This wide-ranging volume explores the various dialogues that flourish between different aspects of science fiction: academics and fans, writers and readers; ideological stances and national styles; different interpretations of the genre; and how language and "voices" are used in constructing SF. Introduced by the acclaimed novelist Brian W. Aldiss, the essays range from studies of writers such as Robert A. Heinlein, who are considered as the "heart" of the genre, to more contemporary writers such as Jack Womack and J. G. Ballard.

Horror cinema is a hugely successful, but at the same time culturally illicit genre that spans the history of cinema. It continues to flourish with recent cycles of supernatural horror and torture porn that span the full range of horror styles and aesthetics. It is enjoyed by audiences everywhere, but also seen as a malign influence by others. In this "Routledge Film Guidebook", audience researcher and film scholar Brigid Cherry provides a comprehensive overview of the horror film and explores how the genre works. Examining the way horror films create images of gore and the uncanny through film technology and effects, Cherry provides an account of the way cinematic and stylistic devices create responses of terror and disgust in the viewer."Horror" examines the way these films construct psychological and cognitive responses and how they speak to audiences on an intimate personal level, addressing their innermost fears and desires. Cherry further explores the role of horror cinema in society and culture, looking at how it represents various identity groups and engages with social anxieties, and examining the way horror sees, and is seen by, society. In this book, a range of national cinemas both historical and recent are discussed, including canonical films such as: "The Curse of Frankenstein"; "Night of the Living Dead"; "Ginger Snaps"; "Halloween"; "The Evil Dead"; and, "Candyman Saw Ringu Nosferatu". This introduction to horror cinema is the perfect guide for any student new to the genre or wishing to study in more depth.

From its inception in nineteenth-century France, the prose poem has embraced an aesthetic of shock and innovation rather than tradition and convention. In this suggestive study, Margueritte S. Murphy both explores the history of this genre in Anglo-American literature and provides a model for reading the prose poem, irrespective of language or national literature. Murphy argues that the prose poem is an inherently subversive genre, one that must perpetually undermine prosaic conventions in order to validate itself as authentically "other".

Roz Kaveney, an expert in science fiction literature and film, has written an entertaining and enlightening new read on the genre. She explores the history of science fiction film and literature, the recurring themes and characters across the genre, development of special effects technology and the advent of CGI, the business and culture of movie franchises, and the legitimization of "geek culture" through the blockbuster successes of sci-fi movies. Films discussed include Dark City, Strange Days, the Star Wars series, the Terminator films, the Alien quartet, and Galaxy Quest.

Part of the reason why I find science fiction attractive as a focus for study is because of its inherent uncertainties. For instance, Altman states that ‘most genre critics prefer to deal with films that are clearly and ineluctably tied to the genre in question’. This has certainly not been my approach to science fiction. For instance, I have included discussion of films that are less than clear examples of the genre and have chosen to read films like Crash (dir. David Cronenberg, 1996) and The Terminal Man (dir. Michael Hodges, 1974) as science fictions. I am not sure that it is possible to consider science fiction in the kind of vacuum that Altman suggests is prevalent ...