An anthology of authentic and realistic hard science fiction
They say science fiction is the literature of ideas. They say every science fiction text is about two dates: the date it is set, and the date it was written. Yet when discussing a science fiction text, it is generally the “big themes” which are addressed: identity, the survival of the human race, the invasiveness [...]
Filed under: science fiction | 19 Comments »
I forget where I first came across mention of The Steerswoman by Rosemary Kirstein. It was in the last year or so, although the book was originally published in 1989. I do know that it’s not well known in the UK. But whenever, and whatever, I read about it, I decided it might appeal, and [...]
Filed under: 2011 reading challenge, book review, science fiction, women in sf | Tagged: rosemary kirstein | 7 Comments »
Yesterday, Torque Control posted the short lists for the BSFA Awards – novel, short fiction, non-fiction, and artwork. Since I’m a member of the British Science Fiction Association, and usually attend the annual Eastercon, they’re the only awards in which I have any input. Congrats to all those short-listed. Novel The Windup Girl, Paolo Bacigalupi [...]
Filed under: 2011 bsfa award | Leave a Comment »
A couple of years ago, I posted a piece here about the photographs of Jan Kempenaers, who has taken a series of photographs of modernist monuments in the former Yugoslavia. The series is now available as a coffee-table book, Jan Kempenaers: Spomenik, and I’ve ordered myself a copy. (You can count the number of art [...]
Filed under: architecture, jan kempenaers, jetpunk | 1 Comment »
I can’t even remotely pretend the ten authors in this list are the “greatest” in any commonly-accepted sense. They’re not all favourites, but they’re certainly the authors whose writing I admire the most. Still, it’s a list. Everyone likes lists. In no particular order… Lawrence Durrell – I love the way he uses the English [...]
Filed under: book list, books | Tagged: anthony burgess, dh lawrence, gwyneth jones, john crowley, john fowles, kim stanley robinson, lawrence durrell, m john harrison, paul park, wg sebald | 12 Comments »
Time for a list. Lists are good. People like lists, even – or especially – contentious ones. This does not make me a blogposer (see here). I could have titled this list Ten Favourite Film Directors, because that’s sort of what it is. Except they’re not just favourites, they’re also directors whose skill and artistry [...]
Filed under: film list, films | Tagged: aki kaurismäki, alfred hitchcock, andrei tarkovsky, douglas sirk, ingmar bergman, krzysztof kieślowski, michael haneke, michelangelo antonioni, powell & pressburger, terry gilliam | 17 Comments »
