The
prospect of creating an academic journal for the Museum of Science Fiction
filled me with elation and trepidation. My months of research and planning
would be for naught if I couldn’t assemble the necessary teams of editors, peer
reviewers, and—most importantly— authors who would breathe
life into the MOSF Journal of Science Fiction. My vision was—and still
is—not to replace the other well-established academic journals of science
fiction studies that already exist, but to complement them.
The MOSF
Journal of Science Fiction encourages people who can write a
well-researched, well-argued paper to submit their work regardless of whether
they are established academics or just entering the realm of enthusiastic
research. For this inaugural issue, we received inquiries and submissions from
all over the world, including Canada, France, Germany, India, Malaysia,
Romania, Spain, the United States, and the United Kingdom. No two articles were
alike, and while we couldn’t accept every submission, we are thrilled to say we
already have many more manuscripts under consideration for our next issue.
This first issue of
the MOSF Journal of Science Fiction
features four articles that explore science fiction through analysis of various
themes, including—but by no means limited to—globalization, mythology, social
commentary, and assemblage theory. Derrick King’s discussion of Paolo Bacigalupi’s critical dystopias explores utopian political
possibilities that biogenetics could create, while Sami Khan’s analysis of
Hindu gods in three Indian novels reveals how closely mythology and social
commentary entwine with science fiction. Karma Waltonen
examines how female science fiction writers have used loving the “other” as a
means of challenging societal taboos about sex, and Amanda Rudd argues that
Paul’s empire in Frank Herbert’s Dune (1965)
is an entirely new assemblage composed of rearranged elements from the previous
ruler’s empire and the indigenous Fremen culture.
We thank
you, the readers, for supporting this first issue of the MOSF Journal of
Science Fiction. We are incredibly grateful to the wonderful authors who
submitted their works for consideration—you truly have surprised us with your
talent and insight. Our heartfelt thanks also goes to the peer reviewers who
played an essential role in ensuring the quality of our publication through
your constructive critiques.
In
closing, I wish to personally thank the co-editors who helped me make this
first issue of the MOSF Journal of Science Fiction a reality: Rachel
Lazarus, Heather McHale, and Barbara Jasny. This
journal would still be languishing in creative purgatory without your
dedication, guidance, and assistance. Thank you!
—Monica Louzon, MLS
Managing Editor of MOSF
Journal of Science Fiction