Hail and well met, strangers! I have returned from a long journey through the wilds of northern Kyushu, encountering stone princesses, water dragons, white snakes, the bones of a mermaid, and a goddess with 1,000 arms — and after viewing these forbidden treasures, I’ve lived to tell the tale! If such stories drive your fancy, walking the lines of the fantastical, incredulous, and spectacular, we have even more of them to share with you — courtesy of our latest and greatest from the week. Let the quest begin!
Monday
Joshua Palmatier drops by as our special guest, in honor of the kickstart of three different anthologies, yowza! And Palmatier proves to be a perfect guest for the MFT, because he’s found a way to make his favorite things his way of life. It’s more than just zombies and fae and clockworks, oh my! His post also has the bonus of offering an interesting look into the world of publishing! If I tell you any more, I’d spoil it, so you’d best read on here!
Tuesday
Our next leg of the journey is a tavern stop at Calie‘s series, Changing the Map. She revisits year two of the perilous and wondrous journey through the worlds within the speculative genre. From islands of failed genetic Utopias to Frankenstein’s castle; from feminist waves to the far reaches of space, to the urban fantastic and beyond, this is an adventure you must undertake.
Wednesday
Erin tackles the tube with coverage of the newest adaptations of sci-fi favorites to hit the screen. A follow-up to her fantasy post, Erin takes a look at what’s coming to network, cable, and streaming TV. From darker shades of superheroes to new theories of psychohistory, to Martian wars and much, much more, see it here.
Thursday
Nancy enters the Spiderverse and chooses the world of Spider-Gwen by reviewing the first volume of Spider-Gwen: Ghost Spider. Titled “Spider-geddon,” Seanan MacGuire writes the crossover between Spider-Gwen’s story and an additional universe requiring the defeat of a new, alternate-universe Green Goblin. Does this web-slinging adventure stick? Read on to find out!
Friday
Michelle starts her series examining vampire fiction and the interplay between identity, privilege, and representation. Her first piece focuses on Deborah Harkness’s A Discovery of Witches, both the original novel and its television adaptation. Sink your teeth into this post here.
Book Club
On August 30, we’re venturing to Fillory and further with Lev Grossman’s The Magicians. You still have time to finish (or start!) the book christened “Harry Potter for grown-ups” on its release. We’ll catch you on the 30th for our last discussion before the Book Club reboot. See you then!
It is so hard to switch from a world of hidden treasures and living myths to one that’s more mundane, structured, and repetitive. Yes, I’m complaining about returning from vacation to the daily grind at work. My head’s been in the ether this whole time! I hope you’re all able to take the time to have adventures of your own, but come down from it easily all the same. Until next week, fellow travelers!
Photo by WanderLabs on Unsplash
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