The Rough Guide to Sci-Fi Movies
Author: John Scalzi
Genre: Reference
Year: 2005
Rating: 8 of 10
Normally I wouldn’t read a book about films but since Scalzi wrote this one I had to give it a shot, and I’m glad that I did. The introductory chapter that discusses the history of sci-fi films was particularly illuminating and I’m grateful to this book for turning me on to so many films that I hadn’t previously seen (I thought I was well versed in SF films). The Canon section of the book, which goes into detail about 50 films, is certainly not the list that I would have chosen, but nevertheless covers a lot of ground. Unfortunately this book came out in 2005, so the list doesn’t include more recent films but overall this book is a great resource for the history of SF films both the greats and schlock. If you are interested in the genre I recommend this book, it’s a unique perspective offered by one of the contemporary greats of science fiction.