Abstract

In this introduction, we draw on Sherryl Vint, Joan Gordon, and others in arguing that science fiction (sf) is particularly effective at making visible the often-invisible animal. Sf novums can transform the way we see nonhuman others, and these alternate ways of “seeing” or “reading” the animal can be pivotal in changing attitudes and understandings in the real world. We situate the volume within the context not only of work on animals in sf, but also as part of a nexus of work on ecocriticism, posthumanism, biopolitics, and other related fields. We conclude by providing a roadmap of the sections and chapters that follow.