Thirty-eight years ago, the first Star Wars movie was released. In case you’ve been asleep or on another planet for the past couple of months, you know that the newest in the series, The Force Awakens, will open in theatres on December 18th. People started camping out two weeks in advance to be first in line for the latest in the ever-expanding Star Wars universe, movie number 8. While the ground-breaking visual effects of the original film helped propel it to movie history, it’s the story that endures and provides the foundation for the subsequent issues; one can still enjoy watching the first Star Wars, even if the once-very-special effects seem run-of-the-mill today.

In literature, the science fiction writer must create special effects in the mind’s eye. The rules for great sci fi are the same on paper as they are on film: take the rudiments of great fiction and keep logic as the foundation from which wonder will lead the reader’s imagination. Here are the rules:

• Introduce a memorable protagonist with human traits (whether human or alien) so the reader can relate to qualities and situations of that character.
• Present the protagonist with a dilemma — an antagonist (another being or a situation) — and build tension by before showing resolution.
• Make the resolution worth the journey – for the reader as well as for the main character.
• Research the “science” behind the science fiction to develop a firm, believable foundation before letting the imagination soar into sci fi fantasy. Keeping up-to-date on the latest science news can provide inspiration and keep the story fresh.
• Create a background for any alien aspect of the story – culture, language, psychology, history, biology or geology – even if those elements don’t appear in the finished story. That background gives depth to the alien elements, whether or not they are detailed in the story.

Science fiction asks us to suspend belief and imagine “what if…?” The most successful and enduring sci fi literature includes this out-of-this-world dozen:

Frankenstein – Mary Shelley
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea – Jules Verne
The Time Machine – H.G. Wells
I, Robot – Isaac Asimov
The Martian Chronicles – Ray Bradbury
Stranger in a Strange Land – Robert A. Heinlein
Solaris – Stanislaw Lem
Dune Chronicles – Frank Herbert
2001, A Space Odyssey – Arthur C. Clarke
The Left Hand of Darkness – Ursula K. Le Guin
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams
Ender’s Game – Andrew Scott Card

Many of the authors listed have written several great science fiction books and many of the list books have been adapted to film. All of them are worth a look.

When we think of illustrated books, our thoughts might naturally go to children’s books. Those were the first books most of us remember being read from, then as the first books we learned to read. The most enchanting of these include the classic The Tale of Pete Rabbit (1902, Beatrix Potter), Madeline (1939, Ludwig Bemelmans), and Polar Express (1985, Chris Van Allsburg). In contemporary adult literature, the mention of illustrated books conjures up such graphic novels as Jimmy Corrigan, The Smartest Boy on Earth by Chris Ware, Maus by Art Spiegelman and The Sandman (series) by Neil Gaiman.

There is, however, a wide range of novels that, while note dependent on illustration, are greatly enhanced by the excellent images added to the text. Here are some that can be enjoyed by children and adults alike, worth finding in the editions that haven’t exorcised the illustrations:

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll (illustrated by John Tenniel)
Oliver Twist – Charles Dickens (illustrated by George Cruikshank)
Vanity Fair – William Thackeray (his own illustrations)
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn – Mark Twain (illustrated by E.W. Kemble)

Lest you think all illustrated books are for children and limited to the 1800s-early 1900s, check out:

The Haunting of Hill House – Shirley Jackson – 1959
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell – Susanna Clarke (illustrated by Portia Rosenberg) – 2005
The Prague Cemetery – Umberto Eco (illustrations from various sources) – 2011

Illustrated non-fiction books of note that will stay with you long after reading:

Echoes of Earth – L. Sue Baugh and Lynn Martinelli – 2012
The Survival Girls – Ming Holden (illustrated by Jody Joldersma) – 2013

Based on my 2015 visit to Book Expo America, illustrated children’s books are alive and well. I hope authors, editors and publishers of adult literature, especially of fiction, consider more illustrations to enhance their tales. As you can see, it’s not just child’s play.