Milton in Science Fiction and Fantasy

This article traces Milton's considerable influence on the contemporary genres of science fiction and fantasy. Works that make no direct reference to Milton or Paradise Lost still unfold within a fictive world he gave to English literature, and in Paradise Lost Milton posed big questions about human nature, God, and good and evil in ways that are still seen in these genres today. After tracing how Milton renovated the fictional cosmos, this article explores works of science fiction and fantasy that take up the philosophical and theological questions posed by Paradise Lost, focusing in particular on Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman's 1990 novel, Good Omens.