A Companion to Science Fiction assembles essays by an international range of scholars which discuss the contexts, themes and methods used by science fiction writers.

• This Companion conveys the scale and variety of science fiction.
• Shows how science fiction has been used as a means of debating cultural issues.
• Essays by an international range of scholars discuss the contexts, themes and methods used by science fiction writers.
• Addresses general topics, such as the history and origins of the genre, its engagement with science and gender, and national variations of science fiction around the English-speaking world.
• Maps out connections between science fiction, television, the cinema, virtual reality technology, and other aspects of the culture.
• Includes a section focusing on major figures, such as H.G. Wells, Arthur C. Clarke, and Ursula Le Guin.
• Offers close readings of particular novels, from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein to Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale.