s science fiction has matured over its long decades of literary life, appreciation of its merits has grown beyond geeks and fanatics to include researchers serious about proving its scholarly merits.
Located at the University of Kansas, the Center for the Study of Science Fiction offers resources for casual and serious genre researchers, with a focus on written science fiction. "A Basic Science Fiction Library" gives librarians a lengthy list of authors and books designed to give readers an excellent foundation in science fiction. While oriented towards academics, it's also perfect for anyone who is looking to expand his understanding of the genre's history.
The "Science Fiction Youth Program" page presents suggestions for getting young people interested in reading speculative fiction. It includes SF reading lists, essays on teaching science fiction, links to SF resources and much more. There is a page dedicated to the annual Campbell Award for science fiction, which is presented at the center's own University of Kansas, as well as one for the "Campbell Conference," an academic gathering held alongside the award ceremony. Rounding out the site is information about the university's annual SF-related academic programs, including workshops on writing and teaching science fiction.
—Ken Newquist
Site of the Week—March 7, 2005
ince their release, The Matrix and its sequels have been the subject of endless debates among those who loved them, those who hated them and those who are still trying to figure out exactly how the heck Neo shut down the sentinels in Reloaded.
The Dictionary of Matrix provides all sides with plenty of ammunition, exhaustively researching and chronicling the minutiae of the films, comic books and video games. The opening section offers entries for main and side characters, places (both real and unreal), hovercrafts and occupations. There's also a "symbols" area, which discusses the importance of certain numbers, names, times and even license plates in the movies.
The "Matrix Universe" section presents an alternative way to drill down through the Wachowski brothers' cyberpunk mythos. Entries are available for every Matrix-related product released, from movies to comic books, and provide information like taglines, cast lists and trivia. Where possible, links to the source material is given.
The dictionary is set up as a "wiki," meaning that anyone who visits the site can add or expand an entry. Those who'd rather debate than write can check out the dictionary's online forum, where fans pick apart the intricacies of the series, and try to answer its remaining questions.
—Ken Newquist
Site of the Week—February 28, 2005
rom the garishly playful Elvissaurus to the visceral and horrifying "A Portrait of Gordy Taber," Frank Wu's illustrations never fail to draw strong reactions from viewers. Winner of the Hugo Award for Best Fan Artist in 2004, Wu's official site, The House of Crunchy Art, is an eclectic mix of images, bibliographic and biographical data, and lighthearted diversions for SF fans.
Wu has made an impressive number of his illustrations available on this site, generously providing visitors with a chance to look over his work in detail. But this Web page is no mere online gallery: It also features trivia games, a political cartoon, movie reviews and even
science fiction, all written by the Wu. Rounding out the site content is a diverse—though somewhat outdated—links section and an archival shrine to influential SF artist Frank R. Paul (1884-1963), Wu's favorite artist.
The House of Crunchy Art is a glorious and chaotic jumble of images and links, one that leaves visitors hovering on the edge of overstimulation, never quite knowing if the next click of the mouse will lead to an amazing illustration, an interview, a political rant or a game. The site conveys a hundred jigsaw pieces worth of insight into its maker, creating a fragmented but nevertheless intriguing picture of one of SF's emerging artistic powerhouses.
—A.M. Dellamonica
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