Imagine you were going on a long trip, say around the world. And just before you leave you are introduced to someone who is going to be your companion on this journey. At first, you think to yourself, hey, they've got lots of the same interests as me, we'll get along great. But before too long it becomes apparent that their every word gets on your nerves. They are boring, irritating, and inescapable. It is all you can do to stop yourself screaming and running away, or worse, hammering them over the head with a shovel every time you hear their voice. But you are not a nasty person. Nor are you a psychopath. You made your bed, the journey is a long one, and you are just going to have to find a way to live together. And what do you know? After a few long, boring and irritating months, some glimmer of hope arises. You have got used to some of their quirks, know when they are being a particular way because they are nervous. And more to the point you get to know each other better, and the trip starts to become a little enjoyable. And maybe, just maybe, by the time you disembark that final train, and head for your respective homes, you might actually be planning on when you will see each other again.
That is how I feel about this book. Had I given in to my first urge, after ploughing through the first third or so of it, wanting to throw the damn thing at the wall and pick up something far less annoying instead – I would have written the briefest and most damning review, probably in terms the editor would be less than happy to print. But I did not. I stuck at it, carried on reading, and discovered the hidden qualities my “companion” to science fiction had been keeping closely guarded.
The few of these Blackwell Companion books that I have read all share the same feel, of “weighty tome”. While the Cambridge Companion to Science Fiction (James and Mendlesohn, 2003), which I reviewed a while ago (RR 2004/) was an accessible and entertaining read, suitable for many audiences, I would stick this one firmly on the academic library shelf, or in the hands of serious enthusiasts with a literary criticism bent. The book is split into several sections, and it was the first few of these which caused me the greatest problems. Part I, “Surveying the field”, gives a reasonable overview of the evolution of the genre, where did it begin and how it developed. The various trends and cliques of the early science fiction magazines are discussed, but something about the style of the chapters which cover this has more of the feel of a list. It is all about names; names of editors, names of their journals, and names of the authors they offered patronage to. The differences between writers and the changing interests and prejudices that shaped the writing in these magazines did not seem to come through in this book. Similarly, Part II, “Topics and debates”, did not grab me. The chapters on feminist and socialist science fiction writing were too intangible for my tastes. However, I must hold my hand up and say I never much liked literary criticism that got tied up in itself. For example, the gist of Marlene S. Barr's “Feminist fabulation” essay seemed to me to be that once upon a time she wrote an essay saying that the speculative fictional writings of women/feminists should be termed “Feminist Fabulation” and not “Feminist Science‐Fiction” because science fiction at the time was considered a rubbishy pulp genre with no literary merit, and feminist works deserved more respect than this because they were serious socio‐political thought exercises. She now ponders whether given the increased recognition of the literary value of science fiction writing, she should recant this suggestion. If she comes to a concrete conclusion, I missed it. So this part of the book is certainly not for the faint hearted.
However, all is not lost. Part III, “Genres and movements”, gives me more of what I was looking for in the earlier chapters, Mark Bould's Cyberpunk is a particularly good run through this more recent sub‐genre. Part IV, “Science fiction film” recognises that to many science fiction fans these days, this is a subject area exploited to superb effect through the means of television and film, using modern technologies to bring the imagined to life. Peter Wright shows the particular character of British television science fiction, it is more pessimistic, less jingoistic stance. Part V, “The international scene”, gives snapshots of the history and status quo of the genre in Canada, Japan and Asia and Australia – the middle one being particularly interesting given Japan's unique perspective on nuclear holocaust and the prominence of science fiction tropes in Manga and Animé.
My particular favourites it has to be said are the last two parts, VI, “Key writers”, and VII, “Readings”. The introductions to the life and works are well written and informative, covering H.G. Wells, Isaac Asimov, John Wyndham, Philip K. Dick, Samuel Delaney, Ursula K. Le Guin, Gwyneth Jones, Arthur C. Clarke, and Greg Egan. The readings of major texts will, I think, be of tremendous use and interest to students of literature, giving many ideas for further study and analysis. Covered here are: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein: Or, the Modern Prometheus; Charlotte Perkins Gilman's Herland; Aldous Huxley's Brave New World; Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451; Joanna Russ's The Female Man; J.G. Ballard's Crash; Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale; William Gibson's Neuromancer; Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy; and finally Iain M. Bank's Excession.
The contributing authors are academics, librarians, critics and authors (and one emergency medicine physician (?!)) There are copious useful references and some reading lists at the end of each chapter. The index is comprehensive and useful. All in all this is a good book. It is, as I mentioned, a book largely for an academic audience – it should not be read, as I did, cover to cover. It should be referred to, for articles of interest to whatever the reader is studying. Hence the useful index. As long as people approach it in this way I think we can avoid bloodshed. However, unless you really need that serious academic slant, or think the last two chapters worth the £85 price tag, you may find the Cambridge title (at £16.99) friendlier to a wider range of users.
