Returning for its third year, LibraryCon opened its virtual doors for one day on November 6, welcoming book nerds, librarians, educators, and fans of comics and speculative fiction. Offering live webcast talks and ample networking opportunities, LibraryCon is a “celebration of fandom-beloved stories and characters, featuring the creators behind mind-bending speculative fiction, innovative comics, and…
The Vampyre’s Legacy, Part 10: Sympathy for the Devil
During the sixties and seventies, pop culture was hit by an explosion of interest in the occult. Aleister Crowley glowered from the cover of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band while Mick Jagger sang “Sympathy for the Devil”, and before long Black Sabbath would be embracing Gothic imagery as part of the nascent metal scene….
Good Sexual Citizenship Review: Great Ammo for the #MeToo Movement
Good Sexual Citizenship: How to Create a Sexually Safer World Ellen Friedrichs (Writer) Cleis Press September 24, 2019 We’re living in a #MeToo world where more people from marginalised communities are able to share their stories of sexual harassment and assault. Unfortunately, very few of the men accused of the crimes they have perpetrated will…
For Your Consideration: Keanu Reeves Is a Second Look at the First Keanussance Man
For Your Consideration: Keanu Reeves Kitty Curran (author), Larissa Zageris (author) Quirk Publishing October 15, 2019 So, let’s talk about Keanu Reeves. His star has shone since his acting breakout in the late ‘80s, but it’s hit a meteoric rise since his appearance at E3 in June 2019 and subsequent memefication. It’s safe to say…
Pay Attention to the Woman Behind the Curtain: Ruth Plumly Thompson’s Royal Book of Oz
Everyone knows about Frank L. Baum’s world of Oz. Though some may have stopped with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Baum’s world continued on for many, many more books. But while the 15th book in the series, The Royal Book of Oz, was originally attributed to the creator and released after his death in 1919,…
The Vampyre’s Legacy, Part 9: Atom-Age Vampires
As far back as the nineteenth century, certain writers had tried to demystify vampires by coming up with scientific explanations for their condition and behaviour. James Malcolm Rymer’s ramshackle Varney the Vampire introduced – and later abandoned – the notion that its main character was a man resurrected through galvanism. Charles Wilkins Webber’s Spiritual Vampirism…
Baen Wins Big at the 2019 Dragon Awards
Tens of thousands of science fiction and fantasy fans gathered at this year’s Dragon Con in Atlanta, which offered its participants a variety of events and attractions. One of these was the fourth iteration of the Dragon Awards, representing science fiction and fantasy across a range of media — the victors being decided with the…
The Vampyre’s Legacy, Part 8: In the Shadow of Hollywood
As noted in the previous post of this series, the biggest change faced by vampire fiction of the 1930s and ‘40s was that authors in the genre were now competing with films. Admittedly, dramatised vampires were not a new phenomenon: after all, the 1819 publication of Polidori’s “The Vampyre” had been swiftly followed by a…
Rereading and Rereading and Rereading
Do you reread? Maybe you want to spend a little more time in a beloved universe, or maybe you want to remind yourself who betrayed the duchess in book 3 of your favorite series before book 4 comes out next week? Whatever your reasons, they’re good ones! I love rereading, and I asked several WWAC…
2019 Hugo Awards Celebrate the Fantasy Existing Among Us
Thousands of science fiction and fantasy fans arrived in Dublin this month to take part in the 77th World Science Fiction Convention. The activities and attractions culminated on Sunday with the Hugo Awards, when a selection of winners were presented with coveted socket ship trophies.
2019 Hugo Award Reviews: Novels Part Two
Welcome to the final set of reviews for this year’s Hugo Awards! The previous post in this series covered three of the six books in the running for the Best Novel Hugo. Now, it is time to cover the remaining three…
2019 Hugo Award Reviews: Novels Part One
Welcome back to the series reviewing the prose fiction in the running for this year’s Hugo Awards! With Best Short Story, Best Novelette and Best Novella covered, all that remains is Best Novel. Here are the first three finalists in the category…