Environments in Science Fiction: Essays on Alternative Spaces

Critical Explorations in Science Fiction and Fantasy #44

by Susan M. Bernardo (Editor), Donald E. Palumbo (Editor), C.W. Sullivan III (Editor)

The all-new essays in this book respond to the question, How do spaces in science fiction, both built and unbuilt, help shape the relationships among humans, other animals and their shared environments? Spaces, as well as a sense of place or belonging, play major roles in many science fiction works. This book focuses especially on depictions of the future that include, but move beyond, dystopias and offer us ways to imagine reinventing ourselves and our perspectives; especially our links to and views of new environments. There are ecocritical texts that deal with space/place and science fiction criticism that deals with dystopias but there is no other collection that focuses on the intersection of the two.

Genres: Nonfiction

208 pages, Paperback

First published March 12, 2014

About the author

Associate professor of English, Wagner College (Staten Island, New York, USA).
Her academic interests include: science fiction, ecocriticism, Victorian fiction, and fairy tales.

Reviews

[EmelineB · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though some essays have both compelling arguments and a strong writing style, and the theme is crucial in a world under and post covid 19, they lack a general overview and sometimes take a tangential and jargon-ridden path that, ultimately, makes one close the book early.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with most essay collections, some essays were much stronger than the others. I particularly liked the chapters by Lauren J Lacey, Jonathan P Lewis, Adam LAWRENCE, Matthew Hadley, and Shayani Bhattacharya. The last one, in particular, was my favorite, and I am convinced The Calcutta Chromosome is going to be my new favorite book.