THE MAMMOTH ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SCIENCE FICTION

There aren't that many SF guides on the market, so The MammothEncyclopaedia of Science Fiction is a great place to start if you'relooking for a good value and an undaunting tour through the world of thefantastic. George Mann has divided the book into sensible and logical areas,including the history and origins of SF and examples of the genre on thebig screen and in print. His comprehensive breakdown manages to includeall the major authors who have made their mark in SF with no obvious namesmissing and it's good to see British authors being recognised, even if thisis at the expense of such genre big guns as George RR Martin and RobinHobb, who are surprisingly passed over. (Even Amazon.co.uk's own DavidLangford gets a mention.) Each entry is accompanied by a short biography,a mention of their most famous and important works and a bibliography. Thefilm section also boasts some excellent choices with plenty of classicblack and white movies featured alongside modern masterpieces such asAliens. Mann's thoughtful and concise commentary is lean and to the point,providing plenty of well thought out analysis without giving too muchaway. The index and appendix is excellent, as is the up-to-date listing ofawards and Web sites--even t he most devoted fan is sure to find somethingnew