LOST TRANSMISSIONS

Reviewed by Steven H Silver

There was a time in the not too distant past when a science fiction fan could conceivably read every short story and novel published in the field and see every television show and movie produced. With the victory of science fiction culture in our society, however, those days are now a thing of the past and all fans with limited time and resources must choose what to read, view, or listen to. One of the results is that fans do not necessarily have the time or inclination to read or view the works that built the field up and nobody can keep abreast of all the new science fiction and fantasy content being created. Desirina Boskovich’s Lost Transmissions: The Secret History of Science Fiction and Fantasy offers a solution.

The volume contains numerous essays on specific works of speculative fiction, organized by media and dating back as early as Johannes Kepler’s sixteenth century manuscript Somnium and Georges Méliès’s film La Voyage dans la Lune and continuing through to contemporary works, not only in literature and film, but in architecture, gaming, and fandom. While many of the works covered are not entire unknown, few people will be familiar with all the works selected, either first hand or through reputation. These essays provide an introduction to the works and their importance.

The essays do not simply contain synopses of the works under examination, but Boskovich and the authors she has brought on board to discuss some of the works, try to find unique angles to use in discussing the works and their place in the creation of the modern science fiction field. Battlestar Galactica is not an unknown property, but for many, the lawsuit filed against its creators by the Star Wars team and the results of that lawsuit may be unknown. Other essays cover much less well known properties, providing a broad view of the field that has something new for any reader.

Another strength the book has is that Boskovich did not write the entire book herself, instead reaching out to other authors who could provide their own expertise and point of view on the topics they cover. Neil Gaiman writes about M. John Harrison’s Viriconium novels and K.M. Sparra tackles fan fiction. John Chu offers thoughts on SF in musical theatre and Nisi Shawl discusses black speculative music. Since the book covers so many areas, it is important to give voice to a variety of authors and viewpoints and in this Lost Transmissions succeeds admirably.

The book also contains copious illustrations, both black and white and color, depicting the items being discussed. This not only helps to break up the text, but it adds additional dimensions to the conversation since it provides visual cues, as well as showing the evolution of the imagery associated with the growth of science fiction. Articles on film may include not only production stills or posters, but also some behind the scenes images. Artists, authors, and musicians can also have their images included in the book to give some idea about the appearance of the individuals who helped make speculative fiction the wide-spread genre it is today.

Even for knowledgeable fans of the history of science fiction, Lost Transmissions has new things to offer. Boskovich has cast a broad enough net to capture a variety of fandoms, which also shows the breadth of the current state of the field. By tracing those different fandoms through the years, the book demonstrates that all of them have a legacy. Her use of multiple authors not only provides different viewpoints, but also establishes that there is more to science fiction fandom than any one person can fully encompass.

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