Author Description

Since 1984, Canadian writers have achieved great international visibility and success in the fields of science fiction and fantasy with the publication of popular works by Guy Gavriel Kay, Timothy Finlay, William Gibson, and Margaret Atwood. This book surveys the history of Canadian science fiction and fantasy in English and French since 1839. Ketterer first discusses the factors that initially inhibited the writing of science fiction and fantasy, and the qualities, themes, and imagistic or audioloical biases that distinguish Canadian writing in the genre. He then identifies a canon of books that--on the basic of historical interest, literary merit, or both--deserve to be better known.