Science-fiction cinema began more than 100 years ago and has provided several milestones: color film, blending of live-action and animation, and a host of special effects. In this volume, English professor Booker surveys the genre. The focus is largely American, but Booker also notes contributions by the UK, Japan, South Korea, Germany, France, and Italy (omitting others, such as Hong Kong). Booker'¬"s lengthy chronology (almost 20 pages) begins with Mary Shelley'¬"s 1818 Frankenstein but lists mainly twentieth-century seminal and representative films and inspirations. An introduction traces sciencefiction film history from the silent era. A'¬ ;Z entries cover films; persons (actors, directors, producers, writers, special-effects artists); characters; concepts; and techniques. Length ranges from a half page to 4 pages (mainly for concepts, such as Postapocalyptic). In most cases, film entries list the year and director, describe the plot, and comment on the film'¬"s impact.

An extensive bibliography rounds out the volume. This volume should find a home in film-studies collections as well as in libraries serving science-fiction fans.