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Great Science-Fiction & Fantasy Works
Science-fiction & fantasy literature: a critical list with discussions.
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This is a brief discussion of Sheridan Le Fanu and, of course, of some speculative-fiction books by Le Fanu.
This discussion and list does not necessarily include every book by Le Fanu: it includes only those books that I both know and like. Just as with the author list itself, omission of a particular item may mean I didn’t think highly enough of the omitted item, or it may simply mean that I have not yet sufficient familiarity with it. (In a very few cases, I have listed some books merely on the strength of my opinion of the author: all such books are clearly marked below, as throughout these lists, with a hash mark (#) before the title so you know what’s what.)
I don’t pretend that this discussion is a deep analysis. My intent is no more than to give you a rough idea of what kinds of tales Le Fanu tells, how those tales are usually told, and what makes them and Le Fanu worthy; in sum, to help you rank Sheridan Le Fanu (and the works by Le Fanu listed here) on your personal literary “to do” list.
A Few Words About Sheridan Le Fanu
(The spelling of his last name is, to say the least, unclear. While his legal name was Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, and many have it that way, some have it as LeFanu, and others as Lefanu—Google shows a nearly even division of incidences of the versions with and without a space in the name—all of which makes searches of any sort a needlessly tedious process.)
Regrettably, I have not yet had an opportunity to write an essay on this author, but the “Other Resources” section below will lead you to some information about the “Notable Books” listed farther down this page.
Notable Science-Fiction and Fantasy Books by Sheridan Le Fanu *
(The list below comprises nearly all of Le Fanu’s better short stories; few or none of his novels are of interest. Note that Le Fanu often re-worked stories: some of the tales collected in these books are just such modifications of others therein; the differences can be interesting.)
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