Forrest J Ackerman's World of Science Fiction

Reader Reviews
Forrest J. Ackerman may go down in history as one of the most influential men of the 20th Century, and the 21st, given the vast number of adolescent boys for whom he has served as role model, inspiration, catalyst, and friend. Forry, a distinguished literary agent and editor of science fiction in his own right, is even better known to baby boomer males as the editor of the only truly influential "monster magazine" ever published, known affectionately to millions as FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND. Editor of 200 issues of the legendary magazine, Forry, who never sat on a pedestal but always kept his young fans squarely in the magazine's focus, managed to influence quite profoundly several generations of boys. His readers have included the elite of several entertainment industries, from books to motion pictures, many growing up to join the professional ranks of the same industries. The people behind films like STAR WARS and CLOSE ENCOUNTERS were youthful readers, from Dennis Muren to Phil Tippett, as were movie directors like John Carpenter and John Landis. Forry counts other equally remarkable icons like Ray Bradbury and Ray Harryhausen among his close personal friends. He travels in heady company, and his books are rich as a result. Given all this, a walk through the genre of science fiction with Forry Ackerman, who has been agent to many fine science fiction writers and publisher of many anthologies and popular magazines such as SPACEMEN, is a little piece of heaven indeed. Forry's famous "Ackermansion" is perhaps the largest collection of sci-fi materials in the world. He knows his stuff, and he writes about it entertainingly and with intimate familiarity. A noted raconteur, Mr. Ackerman deserves all the attention and notoriety his books get, and I can heartily recommend time spent in these pages as a reader's treat and a visual delight.