      The Country You Have Never Seen: Essays and Reviews (Liverpool University Press - Liverpool Science Fiction Texts & Studies)
      Joanna Russ
      Manufacturer: Liverpool University Press
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Paperback

      Women Writers & Feminist TheoryWomen Writers & Feminist Theory | Books & Reading | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
      20th Century20th Century | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
      GeneralGeneral | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | Classics | Comic | Contemporary | Literary
      GeneralGeneral | Criticism & Theory | History & Criticism | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
      Russ, JoannaRuss, Joanna | ( R ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
      History & CriticismHistory & Criticism | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
      Similar Items:
      1. The Nail and the Oracle: Volume XI: The Complete Stories of Theodore Sturgeon The Nail and the Oracle: Volume XI: The Complete Stories of Theodore Sturgeon

      ASIN: 0853238693

      Book Description

      In 1959, at the age of 22, Joanna Russ published her first science fiction story, "Nor Custom Stale," in The Magazine of Science Fiction and Fantasy. In the forty-five years since, Russ has continued to write some of the most popular, creative, and important novels and stories in science fiction. She was a central figure, along with contemporaries Ursula K. Le Guin and James Tiptree, in revolutionizing science fiction in the 1960s and 1970s, and her 1970 novel, The Female Man, is widely regarded as one of the most successful and influential depictions of a feminist utopia in the entire genre.

      The Country You Have Never Seen gathers Joanna Russ's most important essays and reviews, revealing the vital part she played over the years in the never-ending conversation among writers and fans about the roles, boundaries, and potential of science fiction. Spanning her entire career, the collection shines a light on Russ's role in the development of new wave science fiction and feminist science fiction, while at the same time providing fascinating insight into her own development as a writer.

      View From Another Shore: European Science Fiction (Liverpool University Press - Liverpool Science Fiction Texts & Studies)
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        View From Another Shore: European Science Fiction (Liverpool University Press - Liverpool Science Fiction Texts & Studies)

        Manufacturer: Liverpool University Press
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Paperback

        20th Century20th Century | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
        GeneralGeneral | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | Classics | Comic | Contemporary | Literary
        AnthologiesAnthologies | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
        Criticism & TheoryCriticism & Theory | History & Criticism | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | Deconstructionism | Feminist | General | Hermeneutics | Marxist | Semiotics | Sexuality in Literature | Structuralism
        FantasyFantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books | Alternate History | Anthologies | Arthurian | Contemporary | Epic | General | Historical | History & Criticism | Magic & Wizards | Series
        AnthologiesAnthologies | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
        GeneralGeneral | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
        History & CriticismHistory & Criticism | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
        ASIN: 0853239428

        Book Description

        A second edition, with a completely new contextual introduction and other new material, of a superb selection (first published in 1973 and for long out of print) of some of the best science fiction from continental Europe. Included are stories by Stanislaw Lem (Poland), Vsevolod Ivanov (Russia), Eurocon-award winner Adrian Rogoz (Romania), Herbert W. Franke (Germany), Wolfgang Jeschke (Germany), Gerard Klein (France) and others.
        Liverpool Fantasy: A Novel
        Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
        • As sad a story as I have ever read but also unsatisfying
        • A waste of time
        • Great Story Idea- terrible execution
        • Simply the Best
        • interesting, clever, but in need of focus
        Liverpool Fantasy: A Novel
        Larry Kirwan
        Manufacturer: Thunder's Mouth Press
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Paperback

        GeneralGeneral | Classics | United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
        GeneralGeneral | United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
        GeneralGeneral | Classics | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
        ClassicsClassics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
        ContemporaryContemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
        HistoricalHistorical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
        Action & AdventureAction & Adventure | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
        Psychological & SuspensePsychological & Suspense | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
        HistoricalHistorical | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
        Alternate HistoryAlternate History | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
        Similar Items:
        1. Green Suede Shoes: An Irish-American Odyssey Green Suede Shoes: An Irish-American Odyssey

