How to Read Science Fiction

The Concise Version

Science Fiction should only be read in mass-market paperback, preferably with a garishly illustrated cover.

And the reader should be 12 years old.

The Verbose, Profusely Self-Referential Version


Science Fiction should never be read in hardback. Paperbacks merely by their tatty, down-market appearance flag you as someone who's just that type of shifty subversive capable of imagining a reality more than half a step distant from the status-quo. And you can hide it away in your back pocket so won't be eyeballed as one of those people should you ever find yourself in some rigidly conformist stronghold -- like a Whole Foods or University campus.

Back in the previous century, when libraries actually bought books instead of burning them, it was common to have at least a couple of spinner racks stuffed with Sci-Fi paperbacks. A perfect gateway drug for youngsters venturing out from the Heinlein juveniles stashed in the children's section. I can't remember what compelled 12-year old me to pick a paperback copy of Samuel Delany's The Einstein Intersection to bring home. But I do well remember the wild, weird sense of wonder this book inspired. Without doubt it had a significant influence molding the wet clay of my young mind. I've been chasing that same rush ever since.

I read tons of Science Fiction from that time on, leaning heavily on whatever Public Library I was frequenting. When I had a few dollars in my pocket, I'd splurge and buy an SF paperback by an author I admired, or just one with a cover that caught my eye. Over time, I accumulated a decent collection. Many hold a certain talismanic essence and will be kept forever, even those I never expect to read again. These were mostly purchased in the 70's and 80's, in addition to a small collection from the 1950's that I inherited from my Dad. But I hate clutter and won't allow books to be stacked in random piles about the house. Some years ago, I culled my collection, donating many books to the local Public Library bookstore. I then reduced the shelf space in my house and have kept it fixed. When new books come in, older books are sacrificed to the charity box.

I don't know what the publishing industry knows, but I suspect the mass-market paperback might be headed for extinction. It seems more SF is published today only in the larger format paperback, once called the "Trade" edition. I can imagine a host of reasons for this, most prominently the rise of the e-book. I confess, I now buy more e-books than new paperbacks because there's quite a bit of stuff I want to read that's not available in mass-market format. Not to mention buying e-books will let me hang on to more of those tattered, brightly covered books that frame a good portion of my life.

But how about the future? How will I get my paperback fix?

Well ... science-fiction readers (as opposed to FANS) buy lots of books. Eventually, some of their discarded paperbacks will turn up in thrift stores and used bookstores. A real reader like me will happily browse for hours in musty, dusty used bookstores. My new interest in Pulp literature written before I was born is now something I'm actively searching out. A favorite source for used paperbacks is Wonder Books, in Hagerstown, Maryland. They've got a huge selection, with plenty from the 70's and 80's. Most were priced at $2.95 on my last visit. If you're lucky they'll be having a 2-for-1 sale during your visit.

Where will the more thoughtful 12-year olds of today discover that sense of wonder that will propel them into first imagining and then creating the future? Do they still have opportunity to stumble across genre fiction at their local library? Most are probably not going to have the same type of attachment to physical books that someone my age does. But from where else? On the playground? Probably not, although by High School mingling with a wider range of people might bring a fan or two or three together to share reading preferences. Certainly, it won't come from the reeking pablum the film industry offers as Science Fiction (Wheee! Baby Yoda!). That's more likely to chase people away from any attraction to the genre.

Oh well, not my problem. I'll be long dead before the Science Fiction I want to read (hopefully in mass-market paperback!) falls to zero.




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