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Forensics’ is a term used to describe the act of applying forensic techniques to the uncovering of lost stories, unpublished editions and hidden literary history.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 […]
Here’s an old SF site review I did of one of Philip K. Dick’s lesser known novels. Review: The Game Players of Titan, by Philip K. Dick British SF classic re-release series seem to be […]
Review: The Witness for the Dead, by Katherine Addison By Rich Horton A few years ago I read Katherine Addison’s novel The Goblin Emperor, and I just lapped it up – it’s a captivating read, […]
Does a mad scientist do what they do out of sheer love of the game, or because they can’t just up and quit doing the whole mad science thing? Do they love their work, or […]
I’ve been a huge fan of A. Bertram Chandler and his Rim Worlds, John Grimes stories for decades. In 2024 I proposed a series of articles to the Australian SF magazine Aurealis and happily they […]
Sam Rockwell has been in some good SF films, like MOON, and TV series as well. Here’s another great outing for this talented actor. A man from the future comes to LA to save the human race. Is it real? I don’t know, do you?
Like blue eyes, height, or left-handedness, how much of our temper and ill manners can we contribute to our genetics? Author Bernie Jean Schiebeling explores the breakage of inherited anger, and what it’s like to […]
This review was written in 2010, when Blue and Gold came out, and I honestly can’t recall where it was published. Possibly nowhere! But a much briefer review appeared from Locus. There is an interview […]
I reviewed Wil McCarthy’s The Collapsium at SF Site in 2000 when it first appeared. I thought it lots of fun. A trilogy which somewhat more darkly explored the implications of the ideas introduced in […]
Every movie made in Ireland I’ve seen for the past, I dunno, 40 years, I’ve either liked or loved. Until this one. If you’ve seen it, read the column to see why I didn’t like it, then make up your own mind. And let me know if I was right or wrong, in your opinion.
Nothing beats away a dreary February day like curling up with a cozy fantasy novel. Even better when that novel is a sapphic love story with iguana, cat, and mushroom people! Grab a seat by […]
The intentions behind one’s actions speaks louder than words ever could. Author Darby McDevitt leads us on a journey through the exploration of intention, desires, and consequences in the Big Idea for his newest novel, […]
On occasion, you know the ending of your story before you start writing. Most other times, you find the path as you go, each twisting turn appearing before you as you continue on your merry […]
Heroes come in many sizes, shapes, colors, and… fabrics? Author R. Z. Nicolet is here to show that your choice in clothing can be more than just stylish, it can be functional, perhaps even magical. […]
Motherhood is a term that has many meanings, and looks a little different for everyone. It is also something that comes with a lot of questions, and though she may not have all the answers, […]
I heard nothing about Sinners before I watched it. I thought I’d be watching a period piece about African-American gangsters, probably during Prohibition. Little did I know I was stepping into a musical genre film!
Steve has been an active fan since the 1970s, when he founded the Palouse Empire Science Fiction Association (PESFA) and the more-or-less late MosCon in Pullman, WA and Moscow, ID, though he started reading SF/F in the early-to-mid 1950s, when he was just a sprat. He moved to Canada in 1985 and quickly became involved with chairing or helping run Canadian cons, including ConText (’89 and ’81) and VCON. As a fan, he’s published a Hugo-nominated (one nomination) fanzine, New Venture, and he’s founded two writing groups (Writers’ Bloc and Writers of the Lost, Ink). He’s emceed and auctioned art at many West Coast and Northwest conventions including one Westercon. As a writer, he’s published a couple of books and a number of short stories (including one in Compostella [Tesseracts 20], and has collaborated with his two-time Aurora-winning wife Lynne Taylor Fahnestalk on a number of art projects. As of this writing he’s the proofreader for R. Graeme Cameron’s Polar Borealis and Rhea Rose’s Polar Starlight publications. He’s been writing for Amazing Stories off and on since the early 1980s. His column can be found on Amazing Stories most Fridays.
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