Strictly Science Fiction: A Guide to Reading Interests (Genreflecting Advisory Series) - Hardcover

Kunzel, Bonnie

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1563088932 ISBN 13: 9781563088933

Publisher: Libraries Unlimited, 2002

Synopsis

have you been looking for a comprehensive, up-to-date readers' advisory guide to science fiction? This versatile new title will make it easy to explore the genre and its many facets and find exactly what you are looking for. There is something for everyone―from true classics, space opera, aliens, and robots, to cutting-edge, high-tech material. Titles are grouped thematically and accompanied by annotations ranging from brief descriptions to more in-depth coverage. An invaluable guide for your collection and as a readers' advisory tool. A must for library professionals and SciFi fans of all ages!

About this title

About the Author

Diana Tixier Herald, winner of the Margaret E. Monroe Library Adult Services Award, is program and outreach manager at Delta County Libraries, Delta, CO, and an author, readers' advisory consultant, workshop presenter, and speaker.

Bonnie Kunzel is teen specialist in the Youth Services Department of Princeton Public Library in Mercer County, NJ. She is also president of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA).

Reviews

The purpose of this volume is to serve as both a readers' advisory tool and as a guide for collection development. It lists approximately 900 mainly adult titles currently in print or likely to be found in library collections, and is organized by subgenres such as action/adventure, high tech, and short stories. There are brief sections of books written for young adults and for children. The selections range from Frankenstein to works published in 2002. Novelizations of short stories are noted, and original magazine publications and stories based on computer games are included. The concise annotations give clear descriptions of the plots and the conversational tone will appeal to young adults as well as to librarians. Prequels/sequels and author Web sites are indicated within the annotations. The last chapter lists resources for librarians and teachers. Author/title, subject, and character indexes add to the volume's usefulness. Similar in scope to What Fantastic Fiction Do I Read Next? (UXL, 1999), Strictly Science Fiction is more narrowly focused and more conducive to use for collection development.
Michele Capozzella, Chappaqua Public Library, NY
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

For those who work with genre readers, these two guides are must-haves. Herald, a former readers' advisory librarian and author of several other titles in the "Genreflecting Advisory" series, and Kunzel, teen specialist in the youth services department of Princeton Public Library, NJ, separate science fiction into broad subgenres such as "General Science Fiction Adventure" and "Triumphs and Travails of Technology" and then categorize them further into sub-subgenres, like "Space Opera" and "Virtual Reality," giving annotated lists of representative titles for each. By excluding fantasy and horror, the strict focus on sf makes the guide easier to use, and while the category names may be somewhat arbitrary, a little searching yields good results for readers seeking books similar to others they have enjoyed. Good indexing, by author, title, subject, and character name, along with chapters devoted to books written for children and young adults and genre-blended books (such as science fiction/ romance or science fiction/mystery), sets this reference apart. Mystery Readers' Advisory is another excellent guide for readers' advisory professionals, to be used quite differently. While annotated lists of mysteries by themes, subgenres, and awards are presented here, the book's focus is more on learning about the mystery genre and its readers than about finding specific titles. This is true for the "ALA Readers' Advisory" series in general. The tone is chatty: one professional to another (the authors are librarians and mystery buffs), and the information is quite useful, especially for readers' advisors new to the field. The various subgenres are explored, such as mysteries with private investigators, amateur sleuths, or police procedurals, and a good section on conducting readers' advisory interviews is included. A great chapter on marketing your collection with displays and programming is invaluable. So, shelve Strictly Science Fiction prominently with others in the genre series, for your patrons to browse, and keep The Mystery Readers' Advisory on your own desk to read and refer to. [Readers' advisors needing further professional assistance with genre fiction can turn to another title in the ALA series, Derek M. Buker's The Science Fiction and Fantasy Readers' Advisory: The Librarian's Guide to Cyborgs, Aliens, and Sorcerers.-Ed.]-Jennifer Baker, Seattle P.L.
--Jennifer Baker, Seattle P.L.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

A new entry in the Genreflecting Advisory Series, Strictly Science Fiction deals with a genre about which many librarians feel insecure. Beginning with Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's Frankenstein, the authors describe more than 900 titles that are "currently in print or likely to be in library collections." Herald and Kunzel believe that science fiction cannot be divided into neat subgenres, so they take a "dominant features" approach. Titles are grouped into chapters that represent not only subgenres ("Action Adventure") but also themes ("Us and Them"), formats ("Short Stories"), and readership ("The Golden Age of Science Fiction Is--Twelve"). Extensive cross-referencing helps in cases where a book is covered in more than one chapter.

Most title entries are annotated, although the only bibliographic data that is supplied is author, title, and date. Icons identify award winners, classics, books that have film versions, and selections that can be recommended to young adults. The final chapter, "Resources for Librarians and Readers," is a detailed survey of journals, Web sites, reference sources, and more. An appendix lists award winners and "bests." The volume concludes with an author/title index, a subject index, and a character index.

Like other volumes in the extremely useful series, this title will not only serve as a readers' advisory and collection development tool but will also educate librarians. Recommended for public and high-school libraries. RBB
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Libraries Unlimited
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1563088932
• ISBN 13: 9781563088933
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 298