The History of Science Fiction by Adam Roberts
Published 2006 · 548 pages · 115,000 words · about 10 hours at an average pace · Essays & Criticism
How hard is The History of Science Fiction to read?
The History of Science Fiction scores 58 out of 100 for difficulty on ReadingRate, making it quite demanding. The score is a weighted composite of nine measures: four of how hard the prose is to parse, five of how hard the meaning is to extract.
- Vocabulary: 62 out of 100
- Accessible scholarly prose; Roberts writes for informed general readers as well as specialists.
- Sentence structure: 58 out of 100
- Abstraction: 65 out of 100
- Contextual and historical argument with theoretical underpinning; the Protestant-origin thesis requires philosophical engagement.
- Information density: 78 out of 100
- Comprehensive survey covering two millennia; every chapter is dense with contextual material and textual analysis.
- Narrative indirection: 20 out of 100
- Historical narrative with direct argument; Roberts states his thesis clearly and then demonstrates it chronologically.
- Symbolic density: 12 out of 100
- Analytical rather than symbolic; Roberts explains rather than enacts.
- Ironic distance: 25 out of 100
- Dry wit in describing genre conventions and critical debates; primarily engaged scholarly tone.
- Resolution withholding: 15 out of 100
- Each period is given clear synthesis; the Protestant-origin thesis is argued to a definite conclusion.
- Structural complexity: 55 out of 100
- Chronological chapters with theoretical framing; extensive notes; updated editions add contemporary coverage.
How The History of Science Fiction is regarded
The History of Science Fiction holds a literary regard score of 79 out of 100, weighing its place in the canon, its critical reception, its influence on other writers, and the standing of its author. Regard is measured separately from difficulty: a demanding book is not necessarily an admired one.