Tag Archives: fantasy

CROSSROADS: Magic Realism and Negotiating the Unreal


Welcome to Thursday, folks. Somehow, no matter what I do, this day just keeps coming around. Weird, huh? Well, Thursday’s mean that it’s time for another one of our weekly Crossroads posts over at Amazing Stories, and this week we … Continue reading →

Aside | Posted on May 9, 2013 by | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Crushing Conservatism in Epic Fantasy?

Posted on March 6, 2013 by

So last week, Gollancz (an excellent British publisher of science fiction and fantasy) got some discussion going by tweeting a provocative question: Epic Fantasy is, by and large, crushingly conservative in its delivery, its politics and its morality. Discuss. And … Continue reading →

Posted in fantasy, Genre Observations, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

A Rant on Exclusion and Genre Pedantry

Posted on February 26, 2013 by

The other day, I read a fascinating (and wonderfully titled) essay by Simon Spanton, Deputy Publishing Director for Gollancz, wherein he discusses speculative fiction’s relationship to mainstream literary fiction. At first, the thought of yet another volley in the interminable … Continue reading →

Posted in fantasy, Genre Observations, Science Fiction | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Today on Amazing Stories: Crossroads – Tripping the Noir Fantastic

Posted on January 31, 2013 by

Today on Amazing Stories, I explore how fantasy navigates its epic/local tensions with noir, and how both noir and fantasy use wainscot structures. Please stop by and take a look: Crossroads: Tripping the Noir Fantastic

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The Anatomy and Value of Fictional Violence

Posted on December 4, 2012 by

Two months ago, Sherwood Smith and Steve Gould both urged me to read Bernard Cornwell’s Sharpe books, and I am quite glad that I took their advice. The Sharpe stories are historical fiction, set during the Napoleonic wars and featuring … Continue reading →

Posted in Genre Observations, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

On Where Genres Come From and How to Stitch Them Together

Posted on August 28, 2012 by

Victor Frankenstein had it easy. He had to muck about with viscera and body parts, and though the result was an eight-foot tall, sallow-skinned monster, at least human anatomy provided him with a map to follow. Writers don’t have such … Continue reading →

Posted in fantasy, Genre Observations, Science Fiction, specfic, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

“Science Fiction” and Literature – or Thoughts on Delany and the Plurality of Interprative Processes

Posted on August 15, 2012 by

NOTE: Once again, I apologize for posting this a bit later than usual. I’m abroad for only one more week, though, and then we’re back to our regular Tuesday schedule. I’ve long believed that Samuel Delany is one of the … Continue reading →

Posted in fantasy, Genre Observations, Science Fiction, specfic, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Uses and Value of Realism in Speculative Fiction

Posted on July 17, 2012 by

I’ve just gotten back, having spent a wonderful long weekend at Readercon, where it was great to see old friends and meet new ones. Alas, my brain is too full of valuable insights to really do a single comprehensive con … Continue reading →

Posted in fantasy, Genre Observations, Science Fiction, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

BEA 2012 (Day 1): The Relationship of Speculative Fiction to Mainstream

Posted on June 6, 2012 by

NOTE: This is a brief write-up of Tuesday, June 5th, the first full day of BEA. You can find my write-up of the pre-BEA Book Bloggers Conference here, and I’ll do a write-up of the second day (Wednesday) tomorrow. Overall … Continue reading →

Posted in Event Reviews, fantasy, Genre Observations, Science Fiction, specfic | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Circus as a Fantastic Device

Posted on April 24, 2012 by

I grew up devouring the works of Ray Bradbury, and I have no doubt that Dandelion Wine, Something Wicked This Way Comes, and The Illustrated Man all had an enormous influence on my love of fantasy. Add to that the … Continue reading →

Posted in fantasy, Genre Observations, horror, specfic, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments