Building Beyond: I Was Featured on Sarah Gailey’s Newsletter!
Sarah Gailey invited me to participate in their newsletter as part of their Building Beyond series, which consists of a collection of worldbuilding prompts answered by various writers and fans. I had a ton of fun writing about the prompt, and I wanted to share it with you all here too in case you missed…
Finding What Was Meaningful – a 2020 Retrospective
I started a “Best of 2020” list. Then, I started over. I scrapped it. Started again. I looked through my books, ran my fingers down their spines, and tried once more. I threw together a spreadsheet from Goodreads, sorted it by date, then by rating, then by author. Deleted it in frustration when the books…
Does The Player of Games by Ian M. Banks Hold Up to a Modern Reading?
Within the context of its time, The Player of Games is a shockingly progressive novel. Given that it was written at the height of the AIDS epidemic, I’m impressed that Ian M. Banks chose to deliberately and consciously include queer themes and explicitly endorse homosexuality as something that is not just okay, but also a…
The Rape of Galadriel: A Deadly Education’s Mishandled Treatment of Sexual Assault
A Deadly Education is an oddly niche book given how widely it has been marketed. While on the surface it appears to be a bit more on the YA side, the tone and content of the novel is more akin to a dark adult fantasy. We’ve seen a great deal of controversy surrounding it these…
Review of Daughter from the Dark by Marina and Sergey Dyanchenko, translated by Julia Hersey, and contemplations on connections to Vita Nostra
Similar to Vita Nostra, Daughter from the Dark defies simple attempts at explanation. While it is straightforward on the surface, it’s clear to a reader that there are many depths and dangers lying beneath that topmost narrative layer. It’s almost absurdist, in some respects. Humorous at times. It’s a power struggle between two opposite characters…
Virtual r/Fantasy Con, COVID-19 News, and a Few Cozy Book Recommendations!
Hi there, everyone! I’m taking a partial deviation from my normal content to discuss out current major issue: the fact that a pandemic is occurring right outside our very doors. While we’ve all learned about the basic measures we can take as individuals to help prevent the spread, I’m hoping to highlight a few key…
A Personal Exploration of Sexual Assault and Trauma through Speculative Fiction – Pt. 2
I’ve started this second post so many times. I tried to decide: should I start with the man who raped me, who placed drink after drink into my hand and grabbed my arm and pulled me back when I tried to go home to get away from him? Should I start with the one who…
Exploring Sexual Trauma Through Speculative Fiction
This is Part 1 of series of deeply personal reflections on my own sexual assault, rape, and how they relate to the portrayal of rape and sexual assault in speculative fiction. This particular article will discuss a prolonged instance of childhood sexual assault. Future articles in this series will cover other trauma I experienced as…
Best of 2019
Well, it’s that time of year, isn’t it? Time for all the Best Of and Top Ten lists to begin poking their heads out to herald in not just a new year, but a new decade. 2019 was one hell of a busy one for me, having started it with a move across the country…
A Love Letter to Imaginary Worlds: The Prose of Science Fiction and Fantasy
SF&F has been filled with gorgeous, prosaic writing ever since its inception. To say otherwise is both myopic and factually incorrect. In the 1920s, we had Hope Mirlees. In the 40 and 50s, Mervyn Peake. In the 70s, we had Samuel R. Delany and Patricia McKillip. Janny Wurts entered the genre in the 80s. In…
Science Fiction & Fantasy Novellas
Part 3 in a Series of Bingo Challenge Themed Reviews & Suggestion Lists – Full List of Squares and Introduction Available Here. SFF Novella – works of fiction of between 17,500 and 40,000 words.HARD MODE: Novella is NOT published by Tor.com Publishing.- Reddit r/Fantasy Novellas are great bite-sized option when you’re not looking to sit down…
Books Featuring Disability
This is such an interesting square! It’s often challenging to find novels that include protagonists who suffer from a disability. There are a wide variety of options here, ranging from something mild like anxiety or depression all the way up to a physical disability that severely impedes a normal life. It’s nice to see a…
Book Bingo: Let’s Try Something New!
This will be my first year getting “serious” about bingo, and I’m quite excited! I’ve chosen a variety of books that I intend to read for the challenge.
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Black Forest Basilisks 