The Dictionary of Science Fiction Places

by Brian M. Stableford

GILEAD, Margaret Atwood's sexually oppressive society in The Handmaid's Tale A. E. Van Vogt's IMPERIAL CITY, the seat of power of the Isher dynasty, which ruled Earth, Mars, and Venus for nearly five thousand years MONARCH TOWER, the twenty-third-century New York skyscraper in Alfred Bester's The Demolished Man Isaac Asimov's utopain space habitat, ROTOR These are but a few of the many places Brian Stableford visits in this extraordinary directory of the most famous and interesting locations, both on and off Earth, invented by writers of science fiction. In fascinating detail, Stableford illuminates the history, geography, and inhabitants of the strange worlds created by more than 250 writers ranging from Cyrano de Bergerac and H. G. Wells to Arthur C. Clarke and Ray Bradbury. Meticulously cross-referenced, with brilliant illustrations by the well-known fantasy and science fiction artist Jeff White, this unique volume is a browser's delight and first-class reference tool for every science fiction fan.

Genres: Reference, Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Brian Michael Stableford was a British science fiction writer who published more than 70 novels. His earlier books were published under the name Brian M. Stableford, but more recent ones have dropped the middle initial and appeared under the name Brian Stableford. He also used the pseudonym Brian Craig for a couple of very early works, and again for a few more recent works. The pseudonym derives from the first names of himself and of a school friend from the 1960s, Craig A. Mackintosh, with whom he jointly published some very early work.

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay a short update from me - as usual with these kind of reference books they are incredibly additive when all you really stopped by was to check the reference made somewhere else.

Well that is exactly what happened thanks to another book I am reading - the British Libraries Science Fiction a literary history. As you can imagine from a book that is trying to chart the birth and evolution of the genre (I am only part way through it) there are a lot of references and of course I could not resist looking a few of them up and this is where the Dictionary of Science Fiction Places comes in.

Yes a lot of the comments I made below still stand but when you start to use the book in anger you realise the amount to material that was captured in making it. There are all sorts of cross reference links, links to authors works used to source the material and of course the authors themselves so what started off a quick check on something rapidly descended in to a lot more.

This book is a mix to me - the entries are fascinating - I love to explore and try out new books, authors and genres and this is a great way without ruining the book you pick up. it gives you facts and details in a dispassionate and neutral manner which is great - as say a guide book is to tempt you round sights when you go out exploring or are looking for places to visit. What let me down was the internal artwork - its line drawings and they are basic at best- to me they give a rather pulp amateurish feel to what otherwise looks like a reference book. IT reminds me of the role playing books that were churned out in the early 90s before video games took over.
A redeeming feature that i do love which i only stumbled across were the two glossaries are the back, the first is a list of works cited listed by author (Ok i am a bibliophile through and through) and the second is an entry list but with likes to the title it was taken from and the author who wrote it.So all in all a mixed book - yes one I keep and refer back to (already have in fact) but one I wish they had presented better.

[Trevor Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've had this "dictionary" for years now, yet whenever I open it up I always find something new that is genuinely interesting, enough to find out where that place originated and check it out.
That is, find the book that place came from and give it a read.

Published in 1999, this book has information laid out like the old Encyclopedia Britannia's that many people had on many shelves in their homes decades ago. Every entry within is a building, structure, city, entire worlds, or even entire universes that exists in one or several science fiction books that were published, going back as far as 1888. I love that the level of detail is such that you learn a great deal about a locale, but at the same time, plot details are kept to a minimum (characters are rarely mentioned, and if they are it's only in context of the entry), making this book mostly spoiler-free. Every entry ends with details of the book or book series, along with the author and publication year; you also have a list of other entries that are related to the one you're reading, making it easy to learn about other places in the same book if you wanted. Finally, you'll find dozens of hand-drawn pictures of select places every few pages, making said areas even more alive.

The Dictionary of Science Fiction Places is a great source to learn about hundreds of interesting aspects of well over 100 sci-fi novels. It's not meant to be read like a traditional book, but it certainly could, and if you do, I know you'd find your physical or digital bookshelf grow considerably as a result.

[Roland Volz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is interesting! It seems superficially to be similar to the Dictionary of Imaginary Places, which I love. However, the art and cartography is nowhere near the same class, which is a pity.

[Curtiss · Rating 3 out of 5]

A compendium of those "places" made famous in various science fiction stories.