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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20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Illustrated Junior Library Series 4
by Jules Verne, translated by Anthony Bonner and illustrated by Stephen Armes
from Grosset & Dunlap
Science Fiction for 5th-10th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Sterling Classics
by Jules Verne, translated by Lewis Page Mercier and illustrated by Scott McKowen
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 5th-10th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Books of Wonder
by Jules Verne, translated by Anthony Bonner and illustrated by Leo & Diane Dillon
from HarperCollins
Science Fiction for 5th-10th grade
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20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Windermere Readers #19
by Jules Verne, translated by Philip Schuyler Allen
1956 printing from Rand McNally
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20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Windermere Series 2 (Cover 1)
by Jules Verne, translated by Philip Schuyler Allen
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20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Windermere Series 2 (Cover 2)
by Jules Verne, translated by Philip Schuyler Allen
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20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Windermere Series 3
by Jules Verne, translated by Philip Schuyler Allen
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20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Windermere Series 4
by Jules Verne, translated by Philip Schuyler Allen
1935 Edition from Rand McNally
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2000 Years of Space Travel
by Russell Freedman
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Allegiant (Divergent Series)
Divergent #3
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1st edition from Katherine Tegen Books
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Among the Enemy
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Among the Free
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Asimov's Foundation Trilogy
by Isaac Asimov
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Science Fiction for 9th-Adult
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Caught
Missing #05
by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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Children of Dune
Dune Chronicles Book 3
by Frank Herbert
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Science Fiction for 10th-Adult
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Chronicles of Amber Volume 1
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City and the Stars
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City of Ember
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by Jeanne DuPrau
1st edition from Random House Books for Young Readers
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Complete Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
by Jules Verne, translated by Emanuel J. Mickel
from Indiana University Press
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Dinotopia
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Divergent (Divergent Series)
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Dune
Dune Chronicles Book 1
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Second Ace hardcover, 2019 from ACE Publishing
Science Fiction for 10th-Adult
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$40.00
Dune Messiah
Dune Chronicles Book 2
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Science Fiction for 10th-Adult
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Dune Trilogy - Hardcover Boxed Set
by Frank Herbert
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Science Fiction for 10th-Adult
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$150.00
Dune: The Graphic Novel - Book 1
by Frank Herbert, adapted by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, illustrated by Raul Allen and Patricia Martin
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by Jules Verne, translated by Lewis Page Mercier and illustrated by Don Irwin
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by H. G. Wells, illustrated by Dick Cole
from Classic Press
Science Fiction/Dystopian literature for 7th-Adult
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Eyewitness Classics: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (adapted & annotated)
by Jules Verne
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Forbidden Child
by Gwen Newell
from Canon Press
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Four: A Divergent Collection
Divergent series
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1st edition from Katherine Tegen Books
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Frankenstein
Sterling Classics
by Mary Shelley, illustrated by Scott McKowen
from Sterling Publishing Co.
Horror for 7th-10th grade
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Giver
by Lois Lowry
from HMH Books for Young Readers
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1994 Newbery Medal winner
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Insurgent (Divergent Series)
by Veronica Roth
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Invisible Man
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Sterling Classics
by Jules Verne, illustrated by Scott McKowen
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Science Fiction for 6th-10th grade
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Journey to the Centre of the Earth
Great Illustrated Classics
by Jules Verne
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Science Fiction for 6th-10th grade
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Mirkheim
by Poul Anderson
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Mockingjay
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$10.00 (1 in stock)
More Than Complete Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
by Douglas Adams
from Del Rey
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$9.00 (1 in stock)
Mountain of Truth
by Dale Carlson; illustrated by Charles Robinson
from Atheneum
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$14.00 (1 in stock)
Mysterious Island
by Jules Verne, illustrated by N. C. Wyeth
from Charles Scribner's Sons
Science Fiction for 8th-Adult
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Mysterious Island
by Jules Verne, illustrated by Edward A. Wilson
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Science Fiction for 8th-Adult
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Out of the Silent Planet
Space Trilogy Book 1
by C. S. Lewis
from Charles Scribner's Sons
Allegorical Science Fiction for 8th-Adult
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Perelandra
Space Trilogy Book 2
by C. S. Lewis
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Allegorical Science Fiction for 8th-Adult
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Professor Noah's Spaceship
by Brian Wildsmith
from Scholastic Inc.
