Science Fiction and Futurism ─ Their Terms and Ideas

Science and science fiction have become inseparable—with common stories, interconnected thought experiments, and shared language. This reference book lays out that relationship and its all-but-magical terms and ideas. Those who think seriously about the future are changing the world, reshaping how we speak and how we think. This book fully covers the terms that collected, clarified and crystallized the futurists’ ideas, sometimes showing them off, sometimes slowing them down, and sometimes propelling them to fame and making them the common currency of our culture. The many entries in this encyclopedic work offer a guided tour of the vast territories occupied by science fiction and futurism. In his Foreword, David Brin says, “Provocative and enticing? Filled with ‘huh!’ moments and leads to great stories? That describes this volume.”

Ace G. Pilkington has published more than 100 articles, reviews, short stories and poems. He holds a D.Phil. from Oxford University, is a member of the SFWA, and is the author of Screening Shakespeare and coeditor of The Fantastic Made Visible. A professor of English and history at Dixie State University, he lives in St. George, Utah.