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Hell's Cartographers: Inside The Minds Of Six Legendary Sci-Fi Authors
What motivates great science fiction writers? Why did they choose the genre? Where do they get their ideas? In this illuminating volume, six of the field's bestselling authors present lively personal histories that provide fascinating insights into the creative process — and offer inspiration for aspiring wordsmiths.
In the introduction, Brian W. Aldiss observes, "Never have critics and readers in any field been more divided than they are over science fiction." Aldiss goes on to define his concept of the difference between fiction and nonfiction in "Magic and Bare Boards." His coeditor, Harry Harrison, reminisces about his bookish childhood in "The Beginning of the Affair."
"Ah, science fiction, science fiction!" sighs Alfred Bester in "My Affair with Science Fiction." He notes, "I've read it all my life, off and on, with excitement, with joy, sometimes with sorrow." Other heartfelt and insightful contributions include Robert Silverberg's "Sounding Brass, Tinkling Cymbal," Damon Knight's "Knight Piece," and Frederik Pohl's "Ragged Claws."
In the introduction, Brian W. Aldiss observes, "Never have critics and readers in any field been more divided than they are over science fiction." Aldiss goes on to define his concept of the difference between fiction and nonfiction in "Magic and Bare Boards." His coeditor, Harry Harrison, reminisces about his bookish childhood in "The Beginning of the Affair."
"Ah, science fiction, science fiction!" sighs Alfred Bester in "My Affair with Science Fiction." He notes, "I've read it all my life, off and on, with excitement, with joy, sometimes with sorrow." Other heartfelt and insightful contributions include Robert Silverberg's "Sounding Brass, Tinkling Cymbal," Damon Knight's "Knight Piece," and Frederik Pohl's "Ragged Claws."
256 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 1975
9 people are currently reading
125 people want to read
About the author
Brian W. Aldiss
831 books669 followersPseudonyms: 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
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
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
December 31, 2019
Brian Aldiss managed to compile a real who is who of the 70s SF and let them tell their stories in their own peculiar ways, making you appreciate them even more... And to think that they all learned the benefits of multiple drafts and self editing only later in their careers.
If you love these authors, you will love this book. I for one read one thing or another from all of these people except Damon Knight (this will be corrected one day).
If you love these authors, you will love this book. I for one read one thing or another from all of these people except Damon Knight (this will be corrected one day).
January 12, 2021
Very enjoyable. Informative. Recommended.
November 28, 2019
Nostalgia Ltd.
Six people, five of them passed away unfortunately, share their thoughts on writing, state of SF, and memories of themselves. It's interesting to "listen" to them talk, if you can get past annoying typos in text. You want some brief overview? This is a good one, but not necessarily the only one.
Six people, five of them passed away unfortunately, share their thoughts on writing, state of SF, and memories of themselves. It's interesting to "listen" to them talk, if you can get past annoying typos in text. You want some brief overview? This is a good one, but not necessarily the only one.
January 4, 2016
The 1970s. Too little is written about the mechanics of the genre at that time. This collection is short bios and essays by well-regarded writers of the past. Regardless of whether I liked the outputs of the writers, I found this good, informative stuff. There were six contributors. For the benefit of readers of today, with the hindsight of many years, I have included (in parentheses) a representative work. Go check out SF writing as it was.
• Alfred Bester (Tiger! Tiger!
• Damon Knight (best known as a critic and editor especially the Orbit 1 series)
• Frederik Pohl (Gateway)
• Robert Silverberg (Dying Inside)
• Harry Harrison (The Stainless Steel Rat)
• Brian W Aldiss (Non-Stop is worth checking, also well-known as a critic)
As was the case back then, SF writers of today are often too busy ploughing their own furrows, nevertheless I would also recommend this to any who have an interest in writing beyond simply cranking out product.
• Alfred Bester (Tiger! Tiger!
• Damon Knight (best known as a critic and editor especially the Orbit 1 series)
• Frederik Pohl (Gateway)
• Robert Silverberg (Dying Inside)
• Harry Harrison (The Stainless Steel Rat)
• Brian W Aldiss (Non-Stop is worth checking, also well-known as a critic)
As was the case back then, SF writers of today are often too busy ploughing their own furrows, nevertheless I would also recommend this to any who have an interest in writing beyond simply cranking out product.
August 27, 2012
Excellent short-auto-bios by Alfred Bester, Damond Knight, Frederik Pohl, Robert Silverberg, Harry Harrison and Brian W. Aldiss. Each is written in a very personal way or style. If you are researching the history of golden age SF or these authors in particular, "Hell's Cartographers" is a good place to go to.
It is a shame that there were not more similar editions published after this one (1974). Charles Platt's "Dream Makers" (1980) is similar, but these are brief interviews, not auto biographies.
It is a shame that there were not more similar editions published after this one (1974). Charles Platt's "Dream Makers" (1980) is similar, but these are brief interviews, not auto biographies.
