non-fiction

moonshine

Moonshine by Alaya Johnson

Cynthia Ward

books, non-fiction, reviews, Wednesday, September 1st, 2010

Urban fantasy is busting out of its contemporary settings, and Alaya Johnson’s cleverly titled novel, Moonshine, is set in a time and place—Jazz Age Manhattan—that seems especially well suited to nocturnal paranormal adventures. Johnson makes the most of the re-imagined era with her thoughtfully developed alternate history, and adorns it with period details that reach considerably beyond the Charleston and the bob. She also doesn’t shy away from the era’s less-than-enlightened views on gender, race, class, and immigration.

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bowie

Disastrous Genre Theme Parks

Randy Henderson

articles, non-fiction,

Disneyland will be updating their Star Wars ride, and Universal Studios has recently opened an entire Harry Potter-themed area in addition to their Terminator, Jurassic Park, Scorpion King and Spiderman rides, to name a few. From Tomorrow Land to the Creation Museum, Fantasy and Science Fiction have proven excellent sources for the special effects, the futuristic or fantastical backdrops, and the sense of adventure that fill children and adults alike with sensawunda and “what if”, regardless of whether they are genre fans or not.

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swirsky_photo

Author Spotlight: Rachel Swirsky

William Sullivan

author spotlight, non-fiction, Thursday, August 26th, 2010

If what I imagined wasn’t your Diana, then I hope she was interesting to ponder. The only thing I’m sure of is she wasn’t the real Diana.

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willow_ver2

Films of High Adventure: Willow

Jesse Bullington and Molly Tanzer

articles, columns, non-fiction, Wednesday, August 25th, 2010

So, what works about this Tolkien wannabe that substitutes a Magic Baby for a One Ring and an Ice Man for a Cool Viggo?

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extra

The Extra and Copping Squid by Michael Shea

Colin Azariah-Kribbs

articles, books, non-fiction, reviews, Tuesday, August 24th, 2010

Whether exploring the horrors of the Lovecraftian universe or of the future, Shea doesn’t fail to deliver a sense of wonder along with a delightful shudder that fans of horror, dark fantasy, and science fiction will be sure to appreciate

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EilisO’Neal

Author Spotlight: Eilis O’Neal

Jennifer Konieczny

author spotlight, interviews, non-fiction, Thursday, August 19th, 2010

I had this image of a girl who had the coloration of a calico cat, and I had a vague idea that her mother might or might not have actually been a cat, but I didn’t know anything else.

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feed

Feed: Book One of the Newsflesh Trilogy by Mira Grant

The Staff

articles, books, non-fiction, reviews, Tuesday, August 17th, 2010

The “twin”-protagonists are entertaining company, their thoroughly extrapolated post-apocalyptic world is a terrific setting, the SF zombies are skillfully rationalized, the body count is high, and the plot delivers some unexpected twists. So, while Feed has arrived in time to ride the pop-culture zombie juggernaut, and offers plenty of undead mayhem for zombie fans, it will also please readers who don’t give a crap about zombies.

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Last Import – 40

I Think of Stories as Mosaics: Gary Kloster

T.J. McIntyre

author spotlight, interviews, non-fiction, Thursday, August 12th, 2010

Normally, it’s not easy for me to remember all the sources of a story. But because of the circumstances surrounding this one, I can remember a lot of the things that inspired it. A paperweight, a tattoo artist, and some googling.

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bird-river

The Bird of the River by Kage Baker

Richard Dansky

articles, books, non-fiction, reviews, Tuesday, August 10th, 2010

Kage Baker’s The Bird of the River is an elegant novel from the late Kage Baker that manages to simultaneously focus on the most intimate details of character while taking advantage of all the metaphysical freedom that the rules of fantasy allow. There’s swashbuckling, there’s monsters, there’s hints and allegations of a power beyond understanding, but at the heart of it all is heart, a very human growth and understanding that simultaneously makes the book accessible and marvelous.

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deb pic

Author Spotlight: Deb Taber

William Sullivan

author spotlight, interviews, non-fiction, Thursday, August 5th, 2010

I’m a big fan of stories that don’t have “happily ever afters,” but instead force the characters to come to terms with a new level of reality. Jacinta is doing that.

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