May 19, 2019
I have returned!!! Many thanks to Shara and Casey for covering for me during a break that started awesomely (Golden Week! Yay!), then abruptly deteriorated (respiratory infection! Boo!). Two weeks of disconnection ended up feeling more like two months, and I’m all discombobulated from the passage of time. I’m sure there were lots of exciting things happening in the speculative…
May 7, 2019
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, come to the end of an era and discuss Avengers: Endgame, which premiered in the United States on Friday, April 26, 2019. Sound Off! is meant to be a reaction, but not necessarily a review. After…
April 27, 2019
Hello once again! I’m writing to you from lovely Kumamoto as the Heisei era winds down to its final days, and the new emperor Naruhito will ascend the Chrysanthemum Throne. That sounds so majestic as I write it! And I think it’s exciting to be able to say I’m living through my third Japanese era (Showa to Heisei and now…
April 25, 2019
The Poppy War (2018) Written by: R.F. Kuang Genre: Fantasy Pages: 549 (Kindle) Series: Book One of The Poppy War Publisher: HarperCollins Why I Chose It: I had heard a lot of positive buzz about The Poppy War, but it was ultimately its Nebula Award nomination that convinced me to give it a chance. The Premise: When Rin aced the Keju…
March 28, 2019
The Kingdom of Copper (2008) Written by: S.A. Chakraborty Series: The Daevabad Trilogy (Book two) Genre: Epic Fantasy Length: 23 hours and 14 minutes Publisher: HarperAudio Why I Chose This: For 2019, I set a resolution that tackles two of my weak points as a reader: my tendency to not finish series, and my fear of long books. As a…
March 12, 2019
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, go higher, further, and faster and discuss Captain Marvel, which premiered in the United States on Friday, March 8, 2019. Sound Off! is meant to be a reaction, but not necessarily a review. After all, while…
February 28, 2019
Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee! (2018) Developer: Game Freak Publisher: The Pokémon Company, Nintendo Written and directed by: Junichi Masuda Platforms: Nintendo Switch Genre: RPG Mode: Single-player, and Multi-Player, but I will only be reviewing the Single Player experience Why I Chose It: When they first announced Let’s Go Pikachu/Let’s Go Eevee, a pair of spin-off games for the Pokémon franchise,…
January 26, 2019
Hello! I have returned from my adventures, I didn’t really find myself in need of a time travel device, and all went well last weekend! I know that you were all sitting at the edge of your seats just waiting to hear that. Anyway, you should all know the drill by now, so line up and then we shall proceed…
January 24, 2019
Ninth Step Station (2019) Written by: Malka Older, Fran Wilde, Jacqueline Koyanagi, Curtis C. Chen Genre: Science Fiction, Police Procedural Length: the ARC I received did not have a page count attached. This is a fiction serial of ten episodes Series: Book #1 of Ninth Step Station Publisher: Serial Box Disclaimer: I received a copy of Ninth Step Station for…
January 15, 2019
I admit it: I was a little braindead when the time came to think of a topic for January’s roundtable. The thing that immediately came to mind was this: it’s the first of the year. What’s the first thing that you remember that set you on the path to becoming the magnificent speculative fiction fan that you are today? What…