Brian W. Aldiss has led a long, successful life as author, critic, bon vivant, world traveler, and raconteur. He has also, by his own example, been a key figure in leading science fiction out of its ghetto and transforming it into a serious literary genre. Aldiss is something of an anomaly, at least by British standards: a man who enjoyed a good public school education but had no "Oxbridge" university degree, is immensely learned--a writer who, despite these alleged handicaps, has won approval from vastly diverse audiences. He has won all of the highest awards in science fiction: the Nebula, voted on by his peers in the organization Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America; the Hugo, awarded by science-fiction fans during the annual WorldCon; and the John W. Campbell Award for the "Best Science Fiction Novel of the Year," awarded by a select group of scholars and...