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Restaurant At the End of the Universe
Hitchhiker's Trilogy #2
by Douglas Adams
Book Club Edition from Harmony
Humorous Science Fiction for 9th-Adult
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
Robots of Dawn
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Sent
Missing #02
by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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$16.99 $8.00 (1 in stock)
Shadow Puppets
by Orson Scott Card
1st edition from Tor Books
for 7th-12th grade
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$3.00 (1 in stock)
Ship That Sailed to Mars
Calla Editions
by William M. Timlin
from Dover Publications
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So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish
Hitchhiker's Trilogy #4
by Douglas Adams
from Crown Publishers
Humorous Science Fiction for 9th-Adult
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary
by David West Reynolds
from DK Publishing
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Swiftly Tilting Planet
Wrinkle in Time Series #3
by Madeleine L'Engle
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That Hideous Strength
Space Trilogy Book 3
by C. S. Lewis
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Allegorical Fantasy for 9th-Adult
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Tom Swift and His Air Scout
Tom Swift #22 (original series)
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Tom Swift and His Electronic Retroscope
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Tom Swift Jr. #1
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Tom Swift #9 (original series)
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Tom Swift and His Wireless Message
Tom Swift #6 (original series)
by Victor Appleton II
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Touch of Strange
by Theodore Sturgeon
Book Club Edition from Doubleday & Company
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$8.00 (1 in stock)
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
by Jules Verne
from Nelson Doubleday, Inc.
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Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
Junior Deluxe Editions
by Jules Verne, translated by Lewis Page Mercier and illustrated by Henry C. Pitz
from Grosset & Dunlap
Science Fiction for 5th-8th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
by Jules Verne, illustrated by Milo Winter
from Barnes & Noble
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Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
by Jules Verne, translated by Philip Schuyler Allen and illustrated by Joseph Ciardiello
from Reader's Digest
for 10th-Adult
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Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
by Jules Verne, with essays by Matthew Booth and David Stuart Davis
from Worth Press
for 10th-Adult
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Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
by Jules Verne, translated by Lewis Page Mercier and illustrated by Edward A. Wilson
from Heritage Press
for 10th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
Rainbow Classics
by Jules Verne, translated by Lewis Page Mercier and illustrated by Kurt Wiese
from World Publishing Company
Science Fiction for 5th-8th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
by Jules Verne, translated by Lewis Page Mercier and illustrated by W. J. Aylward
from Charles Scribner's Sons
for 10th-Adult
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Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas
by Jules Verne
Little Unicorn Classic series from Unicorn Publishing House
for 2nd-4th grade
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Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas
by Jules Verne, translated by Lewis Page Mercier and Ron Miller, illustrated by Ron Miller
from Unicorn Publishing House
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War of the Worlds
by H. G. Wells, illustrated by Scott McKowen
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 8th-10th grade
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War of the Worlds
Books of Wonder
by H. G. Wells (illustrated by Tom Kidd)
from HarperCollins
for 8th-10th grade
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War of the Worlds / Time Machine
by H. G. Wells
from Reader's Digest
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Wild Robot
by Peter Brown
from Little, Brown & Company
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Wild Robot - 2 book Gift Set
Wild Robot #1 and #2
by Peter Brown
from Little, Brown & Company
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Wild Robot Escapes
Wild Robot #2
by Peter Brown
from Little, Brown & Company
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Wild Robot Protects
Wild Robot #3
by Peter Brown
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William Shakespeare's Star Wars Part the Eighth
William Shakespeare Star Wars #8
by Ian Doescher
from Quirk Books
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William Shakespeare's Star Wars Part the Fifth
William Shakespeare Star Wars #5
by Ian Doescher
First Edition from Quirk Books
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William Shakespeare's Star Wars Part the First
William Shakespeare Star Wars # 1
by Ian Doescher
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William Shakespeare's Star Wars Part the Fourth
William Shakespeare Star Wars #4
by Ian Doescher
Advance Reading Copy from Quirk Books
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William Shakespeare's Star Wars Part the Ninth
William Shakespeare Star Wars #9
by Ian Doescher
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William Shakespeare's Star Wars Part the Second
William Shakespeare Star Wars #2
by Ian Doescher
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William Shakespeare's Star Wars Part the Seventh
William Shakespeare Star Wars #7
by Ian Doescher
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William Shakespeare's Star Wars Part the Sixth
William Shakespeare Star Wars #6
by Ian Doescher
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William Shakespeare's Star Wars Part the Third
William Shakespeare Star Wars #3
by Ian Doescher
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William Shakespeare's Star Wars Trilogy: The Royal Imperial Boxed Set
William Shakespeare Star Wars
by Ian Doescher
from Quirk Books
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$47.97 $32.00 (1 in stock)