Did E.M. Forster write only one sci-fi story?

Cafe Society
1

" The Machine Stops " is one of my all time favourites, and I’d love to read anything else in the SF genre from the guy. But from what I can tell, he just wrote that one, and the rest of his oeuvre is basically in standard literature (or whatever you call it when it’s not a “genre” piece). Is that really the case? A pity if so.

2

One way to at least partly answer a question like this is to go to the Internet Speculative Fiction Database and enter the author’s name. When I enter Forster’s name, I get this webpage:

http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?1969

This is all the science fiction, fantasy, and horror that he wrote. I suspect that most of this is fantasy. That’s not a full answer to your question to your question, I realize, but it’s a start.

3

Thanks, Wendell! I wasn’t aware this database existed–very cool. (I only wish they didn’t lump SF and fantasy together as I consider them almost 180 degree opposites and am quite uninterested in the latter.)

4

E. F. Bleiler completed the Herculean task of reading all pre-pulp science fiction and described each story in Science Fiction: The Early Years. He lists only “The Machine Stops” in his Forster entry.

5

Thanks, Exapno. That really is a Herculean effort–amazing. So when Bleiler says this book contains "short stories, mostly fantastic, including (a) ‘The Machine Stops’ ", you take it to mean the rest are fantasy rather than SF because they are not described? What about his use of the word “including” there?

6

Normally Bleiler includes everything of a fantastic nature, since the definition of science fiction was pretty loose in those days. But pure fantasy might not make his cut.

Fortunately, most of the stories listed in the isfdb are available from Project Gutenberg in a collection titled The Celestial Omnibus. At a very quick glance the stories might qualify as supernatural, but not sf.

7

Ever read Jack Vance? A great exemplar of “science fantasy” if I ever read one.

8

Any stories available online of Vance, neuroman? I am not sure I can wrap my head around the idea of “science fantasy”, but I’m willing to try it.

9

Here’s one I found. It’s somewhat indicative of his general writing.

10

Ever see Star Wars?

11

I have nothing to add to the OP, but will just submit that I asked a question about this story back at the dawn of these boards, predating “Cafe Society.”