A momentous project, with thirteen English and Chinese language science fiction writers. New, emerging and established authors from a mix of open submissions and curated selections create a stunning mediation of cultures, bringing together the multi-faceted perspectives of enthusiastic SF writers in the exploration of ideas and humanity.
This book, first published in 1980, analyses science fiction as a mode of literature, examines the definition of the genre, its function as social criticism and as an embodiment and critique of the scientific outlook.
'As we saw it first it was the wildest and most desolate of scenes. We were in an enormous amphitheatre, a vast circular plain, the floor of the giant crater. Its cliff-like wall closed us in on every side¿' Thanks to the discovery of an anti-gravity metal, Cavorite, two Victorian Englishman decide to tackle the most prestigious goal - space travel. They construct a sphere that will ultimately take them to the moon. On landing, they encounter what seems like an utterly barren landscape but they soon find signs that the planet was once very much alive. Then they hear curious hammering sounds from beneath the surface, and come face to face with the Selenites, a race of insect-like aliens living in a rigidly organised hive society.