March 24, 2013
At times might've been called Hell's Reading Assignment. Almost everyone was annoying some way or another: Silverberg preened his plumage, Damon Knight talked way too much about those fan trolls, and Aldiss was a pompous twit. And Pohl was much more interesting in his book on the subject. About the only one who didn't leave me halfway hurling was Harrison.
September 29, 2021
Aldiss, Brian W., and Harry Harrison, eds. Hell’s Cartographers: The personal histories of science fiction writers: Alfred Bester, Damon Knight, Frederik Pohl, Robert Silverberg, Harry Harrison, Brian W Aldiss. Orbit, 1975.
Hell’s Cartographers is a fascinating read for anyone interested in the group of science fiction authors who grew up during the Depression and whose personal histories include World War II, the Cold War, and Viet Nam. Brian Aldiss (1925-2007), Alfred Bester (1913-1973), Harry Harrison (1925-2012), Damon Knight (1922-2002), Frederik Pohl (1919-2013), and Robert Silverberg (b. 1935) grew up reading science fiction pulp magazines edited by the likes of Hugo Gernsback and John W. Campbell. They got their start writing and editing for these same magazines and their often-short-lived successors. Their output of pulp short stories was prodigious—it had to be at the standard rate of half-a-cent a word. At his height, Silverberg says he was publishing a million words a year. Many of them were members of a New York group of leftist science fiction fans who called themselves Futurians; they shared beer money, slept on each other’s couches, and promoted each other’s work. They had mixed feelings about the pulp they read and wrote as young men, and as they matured, they looked for ways to deepen and expand their range giving pulp a satirical edge, writing more character-driven stories, researching more deeply, and creating the postmodern style that came to be called New Wave.
In a final section, each of them discusses his writing process. In the mid-seventies they were still working with typewriters, but one of them was looking forward to a time when some of the drudgery would be taken over by computers. They said they were revising more and writing more slowly than they did in their youth.
One small caveat. The title suggests that they like Dante, writing anatomies of human failings and misery. While they do find fault with human foolishness and perfidy, their own stories are upbeat tales of success, and their outlooks are optimistic. 4 stars, an important contribution to literary history.
Hell’s Cartographers is a fascinating read for anyone interested in the group of science fiction authors who grew up during the Depression and whose personal histories include World War II, the Cold War, and Viet Nam. Brian Aldiss (1925-2007), Alfred Bester (1913-1973), Harry Harrison (1925-2012), Damon Knight (1922-2002), Frederik Pohl (1919-2013), and Robert Silverberg (b. 1935) grew up reading science fiction pulp magazines edited by the likes of Hugo Gernsback and John W. Campbell. They got their start writing and editing for these same magazines and their often-short-lived successors. Their output of pulp short stories was prodigious—it had to be at the standard rate of half-a-cent a word. At his height, Silverberg says he was publishing a million words a year. Many of them were members of a New York group of leftist science fiction fans who called themselves Futurians; they shared beer money, slept on each other’s couches, and promoted each other’s work. They had mixed feelings about the pulp they read and wrote as young men, and as they matured, they looked for ways to deepen and expand their range giving pulp a satirical edge, writing more character-driven stories, researching more deeply, and creating the postmodern style that came to be called New Wave.
In a final section, each of them discusses his writing process. In the mid-seventies they were still working with typewriters, but one of them was looking forward to a time when some of the drudgery would be taken over by computers. They said they were revising more and writing more slowly than they did in their youth.
One small caveat. The title suggests that they like Dante, writing anatomies of human failings and misery. While they do find fault with human foolishness and perfidy, their own stories are upbeat tales of success, and their outlooks are optimistic. 4 stars, an important contribution to literary history.
May 13, 2025
Published in 1975, re-released by Dover in 2018. A group of famous SF authors write about themselves. It's interesting but serious ego leads to rambling too often for it to be more than average. It's also interesting to read the references of the time it's written, a few years after I started reading SF. Recency bias has me referring to the final author, Aldiss, writing about his great trip to Yugoslavia. Where?
June 29, 2020
Very, very narrowly focused survey on science fiction back when calling it Sci-Fi instead of SF elicited shrieks of horror. Fascinating insight into several popular authors of the day, but don't read it looking for any diversity, unless "one British guy" counts for you.
August 27, 2025
An important dive into the history and environment of a past era of science fiction writing/writers. An important archive of science fiction lore that all practitioners who write in the genre should read as a matter of urgency.
February 28, 2016
Essays by golden age science fiction authors in the midst of their careers (published in 1975) that by turns funny, fascinating and insightful. If your interest is how authors see their development as writers, this a wonderful read. It would be a fascinating project to do the same with a current crop of science fiction writers.
November 4, 2012
I owned a copy of this years ago, read and re-read it. All the short bios of the authors covered are of interest, but I particularly liked Alfie Bester's because it had a lot on his work methods and creative process. A really lovely book.
October 1, 2009
Six SF authors tell a little about their life and the way they work. Intersting and enjoyable.
March 12, 2012
Struggled with this one. Hard to define why. Gave it to the CCF bookswap.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews