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
Bantam Classics
by Jules Verne, translated by Anthony Bonner
from Bantam Books
Science Fiction for 10th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$5.99
2001: A Space Odyssey
by Arthur C. Clarke
from ROC Science Fiction
for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$8.99
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
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$7.99
Among the Brave
by Margaret Peterson Haddix
from Simon and Schuster
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in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$7.99
Among the Enemy
by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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$7.99
Among the Free
by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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$7.99
Among the Hidden
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$7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Among the Impostors
by Margaret Peterson Haddix
from Aladdin Paperbacks
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$7.99
Around the World in Eighty Days
Puffin Classics
by Jules Verne
from Puffin Books
Adventure Stories for 6th-10th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$7.99
Canticle for Leibowitz
by Walter M. Miller
from HarperCollins
for 10th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$16.99
Canticle for Leibowitz
by Walter M. Miller
from Bantam Books
for 10th-Adult
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$8.99
Case of the Gasping Garbage
by Michele Torrey
2nd edition from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 3rd-6th grade
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$6.95
Catching Fire
by Suzanne Collins
Reprint from Scholastic Press
for 7th-9th grade
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$14.99
Caught
Missing #05
by Margaret Peterson Haddix
from Simon and Schuster
for 4th-7th grade
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$7.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Children of Dune
Dune Chronicles Book 3
by Frank Herbert
from ACE Publishing
Science Fiction for 10th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$9.99
Children of Dune
Dune Chronicles Book 3
by Frank Herbert
from ACE Publishing
Science Fiction for 10th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$50.00
City of Ember
Book of Ember #1
by Jeanne DuPrau
1st edition from Random House Books for Young Readers
for 4th-7th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$8.99
City of Ember - Boxed Set
by Jeanne DuPrau
from Yearling
for 4th-6th grade
in Boxed Sets & Literature Packages (Location: FIC-BOX)
$35.96
Dark Tower
by C. S. Lewis
Reissue from HarperOne
for 11th-Adult
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$13.99
Diamond of Darkhold
Book of Ember #4
by Jeanne DuPrau
from Yearling
for 4th-7th grade
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$8.99
Dune
Dune Chronicles Book 1
by Frank Herbert
from ACE Publishing
Science Fiction for 10th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$10.99
Dune
Dune Chronicles Book 1
by Frank Herbert, introduction by Brian Herbert
Second Ace hardcover, 2019 from ACE Publishing
Science Fiction for 10th-Adult
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$40.00
Dune Boxed Set
by Frank Herbert
from ACE Publishing
for 10th-Adult
in Boxed Sets & Literature Packages (Location: FIC-BOX)
$108.00
Dune Messiah
Dune Chronicles Book 2
by Frank Herbert
from ACE Publishing
Science Fiction for 10th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$9.99
Dune Messiah
Dune Chronicles Book 2
by Frank Herbert
from ACE Publishing
Science Fiction for 10th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$50.00
Dune Trilogy - Hardcover Boxed Set
by Frank Herbert
from ACE Publishing
Science Fiction for 10th-Adult
in Boxed Sets & Literature Packages (Location: FIC-BOX)
$150.00
Dune Trilogy - Paperback Trilogy Boxed Set
by Frank Herbert
from ACE Publishing
Science Fiction for 10th-Adult
in Boxed Sets & Literature Packages (Location: FIC-BOX)
$30.97
Dune: The Graphic Novel - Book 1
by Frank Herbert, adapted by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, illustrated by Raul Allen and Patricia Martin
from Abrams Books for Young Readers
for 9th-Adult
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$24.99
Dune: The Graphic Novel - Book 2
by Frank Herbert, adapted by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, illustrated by Raul Allen and Patricia Martin
from Abrams Books for Young Readers
for 9th-Adult
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$24.99
Earth Abides
by George R. Stewart
from Harper Voyager
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$18.99
Enchantress from the Stars
by Sylvia Engdahl
from Firebird Press
for 7th-9th grade
1971 Newbery Honor Book
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$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Ender's Game
by Orson Scott Card
from Tor Classic
Science Fiction for 7th-Adult
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$9.99
Eyre Affair
Thursday Next Book 1
by Jasper Fforde
from Penguin Putnam
for 10th-Adult
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$18.00
First Men in the Moon
by H. G. Wells
100th Anniversary Edition from SeaWolf Press
for 7th-Adult
in Seawolf Illustrated Classics (Location: FIC-SW)
$8.45
Five Weeks in a Balloon
by Jules Verne, translated by William Lackland and illustrated by Edouard Riou
Illustrated Fir from SeaWolf Press
for 5th-10th grade
in Seawolf Illustrated Classics (Location: FIC-SW)
$9.95
Foundation
Foundation Trilogy #1
by Isaac Asimov
Revised from Bantam Books
Science Fiction for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$8.99
Foundation and Empire
Foundation Trilogy #2
by Isaac Asimov
from Bantam Books
Science Fiction for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$8.99
Frankenstein
Puffin Classics
by Mary Shelley
from Puffin Books
Horror for 7th-10th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$8.99
From the Earth to the Moon
by Jules Verne, Translated by Louis Mercer & Eleanor King
Illustrated 1874 from SeaWolf Press
for 9th-Adult
in Seawolf Illustrated Classics (Location: FIC-SW)
$11.95
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
Giver
by Lois Lowry
from HMH Books for Young Readers
for 7th-10th grade
1994 Newbery Medal winner
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$11.99
Giver Quartet - Boxed Set
