Tchaikovsky really excels at finding interesting ways to comment on society through the use of animals in science fiction and fantasy settings. In his Echoes of the Fall series, each group is a different animal and exhibits particular social traits ...
Read More »Virtual, augmented, and simulated realities in science fiction
While there is plenty to be miserable about in the social, political, and economic landscape of 2017, it isn’t all bad. Most of us have smartphones, high-definition television, on-demand media services, and more. I can’t help agreeing with Akira the ...
Read More »The Asylum of Dr. Caligari by James Morrow
Adapting one of the most iconic silent films into a new SF novel sounds like a bizarre idea – or at least it did to me. But then again, reboots seem to be all Hollywood can manage these days, so ...
Read More »Nostalgic Impulse: WarGames (1983)
When approaching a cult film for the first time, I tend to expect one of two things: it will either be a gem that will make it into my frequent watching rotation or it will be utter shit. Some films ...
Read More »Arrival: What is your purpose?
The best science fiction is philosophical and thought provoking. I don’t mean to suggest that good science fiction has to be as mind-numbingly slow and boring as 2001: A Space Odyssey, but really good scifi is rarely just explosions and ...
Read More »Swiss Army Man: Cue the music…
You can’t have a dignified suicide if the score is provided by a flatulent corpse. It simply can’t be done. So Hank gives up on the suicide thing and instead, rides his new corpse-pal as a fart propellor across the ...
Read More »The Art of Asking: How to ask for help and beat your inner Fraud Police
I have been a fan of Amanda Palmer’s for many years. I can’t remember who or how I was first turned on to the Dresden Dolls (her band before going solo), but I fell in love with Yes, Virginia and ...
Read More »Elysium
Neill Blomkamp’s debut feature film, District 9, was a complete surprise. It was refreshingly brilliant – a smart, well-made sci-fi that did well with both critics and the box office. District 9 gave me hope that sci-fi at the cinema ...
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