Flashes of the Fantastic: Selected Essays from the War of the Worlds Centennial, Nineteenth International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts ... to the Study of Science Fiction & Fantasy)

The 19th International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts was focused on the centennial of the initial publication of H. G. Wells's The War of the Worlds. Wells's first and fourth novels, The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds, have together largely created the science fiction genre and are arguably the two most influential works of science fiction. But through his works Wells has had an even broader influence on the fantastic, and numerous writers, artists, and musicians are indebted to him. This volume includes selected essays from the 19th annual ICFA and gives special attention to Wells and his legacy.

The first section of the book offers fresh interpretations of The War of the Worlds, particularly as a commentary on colonialism. The second provides broader coverage of Wells and his works, with essays examining his A Modern Utopia and looking at texts which his writings inspired in major or minor ways. The third includes essays on noted fantasy writer Peter Straub, the guest of honor at the conference; while the fourth presents discussions of a variety of topics related to the fantastic, including fantastic neomedievalism, Dracula, and dragons.