Spatialities of Speculative Fiction

Science fiction, fantasy and horror novels

This book examines science fiction, fantasy and horror novels utilizing a conceptual toolkit of the ten duties of speculative fiction. Building on previous work in the discipline of geography it will demonstrate the value of speculation in the visualisation of Anthropocene futures.

The book presents insights into how novels produce specifically geographical knowledge about the world - spatialities - and how they use both literal maps and figurative counter-mappings to comment upon and shape futures. This book is about much more than science fiction. It covers areas of literature and para-literature associated with the "fantastic" and as such, looks also at works of fantasy and horror. The areas of overlap between these three categories of fantastic literature are posited as the most productive in the terms by which this book navigates, namely, spatiality. The book will explore, through the critical examination of a selection of key works of speculative fiction, how science-fictional and fantastic narratives are spatialized through both conceptual and literal mappings.

This book is intended for both an academic and practitioner and for people interested in both producing scholarly commentary upon works of speculative fiction; and for those writing speculative fiction and novels.

Autorentext

Gwilym Lucas Eades is a Lecturer in Human and Environmental Geography in the Department of Geography at Royal Holloway University of London.

Klappentext

Science fiction, fantasy and horror novels

Inhalt

Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter 2: Cyberpunctum: Naming and Necessity in William Gibson and Neal Stephenson

Chapter 3: A Speculative Spectrum: Mapping Spatialities of Science Fiction and Fantasy

Chapter 4: Weird Geographies: Vandermeer, Harrison and Miéville

Chapter 5: Representation Without Reproduction: Always Coming Home, Dune, Helliconia

Chapter 6: Conclusion by way of Dhalgren