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Lost Transmissions: Science Fiction and Fantasy's Untold, Underground, and Forgotten History

Desirina Boskovich (Goodreads Author),

Jeff VanderMeer (Goodreads Author) (Foreword)

3.85 · Rating details · 46 ratings · 14 reviews

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 ...more

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Hardcover, 276 pages

Published September 10th 2019 by Harry N. Abrams

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· 46 ratings · 14 reviews

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Start your review of Lost Transmissions: Science Fiction and Fantasy's Untold, Underground, and Forgotten History

Dec 04, 2019 Pedro Pascoe rated it liked it

Shelves: essays, sci-fi, fantasy

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 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 hoping for predominantly a focus on Literature, so some of the other chapters were a peek into a take on sci-fi & fantasy that I would normally not concentrate on so much, or at all (fashion).
As with any publication of this type, there are bound to be questions raised as to exclusions and inclusions (acknowledged, naturally in the intro). And while the premise is more or less adhered to throughout, I felt that toward the end, it was being stretched.
Leaving out Blake's 7 from TV is pretty much a criminal offence and worthy of an on the spot fine.
The whole fashion chapter could frankly have been dropped.
And, as a personal preference, a chapter could have been devoted to sci-fi comics rather than a nod to Jack Kirby, acknowledgment of Valerian and a mention in the film & TV section of Moebius, as most comic sci fi flies under the radar in any event. The Incal, from Jodorowsky and Moebius (both mentioned in other contexts in the book already) is quite simply the best sci-fi comic ever told. I know of many comic geeks that have never heard of it, let alone the general public.
And the chapter of music highlights just how subjective musical taste is anyway. While an objective approach to literature can more or less be agreed upon, this chapter on music just shows that essays can be written about music that make the music in question sound intriguing...until you actually listen to the music in question. It's entirely a matter of personal taste, and while I won't go so far as to say that what is written about the music in this book (or genrally) is actually wrong, because it most certainly isn't, it does highlight the subjectivity of music. And, speaking of omissions and inclusions, I don't think David Bowie flew under the radar, or counts as a 'lost transmission', whereas the Blue Oyster Cult album 'Imaginos' in its original conception most certainly does. Again, inclusions and omissions.
I will thank the book for pointing me towards George MacDonald, M John Harrison's Viuriconium, further reinforcing my desire to get stuck into Angela Carter's stories, piquing my interest about 'Space Island One' and 'Blame', and generally reinforcing my other under-the-radar interests about this weird and wonderful world of sci-fi and fantasy.
Also, the lovely illustrations and photos throughout make this, as mentioned earlier, a book of great production value and appealing to the eye.
Volume 2 next? ...more

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Jan 05, 2020 Mythlee rated it really liked it

A nice collection of essays introducing a wide range of fantastical works from books to films to textiles and beyond.

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Feb 09, 2020 Erica rated it really liked it

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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Sep 28, 2019 Alvaro Zinos-Amaro rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-2019

Review forthcoming.

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Oct 24, 2019 Adam rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2019

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.

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Nov 03, 2019 Lucille rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2019

[3,5/5]

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Dec 09, 2019 Pretty Little Bibliophile rated it really liked it

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 ...more

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Oct 18, 2019 Dan Trefethen rated it really liked it

Shelves: essays, fantasy, science-fiction

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 ...more

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Nov 04, 2019 Jason Vanhee rated it liked it

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 ...more

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Jan 29, 2020 Orrezz rated it liked it

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

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Dec 20, 2019 Richard Sweitzer rated it liked it

Occasionally fascinating, but rather inconsistent. Also, the selected images were often frustratingly not what the text called for, which led to constant googling. The Ng treatise on textiles was eye-opening and grand.

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Nov 29, 2019 Al Sirois rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical, science-fiction

Marvelous. The history of the field, and many interesting sidebars on things like music, neglected authors, fashion, films, and so on. Thoroughly enjoyable, and indispensable to students of the genre. Highly recommended. (Fun to read, too!)

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Feb 18, 2020 Jake rated it liked it

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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