April 23, 2019
Yes, absolutely that is a terrible pun. But I didn’t want this post to get off to a rocky start. I’ll stop now. Promise. But seriously, readers. From the dawn of time people have been manipulating stone for lots of different reasons. We make weapons, houses, places of worship, watchtowers, memorials, or trailmarkers (see: cairns). Standing stones are probably the…
March 26, 2019
Very recently a certain cat played a big role in Captain Marvel. He just about stole the show, in fact, except that Brie Larson needed no help in that department. So the cat was a welcome addition to the film and to Marvel lore overall. I decided to take a look at some of my favorite faithful companions in the…
February 26, 2019
What are conlangs? I’ll be honest, I’d answer that in Klingon, Irathian, Quenya or Sindarin, but I don’t know how to speak any of them. I do know I enjoy marveling at listening to constructed languages, and science fiction and fantasy are full of them—everything from Tolkien’s fantasies to The Expanse (more about that below). I am no language expert.…
January 22, 2019
Pyschologists in science fiction or fantasy are kind of a rare character type. Professor X, Nancy Thompson, and Counselor Deanna Troi are great examples. It makes sense that Professor X would be a psychology professional, but to discuss his exploits would take pages that I don’t have here (so go here and here). And as a kid watching TNG who…
December 25, 2018
Exactly two years ago, I wrote up a post about my favorite TV shows centered around female protagonists. I think it’s time for an update. When I was a kid – we’re going there – there were very few TV shows about women. And three of them (that I can think of at the moment) were spinoffs of shows that…
November 27, 2018
Earlier this year, Chic-mate Ronya F. McCool reviewed JY Yang’s The Black Tides of Heaven, and I was intrigued. I finished that series recently and decided to round up a few more titles whose characters are nonbinary or trans*. Representation matters–and I was rewarded with several works that were thoughtful, humorous, and all-around great examples for a range of ages, interests,…
October 23, 2018
Last year I wrote about vampire stories, and talked about how I find Halloween waaay more exciting than Christmas. As a kid I looked forward to December; in recent years Halloween has become my favorite holiday. Every October 1 it’s time to break out the soundtrack to The Nightmare Before Christmas. (And yeah, I also like the Marilyn Manson version…
September 25, 2018
Subterranean (2018) Written by: Sarah Colombo Genre: Science Fiction Pages: 259 (ebook) Publisher: Spaceboy Books Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for a fair review. Why I chose it: I volunteered to review it because I’m a fan of satire as well as stories about technology’s impact on society, and this promised…
August 28, 2018
August has many meaningful historical anniversaries: Martin Luther King, Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech at the Freedom March President Nixon’s resignation the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki union strikes result in adoption of workday limits the Watts riots in L.A. the Social Security Act signed into effect Hurricane Katrina devastates the Gulf Coast the Salem “witch” trials the ratification…
July 24, 2018
It’s the middle of summer, or, as we call it in the U.S., construction season. From houses and roofs to bridges and roads, people are busy building things or improving them. So, naturally, why not highlight stories about construction? Building is hard work; it must be even more difficult in space or fantasy (barring tech or magic that makes the…