This year, the world of science fiction and fantasy has become home to a new set of prizes: the Ignyte Awards. Presented at the 2020 Fiyahcon, a convention held under the banner of Fiyah: Magazine of Black Speculative Fiction, the Ignyte Awards have the stated aim of celebrating diversity within speculative fiction:
REVIEW: Twelve Angels Weeping Expands the Whoverse Without the Doctor
In Twelve Weeping Angels, we explore the heroes, villains, companions, and passersby of the Doctor Who universe, with one recurring theme throughout the book: Christmas. Encompassing a variety of genres—including horror, war, drama, adventure, and noir—this collection of short stories shows us how the Doctor changes the people and places they encounter.
Ashley Christine’s Midnight 99 Is a Trip for the Lizard Brain
We’ve dealt with alien lizards invading earth before with V. This time, there’s a lot less peeling off human guises to reveal the ghastly lizard creatures beneath, and a lot more sex, drugs, and probably rock n’ roll in Ashley Christine’s Midnight 99, out today from NeoText.
REVIEW: When the World Stays Inside Sends an Uncomfortable Message
It’s a difficult time to be a caregiver for a young child. Finding ways for children to safely socialize and play and to understand why the pandemic has driven the world into quarantine is a huge task. As a librarian, I wish I had more books to give caregivers to help. Writer Mikey Woz and…
Step Into Yaya Han’s World of Cosplay
2020 has halted the convention season, which is a big problem for cosplayers like Yaya Han who rely on those moments of fan engagement for their livelihood. Han hasn’t been able to strut her creative stuff on the convention floor, however, she did get to take her cosplay work in a different direction with the…
Remembering Charlee Jacob: Dark Moods
In Charlee Jacob’s fiction, the modern landscape of mass media and urban sprawls is never far from the barbarism of the ancient world. An earlier age of weird divinities and brutal religious rites is present just below the surface of those millennial cityscapes, ready to burst forth into the lives and minds of contemporary humanity….
2020 Dragon Award Winners: Thousands Vote Despite Right-Wing Backlash
Atlanta’s Dragon Con was one of many science fiction and fantasy conventions to become a purely online event for 2020, but — just like the Hugo Awards at Worldcon — its annual Dragon Awards went ahead as scheduled this Sunday. Decided via a free online poll, the Dragon Awards recognise science fiction and fantasy novels,…
Remembering Charlee Jacob: Geek Poems and Wormwood Nights
In 2005, the same year that Vestal was published, Charlee Jacob’s novella Wormwood Nights was given a limited edition run by Bloodletting Press.
INTERVIEW: Maurice Broaddus on Sorcerers and Afrofuturism
Like so many children from marginalized groups, Maurice Broaddus wanted to see himself in the media that he saw on the screen or in the books he read He wanted to be able to see people who looked like him shaping the future, whether it be commanding starships or wielding magic. Like so many of…
2020 Hugo Awards Reflect Struggle Over History
The weekend saw the presentation of the 2020 Hugo Awards at CoNZealand, this year’s iteration of the World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon, for short). Although the ongoing pandemic prevented CoNZealand from being held in physical form, like many similar events, it adapted to the situation by offering a virtual convention – and the Hugos were,…
2020 Hugo Awards Reviews: Novels – Part 3
Welcome to the final post in a series examining the contenders in the main prose categories for the Hugo Awards. So far, the Best Novel selection has shown an interesting set of recurring themes along with some stark contrasts. Two of the finalists, Seanan McGuire’s Middlegame and Alix E. Harrow’s The Ten Thousand Doors of…
2020 Hugo Awards Reviews: Novels – Part 2
Continuing our reviews of the 2020 Hugo Awards finalists in the Best Novel category, we move on to Middlegame by Seanan McGuire and The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow.