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Yesterday's Tomorrows: The Story of Science Fiction in 100 Books
From the enrapturing tales of H. G. Wells to the punishing dystopian visions of 1984 and beyond, the evolution of science fiction from the 1890s to the 1960s is a fascinating journey to undertake. Setting out this span of years as what we can now recognize as the ‘classic’ period of the genre, Mike Ashley takes us on a tour of the stars, utopian and post-apocalyptic futures, worlds of AI run amok and techno-thriller masterpieces asking piercing questions of the present. This book does not claim to be definitive; what it does offer is an accessible view of the impressive spectrum of imaginative writing which the genre’s classic period has to offer. Towering science fiction greats such as Asimov and Aldiss run alongside the, perhaps unexpected, likes of C. S. Lewis and J. B. Priestley and celebrate a side of science fiction beyond the stereotypes of space opera and bug-eyed monsters; the side of science fiction which proves why it must continue to be written and read, so long as any of us remain in uncertain times.
320 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2021
13 people are currently reading
72 people want to read
About the author
Mike Ashley
278 books131 followersMichael Raymond Donald Ashley is the author and editor of over sixty books that in total have sold over a million copies worldwide. He lives in Chatham, Kent.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 21, 2020
And so as the British Library Classic British Science Fiction series gathers traction (rather like their classic crime one before) they have published as guide to the 100 most important and influential British titles of early science fiction.
Right before I go too far I will admit that these sorts of books are very divisive (or if you are familiar with the product they are Marmite - you love them or hate them) as the subject is way too large to encompass in one book and as result it is usually the editors choice - so if you disagree well there is nothing you can do about it. Additionally in the case of this book the editor (Mike Ashley) has put down some further rules - which I think are fair enough - such as only one entry (with one exception) per author so even though some of the authors covered were incredibly productive in this time they are only allowed one entry.
So is this book any good - a short answer is yes it is. This is an era of the genre, especially in Britain which is heavily over shadowed by world events (from the political impact of the wars to the fact in Britain there was paper shortages) but also the more readily available American productions - not to mention the damage done by the flooding of the market of hack formulaic prodctions intent on cashing in on the appeal with little or no understanding of the topic.
this book is a much a history of the genre as it is a window on the titles it covers. My only regret is unlike the Crime edition this was only published in paperback - I hope this is not a reflection of the opinion of the publishers on the subject/
Right before I go too far I will admit that these sorts of books are very divisive (or if you are familiar with the product they are Marmite - you love them or hate them) as the subject is way too large to encompass in one book and as result it is usually the editors choice - so if you disagree well there is nothing you can do about it. Additionally in the case of this book the editor (Mike Ashley) has put down some further rules - which I think are fair enough - such as only one entry (with one exception) per author so even though some of the authors covered were incredibly productive in this time they are only allowed one entry.
So is this book any good - a short answer is yes it is. This is an era of the genre, especially in Britain which is heavily over shadowed by world events (from the political impact of the wars to the fact in Britain there was paper shortages) but also the more readily available American productions - not to mention the damage done by the flooding of the market of hack formulaic prodctions intent on cashing in on the appeal with little or no understanding of the topic.
this book is a much a history of the genre as it is a window on the titles it covers. My only regret is unlike the Crime edition this was only published in paperback - I hope this is not a reflection of the opinion of the publishers on the subject/
July 3, 2021
The Story of Classic British Science Fiction in 100 Books
Mike Ashley has been editing the British Library’s Science Fiction Classics series for the last few years, for which he has selected some excellent novels and brought together several enjoyable themed anthologies. He and the BL are in the process of doing for “forgotten” science fiction what Martin Edwards and the BL have done so successfully in the field of vintage British crime fiction. So it seems natural that he should also follow Edwards by producing what can be seen as a guide book to his chosen genre, and this book closely follows the format of Edwards’ The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books.
Ashley begins with an introduction in which he explains why he has chosen the period from the mid-1890s to the mid-1960s. Although there had been several books which can be classed as science fiction before his start date, such as Frankenstein or Jekyll and Hyde, Ashley argues that it was the arrival of HG Wells on the scene that marked the beginning of science fiction as a distinct genre. At the other end of his time period, Ashley points to the “new wave” of science fiction authors, such as Ballard, Aldiss and Moorcock, who set out to drag the genre out of the pulpy reputation it had acquired by the late 1950s.
Between those dates, the genre had had to react to two world wars and the nuclear threat of the Cold War, not to mention the leaps in scientific knowledge of which authors had to take account if their fiction was to maintain a level of believability. Ashley points to the difficulty of defining science fiction, and gives his own definition: “The science must seem feasible and possible, even if it stretches credulity. If it is impossible, then it is not science fiction but fantasy.” He qualifies this by pointing out that the feasibility factor is relative to the time of writing – what seemed possible in the 1890s may seem impossible to modern readers versed in later advances in science.
The books Ashley has selected for inclusion are not, he tells us, his pick of the 100 “best” novels of the period. Rather he has chosen ones which he feels “reflected the times in which they were written, but which were also innovative, original, sometimes idiosyncratic, and … a pleasure to read.” They are divided into sub-headings but follow a generally chronological order so that we can see how the genre developed over time and reacted to events in the world. Apart from Wells and Wyndham, each author gets only one entry on the main list, although in his introductions to each section Ashley ranges widely over other authors and books which don’t make the 100, so despite the title there are probably at least another hundred or so titles mentioned overall. Some examples of the sub-headings are: Wells, Wells and Wells Again; Brave New Worlds; Super, Sub or Non-Human?; Post-Atomic Doom, etc.
There are a few very well known titles here, such as The Day of the Triffids or Nineteen Eighty-Four, and also a few that I’ve come across as a result of the BL’s series, like Muriel Jaeger’s The Man with Six Senses or James White’s Hospital Station. There are also some delightful surprise appearances from authors only known to me in other genres, such as LP Hartley, J Jefferson Farjeon, and H Rider Haggard. However, as a mere dabbler in science fiction the bulk of the books and authors are new to me, though I assume many will be more familiar to real devotees.
As I went through the book, I checked the availability of each of the 100 listed titles. Around eighty of them are either still in print at reasonable prices or available on one of the online sites such as Project Gutenberg or fadedpage.com, or from second-hand sites like Abe Books. A few rarer ones are a little too expensive for a dabbler like me, and there were around sixteen for which I couldn’t track down available copies at all. However with the interest in all things vintage at the moment, I hope the BL or other publishers might bring some of the missing ones back into print over the next few years.
I love this kind of book – when you don’t really know a genre very well it can be hard to know where to start, and I have a tendency to read the very well known ones and then give up. This has given me not just the basic 100 books to explore, but also the context to understand what was happening in the genre and how the later writers built on the work of the earlier ones. Ashley gives plot summaries of the 100 (occasionally straying a little too far into spoiler territory, perhaps, but fortunately my terrible memory means by the time I read the books I’ll have forgotten the summaries) which lets potential readers know which ones they’d like to seek out. In my case, of course the answer is – all of them! Highly recommended to relative newcomers to the genre, but I’d think there would be plenty here to interest even established classic science fiction fans.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, the British Library.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
Mike Ashley has been editing the British Library’s Science Fiction Classics series for the last few years, for which he has selected some excellent novels and brought together several enjoyable themed anthologies. He and the BL are in the process of doing for “forgotten” science fiction what Martin Edwards and the BL have done so successfully in the field of vintage British crime fiction. So it seems natural that he should also follow Edwards by producing what can be seen as a guide book to his chosen genre, and this book closely follows the format of Edwards’ The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books.
Ashley begins with an introduction in which he explains why he has chosen the period from the mid-1890s to the mid-1960s. Although there had been several books which can be classed as science fiction before his start date, such as Frankenstein or Jekyll and Hyde, Ashley argues that it was the arrival of HG Wells on the scene that marked the beginning of science fiction as a distinct genre. At the other end of his time period, Ashley points to the “new wave” of science fiction authors, such as Ballard, Aldiss and Moorcock, who set out to drag the genre out of the pulpy reputation it had acquired by the late 1950s.
Between those dates, the genre had had to react to two world wars and the nuclear threat of the Cold War, not to mention the leaps in scientific knowledge of which authors had to take account if their fiction was to maintain a level of believability. Ashley points to the difficulty of defining science fiction, and gives his own definition: “The science must seem feasible and possible, even if it stretches credulity. If it is impossible, then it is not science fiction but fantasy.” He qualifies this by pointing out that the feasibility factor is relative to the time of writing – what seemed possible in the 1890s may seem impossible to modern readers versed in later advances in science.
The books Ashley has selected for inclusion are not, he tells us, his pick of the 100 “best” novels of the period. Rather he has chosen ones which he feels “reflected the times in which they were written, but which were also innovative, original, sometimes idiosyncratic, and … a pleasure to read.” They are divided into sub-headings but follow a generally chronological order so that we can see how the genre developed over time and reacted to events in the world. Apart from Wells and Wyndham, each author gets only one entry on the main list, although in his introductions to each section Ashley ranges widely over other authors and books which don’t make the 100, so despite the title there are probably at least another hundred or so titles mentioned overall. Some examples of the sub-headings are: Wells, Wells and Wells Again; Brave New Worlds; Super, Sub or Non-Human?; Post-Atomic Doom, etc.
There are a few very well known titles here, such as The Day of the Triffids or Nineteen Eighty-Four, and also a few that I’ve come across as a result of the BL’s series, like Muriel Jaeger’s The Man with Six Senses or James White’s Hospital Station. There are also some delightful surprise appearances from authors only known to me in other genres, such as LP Hartley, J Jefferson Farjeon, and H Rider Haggard. However, as a mere dabbler in science fiction the bulk of the books and authors are new to me, though I assume many will be more familiar to real devotees.
As I went through the book, I checked the availability of each of the 100 listed titles. Around eighty of them are either still in print at reasonable prices or available on one of the online sites such as Project Gutenberg or fadedpage.com, or from second-hand sites like Abe Books. A few rarer ones are a little too expensive for a dabbler like me, and there were around sixteen for which I couldn’t track down available copies at all. However with the interest in all things vintage at the moment, I hope the BL or other publishers might bring some of the missing ones back into print over the next few years.
I love this kind of book – when you don’t really know a genre very well it can be hard to know where to start, and I have a tendency to read the very well known ones and then give up. This has given me not just the basic 100 books to explore, but also the context to understand what was happening in the genre and how the later writers built on the work of the earlier ones. Ashley gives plot summaries of the 100 (occasionally straying a little too far into spoiler territory, perhaps, but fortunately my terrible memory means by the time I read the books I’ll have forgotten the summaries) which lets potential readers know which ones they’d like to seek out. In my case, of course the answer is – all of them! Highly recommended to relative newcomers to the genre, but I’d think there would be plenty here to interest even established classic science fiction fans.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, the British Library.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
June 1, 2022
This was an uneven, but ultimately enjoyable book.
Ashley covers the development of British science fiction in 100 books published between 1890 and 1965. He points out how this differed from the development of American science fiction, being more centered on novels instead of magazines and short fiction. Indeed, science fiction as a genre seems to have become strong in Britain only in the 1950s.
The book could have used more editing, and at times during the Interwar Era the reader might start to get exasperated with all these different (eccentric-sounding) novels, but after the mid-Thirties things begin to cohere and by the end of the book the reader has a clear picture of how the genre developed and a sense of what to pursue for future reading.
Ashley covers the development of British science fiction in 100 books published between 1890 and 1965. He points out how this differed from the development of American science fiction, being more centered on novels instead of magazines and short fiction. Indeed, science fiction as a genre seems to have become strong in Britain only in the 1950s.
The book could have used more editing, and at times during the Interwar Era the reader might start to get exasperated with all these different (eccentric-sounding) novels, but after the mid-Thirties things begin to cohere and by the end of the book the reader has a clear picture of how the genre developed and a sense of what to pursue for future reading.
March 31, 2021
I bought this book thinking I’d only dip into it now and then as a reference work, but I got hooked and read it cover to cover. Ashley describes 100 works of British science fiction published from 1895-1966, with most appearing before WWII. Reading the plots and themes of these books reveals how science fiction evolved.
