[Malmgren] succeeds in formulating a typology of science fiction that will become a standard reference for some years to come."-Choice

... the most intelligently organized and effectively argued general study of SF that I have ever read."-Rob Latham, SFRA Review

... required reading for its evenhanded overview of so much of the previous critical/theoretical material devoted to science fiction." -American Book Review

Worlds Apart provides a comprehensive theoretical model for science fiction by examining the worlds of science fiction and the discourse which inscribes them. Malmgren identifies the basic science fiction types, including alien encounters, alternate societies and worlds, and fantasy, and examines the role of the reader in concretizing and interpreting these science fiction worlds.