Monthly Archives : February 2018

There’s No Such Thing as a Normal Life: Why You Should Read Seanan McGuire’s InCryptid Series


If there’s one thing that you may have noticed in my contributions here at Spec Chic, I’m not shy about attempting to persuade people to check out the things that I’m especially fond of. This time, I’m here to talk to you about one of my favorite urban fantasy series. I really like Seanan McGuire’s fiction. You may have noticed.…

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Sound Off! Annihilation


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, enter the Shimmer and discuss Annihilation, which premiered in the United States on Friday, February 23, 2018. Sound Off! is meant to be a reaction, but not necessarily a review. After all, while we are all…

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Chain Reaction: Space Travel Is Boring — Or Is It? Science Fiction and Music


Talk about Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and someone inevitably hums or whistles that famous five-note sequence created by John Williams for the film. A recent viewing of the film got me thinking about other intersections between music and science fiction. Music abounds in fantasy: Alex Bledsoe’s Tufa series King Rat, China Mieville The Name of the…

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My Favorite Things with Jaime Questell


They might not be raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens, but that doesn’t mean that we love them any less. Welcome back to My Favorite Things, the weekly column where we grab someone in speculative circles to gab about the greatest in geek. This week, we sit down with young adult author Jaime Questell, whose name you may recognize…

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Book Club Discussion: Brown Girl in the Ring


Welcome to the Speculative Chic Book Club! Each month, we invite you to join us in reading a book that is voted on by YOU, our readers. We’re still experimenting with the format, so just like last month, this month we’re just doing a review followed by your discussion in the comments! Brown Girl in the Ring (1998) Author: Nalo…

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Epic Characters, Epic Page Count: A Review of Oathbringer


Oathbringer (2017) Author: Brandon Sanderson Narrated by: Kate Reading, Michael Kramer Genre: Epic Fantasy Series: The Stormlight Archive (Book 3) Length: 1,248 pages (Kindle); 55 h and 4 m (Audiobook)* Publisher: Tor Books Why I Chose It: I read Oathbringer as part of 2018’s Resolution Project. Also, I’m a big fan of both the series and the author. The Premise: Oathbringer, the…

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Help Wanted at Speculative Chic!


Speculative Chic has been kicking around for a year and a half, if you can believe it, and during that time, we’ve established quite a regular schedule. We started with one post per day save for weekends, and now the only day we don’t publish is Sunday; often, we have two posts per day. Which means the blog has reached…

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That’s a Dealbreaker!


I’m pretty chill when it comes to my speculative fiction likes and dislikes. I understand there are things that I love but others might not. For example, Star Trek. Not everyone gets the awesomeness of Star Trek, and that’s okay. Or Harry Potter. I mean, it’s your loss, but if you’re not a Potterhead, we’re still solid. However, there are…

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