Random Essays & Tracts Concerning Sex, Religion and Death

This new collection of critical essays on science fiction and fantasy literature and media features the following pieces: "Slaves of the Death Spiders: Colin Wilson and Existential Science Fiction," "Is There No Balm in Gilead? The Woeful Prophecies of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale," "A Few More Crocodile Tears?" "The Adventures of Lord Horror Across the Media Landscape," "Filling in the Middle: Robert Silverberg's The Queen of Springtime," "Rice's Relapse: Memnoch the Devil," "Field of Broken Dreams: Michael Bishop's Brittle Innings," "The Magic of the Movies," "H. G. Wells and the Discovery of the Future," "The Many Returns of Dracula," "Tarzan's Divided Self," "Sympathy for the Devil: Jacques Cazotte's The Devil in Love," "The Two Thousand Year Odyssey: George Viereck's Erotic Odyssey," and "The Profession of Science Fiction" (an autobiography). Brian Stableford is the bestselling writer of 50 books and hundreds of essays, including science fiction, fantasy, literary criticism, and popular nonfiction. He lives and works in Reading, England. ISBN 0-8095-0910-5 (cloth) ] ISBN 0-8095-1910-0 (paper)

Acclaimed author and scholar Brian Stableford turns his penetrating mind to matters of science fiction, fantasy, and horror in this collection of essays. He covers such diverse topics as: SLAVES OF THE DEATH SPIDERS: Colin Wilson and Existentialist Science Fiction IS THERE NO BALM IN GILEAD?: The Woeful Prophecies of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale A FEW MORE CROCODILE TEARS?: Gwyneth Jones THE ADVENTURES OF LORD HORROR: Across the Media Landscape FILLING IN THE MIDDLE: Robert Silverberg's The Queen of Springtime RICE'S RELAPSE: Memnoch the Devil FIELD OF BROKEN DREAMS: Michael Bishop's Brittle Innings THE MAGIC OF THE MOVIES H. G. WELLS AND THE DISCOVERY OF THE FUTURE THE MANY RETURNS OF DRACULA TARZAN'S DIVIDED SELF SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL: Jacques Cazotte's The Devil in Love THE TWO THOUSAND YEAR QUEST: George Viereck's Erotic Odyssey THE PROFESSION OF SCIENCE FICTION

The great horror of modern history absorbed into the framework of surrealism, literary fantasy and the darkest children's fiction. Lautreamont and Sade meet Roald Dahl. The main protagonists are everyone's favorite comic heroes - Meng and Ecker - mutant twins, rescued from the death camps for 'research' purposes by the infamous Dr. Mengele. Unsurprisingly, this book has already appeared in court in Britain....

An indispensable sampling of the vast assortment of publications which exist as an adjunct to the mainstream press, or which promote themes and ideas that may be defined as pop culture, alternative, underground or subversive. Updated and revised from the pages of the critically acclaimed Headpress journal, this is an enlightened and entertaining guide to the counter culture - including everything from cult film, music, comics and cutting-edge fiction, by way of its books and zines, with contact information accompanying each review.