Category Archives: Fictional Worlds

The Pretty Cool Imaginative World-building in Margaret Cavendish’s Pretty Terrible “Blazing World”

Posted on February 16, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

Margaret Cavendish’s The Description of a New World, Called The Blazing-World is just terrible. For me, anyway. It is an important book in feminist history and natural philosophy and, I would argue, the development of science fiction. Except for experts … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, Reviews | Tagged 17th Century Literature, Margaret Cavendish, speculative fiction, The Blazing World, utopia | Leave a comment

“War! What is it Good For?” Guest Co-Host Session on “Pints with Jack” about the Fifth Letter of The Screwtape Letters on Extremism and Spiritual Life during a Pandemic

Posted on November 4, 2020 by Brenton Dickieson

Recently, I had a great sit-down with Matt from the Pints with Jack podcast to talk about the fifth Letter of The Screwtape Letters. I love doing this show–not just because I get to talk about great books, but because the … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, Original Research | Tagged C.S. Lewis, Out of the Silent Planet, Pints with Jack, Ransom Cycle, Ransom Trilogy, The Screwtape Letters | 4 Comments

“The Cosmic Preface,” Guest Skype Session on “Pints with Jack” about the Ransom-Screwtape Preface

Posted on September 29, 2020 by Brenton Dickieson

I’m pleased to announce that I recently joined David Bates on the Pints with Jack podcast. I love doing this show–not just because I get to talk about great books, but because the hosts have managed to produce a great … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, Original Research | Tagged C.S. Lewis, Out of the Silent Planet, Pints with Jack, Ransom Cycle, Ransom Trilogy, The Screwtape Letters | 3 Comments

Roundtable about Upcoming Online MA Literature Courses at Signum University (Full Video) #Tolkien #Chaucer #EddicPoetry #Vampires

Posted on August 20, 2020 by Brenton Dickieson

As some of you know, I have been an online professor even before this current moment of remote emergency education. As I have blogged about it a few times (see here and here), many know that I teach with Signum … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, News & Links | Tagged Angela Carter, Anne Rice, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charlaine Harris, Dead Until Dark, I Am Legend, Interview with the Vampire, J.R.R. Tolkien, John Garth, online teaching, Richard Matheson, Roald Dahl, Signum University, Tolkien's Worlds, vampires | 4 Comments

Roundtable about Upcoming Online MA Literature Courses at Signum University (Aug 14th, 2020, 10am EDT) #Tolkien #Chaucer #EddicPoetry #Vampires

Posted on August 10, 2020 by Brenton Dickieson

Nnedi Okorafor Deep Future Story for the Moment, Binti

Posted on July 14, 2020 by Brenton Dickieson

What a discovery Binti has been for me! In Binti (2015), Home (2017), and The Night Masquerade (2018), Dr. Nnedi Okorafor has given us a living, vibrant, complex character in literary SF prose. Binti is the award-winning novella of a young African woman … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, Reviews | Tagged Afrofuturism, Binti, CBC, Deep Futurism, Lagoon, Neil Gaiman, Nnedi Okorafor, The Night Masquerade, Transhumanism | 9 Comments

Free Event Today: A Sehnsucht Digital Tea at the C. S. Lewis and Friends Center

Posted on May 22, 2020 by Brenton Dickieson

This summer, my punk rockstar teen and I were planning to go to an epic concert–perhaps one of the biggest of our lives–in the Northeast US. We just got word that the entire tour is postponed indefinitely due to COVID-19. … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, News & Links, Original Research | Tagged Arend Smilde, C.S. Lewis, Charlie Starr, Crystal Hurd, Joel D. Heck, Taylor University, The Archangel Fragment, The Screwtape Letters | 3 Comments

Why Did Star Wars Stick? #MayThe4thBeWithYou #StarWarsDay

Posted on May 4, 2020 by Brenton Dickieson

As much as we wonder about it, it’s a question that is not perfectly easy to answer. Cheesy lines, over-the-top acting, zippers up the back of the monster’s costume–how many films just like it have found their way into the … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, Reviews | Tagged #MayThe4thBeWithYou, A New Hope, Dune, film, George Lucas, J.R.R. Tolkien, Larry Niven, May the Fourth, myth, mythopoiea, Ringworld, Ron Howard, Science Fiction, Star Wars, That '70s Show, The Force Awakens | 7 Comments

Readings from J.R.R. Tolkien’s Tale Of Beren and Lúthien, with The Center from the Study of C.S. Lewis and Friends

Posted on April 17, 2020 by Brenton Dickieson

Hi folks. This event is past, but The Center for the Study of C.S. Lewis and Friends at Taylor University are having a digital Inklings “tea” on Friday’s at 4pm. They are an archive, a host of strong Inklings-informed study … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, News & Links | Tagged Beowulf, Beren and Lúthien, Christopher Tolkien, fantasy, Fictional Universes, J.R.R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, writing | 20 Comments

Harry Potter at Home and at the British Library Online

Posted on April 9, 2020 by Brenton Dickieson

Last week I talked about some Audible learning resources –including “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” by Stephen Fry in English, but also in many other languages–and how J.K. Rowling opened up copyright restrictions for teachers and parents to help … Continue reading →