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”
Category Archives: Weird Things
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”
The Quest for Weird
Fellow seekers, I need your help as I seek the grail of great, original and independently-published fiction in ebooks and on the web. People have been telling weird stories for as long as we’ve been huddling around fires attempting to keep the dark at bay. Our earliest stories overflow with the weird. The Babylonian EpicContinue reading “The Quest for Weird”
Why English culture is bewitched by magic
From Merlin to Harry Potter, English magic has a long tradition. But what does it say about today’s culture? English occultist, bohemian and author Aleister Crowley defined magick as “the science and art of causing change to occur in conformity with will”. Crowley’s will was aided by the inheritance age 11 of a tidy fortune,Continue reading “Why English culture is bewitched by magic”
Are we living in a corporate society?
The corporate society has been an enduring wellspring of stories over the last century. Inspired by the factory production line, Aldous Huxley predicted a future where humans were born and bred only to fulfil a corporate function in Brave New World. The cyberpunk vision of William Gibson’s Neuromancer charted a future where government had collapsedContinue reading “Are we living in a corporate society?”
The Fantasy of Romance
“People would never fall in love if they hadn’t heard love talked about.” Or read about it in books, we can assume. Which is all very well for Francois de La Rochefoucauld, French nobleman and writer of maxims, to say – but is much harder to live by. Yes, perhaps, in the postmodern sense loveContinue reading “The Fantasy of Romance”
Can science fiction lead us away from economic collapse?
Recent SF novels dealing with the fall of western capitalism seem right on the mark. But do they offer any answers? It’s a truism that science fiction, however distinct its vision of the future, is always just as much a reflection of its present. The golden age of SF writers, including Isaac Asimov, Robert HeinleinContinue reading “Can science fiction lead us away from economic collapse?”
Osama Bin Laden : Vigilante
Lavie Tidhars novel Osama makes me wonder why we can’t all just get along. No, really, why the fuck can’t we? One common problem for all science fiction writers is reconciling the wondrous world we could have with the one we have negligently stumbled into. At this exact moment in time, in an alternate realityContinue reading “Osama Bin Laden : Vigilante”
The Magicians is Harry Potter for grown-ups
If you could journey to any fantasy world, which would it be? I, like many millions of others, would have to choose JRR Tolkien’s Middle Earth – although, given the option, I’d divide my time between Gondor and Rivendell, and skip the guided tours of Moria and Mordor. Lev Grossman, author of The Magicians andContinue reading “The Magicians is Harry Potter for grown-ups”
Damien Walter 