Penny, The Review Group's reviewer Penny for Your ThoughtsThe Review Group
Series ✦ Penny’s Take

Survey of Science Fiction Literature

Frank Northen Magill · 1979
55/100
👎 Skip It

This is a solid old-school library reference — hundreds of essay-reviews on classic sci-fi, useful if you're doing serious research. But it's dated (nothing past 1979), the 'Magill' name on the cover is mostly nominal since another editor did the real work, and as a reference set it has no real narrative pull for a general reader.

✦ Penny’s Take — this is The Review Group’s own editorial assessment. Penny’s analytical review line researched this book from real sources and scored it across the lenses shown below. It’s an honest first-party read — not a page-by-page personal one. The gold ✓ Penny Tested mark is reserved for books Penny reads cover to cover herself.
📚 Buy the book 📱 Read on Kindle 🎧 Listen on Audible affiliate links · support the site, never the verdict
As an Amazon Associate and Audible affiliate, Penny earns from qualifying purchases. This never affects the verdict — see our affiliate disclosure.
Show the math
Verdict receipt0–100
Faith & family safety70
Substance / usefulness65
Craft & writing55
Originality50
Evidence & accuracy60
Hype vs delivers55
Age-fit60
Human-eye read45
Penny’s verdict55
Cross-pollinate