Wilson Tucker

Beginning in the 1930s Wilson “Bob” Tucker played an active role in science fiction; he coined the term “space opera,” was an author, dedicated fan, and superlative critic.  

Tucker was the long-time publisher of seminal genre fanzine Le Zombie. While an avid fan, he also wrote fiction, publishing his first story in 1941. Though he eventually wrote more than twenty novels, half of them science fiction, Tucker always considered them a pastime and was employed as a film projectionist for most of his adult life.

Tucker expanded the boundaries of genre science fiction with his downbeat and realistic variations on old material, in particular the use of time travel as a narrative device. Though time travel in science fiction can often feel clichéd, Tucker transformed the concept into an instrument of vision, tying its use to virtual archaeologies of the worlds exposed by the journey.