It’s amazing how ideas I thought original in 1950s and 1960s science fiction were recycled from earlier eras. I’ve read a lot of science fiction but only a handful of these 100. And I got to say I’ve missed some wildly imaginative stories. I plan to reread this book and make a reading list. I figure there’s about 20 that are essential, and another 40 that would be fun.
It’s amazing how ideas I thought original in 1950s and 1960s science fiction were recycled from earlier eras. I’ve read a lot of science fiction but only a handful of these 100. And I got to say I’ve missed some wildly imaginative stories. I plan to reread this book and make a reading list. I figure there’s about 20 that are essential, and another 40 that would be fun.
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May 19, 2021The subtitle for the copy I have is "The Story of Classic British Science Fiction", which is more accurate. Ashley discusses 100 British SF books published between 1895 and 1966.
Science Fiction was primarily an American genre. Most of the best magazines were American. Most of the classic authors were American. Ashley highlights the British contributions.
Each chapter summarizes the plot of a book, discusses how it fits into the history of the genre and gives a quick biography of the author. Plot summaries of science fiction books often sound thin. The whole skill of a SF book is to convince us that we are in a real different world and a plot outline ,without all of that work, can sound lame.
My general impression is that British science fiction tended to be less hard science and more philosophical than American SF. There are very few space operas or military SF tales. Wells' "War of the World" created the battle-with-invaders-from-space story, but it wasn't followed up as much in Britain as in America.
There are some familiar books like Huxley's "Brave New World", Orwell's "1984", Wells' "The Time Machine" and "War of the World" and Clarkes' "Childhood End". Ashley also includes books that aren't primarily thought of as SF, like Chesterton's "The Napoleon of Notting Hill".
Most of the books are not well known these days. Many were best sellers in the 20s, 30s or 40s, but they have not been reprinted since then. Ashley's goal is to show how they were part of the history of British SF. He admits that some are not worth re-reading but he makes the case for several forgotten classics.
This was a bit more than I wanted to know about the forgotten byways of British SF but it is a substantial and well balanced survey.
Science Fiction was primarily an American genre. Most of the best magazines were American. Most of the classic authors were American. Ashley highlights the British contributions.
Each chapter summarizes the plot of a book, discusses how it fits into the history of the genre and gives a quick biography of the author. Plot summaries of science fiction books often sound thin. The whole skill of a SF book is to convince us that we are in a real different world and a plot outline ,without all of that work, can sound lame.
My general impression is that British science fiction tended to be less hard science and more philosophical than American SF. There are very few space operas or military SF tales. Wells' "War of the World" created the battle-with-invaders-from-space story, but it wasn't followed up as much in Britain as in America.
There are some familiar books like Huxley's "Brave New World", Orwell's "1984", Wells' "The Time Machine" and "War of the World" and Clarkes' "Childhood End". Ashley also includes books that aren't primarily thought of as SF, like Chesterton's "The Napoleon of Notting Hill".
Most of the books are not well known these days. Many were best sellers in the 20s, 30s or 40s, but they have not been reprinted since then. Ashley's goal is to show how they were part of the history of British SF. He admits that some are not worth re-reading but he makes the case for several forgotten classics.
This was a bit more than I wanted to know about the forgotten byways of British SF but it is a substantial and well balanced survey.
January 16, 2022
A very interesting history of British SF. While I am very familiar with the more US slanted history of science fiction and am well aware of the British writers who have been included in that like Brian Aldiss and J. G. Ballard, there is a lot here that I never knew about. I've added a lot more book to my Want to Read list! Interesting reading.
May 7, 2022
This was a well-written, good overview of the development of science fiction in Britain over about 70 years, from the end of the 19th century throughout much of the 20th. I thought Ashley did a very good job, but in the end, it turned out that I was less interested in the topic than I thought I would be. That's to take nothing away from Ashley's excellent job, as found the text both engaging and informative.
August 29, 2025
Short reviews of classic British science fiction. Good, but limited to one book per author and some were (much) better than others. Interesting read, but only if you love British science fiction and want to get some ideas on what to read next.
January 3, 2025
Informative and a good place to begin, just not the book I expected it to be.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews