Home Classics / Criticism Trace Elements: Conversations on the Project of Science Fiction and Fantasy

Trace Elements: Conversations on the Project of Science Fiction and Fantasy

by Walton, Jo

Regular price $25.50 USD
Regular price $42.50 USD Sale price $25.50 USD

You save $17.00 USD (40%)

In stock — Ships within 1–2 business days

Format

Print Book Currently viewing Hardcover $25.50 USD $42.50 USD
Condition
Secure CheckoutYour data is protected
Fast U.S. ShippingShips within 1–2 business days
Authentic Titles100% Genuine Books
Book Overview From two of the most acclaimed writers in the field today, a groundbreaking look at how SF and fantasy writing--and reading!--work.Jo Wal...

From two of the most acclaimed writers in the field today, a groundbreaking look at how SF and fantasy writing--and reading!--work.

Jo Walton and Ada Palmer are two of the most innovative and insightful writers to emerge in the SF and fantasy genres in this century. As writers of fiction they've each won multiple awards. As commenters on SF and fantasy in print and in visual media, they've both sparked new conversations that expanded our imaginations and understanding of how SF and fantasy work, and what more it could be doing.

Now, in Trace Elements, Walton and Palmer have come together to write a book-length and supremely entertaining look at modern science fiction and fantasy, at how our genre is written and how it is read, that will join nonfiction works like Ursula K. Le Guin's The Language of the Night, Samuel R. Delany's The Jewel-Hinged Jaw, and Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud on the short shelf of titles essential to all readers of our genre.

Subjects covered include the nature of genre itself, the history of SF publishing, the implicit contract between author and reader, the ways SF and fantasy disguise themselves as one another, what SF&F can learn from outside influences ranging from Shakespeare to Diderot to anime, the role of complicity in reading, the need to expand our "sphere of empathy", and finally the need for optimism, the importance of rejecting "purity" culture, and the fact that the human story for centuries to come will be composed of hard work.

Book Details Format: Hardcover | Publisher: TOR BOOKS | ISBN: 1250372607
FormatHardcover
ISBN1250372607
EAN9781250372604
PublisherTOR BOOKS
Publication Date2026-03-24
AccessoriesNo Accessory
ConditionNew
Product TypeHARD COVER BOOKS
Weight1.2 Pounds
Length9.3 Inches
Width6.1 Inches
Height1.5 Inches
Shipping & Returns Fast, reliable shipping and easy returns on eligible items.

Most orders ship within 1–2 business days with fast, reliable U.S. delivery.

Eligible items can be returned within 30 days in line with our store return policy.

Why shop with AlbakiReads

Fresh Inventory from Major Publishers

Sourced through trusted book distributors, with fresh titles added regularly.

Secure Checkout

Your payment information is encrypted and protected every step of the way.

Fast U.S. Shipping

Most orders ship within 1–2 business days.

Books for Every Kind of Reader

From page-turners to timeless classics—find your next favorite read.