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Lost Transmissions: Science Fiction and Fantasy's Untold, Underground, and Forgotten History
by
A fascinating illustrated history of lost, overlooked, and uncompleted works of science fiction and fantasy
Science fiction and fantasy reign over popular culture now. Lost Transmissions is a rich trove of forgotten and unknown, imagined-but-never-finished, and under-appreciated-but-influential works from those imaginative genres, as well as little-known information abo ...more
Science fiction and fantasy reign over popular culture now. Lost Transmissions is a rich trove of forgotten and unknown, imagined-but-never-finished, and under-appreciated-but-influential works from those imaginative genres, as well as little-known information abo ...more
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Hardcover, 276 pages
Published
September 10th 2019
by Harry N. Abrams
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Start your review of Lost Transmissions: Science Fiction and Fantasy's Untold, Underground, and Forgotten History

I think the best way of describing this book is to say its a mixed bag. The whole book is made up of a series of articles on various topics from books and films to architecture and much more. However this is not the reason why I say its rather mixed - its more the focus on the material.
The book does not seem to be very consistent and I not sure why - you see some articles are little more than a page long (when you take in to account the artwork) while others get several entries or at least cons ...more
The book does not seem to be very consistent and I not sure why - you see some articles are little more than a page long (when you take in to account the artwork) while others get several entries or at least cons ...more

I was attracted by the high production value and the premise of this book. After several flick-throughs, mentions of Jack Kirby, Syd Mead, Jodorowsky's Dune and Robert Chambers stuck out for me, and I decided to grab a copy.
The Secret History of Sci Fi and Fantasy, told from the point of view of less famous 'transmissions' lost in the general noise, is a great idea. The book focuses on Literature, Film & TV, Architecture, Art & Design, Music, Fashion and Fandom & Pop Culture. I was perhaps hopin ...more
The Secret History of Sci Fi and Fantasy, told from the point of view of less famous 'transmissions' lost in the general noise, is a great idea. The book focuses on Literature, Film & TV, Architecture, Art & Design, Music, Fashion and Fandom & Pop Culture. I was perhaps hopin ...more

Me ha gustado mucho esta colección de ensayos sobre la historia olvidada de la ciencia ficción y la fantasía. Boskovich, junto a otros autores invitados, se adentra en obras y autores que son clave para entender la historia de estos géneros de ficción pero que, desgraciadamente, o han caído en el olvido o no tienen el reconocimiento que merecen.
El libro se adentra no solo en la literatura y el audiovisual, también trata la música, la moda, la arquitectura e incluso la cultura del fandom. La gran ...more
El libro se adentra no solo en la literatura y el audiovisual, también trata la música, la moda, la arquitectura e incluso la cultura del fandom. La gran ...more

Me gusta que no solo se trate de literatura o películas, sino de diversas expresiones artísticas que marcaron o influenciaron a la ciencia ficción.
Algunas son obvias, como James Cameron y sus expediciones marinas, David Bowie y sus personas musicales o Giger. Sin embargo, lo interesante viene con historias que no se contaron, que fueron mas underground o que influencian desde otras bases, como la ilustración o la moda.
La variedad de artistas mencionados es muy buena y con grandes ejemplos. Me ...more
Algunas son obvias, como James Cameron y sus expediciones marinas, David Bowie y sus personas musicales o Giger. Sin embargo, lo interesante viene con historias que no se contaron, que fueron mas underground o que influencian desde otras bases, como la ilustración o la moda.
La variedad de artistas mencionados es muy buena y con grandes ejemplos. Me ...more

This book looks at works of science fiction and fantasy that were highly influential but may not have been popular or widely known. It covers many genres from books to movies to fashion to art to music. I loved the book session and found several great books and stories to read. The essays are thoughtful and discuss the influence of the work and the "ahead of their time" elements of the work.
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No matter your level of interest in sci-fi, you’ll find things to love in this expansive, generous book. Articles explore the hidden corners of sci-fi and expose its effects on the broader culture (and vice versa). And would it be crass to mention that it would make a great gift for someone who lives sci-fi? Well, it would.

This book is a full on storehouse when it comes to lost or under-appreciated works in literature, music, architecture, art, films etc., and also for the magnificent illustrations! It is an amazing collection of essays, interviews, etc. and if you are into sci-fi/fantasy, this is definitely a book you need to pick up. Specifically, the book has been divided into segments of Literature, Film & TV, Architecture, Art & Design, Music, Fashion and Fandom & Pop Culture.
I personally have been interested ...more
I personally have been interested ...more

This book was more fun than I expected.
The book describes lost or under-appreciated works in literature, film, music, art, fashion, architecture, and pop culture, all having a connection to science fiction or fantasy. It is lavishly illustrated. I came for the literature, but I stayed for the film and television, architecture, and art. It was great to read about things that might have happened, but never did (the film of Dune that would have featured Orson Welles as Baron Harkonnen; the Aliens m ...more
The book describes lost or under-appreciated works in literature, film, music, art, fashion, architecture, and pop culture, all having a connection to science fiction or fantasy. It is lavishly illustrated. I came for the literature, but I stayed for the film and television, architecture, and art. It was great to read about things that might have happened, but never did (the film of Dune that would have featured Orson Welles as Baron Harkonnen; the Aliens m ...more

Very mixed bag of essays, think pieces, interviews and a good amount of art about SF/F. Some great, some mediocre, some (to me) dull as toast, but with a broad variety of pieces covering books, visual media, music, art and architecture and more, there's going to be something that connects with you and tells you things you didn't know and are happy to learn. I got this from the library based on an essay about fantasy maps that I read elsewhere which, sadly, turned out to be my favorite piece in t
...more

This is a very detailed production. The cinematic section, in particular, has some very enticing stories. However, I felt like the content was not entirely loyal to its title. Indeed some of the pieces dealt with overlooked stories of science fiction, but others praised very known stories (or fanfics). The collection also features interviews. Some of the felt irrelevant to the theme and brought nothing new to the table. It's an interesting read - but it's not what it claims to be
...more

Weird. Just weird. It's very much a coffee table book, and I found it easiest to think of it as a hard back fanzine. Only about a third of the entries could even remotely be described as "Lost in Transmission". That said: it's a fun collection of people weebling about things they love. Good chance of winning I think.
...more

I just finished this and would reccomend it to any Science Fiction fan. You're guaranteed to come across something you never knew about the genre . Something you can read cover to cover or dip into as the fancy takes you. The format is also perfect. Illustrated like a coffee table book but small enough to carry around for reading on the go.
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One of the most gorgeous anthologies of recent years, with a phenomenal premise, great introduction from Jeff VanderMeer, and stellar research and organization by Boskovich. Physically satisfying to hold in the hand and sit in for a spell, this is a book I'll revisit time and time again.
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An interesting collection/history of the influence of SFF, but if you're pretty well versed in the history of SFF, there's not a lot that's going to be new or surprising. More for people who are just getting into SFF and are curious about its history and influence.
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