<p><b><i>A Companion to Science Fiction</i> assembles essays by an international range of scholars which discuss the contexts, themes and methods used by science fiction writers.</b></p> <ul> <li>This <i>Companion</i> conveys the scale and variety of science fiction.</li> <li>Shows how science fiction has been used as a means of debating cultural issues.</li> <li>Essays by an international range of scholars discuss the contexts, themes and methods used by science fiction writers.</li> <li>Addresses general topics, such as the history and origins of the genre, its engagement with science and gender, and national variations of science fiction around the English-speaking world.</li> <li>Maps out connections between science fiction, television, the cinema, virtual reality technology, and other aspects of the culture.</li> <li>Includes a section focusing on major figures, such as H.G. Wells, Arthur C. Clarke, and Ursula Le Guin.</li> <li>Offers close readings of particular novels, from Mary Shelley's <i>Frankenstein</i> to Margaret Atwood's <i>The Handmaid's Tale</i>.</li> </ul>
