September 9, 2020
One of the most common questions authors face is a deceptively difficult one to answer: “Where do you get your ideas?” Yet, the answers to that common question can be almost as interesting as the resulting story. Welcome to You’re My Inspiration, a column dedicated to discovering what inspires a particular author and their work. Whether it be a lifelong…
August 6, 2020
When I finished reading Borne, I was pretty smitten with the world and characters that Jeff VanderMeer had created (I’m still smitten, to be honest, and it’s on my list of books to buy for when I have room on my shelves again). Eventually, I learned of this short story set in the same universe. When I had a little…
September 30, 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 D.N. Bryn, whose novel, Our Bloody Pearl, is out now…
June 22, 2018
Acceptance (2014) Author: Jeff VanderMeer Genre: Science Fiction Pages: 306 (Paperback) Series: Book Three in The Southern Reach Trilogy Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux Why I Chose It: As the final book in the trilogy, I couldn’t very well say no. Especially now that we’re back in Area X—though everything I’ve peeked at so far alludes to a story that…
June 21, 2018
Authority (2014) Written by: Jeff VanderMeer Genre: Science Fiction Pages: 352 (Paperback) Series: Book Two of The Southern Reach Trilogy Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux Why I Chose It: Well, I had to find out what happened after the first book, didn’t I? Especially since I’d decided I liked the movie better and I needed to see if this book would help…
June 15, 2018
Annihilation (2014) Written by: Jeff VanderMeer Genre: Science Fiction Pages: 208 (Paperback) Series: Book One of The Southern Reach Trilogy Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux Why I Chose It: Having seen the movie and my curiosity already piqued, I figured this was only the next logical step. Especially since I wanted to see just how the two compared given that the movie…
May 17, 2018
Borne (2017) Written by: Jeff VanderMeer Genre: Science Fiction Pages: 336 (Hardcover) Publisher: Macmillan Why I Chose It: I was in the middle of reading Annihilation when one of my co-workers came up with this book and bought it. Curious, I read the summary and decided to add it to my list. What was Borne? How would he change things? I wanted…
February 27, 2018
Welcome back to Sound Off!, a semi-regular column where members of Speculative Chic gather together to chat about the latest BIG THING in entertainment. This time, enter the Shimmer and discuss Annihilation, which premiered in the United States on Friday, February 23, 2018. Sound Off! is meant to be a reaction, but not necessarily a review. After all, while we are all…
December 29, 2017
We’ve shared our 2017 Disappointments with you, so now it feels only appropriate that we share what we’re most looking forward to next year. There’s a lot of amazing content being released, and for a lot of us, it was hard to narrow our picks to just one. Nevertheless, we managed, so without further adieu, come see what the writers…
August 8, 2017
It is 1983, and I am thirteen and hunting for dragons, on a winter Boulder, Colorado day with crystalline skies so clear that I know it is below freezing outside. But I brave the elements anyways, for I want dragons, and I have five dollars and some change earned from household chores. I take the RTD bus 204 downtown, and…