No ordinary critic, Norman Spinrad explicates, celebrates, and sometimes excoriates science fiction from the privileged perspective of an artist armed with intimate knowledge of the craft of fiction and even of the writers themselves.In these 13 essays, Spinrad urges science fiction as a genre to reach its potential. He divides the essaysnew works written specifically for this book combined with those that appeared in "Isaac Asimov s Science Fiction Magazine"into" "five sections: "Literature and Genre: A Critical Overview," in which Spinrad establishes his critical standards; "Alternate Media: Visual Translations," a discussion of comic books and books made into movies; "Modes of Content: Hard SF, Cyberpunk, and the Space Visionaries"; "Psychopolitics and Science Fiction: HeroesTrue and Otherwise"; and "Masters of the Form: Careers in Profile," discussions of Sturgeon, Vonnegut, Ballard, and Dick."
- ISBN10 0809316714
- ISBN13 9780809316717
- Publish Date 9 July 1990 (first published 1 May 1990)
- Publish Status Active
- Out of Print 10 February 2012
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Southern Illinois University Press
- Format Paperback
- Pages 256
- Language English