Gary Westfahl je ústřední postavou kritiky sci-fi, známý svým rozsáhlým, metodickým a poučeným přístupem, který se často nebojí jít proti proudu. Jeho práce se hluboce noří do témat a stylů vědeckofantastické literatury i filmu, přičemž se zaměřuje na odhalování skrytých souvislostí a historického vývoje žánru. Prostřednictvím svých četných článků, recenzí a knih se Westfahl etabloval jako respektovaný badatel, který poskytuje čtenářům pronikavé analýzy a nové pohledy na svět sci-fi. Jeho kritický pohled je neocenitelný pro každého, kdo chce plně pochopit bohatství a rozmanitost tohoto fascinujícího žánru.
Gary Westfahl, an adjunct professor at the University of La Verne, has made significant contributions to the field of science fiction through his extensive publications. Notable works include the comprehensive three-volume Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy, as well as the acclaimed Science Fiction Quotations, which received a Hugo Award nomination. His expertise and scholarly approach enrich the understanding of the genre.
Focusing on accessible themes in science fiction, the book explores key subjects like inventions, space, robots, and aliens through twenty-one chapters. Originally compiled from essays for classroom use, it serves as a supplemental textbook for students while also appealing to scholars and enthusiasts of the genre. The content bridges the gap between complex definitions and relatable concepts, making it a valuable resource for anyone interested in the evolution and impact of science fiction literature.
Already renowned for his science fiction and scientific nonfiction, Arthur C. Clarke became the world's most famous science fiction writer after the success of 2001: A Space Odyssey. He then produced novels like Rendezvous with Rama and The Fountains of Paradise that many regard as his finest works. Gary Westfahl closely examines Clarke's remarkable career, ranging from his forgotten juvenilia to the passages he completed for a final novel, The Last Theorem. As Westfahl explains, Clarke's science fiction offered original perspectives on subjects like new inventions, space travel, humanity's destiny, alien encounters, the undersea world, and religion. While not inclined to mysticism, Clarke necessarily employed mystical language to describe the fantastic achievements of advanced aliens and future humans. Westfahl also contradicts the common perception that Clarke's characters were bland and underdeveloped, arguing that these reticent, solitary individuals, who avoid conventional relationships, represent his most significant prediction of the future, as they embody the increasingly common lifestyle of people in the twenty-first century.