What do you think?
Rate this book
Science Fiction and Fantasy Readers' Advisory: The Librarian's Guide to Cyborgs, Aliens, and Sorcerers
In the realm of science fiction, technology - either real or imagined-holds the key and in fantasy, magic is the dominating force. These two literary worlds share a maze of sub-genres that require an expert's navigation. This user-friendly book details the ins and outs of each genre and subgenres.
- GenresBooks About BooksFantasy
230 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2002
19 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 12, 2021
A fun look back to 2002 suggestions on reading in fantasy and SF
This is a pretty solid book and I enjoyed the author's bits of humor. I ultimately added the following to my TBR: "Villains by Necessity" by Even Forward, "The Fire Rose", by Mercedes Lackey, and "The Last Hot Time" by John Ford.
This is a pretty solid book and I enjoyed the author's bits of humor. I ultimately added the following to my TBR: "Villains by Necessity" by Even Forward, "The Fire Rose", by Mercedes Lackey, and "The Last Hot Time" by John Ford.
May 28, 2018
Buker does a great job of these genres. The book starts off with a 20 question quiz to test your knowledge on your sci-fi/fantasy genres, books, films and even literary awards. Each section of the Sci-Fi and Fantasy genres are split up into at least 10 subgenres each, all complete with a 'definiton', the father of the subgenre or how it got its name, 3-5 titles complete with authors and descriptions, a small list of 3-10 read-alike's, the author's pick, and even a title from the list for the reluctant readers. It also features a list of every award winner of the Hugo/Nebula/World Fantasy and other awards (up until 2001, which will eventually date the book).
The only downside is that most of the books featured in all categories are award-winners and are generally older titles. This book is also ONLY geared towards adult readers.
The only downside is that most of the books featured in all categories are award-winners and are generally older titles. This book is also ONLY geared towards adult readers.
July 15, 2014
This introduction to science fiction and fantasy can fill a need for librarians that are not readers of either genre. Each chapter contains a brief description of the main components of a certain sub-genre, followed by about five highlighted titles or series with a paragraph or two describing the story elements. Then a list of 10-15 other titles appears.
My favorite part of each section was the "Derek's Pick" and "Best pick for reluctant reader". One of the highlighted tales is listed for each.
However, I am disappointed in the absence of some authors' works. I realize that it's impossible to cover every author, but these jumped out at me:
Williams, Tad. His Otherland series should be included in "Virtual reality."
Kurtz, Katherine. Her Deryni/Camber series might go in "Historical fantasy."
Kay, Guy Gavriel. His Fionavar tapestry series could in in "Crossing over to the other side."
Rosenberg, Joel. A couple of his series are appropriate for "Crossing over to the other side." and/or "Sword and sorcery."
These are a few that jumped out at me.
Two other points bother me as a librarian. The index seems weak. For instance, Tad Williams is listed on 176-77 for Tailchaser's song. His Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series is listed in the "M"s only, not under his name. If this is evident for one author, I'm not sure how other authors are handled.
The other point is the inclusion of Anne McCaffrey's Pern series under "Fantasy". Although dragons are an integral point to the stories, they are genetically bred. The back story and this put it firmly in the science fiction genre. (Yes, I agree that readers of fantasies may also enjoy the series).
So, in summary, a useful book for librarians and their customers, but should only serve as a catalyst. Practitioners should read even more widely and find other authors and titles to also recommend from the local collection.
My favorite part of each section was the "Derek's Pick" and "Best pick for reluctant reader". One of the highlighted tales is listed for each.
However, I am disappointed in the absence of some authors' works. I realize that it's impossible to cover every author, but these jumped out at me:
Williams, Tad. His Otherland series should be included in "Virtual reality."
Kurtz, Katherine. Her Deryni/Camber series might go in "Historical fantasy."
Kay, Guy Gavriel. His Fionavar tapestry series could in in "Crossing over to the other side."
Rosenberg, Joel. A couple of his series are appropriate for "Crossing over to the other side." and/or "Sword and sorcery."
These are a few that jumped out at me.
Two other points bother me as a librarian. The index seems weak. For instance, Tad Williams is listed on 176-77 for Tailchaser's song. His Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series is listed in the "M"s only, not under his name. If this is evident for one author, I'm not sure how other authors are handled.
The other point is the inclusion of Anne McCaffrey's Pern series under "Fantasy". Although dragons are an integral point to the stories, they are genetically bred. The back story and this put it firmly in the science fiction genre. (Yes, I agree that readers of fantasies may also enjoy the series).
So, in summary, a useful book for librarians and their customers, but should only serve as a catalyst. Practitioners should read even more widely and find other authors and titles to also recommend from the local collection.
May 16, 2015
This book is a good introduction to the genre but the layout and structure could use an update similar to the The Readers' Advisory Guide To Genre Fiction ( https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6... ; http://www.worldcat.org/title/readers... ).
Including the historical progression of the genre and its subgenres would definitely be a benefit to a future edition.
Including the historical progression of the genre and its subgenres would definitely be a benefit to a future edition.
July 24, 2012
lots of subgenres, verbose summaries of books, but there are some obvious holes (at least in the fantasy section--terry pratchett isn't listed under humorous fantasy?), and no discussion of aspects of the books besides plot (e.g., tone, pacing, writing style, etc).
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews