June 22, 2017
Bookburners (2017) Written by: Max Gladstone, Margaret Dunlap, Mur Lafferty, and Brian Francis Slattery Genre: Urban Fantasy Pages: 787 (Hardcover) Publisher: Saga Press/Serial Box Why I Chose It: I’ve previously enjoyed works by a couple of the authors involved in Bookburners. That, and I find the concept behind Serial Box to be really interesting (more on that below!). The premise: The…
June 21, 2017
Brimstone (2017) Written by: Cherie Priest Genre: Dark Historical Fantasy Pages: 331 (Kindle) Publisher: Ace Why I Chose It: Given that I read at a snail’s pace of late, I have to get choosy about who I read. Cherie Priest has been one of my favorite authors since I discovered her debut, Four and Twenty Blackbirds, on Live Journal in…
June 20, 2017
Hugo season continues! With the Nebulas wrapped up, you’ll be seeing more and more Hugo-related posts between now and August. Up next in our reviews of the Hugo-nominated works of 2016: the entire short story category. I was especially drawn to the short story category as a challenge to myself. I haven’t read a lot of short fiction that isn’t…
June 19, 2017
They might not be raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens, but that doesn’t mean that we love them any less. Welcome to the new and improved version of My Favorite Things, a weekly column where we grab someone in speculative circles to gab about the greatest in geek. This week, we sit down with writer and comics creator Leigh…
June 16, 2017
Yes, I know I’m behind on my Orphan Black Rewatch, but I do intend to finish it. While the original intention had been to finish rewatching the series in time for the season five premiere, I think it’ll be just as fun to watch the final season, go back and finish my rewatch, and then cap it off with a…
June 16, 2017
The more we learn about the craft of writing, the more paranoid we become, worried that we are not going to get the wording just right. When we worry, we’re not enjoying the writing. Everyone’s writing process differs. If you’re like me, you like to get everything down first and edit later. Some people edit as they go. Some people…
June 15, 2017
If you’re a fan of True Blood, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or Supernatural, you will absolutely enjoy Wynonna Earp. The story starts when Wynonna Earp returns to her hometown, Purgatory, for her uncle’s funeral. And yes, she’s related to the infamous gunslinger Wyatt Earp. Both she and her younger sister, Waverly, are the great-great-grandaughters of the legendary lawman. As the oldest…
June 14, 2017
Caraval (2017) Written by: Stephanie Garber Genre: Teen/Fantasy Pages: 407 (Hardcover) Publisher: Flatiron Books Why I Chose It: Caraval first enticed me with its cover, then more with the magical ticket on the back cover, and then finally with the description within the jacket. I like carnivals and games and magic, and I have two sisters. While the premise itself sounds…
June 13, 2017
Welcome back to Sound Off!, a semi-regular column where members of Speculative Chic gather together to chat about the latest BIG THING in entertainment. This time, brush the sand out of your hair and discuss The Mummy, which premiered in the United States on Friday, June 9, 2017. Sound Off! is meant to be a reaction, but not necessarily a review. After all,…
June 13, 2017
This Month On Changing the Map This month we return to Justine Larbalestier’s excellent collection of feminist science fiction stories and essays, Daughters of Earth: Feminist Science Fiction in the Twentieth Century. Three stories in her anthology perfectly illustrate one of the most compelling themes in fantastic feminist fiction of the 1970’s and 1980’s: sex, and how it affected women then,…