March 20, 2018
The science fiction map is vast and expansive, a giant tome that many have struggled to contain and define. It extends not only to known planets of our own solar system — Mars, for example, which was colonized by Burroughs and Kim Stanley Robinson — to entire sub-universes as big as our reality. Asimov’s Foundation series occupies a vast swath,…
March 17, 2018
Good afternoon! Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Go easy on the unnaturally green foods and beverages today, my loves. But do indulge in some nice corned beef and cabbage, or a hearty bowl of Irish stew and some soda bread, if the mood strikes you. How am I celebrating today? By locking the door and cowering under the bed. My career…
March 12, 2018
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 author and Changing the Map tour guide Calie Voorhis. This…
February 24, 2018
Hello, bonjour, buenos días, and HAPPY WEEKEND! *tosses confetti* As usual, we have been very busy bees throughout the week. I’m sure that you’re a busy person, yourself. That’s fine! Pack your bag and don’t forget to wind your watch! We’re going on a trip back into time!
February 20, 2018
At the tip-top of the gothic house, an attic looms. This particular attic does not entrap Mrs. Rochester, though it’s a close relation to the upper level of the House of Usher. No, in this MOIST attic, four children — the Dollangangers (Cathy, Chris, Carrie, and Corey) — are held captive by their evil grandmother for the primal sin of…
February 9, 2018
2018 dealt a crushing blow when it was announced that Ursula K. Le Guin passed away on January 22. At 88 years young, Le Guin was anything but forgettable, a Grandmaster of Science Fiction, a Hugo, Nebula, Locus, World Fantasy, and Pulitzer award winner, among many others. Here at Speculative Chic, we’ve talked about how Le Guin Changed the Map,…
January 20, 2018
Welcome, welcome, welcome! It’s that time again, where we review the week that was here at Speculative Chic. No time for small talk, so let’s hop right into our happy little rewind.
January 16, 2018
New Orleans-style Southern Gothic, where moisture blooms on your skin, where heat sits like a wet comforter on the trees, and the air smells of magnolia blossoms and rotting garbage. New Orleans, where the city dances, voodoo permeates, and vampires and witches prowl the street, along with their mortal prey. New Orleans. I’ve never been.
December 16, 2017
Hello! The weekend is in full swing, and I hope you’re having a marvelous time. If you’re stuck at work, you truly have my deepest sympathies. No matter where you are or what you’re doing, I hope you can take a few minutes to look back at the week with me to see what you may have missed here at…
December 12, 2017
The holiday season is upon us. The longest night and the shortest day looms closer, and America feels like it’s a tinsel-wrapped pine tree, awfully close to open flames. So, screw that. Let’s go somewhere else, somewhere in the quintessential British countryside, the fertile home of so many children’s novels. Who hasn’t spent time on a river with a water…