Modern science fiction writers have long inhabited a dimension far removed from the comfortable realms of filmic space opera franchises and Dr. Who. Too often lurking along the margins of literature are some of the most intelligent, imaginative, and outrageous writing talents of our day. These interviews by legendary critic and SF proponent Larry McCaffery journeys into the minds and psyches of ten iconic writers whose works influenced the evolution of science fiction. Authors like Octavia Butler, William Gibson, Thomas Disch, Ursula Le Guin, and Bruce Sterling discuss New Wave, hard versus soft SF, and the viability of the genre as a means of suggesting political, radical, and sexual agendas. As these writers speak candidly about their works, backgrounds, and aesthetic impulses, it becomes clear that the issues on their minds and in their fiction are central to contemporary life and art.

Larry McCaffery is a literary critic and editor, and a retired professor of English and comparative literature. His many books include Storming the Reality Studio: A Casebook of Cyberpunk and Postmodern Science Fiction and Some Other Frequency: Interviews with Innovative American Authors.

Introduction   1
An Interview with
Gregory Benford   9
William S. Burroughs   31
Octavia E. Butler   54
Samuel R. Delany   71
Thomas M. Disch   105
William Gibson   130
Ursula K. Le Guin   151
Joanna Russ   176
Bruce Sterling   211
Gene Wolfe   233
Index   257