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Science Fiction

It's no surprise that science fiction didn't surface till the end of the 19th century....and the beginning of the Technological Age. Modern man is preoccupied with technology, both as villain and hero, and though most people probably associate sci-fi with Star Wars and Doctor Who, originally it was a literary genre devoted to serious (and often terrifying themes).

That's not to say it hasn't always been plain fun. H.G. Wells was making weighty social commentary when he wrote The War of the Worlds and The Invisible Man, but both of those are also rousing adventure stories with themes that remain stock elements of the genre. Dune is Frank Herbert's political and ecological manifesto, as well as a desert saga filled with knife fights and mysterious Fremen wanderers.

At first glance a lot of science fiction looks pretty much like tech-savvy fantasy. In some cases it is—the aforementioned Star Wars has swords and knights and an evil emperor, just like The Prydain Chronicles or John White's Archives of Anthropos. But this kind of swashbuckling galactic adventure is typically called "space opera" and not taken very seriously except as great entertainment.

The more contemplative (but no less exciting) work of Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov and Orson Scott Card is what comprises the canon of Science Fiction proper. Subjects range from psychological investigations to the ethics of human-robot relations, but all of them are concerned primarily with human society and the moral obligations of those within its bounds.

In 1896, H.G. Wells published a novel called The Island of Dr. Moreau. It follows a captive of the crazed Dr. Moreau, whose experiments uniting animal and human organisms reach a gruesome level. While the implications would seem distant from any realm of possibility, Wells' fable touches on many contemporary themes, from stem cell research to the Creation/Evolution debate. It is in this tradition that the greatest science fiction authors write, making some small sense of the growing senseless complexity of modern life.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he is a husband and father, teaches adult Sunday school in his Presbyterian congregation, and likes weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.

 

