Yesterday, I was disappointed with a story written early in David Farland’s career. He’s one of my favorite authors, and I didn’t get why. It was written early in his career, and even by his own admission was a real downer. Then I hit up on this story, another written early in Farland’s career as […]
At The Virgin’s Doorstep by David Farland: Just UGH
2014-09-30 · by ·
Ugh. Just Ugh. At The Virgin’s Doorstep by David Farland is just really bad. It starts out as something of a coming of age story, and then, before you know it, you don’t even want to come of age in this world. Who wants to live in a world that kills unicorns? By decapitation? Including baby […]
Burning Girls by Veronica Schanoes Is Dark and Moving
2014-09-29 · by ·
Every now and then, in the midst of all the dross, you read something that moves you. Veronica Schanoes‘ Burning Girls is just one such story. Set in the late 19th century, Burning Girls is about Deborah, the daughter of Polish Jews in the years after Cossacks stopped burning villages but while the threat of pogroms […]
Ink Readers of Doi Saket by Thomas Heuvelt: A Modern Myth?
2014-09-26 · by ·
The Ink Readers of Doi Saket by Thomas Olde Heuvelt is something different is something different. And, for some reason, it’s a Hugo nominee, too. Near the end of the Mae Ping River in Thailand, a town plays a special role in an annual ritual that runs river long. Villagers will put their wishes in […]
The Water that Falls on You from Nowhere by John Chu is not Scifi
2014-09-25 · by ·
The Water That Falls on You from Nowhere by John Chu is not scifi. Clever, maybe, but Hugo worthy? There’s something clever about this story. Water that falls on you from nowhere…when you are fibbing. The conceit is the narrator is an in the closet gay, at least to his parents, and without the ability […]
25 Best Sci-Fi Books of All Time…Maybe
2014-09-24 · by ·
What are the 25 best sci-fi books of all time? In a genre that has constantly evolved since before the days of Mary Shelley, Jules Verne and H.G. Wells (okay, okay… I recognize that the days of Shelley and Verne and Wells are not the same days. Not by a long shot. Let’s just call that the […]
Equoid by Charles Stross: Hugo Winner
2014-09-22 · by ·
Equoid by Charles Stross is a Hugo winner, in a year that’s had quite a bit of controversy. Initially, I was impressed by the story, but the more I think about it, the less I am. Intelligent, articulate, and witty, it has undercurrents that are dark and disturbing. It’s hard not to see echoes of Larry […]
I, Robot by Isaac Asimov: Modern Scifi Owes a Debt
2014-09-19 · by ·
I, Robot. Is there a selection from the golden age of science fiction that better epitomizes the era? There’s no doubt that Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot is a science fiction classic. Complete with the three laws of robotics, it casts a tall shadow over almost every work of science fiction, book or movie, and you hear […]
Star Wars and the Hero’s Journey
2014-09-17 · by ·
If you’ve ever wondered why Star Wars continues to resonate with viewers young and old decades after its special effects have been eclipsed by new technology, look no further than Joseph Campbell’s book The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Star Wars did not spring from George Lucas’ pen like Athena from Zeus’s head, fully grown […]
A Moving Tribute to a Jedi: Kenobi by John Jackson Miller
2014-09-15 · by ·
Kenobi is a beautiful surprise, a wonderful scene in the larger arc of the Star Wars drama. I had no idea what I was in for when I started it, and I’m glad I gave it a try. It’s an exciting and moving story of one of Star Wars most important characters. I had stopped […]
