ABSTRACT
The introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book talks about Science fiction. It has always had a deep concern with the technology of the flesh. In Ken Russell's Altered States, a scientist exploring sensory deprivation in an experimental isolation tank mentally regresses through the evolutionary chain, only to find that the tank technology combined with an overdose of LSD physically transforms his body into that of a primitive hominid. The erotics of science fiction also point to the intimate relationship between human beings and technology, perhaps one of the very few points of convergence between science fiction and early 20th century Modernism. The power chord of the disembodied mind finds a parallel in science fiction's fascination with artificial beings, specifically the robot. Countless science fiction films and television series, alien creatures take on protean forms.
