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Introduction
(Contemporary Literary Criticism)
Blish, James 1921–1975
Blish, an American science fiction novelist, poet, critic, short story writer, playwright, screenwriter, and author of young adult novels, was considered a master of science fiction. He avoided popular fantastical ideas, creating instead realistic dramas based on feasible technological innovations. He was best known for A Case of Conscience, a novel that earned him the Hugo Award in 1959. Blish also wrote criticism under the pseudonym of William Atheling, Jr., and adapted several of the "Star-Trek" television shows into novels. (See also Contemporary Authors, Vols. 1-4, rev. ed.; obituary, Vols. 57-60.)