Once the plane righted itself, I started thinking about how our perspectives—literally, what we see when we look out at the world—influence the way we experience life. From there it was a quick step to: What if a character’s world view was mostly based on what she saw outside her window each day?
continue reading » 5 responses
The New Dead, edited by Christopher Golden, is an example of the “big tent” theory of zombie fiction. Instead of restricting the content to the classic Romero-esque shamblers, Golden threw the gates wide open and the result is a wildly diverse, inventive batch of stories that will please both hardcore zombie fanatics and more casual dabblers in the subgenre…a look at zombies that reaffirms the elements that allow them to maintain their grip on our imagination while showing how broad the possibilities for them are.
continue reading » no comments
“Mark Teppo suffers from a mild case of bibliomania, which serves him well in his on-going pursuit of a writing career. He also owns a pink bunny suit. Fascinated with the mystical and the extra-ordinary, he channels this enthusiasm into fictional explorations of magic realism, urban fantasy, and surreal experimentation. Maybe, one day, he’ll write a space opera. With rabbits.” An interview with Teppo, by Jonathan Wood.
continue reading » one comment
What inspired your folk tale “Bearing Fruit”?
This is actually from the notes I’ve written for my upcoming short story collection:
I’m a folklore and fairy tale geek—not in any scholarly way or anything, but I’ve read lotsa shit from lotsa cultures, and it’s an abiding interest of mine. So one day, my friend Andrew Drilon and [...]
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, first published as a children’s book in 1865, has had a particular appeal to moviemakers since they were first able to crank out the film. The story’s vivid images were perfect material for this new medium, and the early movie adaptations especially did an excellent job of preserving the vignette-y, illogical narrative. (It helped that the films were silent, and so the focus was on the special effects and not so much on killer dialogue.) Below, nine adaptations of Alice that are good, bad, or downright curious.
continue reading » one comment
It’s tough to compile a definitive anthology, especially when the volume contains only original fiction and lacks most of the genre’s iconic writers, but editor Nick Gevers tackles the challenge in Extraordinary Engines: The Definitive Steampunk Anthology. Overall, it is neither as definitive nor as strong as might be hoped, nor does it achieve “definitive” status. The anthology should, however, please many steampunk devotees, and win it some new fans.
continue reading » no comments
Donna Jo Napoli has seen more than sixty books in print. In her latest offering, The Wager (Henry Holt, April 2010), a well-bred Don Giovanni squanders away his wealth and is cast into the life of a beggar in the aftermath of a series of natural disasters. Until he meets a mysterious stranger who bets him a magic purse that he cannot go “three years, three months, three days” without washing or shaving or changing his clothes. Ms. Napoli describes her writer’s journey from the book’s conception through publication.
continue reading » no comments
You often hear it said that when two people collaborate, a third person emerges. I think that is probably right. The assimilation process can be painful, but Scott made it easier with his endless patience. It took quite a long time.
continue reading » one comment
Fantasy movies often suffer from Hero Syndrome. Held hostage by the plot, the hero is trapped; their behavior becomes erratic, their moral code tedious, their dialogue overblown. Luckily for us, behind most heroes is a loyal and clever sidekick, delivering jokes and advice (and desperately updating their resume when they think no one’s looking). [...]
continue reading » 4 responses
Husband and wife Peter Dickinson and Robin McKinley have each had remarkable writing careers as individuals. This is the second book (after Water, Putnam 2002) they have written together, collaborating on the book but not the individual stories. The two longer stories in Fire are by McKinley, the three shorter ones by Dickinson. All are Young Adult fantasies, about “fire spirits” of various types, such as a salamander, a phoenix, and a dragon. Fire is a wonderful blending of talents of two writers who have already given us some of the best YA fantasy of the past few decades.
continue reading » no comments
Don't have an account? Sign up!
