ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 652 / C&RL News ■ October 2002 INTERNET RESOURCES Science fiction and fantasy A guide to resources on the Web by Wendi Arant and Hal W. Hall G iven the popular nature of science fiction and fantasy (SFF), there are millions of sites on the Internet dedicated to specific c ators, genres, movements, history, scholarship, and fandom surrounding fiction, films, games, and television. The plethora of Web pages is problematic for the user, which makes having a guide useful. Science fiction has evolved from its genre or pulp beginnings to an overlapping mixture of books, magazines, motion pictures, televi­ sion, comics, conventions, and gaming. Each subset has its own communication infrastruc­ ture on the Web and in the world. This listing focuses primarily on the print subset of sci­ ence fiction, with a nod to movies, television, and other media. In addition, science fiction and fantasy can arguably include such subgenre as horror, supernatural, and w eird fiction, which we have tried to characterize through inclusion of some sites in these areas. Selection of sites in this listing was based on usefulness (as in omnibus sites) and on au­ thority (the accuracy of the material and the expertise of the source). An effort has been made to include sources that are available with­ out a subscription and with unrestricted ac­ cess. re G e ttin g starte d The sites listed here are arguably the most com­ ­ prehensive and most authoritative available on the Web. Locus magazine and SF Site are both content rich with useful information and have indispensable links to other useful sites that have been evaluated and kept up-to-date. • Locus O nline. This is perhaps the best first place to check when looking for science fiction and fantasy information on the Web. While focusing on textual incarnations of SFF, it does cover other media sporadically, such as cinema, television, gaming, and comics. This v a lu a b le r e ­ source is fairly u p - t o - d a t e ( k e e p i n g in sync with the monthly publication of the print version), and includes review sites, publishing and entertainment news, and convention in­ formation, as well as access to a good compila­ tion of contem porary author Web sites with the Locus Online: Authors, Artists, Editors Page. Locus also includes fairly comprehensive access to scholarly resources with the Locus Index to Science Fiction, w hich includes a number of valuable reference sources such as About the authors Wendi A ra nt is humanities bibliographer a t the Texas A & M University Libraries, e-mail: warant@tamu.edu; Hal W. Hall is a recognized science fiction scholar and bibliographer, author o f several genre fiction studies, and curator o f science fiction a t the Cushing Library a t Texas A & M University e-mail: hal-hall@tamu.edu mailto:warant@tamu.edu mailto:hal-hali@tamu.edu C&RL News ■ October 2002 / 653 Fiction (1984 to 2002); the Index to Science Fic­ tion Anthologies an d Collections, Science Fiction, Fantasy, & WeirdF iction M agazine Checklist, Mys­ tery Short Fiction : 1990-2000, and the listing o f Locus Awards. A ccess: http://www. locusmag.com. • SF Site: The Best in Science Fictio and Fantasy. Updated on a monthly basis, this site is a good source of current informa­ tion and news on books and other SFF media, featuring reviews and interviews of contem­ porary authors, readings lists and links to fan sites, newsgroups, and zines. The “Science Fact” section provides links to institutions and government research sites concerned with tech­ nology and science discoveries, which would be of interest to fans and scholars and no doubt of great practical use to creators o f science fiction. Particularly noteworthy are the authors page for links to author-specific Web sites and the Internet Speculative Fiction DataBase (ISFDB), which provides bibliographic con­ trol of more than 100,000 titles (with an ad­ mitted emphasis on text creations) searchable by name, title, year, or series. The ISFDB is a good starting point to get an overview of an author’s work, but should be supplemented by other sources. Access: http://www.sfsite.com/. R e fe re n ce so u rc e s an d m e g a site s • Science Fiction and Fantasy-Related Sites. From the Schenectady County Public Library, this megasite lists numerous useful re­ sources, including newsgroups and electronic lists archives, topic and genre bibliographies, author and association sites, convention and fan Webs, magazines and newsletters, study guides, and research sources. While obviously veiy selective, the Web pages listed all appear to be active and based on the either usefulness of the information or on the reliability of the source. Access: http://www.scpl.org/sfsites.html. • Science Fictio n and Fantasy Re­ search Database. This site is the electronic incarnation of Hal W. Hall’s “Science Fiction and Fantasy Research Index” (including all three volumes plus updates). It covers all as­ pects of science fiction, fantasy, horror, super­ natural, and weird fiction, including criticism, commentary, reviews, and some fan material n from more than 100 mainstream, literary, and science fiction sources, mainly in English. There are currently more than 50,000 items included, dating from 1878 to present. A ccess: http:// library.tamu.edu/cushing/sffrd/. S c ie R n c e e s e F a ic rc ti h o n D a a n t d a b F a a s n e ta s y • Science Fiction R esource Guide. From SF-Lovers, this is one of the more use­ ful and long-term resources on the Web. It con­ tains links to archives and mailing lists, science fiction artists, authors, awards, bibliographies and bookstores, conventions and comics, fic­ tion and movie resources, reviews and criti­ cism, role-playing and other SF-related gam­ ing, television, and program guides. It also pro­ vides one of the more complete list of links to fandom sites. Access: http://www.sflovers.org/ SFRG/. • Ultimate Science Fiction Web Guide. This fan-based site offers a wide variety of links, including thematic topics, motion pic­ tures, conventions, information on SF in vari­ ous countries, and others. It is valuable for the unique material presented, but despite a high rating from Google, the site is not well orga­ nized or kept current. A ccess: http:// www.magicdragon.com/UltimateSF/SF- Index.html. S F T H E U L T I M A T E S C I E N C E F I C T I O N W E B G U I D E P ro fe s sio n a l a ss o c ia tio n s Professional associations affiliated with science fiction tend to provide valuable information from both an academic and professional per­ spective. Given the plethora of SFF sites on the Web and the lack of authority control, us­ ing an association Web site as a starting point for research or finding SFF resources is an ideal solution. • H o rro r Writers A ssociation. While this site is focused on horror fiction and has a restricted Members Only section, there is a lot of information available to the public at-large; author Web sites, award information (with a lot of focus on the Stoker Award), book lists, readings lists, writings tips, and a fairly de­ tailed and lengthy listing of links to horror- related sites are included. A gallery of horror http://www http://www.sfsite.com/ http://www.scpl.org/sfsites.html http://www.sflovers.org/ http://www.magicdragon.com/UltimateSF/SF- 6 5 4 / C&RL News * O ctober 2002 art, bo th affiliated with textual creations and th o s e stand ing a lon e, figu res p ro m in ently alongside photos, conventions, and other events. A ccess: http://www.horror.org/. • The H einlein Society. A uthor-specific sites can b e o f great benefit, esp ecially w hen looking for lesser-known works or pseudonyms affiliated with a specific author, research co l­ lections, co rresp on d en ce, exp erts, or affilia­ tions. The Heinlein Society is a prime exam ple o f o n e o f the m any author sites on the Web, u n iqu e in that its emphasis as an educational charity. A ccess: http://www.heinleinsociety.org/ indexflash.html. • Internation al A ssociation o f the Fan­ tastic in the Arts. This site focu ses on m em - ber-exclusive information and has conference and journal information. W hile the content is fairly sparse, it d o e s co n ta in a listing o f lin k s “o f interest to teachers and scholars o f the fantas­ tic ” and b ib lio grap h ic inform ation on item s appearing in the J o u r n a l o f th e F a n ta stic in th e A rts. A c c e s s : http://ebbs.english.vt.edu/iafa/ iafa.home.html. • New E n g lan d S cien ce F ic tio n A sso­ c ia tio n (NESFA). W hile admittedly region­ ally based, the NESFA site contains som e use­ ful in fo rm atio n that is n o t just a sso cia tio n - sp e cific in the form o f reading lists, review s, lin k s to articles and fa n z in e s, ca len d a r o f events, and links to other associations, clubs, and publishers. An affiliation with the NESFA Press also provides up-to-date catalogs, pub­ lishing news, forthcoming books, and writing advice. A ccess:http://www.nesfa.org/. • Science Fiction and Fan tasy W riters o f America. This is another site with some in­ formation restricted to members only, but it does include a wealth o f infonnation available to any­ on e. T he focu s is admittedly to the benefit o f authors, posting members’ fiction and Web pages, b ook reviews and awards, and dates of readings and signings, in addition to topics relevant to writ­ ing as a profession, such as piracy, ergonomics, and writing as a business and as a craft. A ccess: http://www. sfwa.org/. • Science Fiction Research Association (SFRA). T he SFRA site may be brief in its con ­ tent, but it takes a more scholarly approach to science fiction, offering calls for papers, confer­ ence information, links to the SFRA R eview and publishing guidelines, and news items o f import. A ccess: http://www.sfra.org/. T o p ica l a n d g e n r e lis tin g s Topical and genre listings are all over the Web, offering highly specific topical material (from both fan and scholarly perspectives). T he fol­ low ing exam p les only hint at the breadth o f the material available. • F e m in is t S cie n ce F ic tio n , F an tasy , an d U topia. An exten siv e and fairly current site that has section s on “Biblio graphies and Reviews," “Research, Criticism and Teaching,” and other resources concerning the “Feminist SF C om m u n ity.” So m e to p ics in clu d ed are Amazon societies, feminist dystopias, sex war, feminist cyberpunk, and alternative HerStory. A ccess: http://www.feministsf.org/. • Gary Westfahl’s Biograp hical E n cy­ clopedia o f Science Fiction Film. Affiliated with Interzone and housed on the SF Site, this is an interesting online encyclopedia development. It is essentially a filmography, providing brief per­ sonal information, such as years o f birth (and death), nationality and principal avocation (actor, director, producer, writer, special effects artist, composer, other), and complete lists o f all films