Recent Substack Posts Here are some recent reviews I’ve done on my Substack. Human Voices, by Penelope Fitzgerald The Mills of the Gods, by Tim Powers Cumberworld & Farther, by Gregory Feeley Beloved, by Toni […]
This an extended review I wrote back in 2001, on the occasion of the nomination of L. Ron Hubbard’s short novel “To the Stars” for a Retro Hugo. I go into some detail at the […]
Replanted Review: Deepdrive, by Alexander Jablokov by Rich Horton [I wrote this back in 1998, when the novel came out. I haven’t revised it at all (save for a few bracketed additions] so what I […]
I’m back home, with not a little bit of convention adventure under my belt. Bottom line: the event appears to have been a success on many levels: this was probably the last convention I’ll be […]
This review was written originally in 1999 for SF Site, about two YA novels by Sherwood Smith, one called Crown Duel (1997), the second Court Duel (1998). At the time I rather grumpily concluded my […]
The sequel to 2019’s “Ready or Not,” while keeping up the bloody body count of the first movie, seems a bit flat to me. While it attempts to match the dark humour of its predecessor, I found it lacking in that respect. It not only has the same strong female protagonist, but it even doubles down by adding a sister to the mix. You may like it a bit better than I did, though I thought it somewhat enjoyable.
I resurrect another review of a rather nice original anthology from a small press, back in 2008. This review originally appeared in Locus, as a Divers Hand review. Lace and Blade, edited by Deborah J. […]
SF Site isn’t the only place I reviewed for that has gone defunct. (Not by a long shot, alas!) I also did a number of reviews for Fantasy Magazine. Here’s one, of a really fine […]
Pets are more than just roommates we feed and scoop poop for, they’re often a source of emotional support and comfort in our complicated, lengthy lives. Author Eleanor Lerman explores the bond between furry friends […]
You know ’em, you love ’em, authors Tiffani Angus and Val Nolan are back again with another installment of their speculative fiction guidebooks. Hop on board the Big Idea to see how they’ve done it […]
The recent Netflix movie War Machine is an action/science fiction movie, full of the usual stuff action movies are full of. I call it a “popcorn” movie, because it’s the kind of movie you sit down with a drink (soft or otherwise) and a bowl/container of popcorn to watch. Nothing intellectual or deep, but a lot of fun.
When there’s a million and one paths in front of you, how do you know which decision to make? What if you don’t even have control over which one you end up on? Author A. […]
The Scientific Method is immensely helpful, but so is literal magic. Would the power of science prove to be more powerful than the power of wizardry? It’s tough to say, but author Cameron Johnston certainly […]
Source: The Big Idea: Christian Bieck | Whatever John Scalziwww.scalzi.com
Family ties aren’t always a prettily done bow, sometimes they’re fraught with fraying ends and tricky knots, all woven together in the branches of family trees. Love ’em or hate ’em, everyone’s got parents, and […]
What are stories but information laid out before the reader? What if that information was conveyed through multi-media formats and told through emails, newsletters, and other digital means of communication? Author Justin Feinstein has brought […]
James H. Schmitz is often cited as writing “Space Opera.” But is that really so bad? Space Opera is usually, at its core, highly entertaining—and who doesn’t like a bit of popcorn now and again?
Endings are called endings because things end there… but then what? What goes on beyond “the end”? Corry L. Lee is thinking about that very thought, and in this Big Idea for Imbue the Sky, […]
Reclaimed Review: Declare, by Tim Powers I’m reading Tim Powers’ The Mills of the Gods just now, and I thought maybe I should repost something I wrote about him. Alas, I didn’t write a full […]
La segunda edición del Cosmonauta. Al tratarse de un libro capricho de autor, uno de esos donde reúno algunos de mis gustos personales en cuanto a los géneros, me había planteado la idea de no […]
Ryan Gosling’s new movie, based on Andy Weir’s “Project Hail Mary,” is well done. Except for brief flashbacks, he’s the only actor present in the whole 2 1/2 movie, and he carries it off well. This should be as big or bigger than his previous Weir movie, “The Martian.”
‘Literary Forensics’ is a term used to describe the act of applying forensic techniques to the uncovering of lost stories, unpublished editions and hidden literary history. It is an informal discipline, usually only practiced by […]
This would be a great movie to review if I could just figure out how to review this film. It’s not an easy movie to describe—or possibly even to watch—and I think you have to be a little bit odd to enjoy it. What does it say about me that I really enjoyed it? Read the review then see it for yourself
In 1994, Peter Hyams, who had been known for directing genre films Outland (1981) and 2010, The Year We Make Contact, made an SF action-adventure film called Timecop, starring “The Muscles from Brussels,” action star Jean-Claude Van Damme. Not surprisingly, it was a pretty good movie with excellent special effects for the time (including some early CGI) and some not terribly deep subtext. Did you see it? Did you like it? Read what Steve thinks.
How is it that fairy tales persist? In the Big Idea for The Witch of Prague, author J.M. Sidorova suggests that it might be because they are malleable and can be made to fit more […]
Like two peas in a time travel pod, archivist and author Katy Rawdon teamed up with Hugo-award winning editor Lynne M. Thomas to craft the perfect time travel narrative. Take a closer look at famous […]
When you’re trying to get folks excited about their own digital rights, a lot will depend on the examples you give them to understand the fight. As the Executive Director of the Electronic Frontier […]
If everyone only wrote what they knew, how many books would we be deprived of? Author Randee Dawn has some concerns about the age-old advice, and suggests writers should get out of their comfort zone […]
The Big Idea: Lauren C. Teffeau Futuristic fiction doesn’t always have to be dystopian, and in fact author Lauren C. Teffau wanted to show readers a more hopeful narrative where people work together for the […]
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