"An amazing and engrossing history.Insightful, entertaining, and compulsively readable." -- George R. R. Martin "Alec Nevala-Lee has brilliantly recreated the era eighty years ago when a handful of dedicated writers and one extraordinary editor gave American science fiction its modern shape. It is a remarkable work of literary history." -- Robert Silverberg, Grand Master of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America "A gift to science fiction fans everywhere." -- Sylvia Nasar, New York Times bestselling author of A Beautiful Mind "Science fiction has been awaiting this history/biography for more than half a century.

Here it is. This is the most important historical and critical work my field has ever seen. Alec Nevala-Lee''s superb scholarship and insight have made the seemingly impossible a radiant and irreplaceable gift." -- Barry N. Malzberg, author of Beyond Apollo "Astounding has taught me things I didn''t know; put in context things I did know; and corrected things I thought I knew. This is a wonderful, well-written book; a delight to read." -- David Drake, author of Hammer''s Slammers "Astounding is a sharp and detailed history of some of the major players in one of the most significant periods in modern science fiction. Highly recommended!" -- Greg Bear, author of Blood Music "A riveting read--a journey to another dimension, one that tells us a lot about creativity, human resilience, and even American exceptionalism.

The book is a must read for lovers of science fiction, to be sure, but really for anyone interested in culture, and how it jumps, bounces, and changes." -- Cass R. Sunstein, New York Times bestselling author of The World According to Star Wars, and Robert Walmsley University Professor at Harvard Law School "This is a fascinating, well-written, and deeply researched account of the golden age of science fiction. The lives of the writers are every bit as compelling as their best stories and Nevala-Lee brings them alive." -- Jon Atack, author of Let''s Sell These People a Piece of Blue Sky: Hubbard, Dianetics and Scientology "An indispensable book for anyone trying to understand the birth and meaning of modern science fiction in America from the 1930s to the 1950s" -- The Economist "Engrossing, well-researched. This sure-footed history addresses important issues, such as the lack of racial diversity and gender parity for much of the genre''s history." -- Wall Street Journal "Enthralling.A clarion call to enlarge American literary history.

" -- Washington Post "A captivating cultural history. fascinating and complex. reads with the immediacy of a good novel. Nevala-Lee has managed to distill the essence of their stories into a compelling tale of ambition, idealism and opportunism that should fascinate even those who have never read much science fiction at all." -- Chicago Tribune "[Astounding] is a major work of popular culture scholarship that science fiction fans will devour." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) "A laser-sharp study of science fiction''s golden age, the product of a small circle of writers and their guiding editor.Nevala-Lee''s warts-and-all look is a welcome contribution to the study of popular literature." -- Kirkus Reviews "A thoroughgoing scholarly effort.

A chatty, slightly gossipy popular biography. Nevala-Lee approaches the four subjects with a full understanding of their status and importance, but treats them as human beings with their own constellations of talents and flaws. You don''t want to miss this one." -- Analog Science Fiction and Fact "Excellent. Ingenious. The story that Nevala-Lee pieces together here has never quite been assembled in such a detailed, balanced, and clearly written way. As literary and cultural history, Astounding may well stand as the definitive account of this important era in the growth of modern SF." -- Locus "[Astounding] is a rich, gripping cultural and historical study of how a small cadre of talents in a minor commercial genre became some of the most influential figures of the second half of the twentieth century.

" -- Nature "This wonderfully researched, expansive biography -- humor, perspective, depth all much a part of it -- is a document of things all but lost to time''s slurry, the portrait of a great editor in tandem with that of a genre''s maturation." -- Fantasy and Science Fiction "Alec Nevala-Lee''s Astounding is an essential and long-overdue history of the golden age of science fiction, as reflected through the prism of some of its most significant contributors.it is an astounding history, and essential guide to a defining era of science fiction." -- B&N Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog "[Astounding] is an expansive industry drama.but the real treat of the book is [Nevala-Lee''s] dogged efforts to make these authors feel like the imperfect, egotistic, and philosophically-biased people who made such a lasting impact on the genre." -- SyFy.com "exhaustive, well-researched examinations.[an] engrossing history" -- The Verge "A mighty work of scholarship" -- Dallas News "[An] illuminating biography.

Astounding is a captivating read" -- John DeNardo, Kirkus.