Comrade! The party conference season is all but over. Our leaders have delivered their vision of our future. We expect reactionary ideas from the Tories, while the Liberal Democrats make policy commitments they can later apologise for having ever committed to. But a leader on the progressive Left needs a vision of progress. And I’mContinue reading “An open letter to Ed Miliband on sci-fi and post scarcity”
Category Archives: Journalism
I interviewed Ian Livingstone creator of Fighting Fantasy about the future of gaming
When I was 10 I wanted, for a brief period, to be a professional Fighting Fantasy player. I was so fascinated with the now-iconic green-jacketed gamebooks, emblazoned with the legend “Thrilling fantasy adventures in which YOU are the hero!”, that I hatched a plan to make playing them my job as a grown-up. The marketContinue reading “I interviewed Ian Livingstone creator of Fighting Fantasy about the future of gaming”
China Miéville was the star turn at the Edinburgh International Book festival
There’s a fictional quality to the closeted environment of the Edinburgh International Book festival. For two weeks, Charlotte Square is fortified with a circle of portable buildings and Spiegeltents, creating a safe space for a fantasy of literary culture to flourish without undue interference from the outside world. It’s a fantasy taking place in the daydreams of aContinue reading “China Miéville was the star turn at the Edinburgh International Book festival”
Chauvinist SF misses the point of the future
There’s a logical fallacy in this club’s claims that it welcomes women members, which is rather like the rhetoric of the well-schooled military officer. Of course they want women in the army. It’s just, well, a soldier must be physically strong, naturally violent and preferably have a todger so you can pee standing up. Any woman who fulfilsContinue reading “Chauvinist SF misses the point of the future”
Mythinterpretation
One of the maxims we’re all learning to live with in the early 21st century is that the extreme ends of any argument support each other’s existence. What would rightwing internet trolls do without leftwing reactionaries? How would al-Qaida go on, without neocon hatred fuelling its fire? And, of course, what would outraged atheists doContinue reading “Mythinterpretation”
The battle for geek culture
As a fan of fantasy fiction, it’s been entertaining watching mainstream cultural critics’ baffled responses to Game of Thrones, which has surprised many by becoming the biggest show on TV this year. Gina Bellafante of the New York Times was among the first to come a cropper when she made the rash statement that noContinue reading “The battle for geek culture”
All hail the New Pulp
Imagine a scale of literary productivity. At one end, place current darling of the American literary scene Jeffrey Eugenides, bating a steady average of one book per decade. At the other, put Jack Vance – at 95, perhaps the last of the great pulp fictioneers – who has produced 60 novels across the SF, fantasyContinue reading “All hail the New Pulp”
Fandom Matters
Original published @ Guardian Books One of the notable features of science fiction and fantasy fandom is that it exists around five to 10 years ahead of the curve when it comes to information technology. The 50% of the early world wide web that wasn’t porn was made up of Star Trek: The Next Generation fansites; with everyContinue reading “Fandom Matters”
Is Science Fiction the first international language of literature?
Language may be the most obvious barrier to cultural exchange, but it is also the easiest to hurdle: a good translator can capture much if not all of the character of a great novel. The real barrier to sharing between cultures is culture itself. British literary fiction, deeply fascinated with the minutiae of class structure,Continue reading “Is Science Fiction the first international language of literature?”
A Game of Egos
Originally published on guardianbooks.co.uk A wealthy dynasty brought to its knees by popular revolt, the highest in the land caught in a web of corruption, and at the heart of it all a powerful woman with remarkable hair. If you see the Murdoch clan, Chipping Norton set and Rebekah Brooks in these archetypes then you have clearlyContinue reading “A Game of Egos”
My quest for e-Weird concludes
My quest for weird has turned up some gems, and shown me that we need to nurture new writing talent in both mainstream and independent publishing. A month ago I threw open the doors of the Weird Things column to all comers. Nominate your weird stories I said, and nominate them you did. I’ve lookedContinue reading “My quest for e-Weird concludes”
The Critics of Fantastika
Science fiction and fantasy may not seem like natural targets of literary criticism. The last thing anyone wants while trying to escape into a fantasy world is some clever clogs popping up to tell you the novel you’re reading is a reactionary construct perpetuating an outmoded value system in the face of a post-industrial reality.Continue reading “The Critics of Fantastika”
Damien Walter 