by Lois Lowry
from Houghton Mifflin
for 6th-10th grade
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$49.99
Green Book
by Jill Paton Walsh
from Sunburst Book
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$5.95 $3.50 (1 in stock)
Green Book
by Jill Paton Walsh
from Square Fish Publishing
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$7.99
Harriet's Hare
by Dick King-Smith
from Yearling
Animal Stories: Fantasy for 3rd-5th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$5.99
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Hitchhiker's Trilogy #1
by Douglas Adams
from Ballantine Books
Humorous Science Fiction for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$7.99
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
I, Robot
by Isaac Asimov
from Bantam Books
Science Fiction for 7th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$7.99
Illustrated Man
by Ray Bradbury
from Simon and Schuster
for 10th-Adult
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$10.99
Invisible Man
by H. G. Wells
from Signet Classics
Science Fiction for 7th-Adult
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$5.95
Invisible Man
by H. G. Wells, illustrated by Louis Strimpl
from SeaWolf Press
Science Fiction for 7th-Adult
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$7.95
Island of Dr. Moreau
Signet Classics
by H. G. Wells
from Signet Classics
Speculative Fiction for 9th-Adult
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$4.95
Island of Dr. Moreau
Signet Classics
by H. G. Wells
from Dover Publications
Speculative Fiction for 9th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$4.00
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Puffin Classics
by Jules Verne
Reprint from Puffin Books
Science Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$7.99
Journey to the Center of the Earth
by Jules Verne, illustrated by Edouard Riou
Illustrated Fir from SeaWolf Press
Science Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in Seawolf Illustrated Classics (Location: FIC-SW)
$8.95
Last Book In The Universe
by Rodman Philbrick
from Blue Sky press
for 3rd-7th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$7.99
Last Cuentista
by Donna Barba Higuera
from Levine Querido
for 9th-Adult
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$18.99
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
Life, the Universe and Everything
Hitchhiker's Trilogy #3
by Douglas Adams
from Ballantine Books
Humorous Science Fiction for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$8.99
Lord of Light
by Roger Zelazny
from HarperCollins
for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$13.99
Many Waters
Wrinkle in Time Series #4
by Madeleine L'Engle
from Square Fish Publishing
Fantasy for 7th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.99
Martian Chronicles
by Ray Bradbury
from Bantam Books
Science Fiction for 10th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$6.00
Martian Chronicles
by Ray Bradbury
Reprint from Simon & Schuster Macmillan
Science Fiction for 10th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$8.99
Messenger
by Lois Lowry
from Houghton Mifflin
for 7th-9th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$10.99
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
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$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
Missing Collection - Boxed Set
by Margaret Peterson Haddix
from Simon and Schuster
for 6th-9th grade
in Boxed Sets & Literature Packages (Location: FIC-BOX)
$71.99
Mockingjay
by Suzanne Collins
Reprint from Scholastic Press
for 7th-9th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$14.99
Mostly Harmless
Hitchhiker's Trilogy #5
by Douglas Adams
from Del Rey
for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$8.99
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)
Mysterious Island
Signet Classics
by Jules Verne
from Signet Classics
Science Fiction for 10th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$7.95
Mysterious Island
by Jules Verne, illustrated by N. C. Wyeth
from SeaWolf Press
Science Fiction for 10th-Adult
in Seawolf Illustrated Classics (Location: FIC-SW)
$15.95
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
Poison Belt
by Arthur Conan Doyle
from SeaWolf Press
for 9th-Adult
in Seawolf Illustrated Classics (Location: FIC-SW)
$6.95
Princess of Mars
by Edgar Rice Burroughs
from Dover Publications
for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$5.95
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
Ready Player One
by Ernest Cline
from Broadway Books
for 8th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$18.00
Redeemed
Missing #08
by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Reprint from Simon and Schuster
for 6th-8th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$8.99
Restaurant At the End of the Universe
Hitchhiker's Trilogy #2
by Douglas Adams
from Ballantine Books
Humorous Science Fiction for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$8.99
Revealed
Missing #07
by Margaret Peterson Haddix
from Simon and Schuster
for 6th-8th grade
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$8.99
Risked
Missing #06
by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Reprint from Simon and Schuster
for 6th-8th grade
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$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
Second Foundation
Foundation Trilogy #3
by Isaac Asimov
from Bantam Books
Science Fiction for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$7.99
Sent
Missing #02
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)
$16.99 $8.00 (1 in stock)
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
Skyward Flight
by Brandon Sanderseon & Janci Patterson
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for 7th-10th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
$14.99
So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish
Hitchhiker's Trilogy #4
by Douglas Adams
from Ballantine Books
Humorous Science Fiction for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$7.99
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
Star Wars: Heir to the Empire
Star Wars: Thrawn Trilogy #1
by Timothy Zahn
from Bantam Books
Science Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99
Star Wars: Last Command
Star Wars: Thrawn Trilogy #3
by Timothy Zahn
from Bantam Books
Science Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99
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