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Among the Barons
by Margaret Peterson Haddix
from Simon and Schuster
for 5th-8th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Among the Betrayed
by Margaret Peterson Haddix
from Simon and Schuster
for 5th-8th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$7.99
Among the Brave
by Margaret Peterson Haddix
from Simon and Schuster
for 5th-8th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$7.99
Among the Enemy
by Margaret Peterson Haddix
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 5th-8th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$7.99
Among the Free
by Margaret Peterson Haddix
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 5th-8th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$7.99
Among the Hidden
by Margaret Peterson Haddix
from Simon and Schuster
for 5th-8th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Among the Impostors
by Margaret Peterson Haddix
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 5th-8th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$7.99
Big Chunk of Ice
Mad Scientists' Club
by Bertrand R. Brinley, Charles Geer
from Purple House Press
for 4th-7th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
Brave New World
by Aldous Huxley
from Harper Perennial
for 10th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$6.50 (1 in stock)
Canticle for Leibowitz
by Walter M. Miller
from HarperCollins
for 10th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$16.99
Case of the Gasping Garbage
by Michele Torrey
2nd edition from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$6.95
Catching Fire
by Suzanne Collins
Reprint from Scholastic Press
for 7th-9th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$14.99
Charlotte Sometimes
by Penelope Farmer
from Yearling
for 4th-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Dark Tower
by C. S. Lewis
Reissue from HarperOne
for 11th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$13.99
Diamond of Darkhold
Book of Ember #4
by Jeanne DuPrau
from Yearling
for 4th-7th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$8.99
Earth Abides
by George R. Stewart
from Harper Voyager
for 10th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$18.99
Enchantress from the Stars
by Sylvia Engdahl
from Firebird Press
for 7th-9th grade
1971 Newbery Honor Book
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Eyre Affair
Thursday Next Book 1
by Jasper Fforde
from Penguin Putnam
for 10th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$18.00
Forbidden Planet
by W. J. Stuart
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for 10th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$45.00 (1 in stock)
Found
Missing #01
by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Reprint from Simon and Schuster
for 4th-7th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$8.99
Game Over
Mindwar Trilogy #3
by Andrew Klavan
from Thomas Nelson Publishers
for 6th-12th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$12.99
Gathering Blue
The Giver Trilogy #2
by Lois Lowry
Reprint from Graphia
for 7th-10th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$11.99
Hostage Run
Mindwar #2
by Andrew Klavan
from Thomas Nelson Publishers
for 6th-12th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$12.99
House of the Scorpion
by Nancy Farmer
Reprint from Atheneum
for 8th-Adult
2003 Newbery Honor Book; 2003 National Book Award for Young People's Literature
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$12.99 $7.00 (1 in stock)
Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins
Reprint from Scholastic Press
Historical Fiction for 7th-10th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$14.99
Hunger Games Trilogy
by Suzanne Collins
from Scholastic Press
for 7th-9th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
Hunger Games Trilogy
by Suzanne Collins
from Scholastic Press
for 7th-9th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
Journey to the Center of the Earth
by Jules Verne, illustrated by Edouard Riou
from Dover Publications
Science Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$2.00 (6 in stock)
Kindred
by Octavia E. Butler
from Beacon Press
for Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
Last Book In The Universe
by Rodman Philbrick
from Blue Sky press
for 3rd-7th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$7.99
Lathe of Heaven
by Ursula K. Le Guin
from Charles Scribner's Sons
for 10th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$17.00
Lord of Light
by Roger Zelazny
from HarperCollins
for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$13.99
Messenger
by Lois Lowry
from Houghton Mifflin
for 7th-9th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$10.99
Mighty Jack
Mighty Jack #1
by Ben Hatke
from First Second
for 3rd-6th grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
Mighty Jack and the Goblin King
Mighty Jack #2
by Ben Hatke
from First Second
for 3rd-6th grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
$14.99
Mighty Jack and Zita the Space Girl
by Ben Hatke
from First Second
for 3rd-6th grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
$14.99
Mighty Jack Trilogy - Boxed Set
Mighty Jack #1
by Ben Hatke
from First Second
for 3rd-6th grade
in Boxed Sets & Literature Packages (Location: FIC-BOX)
$44.97
Mockingjay
by Suzanne Collins
Reprint from Scholastic Press
for 7th-9th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$14.99
Motel of the Mysteries
by David Macaulay
from Houghton Mifflin
Humor for 4th-8th grade
in Humor & Comedy (Location: FIC-COM)
$14.99 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Of Other Worlds
by C. S. Lewis
Reissue from HarperOne
for 8th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$13.99
Out of the Silent Planet
Space Trilogy Book 1
by C. S. Lewis
from Charles Scribner's Sons
Allegorical Science Fiction for 8th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$16.00
Paris in the Twentieth Century
by Jules Verne
from Random House
for 9th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$15.00
People of Sparks
Book of Ember #2
by Jeanne DuPrau
Reprint from Yearling
for 4th-7th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$8.99 $3.50 (2 in stock)
Perelandra
Space Trilogy Book 2
by C. S. Lewis
from Charles Scribner's Sons
Allegorical Science Fiction for 8th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$16.99
Prophet of Yonwood
Book of Ember #3
by Jeanne DuPrau
Reprint from Yearling
for 4th-7th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$8.99
Redeemed
Missing #08
by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Reprint from Simon and Schuster
for 6th-8th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$8.99
Revealed
Missing #07
by Margaret Peterson Haddix
from Simon and Schuster
for 6th-8th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$8.99
Risked
Missing #06
by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Reprint from Simon and Schuster
for 6th-8th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$8.99
Sabotaged
Missing #03
by Margaret Peterson Haddix
from Simon and Schuster
for 4th-7th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$8.99
Sent
Missing #02
by Margaret Peterson Haddix
from Simon and Schuster
for 4th-7th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$8.99
Shadow Children Sequence - Boxed Set
by Margaret Peterson Haddix
from Simon and Schuster
for 5th-8th grade
in Boxed Sets & Literature Packages (Location: FIC-BOX)
$55.99
Son
The Giver Quartet #4
by Lois Lowry
Reissue from HMH Books for Young Readers
for 7th-10th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$9.99
Starship Troopers
by Robert Heinlein
from ACE Publishing
Science Fiction for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$18.00
Stormbreaker
Alex Rider, Book #01
Anniversary Edition from Puffin Books
for 5th-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Stowaway to the Mushroom Planet
Mushroom Planet #2
by Eleanor Cameron, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes
from Little, Brown & Company
for 4th-6th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
Swiftly Tilting Planet
by Madeleine L'Engle
from Yearling
for 7th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Swiftly Tilting Planet
Wrinkle in Time Series #2
by Madeleine L'Engle
from Quality Paperback Book Club
for 7th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$4.00 (2 in stock)
Swiftly Tilting Planet
Wrinkle in Time Series #3
by Madeleine L'Engle
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Fantasy for 4th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
That Hideous Strength
Space Trilogy Book 3
by C. S. Lewis
from Charles Scribner's Sons
Allegorical Fantasy for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$17.99
The Martian
by Andy Weir
Reprint from Broadway Books
for 11th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$17.00 $8.00 (1 in stock)
Time and Space of Uncle Albert
by Russell Stannard, Illustrated by John Levers
from Faber & Faber
for 3rd-8th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Time Machine
by H. G. Wells
from Penguin Classics
for 10th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$11.00 $6.00 (1 in stock)
Torn
Missing #04
by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Reprint from Simon and Schuster
for 6th-8th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$8.99
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
Oxford World's Classics
by Jules Verne, translated by William Butcher
2nd edition from Oxford University
for 10th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$12.95
Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
by Douglas Adams, introduction by Neil Gaiman
from Del Rey
for 10th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$9.50 (1 in stock)
We’re Not from Here
by Geoff Rodkey
from Yearling
for 3rd-6th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$8.99
When You Reach Me
by Rebecca Stead
from Yearling
for 5th-9th grade
2010 Newbery Medal winner
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$7.99
Wild Robot
Wild Robot #1
by Peter Brown
from Little, Brown & Company
for 2nd-5th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$8.99
Wild Robot Escapes
by Peter Brown
from Little, Brown & Company
for 2nd-5th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$8.99
Wind in the Door
by Madeleine L'Engle
from Yearling
for 7th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$3.50 (2 in stock)
Woman Who Died A Lot
Thursday Next Book 7
by Jasper Fforde
from Penguin Putnam
for 10th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$17.00
Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet
Mushroom Planet #1
by Eleanor Cameron
1st edition from Little, Brown & Company
for 4th-6th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$7.99
Wrinkle in Time
Wrinkle in Time Series #1
by Madeleine L'Engle
from Square Fish Publishing
Fantasy for 4th-9th grade
1963 Newbery Medal winner
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99
Wrinkle in Time
Wrinkle in Time Series #1
by Madeleine L'Engle
from Quality Paperback Book Club
Fantasy for 4th-9th grade
1963 Newbery Medal winner
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Wrinkle in Time Graphic Novel
by Madeleine L'Engle, Adapted and Illustrated by Hope Larson
from Square Fish Publishing
for 2nd-8th grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
$16.99
Wump World
by Bill Peet
from Houghton Mifflin
Science Fiction for Preschool-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.99
Zita the Space Girl - Boxed Set
by Ben Hatke
from First Second
for 1st-6th grade
in Boxed Sets & Literature Packages (Location: FIC-BOX)
$44.97
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