        ASIN: 1560254971

        Book Description

        It’s 1987, and the Beatles are gathering in Liverpool for a reunion. It has been twenty-five years since John Lennon walked out of the Parlophone studios, taking George and Ringo with him. Paul, American-speaking and -acting, has become the world-famous Las Vegas entertainer Paul Montana, and he’s visiting Liverpool for the first time since 1962, hoping to reunite with his boyhood chums, the once “hottest little quartet—in Liverpool.” Father George, now a Jesuit priest, is recovering from a nervous breakdown; John is embittered, alcoholic, unemployed, and on the dole. His wife has left him, and young Julian has joined the fascist National Front. Ringo lives on the earnings of his entrepreneurial hairdressing wife while he and John sit in weekends with old rivals, Gerry and the Pacemakers. It is Lennon’s curse that he can imagine what might have been. Liverpool Fantasy is a blackly comic meditation on the enduring hazards of friendship, the alchemy of collaboration, and what a world without the Beatles—that is, without idealism—looks like.

        Customer Reviews:

        2 out of 5 stars As sad a story as I have ever read but also unsatisfying.......2007-04-18

        The Beatles; most everyone knows the story of The Beatles. Told baldly, it often reads like a work of fiction.

        But, imagine if, somehow, the story of a band from Liverpool had not been a story of success, but was instead a story where almost everything went terribly, terribly wrong for the members of the band and their familiies. And, to exacerbate the situation, imagine that we join the narrative at a time in the 1970s when Britain - no long great in any way shape or form - has yielded to a sort of proto-Fascism that has for decades - perhaps longer - lain just under the surface of the Brit political psyche.

        That's the background for 'Liverpool Fantasy: A Novel' by Larry Kirwan. From the pivotal, catalytic event that sets this alternative history into motion, author Kirwan presents John, Paul, George and Ringo on a stage decorated as a bleak image of despair, emotional turmoil and political violence.

        The story in brief is that Lennon's refusal to record a certain song in 1963 leads to the loss of a recording contract. The band fragments and McCartney moves to the United States with Brian Epstein and becomes - more or less - Barry Manilow. His character - an even more smarmy version of who he is today - achieves success, though not on the level of the Fab Four. There is also an undercurrent in him that is - perhaps due to Kirwan's somewhat shallow characterizations - hard to fathom. Paul Montana - his stage name, and you will be blown away by who he marries and later divorces - returns to Liverpool to seek out his former mates; but for what is unclear. It is never really determined if this is done to help them or himself, as Montana's career is flagging a bit at the start of the story.

        Lennon is a lonely, bitter middle-aged man with occasional outburts of near-insanity that make him difficult to be around. Think of it as genius denied with the bitterness that could unfold. Cynthia has left him after years of agony and no muse has risen to fill the gap.

        George - for reasons so muddy it is impossible to understand - entered the priesthood after the band folded, but is now ready to throw it aside in an instant.

        Ringo is Ringo.

        The actors and actresses of this story are also faced with the steady rise of a right wing poltical entity with all the trappings of Nazism. This may seem a stretch if you do not recall the widespread acceptance of Brit politician Enoch Powell's calls to "make England white" that occurred at the time of this story.

        Thye band reunites that splits asunder once more. Again, the reason is muddy, evoking everything from failed synchronicity through jealousy to insanity on the part of the main characters.

        Read at your peril...its tone of sadness is depressing to say the least. The most positive outlook in this tome is Kirwan's portrayal of women as the constant in terms of strength. The real Cynthia should have had the inner resources her character has in this book.

        1 out of 5 stars A waste of time.......2006-08-09

        The idea is great, the writing is poor. George Harrison a Jesuit priest, maybe. Half mad? Doubt it. John Lennon bitter middle age man, maybe. Sitting around doing nothing when not being "Looney Lennon" when crazy drunk and living on welfare? Doubt it. Paul McCarthy doing mediocre pop songs he wrote in Vegas, maybe. Womanizer who marries American celebrities who are known skanks? Doubt it. Ringo came the closest to the possible. I can see him married, fooling around, drumming for money on weekends barely making ends meet, drinking too much and too concerned about looking good.

