Review of The Science Fictionary by Robert W. Bly
A.E. Jackson Review Score: 3 / 5 Ravens
How was this review scored?
Bly’s collection is, for the most part, a running list of the who’s who, where’s where - and even Dr.Who’s whats - found throughout the best science fiction of the past 175 years*. (* See William Wilson reference, page 5, The Science Fictionary)
With The Science Fictionary, readers hold in their hands a guide to fantastic ideas, and the words authors invented just to describe what they were trying to say. Flipping the tome over, the back cover says it all - Now, get your sci-fi “fix” here!
While mainstream writers have readers, only science fiction authors can claim rabid fans. The Science Fictionary is a massive reference guide to science fiction terminology. The dictionary-like entries are clear and accessible. These science fiction words — from bionics and black holes, to warp factors and wormholes - were selected with care by one who knows the genres well.
“THE SCIENCE FICTION, FANTASY, AND HORROR DICTIONARY A THROUGH Z” Ahhh! Just reading those words gives fans of the genre a warm tingly feeling all over. The rush of overloaded neurons exploding with vivid memories, cross-galactic imagery, and spirit-lifting insights is enough to make one catatonic with glee. Hold still. Look right at this neuralizer. There, that should help calm you down. (* See Neuralizer entry, page 136, The Science Fictionary)
Robert W. Bly sets out to achieve three things with this collection of words and their definitions. The first is to provide readers a clear explanation of foundational science fiction ideas, works, authors, or concepts. Almost all of them can be found here.
He also provides an enjoyable warp-speed* passage along memory lane. The nostalgic appeal of thumbing through pages of names, locations, and objects, for lifelong speculative fiction fans, is hard to resist. The work provides hours of entertaining reading, even when each entry ping-pongs the reader to another entry elsewhere in the collection. (* See Warp Factor entry, page 211, The Science Fictionary)
Finally, Bly realizes there are those fans for whom science fiction, and the related genres of fantasy and horror, are more than entertainment. The lifestyle demands an almost Borg*-like acquisition of all knowledge for the mastery of science fiction trivia. These entries act as both a springboard to discovering new works and new authors, as well as a reminder of classic gems readers would like to revisit. (* See Bog entry, page 30, The Science Fictionary)
At the time period in which you are reading this review it may still not be possible to perform a complete Consciousness Download*. If that is the case, please access Robert W. Bly’s mind through the alternative method - a copy of his book, The Science Fictionary. (* See Consciousness Download entry, page 44, The Science Fictionary)
Robert W. Bly, a full-time freelance writer since 1982, is the author of over eighty-five books, including The Ultimate Unauthorized Star Trek Quiz Book and The Science in Science Fiction. Bly holds a BS in chemical engineering from the University of Rochester and has published more than one hundred articles in numerous periodicals, including Cosmopolitan and Writer’s Digest.
Read more from Robert W. Bly at https://www.bly.com and find him on social media at Facebook(@BobBlyCopywriter), Twitter(@Robertbly), and LinkedIn(@bobbly).