As a member of the Pulitzer Prize jury, the late Frank McConnell helped science fiction gain standing as serious literature, evolving his presentation of the field over the course of his career. The 16 essays reveal that evolution as presented in papers at the prestigious Eaton Conferences. At first emphasizing that science fiction is primarily one of many forms of storytelling, McConnell gradually recognized science fiction as a modern expression of Gnosticism, rejecting bodily concerns for an exclusive emphasis on spirituality. McConnell's essays cover such topics as H.G. Wells, science fiction in academia, and the role of genre in storytelling. A foreword by award-winning fantasy author Neil Gaiman and tributes by noted writers such as Gregory Benford, Harold Bloom, Howard V. Hendrix, and George Slusser are also included.

Until recently, studies of the Bible centered on finding sources for historical knowledge, theological insights, or ethical advice, overlooking the true beauty of the words in the "book of books." This collection of six essays by noted literary critics and biblical scholars--including Harold Bloom, Hans Frei, Frank Kermode, James Robinson, Donald Foster, and Herbert Schneidau--breaks new ground by exploring the Bible as poetry, rhetoric, and narrative. The authors treat such issues involved in biblical narrative as its genesis, its revisionist dynamic, its fictional character, its interpretive nature, and its contradictions, prejudices, and claims. McConnell's lively, readable introduction elucidates and unifies the book's themes.