June 13, 2019
I consider myself a convention veteran. I’ve been doing multiple conventions each year for well over a decade. But regardless of how many cons I’ve been to, going to a new-to-me con can be a bit daunting. As with any new environment, I wonder if I will know anyone, whether people will be friendly, whether I’ll fit in. From April…
June 10, 2019
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 our very own Venessa Giunta, whose Blue-Edged Soul, a short…
April 13, 2019
Greetings, gentle readers! It’s your friendly neighborhood otaku, Kristina! Today’s weekly roundup is coming to you live from Japan, where the cherry blossoms have fallen and given way to the fresh green leaves that herald the warm spring season. I won’t mourn the sakura for too long, though, because at end of this month and into early May, the wisteria…
April 11, 2019
The Reckoners Series Steelheart (Book 1) Mitosis (Book 1.5) Firefight (Book 2) Calamity (Book 3) Written by: Brandon Sanderson Genre: Post-apocalyptic, YA Lengths: 12h 42m (Book 1); 1h 3m (Book 1.5); 12h 5m (Book 2); 12h 18m (Book 3) Publisher: Audible Studios Normally, when I review books in a series, I do it individually, reviewing one book (or more) as…
December 26, 2018
The year is nearly finished! You may recall that quite a few of us set ourselves some goals for the year with our 2018 Resolution Project. How did we do? Let’s talk to a few of our contributors and find out!
August 10, 2018
The Best Series Award may only be in its second year, but it’s quickly become one of the more interesting categories at The Hugo Awards. And this makes sense, given how much beloved speculative fiction is part of a series. The 2018 nominees house several selections that I have personally enjoyed including Marie Brennan’s Memoirs of Lady Trent, and Seanan…
April 20, 2018
“April showers bring May flowers.” It’s an old saying, and one that got me thinking about the nature of storms in storytelling. Storms are perhaps one of, if not the most, versatile of narrative devices. First of all, there are plenty of storm flavors: thunderstorms, tornadoes, blizzards, hail, hurricanes, etc. And in speculative fiction, they can be brought on by…
February 22, 2018
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…
January 23, 2018
If 2000 was the year X-Men launched a wave of superhero films, then 2018 is set to be the year of the superhero blockbuster. Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, New Mutants, X-Men: Dark Phoenix, Ant-Man 2, Deadpool 2, The Incredibles 2, and even Venom will hit theaters, in addition to an animated Spider-Man movie starring Miles Morales. That’s a lot.…
January 1, 2018
Last year, a handful of our writers embarked on a Speculative Chic Resolution. As with all resolutions, we started out with the best of intentions, but as 2017 progressed and wound down, well, you can see how we fared here. But the lure of a New Year is that clean slate, a chance to start over, and a chance to…