The Power of Myth in Storytelling
“If a being from another world were to ask you, ‘How can I learn what it’s like to be human?’ a good answer would be, ‘Study mythology.’ ”—Joseph Campbell For Joseph Campbell, perhaps our era’s […]
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The Cost of Transformation: A Review of North American Lake Monsters by Nathan Ballingrud
What do you say to a man who’s fresh out of jail, whose wife has been sleeping around and who doesn’t know his daughter anymore? What do you say to a kid living alone with […]
Hugo Award by the Numbers
With the Hugo Award voting coming to a close at the end of July, I find my attention being pulled towards the historical data surrounding the Hugo. The Hugo Award started in 1953 at the […]
Low Intensity – 1 – Jim Aikin
This will be an occasional series about good writers who either haven’t produced very much book-length speculative fiction, or are, in my opinion, under-appreciated. Jim Aikin is something of a mix of the two categories. […]
L. SPRAGUE DE CAMP 2 HYBORIAN TIMES
As mentioned in an earlier post, L. Sprague de Camp attempted to turn Sword & Sorcery down a logical, Science Fictional route (ala John W. Campbell’s Unknown) with his Pusadian stories, but in this he […]
Anime roundup 7/12/2013: The World Is Illusion
It’s season premiere time, so let’s set aside the continuing shows for a week to look at new stuff. (Space Brothers is taking the week off, anyway.) Day Break Illusion premiere – Akari Taiyō is an […]
Dinosaurs are NOT Bulletproof!
As I watched a repeat episode of Mythbusters the other night, I was reminded of one of my pet peeves in Science Fiction and Fantasy- the ineffectiveness of firearms. The Mythbusters were testing why so […]
Sequential Wednesdays #15 – A Brawling Youth & His Magical Wardrobe
“Read the book. Help the people. You already know what to do…slay the monsters.” Paul Pope is a comic creator who has essentially calcified the notion of first-look recognition. His art of splashing squalor threatens […]
Interview: Milivoj Ćeran, Fantasy Illustrator
“Hello, My name is Milivoj Ćeran, I live in Zagreb, Croatia. I’m a professional illustrator specialized in fanastic art.” Q: What made you want to be a fantasy illustrator? A: “That idea was in my […]
Conociendo a Tanya Tynjäla – Escritora de CF
Tanya Tynjäla – Escritora de Cf y Fantasía. Profesora de francés. M. C. Carper para Amazing Stories Magazine: Hola ¿Quién eres? Preséntate con tus palabras, por favor. Tanya Tynjälä: Soy Tanya Tynjälä y como […]
Excerpt: THE CROWN TOWER by Michael J. Sullivan
SOMETIMES FRIENDSHIPS ARE FORGED IN BLOOD Two men who hate each other. One impossible mission. A legend in the making. Synopsis Hadrian Blackwater, a warrior with nothing to fight for is paired with Royce Melborn, […]
The Artful Collector: Handling Difficult People Part 2: The Collector (or) Why I Can’t Sell Art to You
Do you think artists have a monopoly on “crazy”? Heh. You ain’t seen nothin, till you’ve had to handle the people who buy SF/F art. Not for nothin’ do corporations send employees for special training […]
Anime roundup 7/5/2013: The Moving Finger Writes
Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet, end – By golly, they managed it. The big fight scene and enough time left over to wrap up all the loose ends, including what Earth was doing as one […]
Interview with Award-Winning Author Lois McMaster Bujold
Today we are joined by legendary author Lois McMaster Bujold. Lois writes fantasy and science fiction that marches side by side with the greatest authors the genre has ever known. Her trophy case includes five […]
Anime roundup 6/28/2013: Fall of the Guardians
Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet #12 – Is it an act of insubordination if you refuse the orders given by your superior officer’s ghost? Or does that mech fight just count as damaging government property? […]
PUSADIAN REWRITE: L. SPRAGUE DE CAMP 1
Two things happened in 1950. One: L. Sprague de Camp read his first Conan story. And two: L. Sprague de Camp would try to direct Sword & Sorcery down another track altogether. Those two don’t […]
Summer 2013 Anime Preview
So, you heard about that Sailor Moon reboot everyone is all excited about? It’s been pushed back to 2014 at least. Instead, here are the more notable examples of what you’ll have to tide you […]
Erring On the Side Of Love: A Review of The Melancholy of Mechagirl by Catherynne M. Valente
Catherynne M. Valente’s new collection teems with floating lanterns and fox spirits, gods and baku and bears and animated calligraphy brushes, all revolving around the recurrent figure of a Western woman dreaming about a country she can never quite reach, even when she’s there.
Finding a Path to the Stars at the 2013 Campbell Conference
Friday, June 14, 2013, arrived without much fanfare. My yard gnomes were chained and securely staked in my garden, while the lazy, overweight alligators lounged at the edge of the moat with their mouths open, […]
Female Heroes in Literature
For my birthday last year, I went to the cinema to watch the popular—and somewhat controversial—Hunger Games. Well, controversial among some critics and followers of critics, anyway. I came across a particularly juicy tidbit by […]
The Artful Collector: Vulgaris Triumphus? on Judging (SFWA) Magazines by Their Cover
Judge books by their cover? Everyone does it. That’s why – and despite the mis-marketing, agenting “horror stories” (both artist and author) and egregious lack of talent (cover-wise) – books and yes, magazines, still get […]
Anime roundup 6/21/2013: The Great Chain of Beating
Hunter x Hunter #84 – One of the recurring features of shōnen series is a tendency to look at characters exclusively through who they can and can’t defeat in a fight. The shōnen world can […]
Interview with Bestselling Author Daniel Abraham (James S.A. Corey and M.L.N. Hanover)
Today we are joined by bestselling and award-winning author Daniel Abraham. Daniel publishes science fiction as one half of the two-headed giant, James S.A. Corey. He satisfies readers with his urban fantasy as M.L.N. Hanover, […]
The Lasting Impact of Miyazaki’s Princess
There are some artists who leave a lasting impression on every life their work touches. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that Hayao Miyazaki is one of those artists; I know that his […]
The Artful Collector: On Sensitivity to Negative Reviews
How many times have we read negative reviews by (mainly) newspaper- employed critics about books or films in the science fiction/fantasy genre that either were completely off base, once we read the book, or which […]
Anime roundup 6/14/2013: Strange Aeons
Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet #10 – So the magical glowing trails from which all the fleets of Earth draw their electricity are, basically, squid dandruff. Next it will probably turn out that the lightbugs […]
World Underground
Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that I recently signed myself up for a Horticulture Certificate with the Open Polytech, and have been assiduously studying the physical and chemical properties of soils […]
A Game of Drama
Well season three of Game of Thrones is over, and I have to say after the Red Wedding episode I had prepared myself for a dramatic season finale, which thankfully didn’t come. Don’t get me […]
Hobbit 2 Trailer
Steve DavidsonSteve Davidson is the publisher of Amazing Stories. Steve has been a passionate fan of science fiction since the mid-60s, before he even knew what it was called.
Haunted by Demons
Da Vinci’s Demons has been the unexpected highlight of the last three months. The life of one Leonardo da Vinci given a mysterious new age spin which turns an already fascinating historical concept into compelling […]
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