I’m going to keep my intro short, sweet, and to-the-point! I had MUCH ILLNESS this week, am still recovering, and do not have the brain cells for a fun, themed intro. So — guess what! A week happened! Yes, another one come and gone, amazing! And if you missed it, no worries, we’ve got you covered. Welcome to the Weekly Roundup: here’s what happened at Speculative Chic!
Monday
Step through the portal to another world with this week’s MFT guest author, E.L. Chen! In honor of her latest release, a (2-in-1!) YA fantasy titled Summerwood/Winterwood, we’ve invited her to share her speculative delights! From Netflix’s take on a haunted house classic to the greats of Studio Ghibli; from a BBC Radio sketch comedy series to a podcast about what’s going on Asian America; and wrapping it all up with a Jazz Age YA series about teens coming into their powers in a world of supernatural evils, and you’ve got a delicious confection that’ll satisfy any genre craving. Take a bite here!
Tuesday
Calie adds another stop through her journey within the genre with her regular series, Changing the Map. In this edition, we’re venturing into space opera territory with Lois McMaster Bujold’s feudalistic and patriarchal planet Barrayar, the setting for multiple works in her Vorkosigan Saga featuring Captain Cordelia Naismith, who accomplishes, “in one lifetime, almost single-handedly, the sexual revolution of an entire empire.” Speculative fiction is the genre that both asks and answers the question “what if?” In this case, what if a patriarchal society can be reformed? What if sex can be separated from reproduction? What if reproductive choice and technology is made available to all? There’s so much to consider from this award-winning series — take a look.
Wednesday
Erin continues reviewing Hulu and Blumhouse Production’s holiday horror collaboration, Into the Dark. We’re onto the second season now (read about season one here and here), and we’re starting with two major holidays: Halloween and Thanksgiving! Is the Halloween episode all trick and no treat? Is the Thanksgiving episode a turkey, or a feast with all your favorite sides? The answers are here!
Thursday
Nancy reviews the first book in the Witch of the Lake series, Feast of the Mother, by Miranda Honfleur and Nicolette Andrews. This YA fantasy (with some cross-genre surprises!) centers on Brygida, a servant to the mysterious and ancient being the dwells in the lake. Her role is as a Reaper of Death, and she must satisfy the creature with one sacrifice, or another — her own. Is the novel just as intriguing as its premise? Read on for the verdict!
Friday
Michelle starts off a new series, With This Ring, You’ll Be Dead, where she examines the darker tropes of romantic vampire fiction through the violence committed against its female protagonists (please note, content warning for violence, abuse, and potentially triggering subject matter). She writes, “What’s more attractive than a lover who embodies the qualities of all things forbidden and allows us to walk a tightrope between safe sexual relationships and abusive ones?” Vampires walk the threshold between love and abuse. In this offering, she discusses stalking as a form of violence, compares vampires to serial killers, and asks some tough questions for lovers of monsters — where vampires are concerned, when is stalking a crime and when is it a stage of courtship? Read on here.
Book Club
It’s almost the end of November, and then it’ll be December before you know it, and then, BAM! A new year, and our new book club! What am I talking about? We’ve been hinting at it for a while…it’s our upcoming relaunch of the Book Club, starting in 2020! Get caught up on the plan here…and get cracking on those books!
After a series of unfortunate events that have laid me out for the week, I’m ready to sob into a gallon of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream…except they don’t have that in Japan! So I will simply leave you with an image I am posting out of self-pity in the hopes that I will get well and feel better (and deliver a better Roundup for you) next week! Presenting my favorite space tragedy, Lotor from Voltron. He is MY MOOD. See you next time, friends!
[…] with this, my evil plan is complete — I have repeatedly subjected you to Roundups with featured images of beautiful purple elf-men with long white hair…this […]