The Fantastic Detective Notebook is a browser’s delight! Gary Lovisi has updated the limited paperback edition from 40 years ago and Stark House has included dozens of eye-popping full-color covers to make this book a necessity for book lovers!
If you’re a fan of fantastic fiction and detective stories–a unique genre blend–Gary Lovisi takes you on a guide tour up and down the mean streets and menacing space ways. Just check out the Table of Contents. You’ll see dozens of authors you’re familiar with who write about Science Fiction Private Investigators and wizardly detectives.
The combination of great full-color cover artwork and bibliographic detail with insightful analysis makes The Fantastic Detective Notebook a great book for readers and collectors. And, it would make a marvelous holiday gift for that hard to please book lover on your Shopping List! Don’t miss this important and unique volume from Stark House! GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Introduction to the 2025 Edition — 9
Preface to the Original Edition — 11
THE AUTHORS:
Mario Acevedo — 21
Lou Anders — 22
Donna Andrews — 22
Neal Asher — 23
Isaac Asimov — 24
Janet Asimov — 31
Robert Aspirin, Linda Evans — 31
Kage Baker — 32
Bruce Balfour — 32
John Barnes –33
K. A. Bedford — 35
Alfred Bester — 36
Lloyd Biggie, Jr. — 37
P. L. Blair — 38
Algernon Blackwood — 39
David Brin — 40
Rosel George Brown — 40
Eric Brown — 41
Fredric Brown — 45
Jim Butcher — 46
Dennis R. Caro — 48
Caleb Carr — 48
Michael Chabon — 49
Jack L. Chalker — 49
Curt Clark (Donald E. Westlake) — 50
Hal Clement — 51
Barney Cohen — 53
James Nelson Coleman — 55
Glen Cook — 55
John Connolly — 60
Arthur Byron Cover — 64
Jamie Craig — 65
John Dalmas — 65
Jack Dann & Gardner Dozois — 66
Maurice G. Dantec — 66
Avram Davidson — 68
Len Deighton –68
Lester del Rey — 69
Mirian Allen deFord — 70
Marianne de Pierres –71
Philip K. Dick — 72
William C. Dietz — 75
J. M. Dillard — 75
George Alec Effinger — 76
P. N. Elrod — 78
Philip Jose Farmer — 81
Jonathan Fast — 81
Joe Clifford Faust — 82
Alan Dean Foster — 82
Andrew Fox — 84
George Foy — 84
Colin Free — 85
Robert Frezza — 86
Eric James Fullilove — 86
W. D. Gagliani — 87
Eric Garcia — 88
Randall Garrett — 89
Jean Mark Gawron — 91
Chet Gottfried — 92
Stephen Goldin — 92
Ron Goulart — 93
Rob Grant — 101
Simon R. Green — 102
Terence M. Green — 104
Martin H. Greenberg — 106
Guy Haley — 106
Warren Hammond — 107
Harry Harrison — 108
Isidore Haiblum — 109
Peter F. Hamilton — 110
Colin Harvey — 111
Lynn S. Hightower — 111
Douglas Hill — 112
Edward D. Hoch — 113
William Hope Hodgson — 114
James P. Hogan — 115
Trevor Hoyle — 116
Bob Ingersoll & Tony Isabella — 116
Maxin Jakubowski & M. Christian — 117
Laurence M. Janifer –117
K. W. Jeter — 118
Colin Kapp –119
Lee Killough — 120
Joe Kimball — 121
Andrew Klavan — 122
Victor Koman — 123
Dean Koontz — 124
Keith Laumer — 124
Stanisław Lem — 125
Jonathan Lethem — 126
Paul Levinson — 128
Frank Belknap Long — 129
Jean Lorrah –129
Katherine MacLean –130
James D. Macdonald — 131
Alan Marks — 131
A. Lee Martinez — 132
Steven E. McDonald — 133
Mike McQuay — 134
Sam Merwin — 135
Chris Moriarty –135
Sam Merwin — 135
Chris Moriarty –135
Lyda Moorehouse — 136
Robert K. Morgan — 136
Robert Morgan (C.J. Henderson) — 139
Ed Naha — 141
Larry Niven — 142
William F. Nolan — 144
Eric Norden — 146
Warren Norwood — 149
Alan E. Nourse –150
Mel Odom –151
Robert O’Riodan — 152
Stephanie Osborn — 153
Alexei Panshin — 154
Robert C. Peterson — 156
Mark Philips — 156
Charles Platt — 157
Fletcher Pratt — 158
Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child — 160
Seabury Quinn — 160
J. Michael Reaves — 161
David V. Reed — 163
Robert Reed — 164
Mike Resnick — 165
Alastair Reynolds — 165
Mack Reynolds — 166
J. D. Robb (Nora Roberts) — 170
Stephen Robinett– 176
Christopher Rowley — 177
Kristine Kathryn Rusch — 178
James Schmitz — 181
William Shatner — 182
Robert Sheckley — 185
John Shirley — 186
Steven I. Shewsbury — 186
Martin Siegel — 186
David Alexander Smith — 187
L. Neil Smith — 188
Wen Spencer — 191
Steven Spruill — 192
Sean Stewart — 194
John E. Stith — 195
Dan Stout — 196
Charles Stross — 199
Anton Strout — 200
Robert Sydney — 201
Jeffrey Thomas — 202
Mark W. Tiedemann — 204
E. C. Tubb — 204
Jack Vance — 205
Mark L. Van Name — 206
Jo Walton — 207
Edward Wellen — 210
Manly Wade Wellman — 210
Ted White — 211
Wynne Whitford — 213
Sean Williams — 214
Nicholas Yermakov (Simon Hawke) — 214
John Zakour & Lawrence Ganem — 215
Roger Zelazny — 220
Afterword — 222
Appendix A: Recommended Reading — 223
Appendix B: Select Short Fiction — 226
Appendix C: A Note on Cover Art — 228
Lovisi and I were supposed to do a zine exchange when I was doing MDM! The crumb stiffed me, sending nothing! for years! I think I got a couple initially! My guess is he was an Avallone sycophant and Avo got a stick up his butt because I wouldn’t join his agony society! So, even though this book looks decent, I will pass with prejudice!
Bob, don’t hold anything back!
I don’t pussyfoot!
Bob, you’ve always been a straight shooter!
Sounds good.
Jeff, the full-color cover artwork and Gary Lovisi’s expert commentary makes THE FANTASTIC DETECTIVE NOTEBOOK one of the best books of 2025!
Curse you, George Kelley! You have struck again! Just ordered it.
Jerry, George the Tempter strikes again!
I will only take issue with the notion that fantastica/crime fiction is a Unique hybrid, given historical/crime fiction, romance/crime fiction, sports/crime fiction, et al.
Thanks for the review!
Todd, if not unique, fantastic/crime fiction is exceptional!
Though a TOC that brings together David V. Reed, Eric Norden, William Shatner and Jack Vance is a Very free range!
Todd, Gary Lovisi brings a lot of famous and obscure writers together in THE FANTASTIC DETECTIVE NOTEBOOK! It makes for a fun read!
Beyond any degree of obscurity, the variation of the careers and appeal of those cited is, I’ll suggest again, scattershot. But not that that makes them unworthy, just curious…as Jeff Smith notes as well, from a different angle.
David V. Reed isn’t obscure among comics folks, for example, Norden has a coterie following, or did. Etc.
Todd, the criteria for inclusion in THE FANTASTIC DETECTIVE NOTEBOOK might be a bit puzzling…
Manly Wade Wellman’s name remains typo’d;
Todd, thanks for notifying me about the mis-spelling. I’ve corrected it THREE TIMES, but WORDPRESS changes it back! Let’s hope this fourth attempt works!
This looks like a bit of fun — I’m curious at why some writers are included (which I could find out by reading the book!), but I’m even more curious at some of the writers who are EXcluded — Stephen King, Ben Aaronovitch, Terry Pratchett, and a ton of people whose one or two books seem equal to the people included with one or two books.
Generally, these are not my favorite kinds of story, but I occasionally stumble across something I like.
Jeff, I agree with you on the omissions. Gary Lovisi obviously has some Blind Spots in this genre. But he does include a lot of forgotten writers who deserve more attention. And, of course, the gorgeous full-color cover artwork!