A companion piece to the British Library’s Science Fiction Classics series, put together by expert and regular contributor, Mike Ashley, this title is an accessible exploration into new or unknown science fiction authors, as well as offering new perspectives on famous names in Science Fiction and classic space tales. It features plate sections showcasing some of the beautiful and wild cover design in the evolution of science fiction.

From the enrapturing tales of H G Wells to the punishing dystopian visions of 1984 and beyond, the evolution of science fiction from the 1890s to the 1960s is a fascinating journey to undertake. Setting out this span of years as what we can now recognise as the ‘classic’ period of the genre, Mike Ashley takes us on a tour of the stars, utopian and post-apocalyptic futures, worlds of AI run amok and techno-thriller masterpieces asking piercing questions of the present.

This book does not claim to be definitive; what it does offer is an accessible view of the impressive spectrum of imaginative writing which the genre’s classic period has to offer. Towering science fiction greats such as Asimov and Aldiss run alongside the, perhaps unexpected, likes of C S Lewis and J B Priestley and celebrate a side of science fiction beyond the stereotypes of space opera and bug-eyed monsters; the side of science fiction which proves why it must continue to be written and read, so long as any of us remain in uncertain times.

Publication date: 22/10/20

Author: Mike Ashley

Brand: British Library Publishing

Number of pages: 336

Binding: Paperback

Dimensions: 210 x 149 mm