        I could forgive the plot if the writing was better but it's bad. Nothing much happens but a lot of complaining about what could have been. That got boring. And maybe the slang they use is correct but you need a story. I found it a waste of time.

        2 out of 5 stars Great Story Idea- terrible execution.......2005-12-19

        I so wanted to like this novel. I am a huge fan of the beatles, and I love good alternative history stories. The idea of a story about if the Beatles had never made it was inspired.

        I also saw this as a play at the irish arts festival in New York City in 1998. Ironically, the play was engaging and touching.

        But alas, this novel was a major disappointment for several reasons.

        1) It took too long to get to the point! All 4 beatles don't even meet until after page 150. It was if the author was trying to lengthen the work for novel form, but without any new ideas.

        2) It wasn't a problem in the play, but having Paul McCartney as a world famous lounge singer didn't work in the novel. I find it hard to believe Paul would have left the lads behind, especially if he made it big on his own. It would have been much better if Paul was an UNSUCCESSFUL lounge singer. Also, Paul's basic character was changed too much. He came across as very sleazy.

        3) There just wasn't enough "beatleness" to the story. How about some major allusions to the life they could have had? How about some good, imaginative takes on classic beatle lore?- How about some funny mentions of Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields, etc. or some good jokes about flower power? There were a few, but they weren't enough. (ok, maybe there were copyright issues, but this is a work of fiction and fantasy after all)

        4) The alternative universe of England was underdeveloped. The oppressive government and society could have been explained better.

        2 stars for the great idea and for the play it was based on.

        5 out of 5 stars Simply the Best.......2005-03-21

        A fictional story about the Beatles breaking up before the band actually became what they are today, conjured up thoughts of a book about the music industry and the changes that we would expect.
        That is just a small part of it.
        Mr. Kirwan explores what would happen to an entire generation of people worldwide without the release of Rock and Roll and the theraputic nature of music on this generation.
        Political ramifications, musical ramifications, personal ramifacations, and much, much, more.
        The amazing part about this whole complex fantasy that he lays out for us, is it remains an easy read and a book that you will find hard to put down. The book also goes deeply into the band mates and what it meant to be one of the Liverpool Lads. The writings about them playing has to be as close to being on a stage than any of us will ever get. I am a guitar player, to a degree, and was sweating along with the lads when the band strikes up a chord. I sold my old guitar at 25 and this book made me buy another at 38.
        Just by chance I started this book on the grounds of the Hemmingway house while on vacation and I know the musings of Kirwan would make Papa smile.

        Thank you Mr. Larry Kirwan, I just picked up your latest work and am just as impressed early on.

        Daniel C. Laursen

        3 out of 5 stars interesting, clever, but in need of focus.......2004-10-28

        "Liverpool Fantasy" is a unique character study of the Beatles, questioning what they would have been like if they had broken up in 1962. The writeing is alternately insightful and confusing, it could have used a good editor, but considering that this is the author's first novel, the good definitely outweighs the bad. The first issue I had with the book was getting past the thick scouse accents. I don't know if the accents were correctly done or not, but when it gets down to it, they got in the way of the story. Also, I thought that John's accent should have been a little lighter then the others to reflect his more middleclass background. The plot seemed well conceived and I enjoyed the Facist goverment sidestory, esspecially how Julian figured into it. The major problem seems to be in the Beatles interactions. Just as soon the reader thinks they've settled their arguements, one of them brings it up again. That should have been better plotted. The biggest part of this book is the characters, becase this entire novel in essentially a character study. John Lennon, to me, was right on the mark. The perfect characterization of frustrated genius and stunted creativity combined with a stubborn personality and a scathing sense of humor. His violence and addictive tendencies were also portrayed without making him an unsympathetic character. Paul....was perfect, and that was scary. Without Lennon's caustic personality to balance him he becomes a sugery lounge lizard. Frightening. George was definitely right on as a preist, although imagineing him in a sanitarium was difficult. Ringo was the most unlikeable, and that was supriseing. I'm not sure if the author was fair to Ringo by not showing his nice side. As far as the secondary characters went, it seemed that they were all fine except for Maureen, whom could not decide between being a nagging bitch and a angel sent from heaven. Overall- a short, fun read with good bits to make up for its aching need of an editor.
        Speaking Science Fiction: Dialogues and Interpretations (Liverpool University Press - Liverpool Science Fiction Texts & Studies)
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          Speaking Science Fiction: Dialogues and Interpretations (Liverpool University Press - Liverpool Science Fiction Texts & Studies)

          Manufacturer: Liverpool University Press
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Paperback

          GeneralGeneral | Theater | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
          Literary TheoryLiterary Theory | History & Criticism | United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
          GeneralGeneral | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | Classics | Comic | Contemporary | Literary
          GeneralGeneral | Criticism & Theory | History & Criticism | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
          GeneralGeneral | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
          History & CriticismHistory & Criticism | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
          History & CriticismHistory & Criticism | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
          ASIN: 0853238448

          Book Description

          This wide-ranging volume explores the various dialogues that flourish between different aspects of science fiction: academics and fans, writers and readers; ideological stances and national styles; different interpretations of the genre; and how language and "voices" are used in constructing SF. Introduced by the acclaimed novelist Brian W. Aldiss, the essays range from studies of writers such as Robert A. Heinlein, who are considered as the "heart" of the genre, to more contemporary writers such as Jack Womack and J. G. Ballard.
          Philip K. Dick: Exhilaration and Terror of the Postmodern (Liverpool University Press - Liverpool Science Fiction Texts & Studies)
          Average customer rating: Not rated
            Philip K. Dick: Exhilaration and Terror of the Postmodern (Liverpool University Press - Liverpool Science Fiction Texts & Studies)
            Christopher Palmer
            Manufacturer: Liverpool University Press
            ProductGroup: Book
            Binding: Paperback

            United StatesUnited States | Horror | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
            GeneralGeneral | Classics | United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
            GeneralGeneral | History & Criticism | United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
            20th Century20th Century | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
            GeneralGeneral | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | Classics | Comic | Contemporary | Literary
            GeneralGeneral | Criticism & Theory | History & Criticism | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
            PostmodernismPostmodernism | Movements & Periods | History & Criticism | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
            History & CriticismHistory & Criticism | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
            History & CriticismHistory & Criticism | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
            Similar Items:
            1. Counterfeit Worlds: Philip K. Dick on Film Counterfeit Worlds: Philip K. Dick on Film

            ASIN: 0853236283

            Book Description

            Once solely the possession of fans and buffs, the SF author Philip K Dick is now finding a much wider audience, as the success of the films Blade Runner and Minority Report shows. The kind of world he predicted in his funny and frightening novels and stories is coming closer to most of us: shifting realities, unstable relations, uncertain moralities. Philip K. Dick: Exhilaration and Terror of the Postmodern examines a wide range of Dick’s work, including his short stories and posthumously published realist novels. Christopher Palmer analyzes the puzzling and dazzling effects of Dick’s fiction, and argues that at its heart is a clash between exhilarating possibilities of transformation, and a frightening lack of ethical certainties. Dick’s work is seen as the inscription of his own historical predicament, the clash between humanism and postmodernism being played out in the complex forms of the fiction. The problem is never resolved, but Dick’s ways of imagining it become steadily more ingenious and challenging.

            Books:

            1. Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany
            2. History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)
            3. History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
            4. History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
            5. History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
            6. History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
            7. History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
            8. History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
            9. History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
            10. History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

            Books Index

            Books Home

            Recommended Books

            1. Occupational Outlook Handbook 2006- 2007
            2. How to Build Walks, Walls & Patio Floors
            3. Cartoon Guide to Statistics
            4. Black: A Celebration of a Culture
            5. Fire Officer's Handbook Of Tactics
            6. History: Fiction or Science
            7. Families That Take in Friends: An Informal History of Dude Ranching
            8. Need For Speed: Underground 2
            9. Advances in International Accounting, 1992/a Research Annual
            10. Consumers Index to Product Evaluations and Information Sources 2000