I’ve Never Wanted To Be Mythical: J. Kathleen Cheney
Why is this the hardest question? I’ve never wanted to be mythical. As a child I did, however, want to be a horse. Never really grew out of that. I guess I’d have to be a puca…
Archive for April 2009
Introducing: The Fantasy Cafe
This week we’re introducing a new section on Fantasy Magazine: Fantasy Cafe. This space is for our readers and friends and fans to kick back, sip a dark roast cuppa sweetened with the finest fairy sugar, and chat about fantasy-related stuff. There’s a small stage in the corner of the lounge for our Open Mic Nights, shelves filled with books, and a kiosk in the back that may open up when you least expect it and tempt you with shiny trinkets. There’s also a TV Den in the basement where you can chat about the latest episode of your favorite shows.
We’re still putting the finishing touches on the place, but you’re welcome to come in and hang out right now. This space is for you, so if you have suggestions on things that would make it an even friendlier place to hang out, let us know!
Geeky Flashback: Alien Nation
SF fans have plenty of reasons to be pissed at Fox Network right now. the cancellation of Sarah Connor Chronicles, the futzing they did with the first few episodes of Dollhouse, and there will always be Firefly. What some people may not realize is that Fox has a long history of canceling excellent SF shows for dubious reasons (including their own incompetence in promotion and marketing). Remember Alien Nation? Like Buffy, which debuted many years later, this series was based on a B movie that didn’t enjoy huge success. Also like Buffy, the TV series was heaps better. The background/mythos was pretty deep, the show explored social issues, and the producers essentially made the concept work.
Alien Nation combined two genres — science fiction and buddy cop shows. Matthew Sykes was a hardened LA cop with an attitude. George Francisco was a somewhat naive alien. The perfect pair!
The show only got one season and that ended on a cliffhanger, which was a real shame. Despite a setup that could have been completely cheesy, the show explored some really deep issues (race, class, immigration, assimilation, prejudice) without being constantly morose or patronizing. It also featured an alien race that had a well thought out culture, society, and physiology. (One of the best things about the Newcomers was that they ate things humans considered rancid like sour milk and weasel.) It was an intelligent SF show — and everyone knows how well those go over on network television.
Early Winter, Near Jenli Village
When Li-huan’s family first arrived at the house near Jenli village, the ghost rattled bowls on their shelves and howled through the house as a rush of wind, stirring up the mats and musty old bed-curtains. The priest told Li-huan’s father that the house’s previous owner, a wealthy merchant, had died with no one to remember him and so sought their attention. The family dedicated a small shrine to the merchant in the corner of the inner hall and, so appeased, he left them unmolested…until Lili came.
Notable Stories of 2008!
Congratulations to the many fine authors whose stories appear on the list of storySouth Million Writers Award Notable Stories of 2008 and especially the six Fantasy Magazine authors!
Blog for a Bindlestiff
This week, Sethily, the heroine of Camille Alexa’s Shades of White and Road, goes traveling, along with various faithful companions, which led us to wonder about the topic of fantasy and travel. Has anyone ever written the equivalent of Kerouac’s On the Road for the fantasy genre? What fantastic journeys would you like to take – and which would you avoid at all costs? What would you pack to take along?
Camille Alexa, Author of “Shades of White and Road”
Camille Alexa likes “her humor dark and her horror funny.” A short fiction writer and poet, she writes for The Green Man Review, serves as Flash Fiction Editor for Abyss & Apex, and Poetry Editor for Diet Soap. Her short story “Shades of White and Road” appears this week in Fantasy Magazine.
Doctor Who Easter Special — “Planet of the Dead”
It’s hard not to be bitter about the fact that we’re not in the midst of Doctor Who‘s fifth season right now and instead have to content ourselves with just one hour-long episode. But I was determined to put that behind me and enjoy “Planet of the Dead”. After all, Michelle Ryan is a favorite of mine (ever since her turn in Jekyll). I must admit that I was generally underwhelmed by the episode. This would have been forgivable if it was mid-season, but it’s one of the last three with David Tennant. Is it so much to ask that it be super amazing and awesome?
Apparently so.
Come to Fantasy to read more, but beware spoilers if you haven’t seen the episode.
Shades of White and Road by Camille Alexa (audio)
It came to me that I should run away from home taking nothing but myself and so I thought I would and so I did. I’d not gone ten turns of the spiral before a small leathery suitcase began to tag along in my invisible wake. “Take me! Use me! Fill me!” it said. “Please, please fill me; I need to be filled.”
