Tag Archives: Science Fiction

N.K. Jemisin’s Super Strange Urban Apocalypse in The City We Became: Part 1: The Allegory That is Born (Blogging the Hugos 2021)

Posted on December 7, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

I first encountered N.K. Jemisin’s “Great City” series in her bracing, breakneck-speed short story, “The City Born Great,” which (in an edited form) is the prologue to The City We Became. Jemisin is one of this generation’s great speculative fiction … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogging the Hugos, Fictional Worlds, News & Links, Reviews | Tagged allegory, apocalypse, apocalyptic literature, Hugo Awards, N.K. Jemisin, New York City, Postcolonial literature, racism, Science Fiction, speculative fiction, The City Born Great, The City We Became, urban fantasy | 8 Comments

Blogging the Hugos 2021 (Series Launch)

Posted on November 8, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

It isn’t often that I get a popular novel as it first finds its way into the world. I’m usually years behind in my TBR and motivated to find new books by book clubs and upcoming classes and film adaptations. … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogging the Hugos, Fictional Worlds, News & Links, Reviews | Tagged Black Sun, Canadian literature, Eye of the World, George R.R. Martin, Gideon the Ninth, Harrow The Ninth, Lady Astronaut Universe, Margaret Atwood, Mark Sampson, Martha Wells, Mary Robinette Kowal, N.K. Jemisin, Neil Gaiman, Network Effect, Piranesi, Rebecca Roanhorse, Rebecca Rosenblum, Robert Jordan, Science Fiction, Susanna Clarke, Tamsyn Muir, The City We Became, The Handmaid's Tale, The Testaments, Wheel of Time | 4 Comments

The 2021 Mythopoeic Awards Winners

Posted on October 18, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

At the virtual Mythcon 51 earlier in the fall, there was a good bit of buzz about the Mythopoeic Awards. As readers will know, I pay attention to the awards–so much so that this year they have stimulated a limited … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links | Tagged Bodleian Library, C.S. Lewis, Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, fantasy literature, Frank Herbert, Frederick Buechner, J.K. Rowling, J.R.R. Tolkien, Jane Austen, John Garth, John Rateliff, Kathryn Hume, L.M. Montgomery, Lev Grossman, Madeleine L'Engle, Marilynne Robinson, Mythopoeic Award, Science Fiction, Shakespeare, Ursula K. Le Guin, Verlyn Flieger | 9 Comments

Ursula K. Le Guin’s Manifesto Against Genre Snobbery

Posted on August 27, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

One of our greatest speculative fiction writers, Ursula K. Le Guin, has never been one to turn down a fight. A genius in two of my favourite genres, science fiction and fantasy–especially planetary SciFi and magic-world fantasy–Le Guin has also … Continue reading →

Posted in Feature Friday, Memorable Quotes, On Writing, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged fantasy, Frankenstein, genre, J.R.R. Tolkien, Jane Austen, Madeleine L'Engle, Margaret Atwood, Science Fiction, SF, speculative fiction, The Birthday of the World, The Hainish Cycle, The Lord of the Rings, Ursula K. Le Guin | 33 Comments

A Conversation about Mary Doria Russell’s The Sparrow with Michael Boyce (Geek4 Podcast) and Emily Strand (Potterversity Podcast)

Posted on June 11, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

I recently had a chance to sit down with a couple of thoughtful and funny folks to talk about a book that was entirely absent from my bookshelf. Emily Strand is an artist, Roman Catholic liturgist, and American educator, well … Continue reading →