September 25, 2020
I enjoy escaping into space opera, and as a librarian, I enjoy promoting my favorite reads. I loved K.B. Wagers’ The Indranan War trilogy, starting with 2016’s Behind the Throne, which starred a gun smuggler-turned-princess who leveraged her past in negotiating alliances, avenging her family, and stopping wars. So I was excited to hear about A Pale Light in the…
August 18, 2020
It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters, in the end. (Ursula K. Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness) The field of Speculative Fiction is often accused of being “escapist” as though that’s a bad thing. We all need escape every now and then, and escape to female utopias, the gentle…
May 18, 2020
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 Susan and Clay Griffith, who write the historial fantasy series…
November 23, 2019
I’m going to keep my intro short, sweet, and to-the-point! I had MUCH ILLNESS this week, am still recovering, and do not have the brain cells for a fun, themed intro. So — guess what! A week happened! Yes, another one come and gone, amazing! And if you missed it, no worries, we’ve got you covered. Welcome to the Weekly…
November 19, 2019
Smack dab in the middle of the speculative fiction universe, lies a parochial planetary empire, somewhere to the right of the Cyteen System in firm Space Opera territories, lies Barrayar. Ruled by an emperor, Barrayar is primitive, patriarchal, and flat out backwards in the viewpoint of one of its most famous ladies — Countess Vorkosigan — Captain Cordelia Naismith of…
May 31, 2019
Welcome to the Speculative Chic Book Club! Each month, we invite you to join us in reading a book that is voted on by YOU, our readers. Following a short review, please feel free to discuss the book in the comments! Shards of Honor (1986) Written by: Lois McMaster Bujold Genre: Science Fiction Pages: 255 (paperback) Publisher: Baen Premise: When…
April 5, 2019
May the Fourth be with you (and also with you). For May’s poll I had you choose from Star Wars adjacent books, and I’m super pleased with the results.
March 19, 2019
There’s a long history of women using pseudonyms, initials, and the ever popular “Anonymous”. Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Bronte were respectively Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell. Mary Anne Evans was George Elliot and even today, Joanne Rowling became J. K. Rowling (and Robert Galbraith). Andrea Norton went for the ambiguous “Andre” and Alice Bradley Sheldon created the entire alter ego…
November 19, 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 Speculative Chic contributor Kendra Merritt, whose debut novel, By Wingéd Chair,…
March 30, 2018
I had the flu a few weeks ago and while I lay in bed groaning, I thought, “This is the perfect time to catch up on some reading.” Except I only wanted to read one thing and it definitely wasn’t what I was supposed to be reading. But I knew it would make me feel better. A comfort book, if…