and television programs relevant to science fic­ tion. A ccess: http://www.sfsite.com/interzone/ gary/intro.htm. • G enre Evolution P roject. This unique scholarly project tests the hypothesis that “cul­ tural creations evolve in the sam e way as bio ­ logical organism s.” It indexes mainly scien ce fiction sh ort stories in 20th-centu ry America by title, author, genre, and them e and summa­ rizes selected results o f their research. A ccess: http://www.umich.edu/~genreevo/. • M o rm o n SF B ib lio g rap h y . T ho u g h this site is n o n a c a d e m ic and rem ains fairly static, this bibliography contains w orks pub­ lished by and about Latter-day Saint authors, including novels, short stories, poetry, and the­ ses/dissertations, articles, and interviews. A ccess: http://liome.earthlink.net/~marnyparkin/. http://www.horror.org/ http://www.heinleinsociety.org/ http://ebbs.english.vt.edu/iafa/ http://www.nesfa.org/ http://www http://www.sfra.org/ http://www.feministsf.org/ http://www.sfsite.com/interzone/ http://www.umich.edu/~genreevo/ http://liome.earthlink.net/~marnyparkin/ C&RL News ■ October 2002 / 655 • P reh isto ric Fiction Bibliography. This is an annotated listing of 975 prehistoric novels and stories, organized by author’s name, title, or publication date. Unlike other sites, it is not restricted to mainly English-language ma­ terials and does include foreign language annota­ tions. Access: http://www.tmssel.com/prehist/ prehistl.htm. • STasis Your Guide to the Scholarly Literature o f TREK. With more than 500 abstracts, summaries, and references to reli­ able, authoritative Star Trek information sources on entertainment, biographies, merchandise, trivia, fashion, food (Terran and Alien), gam­ bling, and psychology, as well as news on tele­ vision, films, and video games, this site could be titled “Everything you wanted to know about Star Trek but were afraid to ask.” Access: http://www. ircruise. com/stasis/. • Time Travel Bibliography. Definitely a bare bones resource, this bibliography includes more than 3,200 items concerning time travel in science fiction. It is searchable by author, title, magazine, subject, locale, plot, method, and series. The best way to browse is to choose a field and search using A ccess: http:// www.timetravellit.com/index.php. E le c tr o n ic jo u r n a ls an d m a g a z in e d ire cto rie s • Del Rey I n te r n e t N ew sletter. Oftentimes, publisher sites can be of specific help. One excellent example is the Del Rey Internet Newsletter with author interviews, annotations and sample chapters, book notes, book signings, and release schedules. Access: http://www.randomhouse.com/delrey/ drindex/. • Science Fiction and Fantasy Maga­ zines on Yahoo In the constantly changing Web environment, this is the most comprehen­ sive listing of magazines, journals, and zines in the genre. It includes links to illustrious titles such as Asimov’s S cien ce Fiction, C in efex an d Strange H orizon s among many others. Access: http:// dir. yahoo.com/Arts/Humanities/Litera- ture/Genres/Science_Fiction_and_Fantasy/ Magazines/. • SF Crow snest. Even though the field of electronic publishing is in a continual state of change, this site provides a fairly current and stable listing of e-journals and e-zines in science fiction and fantasy, and is searchable and browsable by format and type of informa­ tion. Access: http://www.computercrowsnest. com/directory/fdmags.shtml. • Science Fiction Weekly. A product of the SciFi Channel, Science Fiction Weekly pre­ sents itself as the newspaper of the SFF genre. It contains news on fiction, television, comics, games, and cinema in addition to polls, letters, and multimedia tidbits. A ccess: http:// www.scifi.com/sfw/. • Tangent Online. This listing of maga­ zines and newsletters of varying frequency in­ cludes anthologies and collections, news, and editorials, concentrating on short fiction in science fiction and fantasy. It includes reviews and tables of contents. A ccess: http://www. tangentonline.com/. M isc e lla n e o u s s ite s o f in te re s t • The Best Science Fiction and Fan ­ tasy. This is an abbreviated listing of the ma­ jor science fiction and fantasy award winners. Browsable by author, title, or award-winning year, the site provides bibliographic informa­ tion (with links, admittedly infrequent, to re­ views and book store availability) and awards won, specifically the Campbell, Nebula, Hugo, and Locus awards. A ccess: http://www.best- sf.com. • Definitions of Science Fiction. While the scope of this site is pretty narrow and the source is nonacademic, it provides an interest­ ing variety of definitions for science fiction from masters of the genre, such as Isaac Asimov, Joseph Campbell, Lester del Rey, Hugo Gernsback, Frank Herbert, Sam Moskowitz, and many others. It includes provenance and citations where possible. A ccess: http:// www.panix.com/~gokce/sf_defn.html. • T he L in k ö p in g S cie n ce F ic tio n an d F a n ta sy A rch iv e. This site has an archive of usenet postings of book and movie reviews, fan fiction and fan art, as well as clipart and graphical images. A ccess: http://sf.www.lysator.liu.se/sf_archive/ sf_main.html. ■ http://www.tmssel.com/prehist/ http://www http://www.timetravellit.com/index.php http://www.randomhouse.com/delrey/ http://www.computercrowsnest http://www.scifi.com/sfw/ http://www http://www.best- http://www.panix.com/~gokce/sf_defn.html http://sf.www.lysator.liu.se/sf_archive/