12.05.09
About the Internet and Science Fiction Fans
Science fiction and fantasy fans gather on the Internet and share their thoughts and memories of great books, bad movies, and everything related to the celebration of imaginary worlds, times, places, and peoples. Sometimes called speculative fiction, science fiction’s roots go back several centuries to early novels like Robinson Crusoe, The Swiss Family Robinson, and Gulliver’s Travels. In the 19th century Jules Verne popularized imaginative fiction in ways that would not be seen again until the 20th century when writers like Edgar Rice Burroughs and H.G. Wells pushed the frontiers of the imagination out into space.
But if there is one author whose work helped science fiction and fantasy turn a major corner it would have to be J.R.R. Tolkien, creator of Middle-earth, the setting for books like The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Although a fantasy novel, The Lord of the Rings captured the imagination of thousands of readers who had never before read science fiction or fantasy books. By the 1970s Tolkien’s work had sold millions of copies, ensuring that mainstream critics and readers had to acknowledge Tolkien and other authors like Robert Heinlein and Frank Herbert.
With the advent of the Internet it was not long before the appearance of the first Tolkien forum in 1998. Soon followed by many other Tolkien forum communities, the first forum flourished and helped introduce many readers to some of the best online resources for studying the works of J.R.R. Tolkien.
Today there are now many Tolkien forum sites on the Web where fans gather and share their joy in the experience of reading about Middle-earth or watching the movies based on Tolkien’s books. People interested in the works of Tolkien should be able to find a good community where they can meet new friends.
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