A Universe/Kingdom of Colorful Science Fiction/Fantasy Titles!

Thu
Feb 10 2011 5:17pm

A Universe/Kingdom of Colorful Science Fiction/Fantasy Titles!

Percentage of colors in science fiction/fantasy titles

Here at Tor.com we happen to know for a fact that there are a multitude of undiscovered colors floating around in the multiverse. Certain members of our staff have even seen them! But when it came to terrestrial colors, we really wanted to know just how many SF&F novels featured a color in their titles. As we often do, we turned to our loyal Facebook and Twitter followers for answers. Here’s what happened when you looked at your colorful bookshelves and compared apples with Clockwork Oranges.

Riders of the Purple Wage by Philip Jose Farmer There were 108 unique titles. Good work color diggers! (What do the shovels of color diggers look like?)

6 titles had more than one color

44 (41%) were actual colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink)

39 (36%): absence of color (black, white, or grey)

22 (20%): metals (gold, silver, copper, brass, chrome)

7 titles (6%) were not actually colors! Jade & opal are definitely stones. Meanwhile, while we love rainbows, (double or otherwise) “rainbow” is not a color. Nor is the world “color” a color. Or colour.

10 titles (9%) didn't contain actual colors if you include the 3 that featured “amber.” Is amber a color in addition to being a rock-type substance? [Edit: Percentage of this stat updated as of 2/11.]

The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman

47 occurrences in which some kind of noun is directly modified by modified by a color word. (i.e. people, skies, planets, and a certain golden compass)

18 people beat out 16 creatures in the kingdom of colorful titles. Hooray for people! Those orcs/aliens/dragons/robots can’t get us! (Remember the pink robots from that Flaming Lips song?)

There was a trifecta of colorful dragons. (We’d like you to imagine dragons racing like horses now) Also 2 unicorns, and 3 gryphons.

“The White Dragon” is apparently the name of two different books! (One in Anne McCaffrey’s Pern Series, while the other is by Laura Resnick and part of the In Fire Forged series.)

The White Dragon by Laura Resnick There was a lot of colorful royalty with 9 princes, emperors, kings, princess, etc. Also 3 knights! Though we’re not entirely sure, Sir Gawain & The Green Knight might be the first colorful knight to be featured in a title of book.

In our survey there was only ONE orange. And it’s famous! A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess.

And now, we’re off to discover new colors through magic and space travel!

Stubby the Rocket is the Tor.com mascot and also the rocket ship inside which all the staff lives. I am Stubby as you are Stubby as we are Stubby and we are all together.

1. lame light guy

Thursday February 10, 2011 05:54pm EST

Technically, only black refers to the absence of colors. White is actually a collection of all the colors. That's not really the same thing...at all.

2. zunger

view all by zunger | Thursday February 10, 2011 05:57pm EST

Is amber a color in addition to being a rock-type substance?

I would guess "yes;" as are gold, silver, copper, and so on...

3. Nentuaby

Thursday February 10, 2011 06:21pm EST

It is indeed- precisely, the brownish-orange color of the the rock-type substance. It falls into the same category as jade and opal, which are also the names of both a substance and the substance's distinctive color.

BTW, that first cover makes me think of another breakdown- titles which include a color that is not present in any significant quanity on the cover!

4. Daedos

view all by Daedos | Thursday February 10, 2011 06:30pm EST

I think "Zombie" should count as a color. It's kind of a dull, greyish-blue.
And if jade, opal, and amber are colors, ice should be too. Think about it.

5. Dietes

Thursday February 10, 2011 07:07pm EST

And what of made up/imaginary colors? This is a sci-fi site after all.
Example: The Color out of Space by Lovecraft.
Aslo, were there not some made up colors on one of the Narnia books?

6. nduncs

view all by nduncs | Thursday February 10, 2011 07:14pm EST

@#1... If you really want to get technical... You should mention that only in science is black the absence of color and white a combination of colors. Artistically speaking black is all color combined and white is the absence.

Just saying.

7. jonasc

view all by jonasc | Thursday February 10, 2011 07:22pm EST

@1, @6 Ahh, the difference between pigment and light!

8. Daedos

view all by Daedos | Thursday February 10, 2011 07:41pm EST

@7: You are correct, of course. But this is a Sci-Fi thread...so my vote goes to color = light.

Also, how about Terry Pratchet's The Colour of Magic? That has to be a cool color.

9. MrProven3

view all by MrProven3 | Thursday February 10, 2011 09:01pm EST

@8 I suggested Colour of Magic, and apparently it was rejected as a "non-color". Seems to me that Magic is a colo(u)r and I agree that is has to be a cool one!

10. Irene

view all by Irene | Thursday February 10, 2011 10:17pm EST

11. Christopher Byler

Friday February 11, 2011 07:58am EST

In some of the "amber" titles, Amber is actually a city. (Or maybe just one?) That's certainly the first thing to come to my mind when you mention "amber" in a F/SF context.

Also, I suppose you're not counting adjectives that describe colors, like "dark"?

12. MichaelWalsh

view all by MichaelWalsh | Friday February 11, 2011 10:25am EST

Grey Lensman vs Gray Lensman.

13. NancyLebovitz

view all by NancyLebovitz | Friday February 11, 2011 11:46am EST

I think A Clockwork Orange doesn'tt qualify-- it's a reference to the fruit, not the color.

"Amber" can be either a color or the stone. Not all of the stones are in that yellow-brown honey range, by the way. Some of them are blue, green, almost white or black, or red.

14. Daedos

view all by Daedos | Friday February 11, 2011 01:29pm EST

Well put, Nancy; Dominican Amber is easily my favorites. I feel like an idiot not thinking of that first.

@12 - When I start to debate between grey and gray my brain cramps up. I like to take turns using both forms (it feels more fair than ousting one simply because it is accepted as "British").

@11 - I don't think counting modifiers would be wise. If they accepted dark & light, what would stop them from moving on to other adjectives? Crisp, muted, hazy, vibrant, sickly...where would it end?

How about Sepia as a color? I admit it's no Zombie, but it might be a good addition anyway.

15. Keith3

Tuesday December 06, 2011 08:45am EST

The robots’ sensors will enable them to detect abnormalities such as suicidal behaviour and violence and report it to officers in charge, the statement said.

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