Monthly Archives: December 2021

“It Ain’t Hope If It’s a Lie, Stan”: Thoughts on Guillermo del Toro’s Nightmare Alley by John Stanifer (Nightmare Alley Series)

Posted on December 22, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

This is the first post in our “Nightmare Alley” series, where a Pilgrim in Narnia looks at Guillermo del Toro’s critically acclaimed new film, Nightmare Alley, and its connections to the past. The 2021 film is an adaptation of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections, Reviews | Tagged Chronicles of Narnia, Guillermo del Toro, Joy Davidman, Narnia, Nightmare Alley, Pan's Labyrinth, The Horse and His Boy, The Lion, the lion the witch and the wardrobe, William Gresham | 18 Comments

Announcing the Nightmare Alley Series on A Pilgrim in Narnia

Posted on December 20, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

Following months of rumours and all-too-enticing hype for eagre film-lovers in a lean year, last week finally saw the release of Guillermo del Toro’s critically acclaimed new film, Nightmare Alley. Guillermo del Toro is a genius of dark fantasy with … Continue reading →

Posted in Feature Friday, News & Links | Tagged Abigail Santamaria, Bradley Cooper, C.S. Lewis, Cate Blanchett, dark fantasy, Guillermo del Toro, Joy Davidman, Mary Steenburgen, Nightmare Alley, Pan's Labyrinth, Rooney Mara, The Shape of Water, Willem Dafoe, William Gresham | 7 Comments

The Heroic Gideon and Harrowing Features of Living in the Ninth: Thoughts on Tamsyn Muir’s Necromantic Dream Vision (Blogging the Hugos 2021)

Posted on December 14, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

In our 2020 Hugo Award roundtable, I was tasked with presenting Alix E. Harrow’s gorgeous gateway fantasy, The Ten Thousand Doors of January. Though I chose the book simply for its name and cover design, I came to love the … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogging the Hugos, Fictional Worlds, News & Links, Reviews | Tagged Alix E. Harrow, allegory, apocalyptic literature, Gene Wolfe, Gideon the Ninth, Harrow The Ninth, Hugo Awards, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, Science Fiction, speculative fiction, Tamsyn Muir, Ten Thousand Doors of January | 4 Comments

Hugo Award 2021: Best Novel Signum Roundtable (Sat, Dec 18th, 6pm Eastern)

Posted on December 13, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

As I announced in my “Blogging the Hugos 2021” series launch, I am once again joining Signum University’s Hugo Award Best Novel Roundtable. In a gala zoom event that no doubt will rival the Worldcon ceremony in DC, I will … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogging the Hugos, Fictional Worlds, News & Links, Reviews | Tagged Alix E. Harrow, allegory, apocalyptic literature, Gideon the Ninth, Harrow The Ninth, he Ten Thousand Doors of January, Hugo Awards, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, Martha Wells, N.K. Jemisin, Network Effect, Science Fiction, speculative fiction, Susanna Clarke, Tamsyn Muir, The City We Became, urban fantasy, Ursula K. Le Guin | 13 Comments

N.K. Jemisin’s Super Strange Urban Apocalypse in The City We Became: Part 2: The City I Can’t Become (Blogging the Hugos 2021)

Posted on December 9, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

N.K. Jemisin is clearly one of the science fiction greats of the generation. Time will tell if she will stand with the all-time greats, like H.G. Wells, Robert A. Heinlein, Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, Frank Herbert, Ursula … Continue reading →