Tag Archives: Dune

Why Did Star Wars Stick? #MayThe4thBeWithYou #StarWarsDay

Posted on May 4, 2023 by Brenton Dickieson

As much as we wonder about it, it’s a question that is not perfectly easy to answer. Long before technologically precise blockbuster films, Star Wars had cheesy lines, over-the-top acting, and zippers up the back of the monster’s costume. How … 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 | 2 Comments

Thoughts on Classic and Contemporary SF vs. Fantasy Hugo Best Novel Award Winners while Failing to Write a Review of a Great Book that was not Nominated

Posted on December 14, 2022 by Brenton Dickieson

Tamsyn Muir’s Locked Tomb Series is a discovery from my stint as a Hugo Award panellist in 2020 and 2021–the years that Gideon the Ninth (book 1) and Harrow the Ninth (book 2) were nominated. As much as I loved these books–and … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogging the Hugos, Fictional Worlds, News & Links, Reviews | Tagged A Canticle for Leibowitz, Alix E. Harrow, allegory, apocalyptic literature, Arthur C. Clarke, Dune, Ender's Game, Gene Wolfe, Gideon the Ninth, Harrow The Ninth, Hugo Awards, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, Mary Doria Russell, N.K. Jemisin, Nona the Ninth, Science Fiction, speculative fiction, Tamsyn Muir, Ursula K. Le Guin | 6 Comments

CFP: “Gardeners of the Galaxies: How Imaginary Worlds Teach Us to Care for This One” by Sørina Higgins and Brenton Dickieson (Academic Deadline Extended to May 30th)

Posted on May 16, 2022 by Brenton Dickieson

I am about to talk about gardening while my own garden is suffering from busy-related neglect. Even my little seedlings, planted with plenty of time for our last frost day (usually about June 10th in Prince Edward Island) have not … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links, Original Research | Tagged C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, CliFi, climate fiction, Dune, ecocriticism, ecology, fantasy, Gardeners of the Galaxies, Imaginary Worlds, J.R.R. Tolkien, Other Worlds, Science Fiction, Sorina Higgins, speculative fiction, Theology of Culture, Ursula K. Le Guin | 14 Comments

CFP: Gardeners of the Galaxies: How Imaginary Worlds Teach Us to Care for This One by Drs. Sørina Higgins and Brenton Dickieson

Posted on February 24, 2022 by Brenton Dickieson

Hello dear readers! I am super pleased to announce that I am co-editing an academic book with my long-time friend and scholar, Dr. Sørina Higgins (of The Oddest Inkling fame, with edited volumes like the Mythopoeic Award-nominated Charles Williams play, … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links, Original Research | Tagged C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, CliFi, climate fiction, Dune, ecocriticism, ecology, fantasy, Gardeners of the Galaxies, Imaginary Worlds, J.R.R. Tolkien, Other Worlds, Sørina Higgins, Science Fiction, speculative fiction, Theology of Culture, Ursula K. Le Guin | 16 Comments

Tolkien Prof Corey Olsen on the Rings of Power Trailer and How to Talk About the Worlds We Love

Posted on February 22, 2022 by Brenton Dickieson

In my post on the title announcement to the new Middle-earth Prime series, The Rings of Power, I admitted to having a split mind and cautious hopefulness about the film serial. I wrote that: “my confidence is not high that … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links | Tagged Amazon Prime, antisemitism, bigotry, C.S. Lewis, Corey Olsen, diversity, Dune, film adaptation, J.R.R. Tolkien, Peter Jackson, racism, Signum University, Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, The Rings of Power | 21 Comments

Thoughts from Different Angles on Joel Coen’s Macbeth with Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand, and Is This Why I Can’t Sleep?

Posted on January 27, 2022 by Brenton Dickieson

I have no pretense of being a Shakespeare scholar, by any means. As I was educated primarily in Canadian public schools, my path of learning going into university had been embarrassingly narrow (so much so that I cannot spell the … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged C.S. Lewis, Denzel Washington, Dune, Frances McDormand, Ian McKellen, insomnia, Joel Coen, Judi Dench, Kathryn Hunter, Macbeth, Shakespeare, The Coen Brothers, The Merchant of Venice, The Taming of the Shrew | 22 Comments

The Rings of Power: The Lord of the Rings New Prime Video Series Title Announcement

Posted on January 20, 2022 by Brenton Dickieson

In the teaseriest of teasers–though one step beyond the single landscape image released last year that sent the digital world of Tolkien lovers scurrying into Reddit arguments or making “everything you need to know about” videos (above)–Amazon Prime has finally … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links | Tagged Amazon Prime, C.S. Lewis, Dune, film adaptation, J.R.R. Tolkien, Peter Jackson, The Lord of the Rings, The Rings of Power | 13 Comments

Why Did Star Wars Stick? #MayThe4thBeWithYou #StarWarsDay

Posted on May 4, 2021 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 →

Lewis and Tolkien among American Evangelicals: Guest Post by G. Connor Salter (Lewis Scholarship Series)

Posted on April 27, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

This guest blog by G. Connor Salter is a response to a series of pieces called “Why is Tolkien Scholarship Stronger than Lewis Scholarship?” (see parts 1, 2, and 3). There are some deep conversations within the comments section of … Continue reading →