Somehow, without ever actually saying I would do so, I am now committed to writing two more entries for the Encyclopedia of Themes in Science Fiction and Fantasy. I sent Gary Westfahl an email asking for more information. He replied saying the assignments were mine. Now, I know I could get out of it by writing him back and saying "Hell no," but that's not the kind of guy I am. And I was interested in doing a couple more entries--if I wasn't, I wouldn't have replied to Gary's original email.
So now I have the topics of "Giants" and "Insects" to write. Giants was actually one of my first choices way back when this whole exercise started. I expect the research will be frustrating, but fun. Giants are ubiquitous in mythology, after all, but not nearly as common in fantasy and science fiction proper. Suggested works to reference are Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun, Swift's Gulliver's Travels, the Xena and Hercules TV shows and the Harryhausen Jason and the Argonauts. Interesting mix, there. I expect I'll also reference Land of the Giants and Donaldson's Thomas Covenant books as well. Of course, there's no way I can't include "Attack of the 50-Foot Woman." There are several other works that come to mind, but I'm interested in what you blog readers think would be an indispensable giant-containing work to include in my research?
Ditto for Insects. That one was actually was a lark on my part. I suppose I only put it down because ants played such a large role in my research for my entry on Simak's City. Other suggested works to reference include Alice in Wonderland, Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game, Heinlein's Starship Troopers and James White's Hospital Station. I think the "Alien" films have to go in there as well, since that creature's biology is based on an amalgam of insect types on Earth. The same arguement could be made for the alien hunters of the "Predator" films, but the distinctions are more subtle and more difficult to convey in the limited space of the article. But I will definitely reference "Them," which is one of the greatest giant-nuclear-monster-mutation movies ever made, and probably Mothra as well, because you can never get enough of that giant, Godzilla-fighting moth. What other science fiction or fantasy pieces give the creepy-crawlies starring roles?
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