Science Fiction in the Real World

No ordinary critic, Norman Spinrad explicates, celebrates, and sometimes excoriates science fiction from the privileged perspective of an artist armed with intimate knowledge of the craft of fiction and even of the writers themselves. In these 13 essays, Spinrad urges science fiction as a genre to reach its potential. He divides the essaysnew works written specifically for this book combined with those that appeared inIsaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazineintofive sections: "Literature and Genre: A Critical Overview," in which Spinrad establishes his critical standards; "Alternate Media: Visual Translations," a discussion of comic books and books made into movies; "Modes of Content: Hard SF, Cyberpunk, and the Space Visionaries"; "Psychopolitics and Science Fiction: HeroesTrue and Otherwise"; and "Masters of the Form: Careers in Profile," discussions of Sturgeon, Vonnegut, Ballard, and Dick.Spinrad, Norman is the author of 'Science Fiction in the Real World' with ISBN 9780809316717 and ISBN 0809316714.