Wednesday, October 17, 2012

DeNardo's Definitions for SF Newbies

Over at the Kirkus Reviews blog, SFSignal editor John DeNardo has compiled a handy glossary of SF terms for the uninitiated. Excerpt:
Science fiction often gets a bad rap for using hard-to-understand scientific terms. Well ... OK, guilty as charged. But just because science fiction has an occasional tendency to use complex language doesn't mean that it's impossible to understand -- especially when you have the following glossary at the ready the next time you pick up a science-fiction book from the shelf.
Read parts one, two, three and four. You can probably surmise from that short intro that most ISLF readers will find little new in DeNardo's definitions. But they're perfect for newcomers to the genre or semi-interested friends and family who can't tell a cyborg from a singularity or who think a Dyson sphere has something to do with fancy vacuum cleaners. The best part? DeNardo includes a suggested title that illustrates each entry, and even SF veterans will likely enjoy browsing through his book list.

(Picture: CC 2011 by marsmet541; Hat Tip: Tor.com)

2 comments:

Chestertonian Rambler said...

Admittedly, Dyson vacuum cleaners are absolutely fantastic, and a tiny bit cheaper than Dyson Spheres. :-D

Loren Eaton said...

Although I have little experience with either, I suspect you're right ...