Question: What happens when laser pistols are everywhere?
The question is actually more complicated than the title suggests. It reads as follows: In a science fiction world where guns can be made of deadly lasers, pew pew pew, that you’d have to move at the speed of light to avoid, would there be a need for guns? I mean, if you got mad […]
Question: Why does fantasy default to pseudo-medieval?
It’s an obsession. The contemporary fantasy genre has been making sweet, soft, dirty love to vaguely medieval Western cultures for almost a century now. You can tell because the two have made so many degenerate babies that the bookshelves are full with them. Some of them are more degenerate than others, taking those medieval Western cultures […]
Gritty Fantasy: Why Do I Love It So?
Today’s post is based on a question from Dirk Reul: What is it that people find fascinating about gritty fantasy compared to the classic story types like The Hero’s Journey? As I noted when the question was asked, I can only talk about this topic from my personal perspective. Sadly, the radiation from Japan’s nuclear power […]
What Are You Reading? Inquiring Minds Want to Know
In the interest of giving all of you the floor to talk about books, I’d like to know what you all are reading and what you think of it (anything counts, from articles to audiobooks). I am currently smack dab in the middle of the following: Down the Mysterly River by Bill Willingham (and Mark […]
An Anthology Idea: Science Fiction and Fantasy Stories About Homophobia
In the last twenty-four hours, I have been having a very interesting discussion with Fabio Ferndandes, Charles Tan, and others on the subject of homophobia and science fiction. Our talk stems from a post I wrote a few days ago on that very subject and has sparked serious consideration of queer-related anthologies (at the time of […]
What Genre Books Are You Looking Forward To?
The title pretty much says it all. I want to know which science fiction, fantasy, horror, crime, mystery, etc. books you’re looking forward to, whether coming this month, the first quarter of 2011, or at any point in the next year. Let me know in the comments. Or, if you like, you can respond to […]