From Modern Mythcraft to Magical Surrealism

Archive for May 2009

Is That a Finger Bone?: Alison Campbell-Wise

by Marshall Payne

The story grew out of wanting to write something where the fantastic element was fairly slight at first. The events at the beginning can be said to be possible, if not plausible. The image of someone writing on the walls came next, and the rest of the story just kind of tumbled out from there. It wasn’t exactly an inspiration for the story, but when we were really young, my best friend and I did get in trouble for writing and drawing all over my bedroom door. I don’t know what made us think it was a good idea, but I guess it made sense to us at the time. Luckily, it washed off.

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Goo and Spore: Slimy Games

by Cindy Tran

The first time I played it, this stage was pretty simple. It was fun for the first couple of minutes but then it got boring. The second time I played, I kept getting killed and it was a lot harder. Plus, the other creatures were scary and REALLY ugly. I seriously thought I was going to have nightmares about it.

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A Star Trek, Boldly

by William T. Vandemark

Much of science fiction, at its heart, is about adolescence, whether it’s focusing on the transformation of a person, a culture, or aliens. It’s about testing limits and finding one’s place in the world, even if one’s world is as large as the universe. The best science fiction, however, isn’t just about adventure; it’s about capturing a sense of wonder. It’s about the fantastic, the awe in discovering something new. It’s about transcendence. How fitting, then, that director J.J. Abrams returns the sagging Star Trek franchise to its boisterous youth.

Todd Vandermark

Revisionist History

by Alison Campbell-Wise

After their third fight about whose turn it was to switch the wet clothes from the washer to the dryer, and therefore whose fault it was that the clothes now smelled faintly of mold, Robert started writing on the walls . . .

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Voice Like a Cello by Catherine Cheek (audio)

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Mama had believed enough to sacrifice her savings and emigrate here, all for the sake of her poor, insane, eight-year-old daughter. Mama had found a place on a map, a city that wouldn’t exist without air conditioning and irrigation. A place with no history.

Voice Like a Cello by Catherine Cheek (audio)

Comics Review: Witchblade Annual

by Lowell Francis

The first story– “If Looks Could Kill”– feels like one of those episodes. A little tawdry and a little obligatory. When we open with a splash page featuring a sexy lady in naughty underwear holding a bloody cleaver, we can be pretty sure what’s coming. And it does play by those numbers.

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Blog For a Borg (How Could We Not Talk About Star Trek?)

by The Editors

We’ve run our picks from the original series, and we’ve got more best/more lists for ST: Next Generation, Deepspace Nine, Voyager, and whatever the one is that I’m missing coming up, along with other interesting Star Trek content, including a column about slash that should stir some controversy. Let the Trekkian revels begin!

Blog For a Borg (How Could We Not Talk About Star Trek?)

The Best/Worst Star Trek Episodes Of All Time: The Original Series

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Filed under worst of all time: “The Way to Eden”. The “space hippies” episode. Spock is cool, but Kirk is an uptight authoritarian (or a “Herbert” in space hippy slang). The ending is so heavy-handed that it cracks me up every time. -Mark Bukovec

The Best/Worst Star Trek Episodes Of All Time: The Original Series

Cursed by a Gypsy: Catherine Cheek

by Samantha Chapman

My short stories tend to be dark and twisted, but they don’t even resemble each other, so I can’t compare them to a short story author. My novels are most similar to Charlaine Harris and Kim Harrison. As much as I guiltily enjoyed sighing over Edward and Bella, I’d rather not be compared to Stephenie Meyer (though it would be great to be in her tax bracket.)

Cursed by a Gypsy: Catherine Cheek

Book Review: City Without End

by Joe Sherry

To say there is a lot going on here would be a severe understatement.

Even though City Without End is chock full of story and detail, Kay Kenyon never overwhelms the reader. She blends plot and conspiracy with action that crosses two worlds in a blended science fiction / fantasy setting that could almost be real. It feels real.

Book Review: City Without End