On maps, the magic of travel, and shifting borders with the author of Mapwalkers
Let's Talk SFF
Beyond the page with Shawn Inmon: A Door into Time
On portals, time travel and technology with the author of the Alex Hawk Time Travel Adventure series.
The compelling case of split personalities in character-driven fiction
Moon Knight got me thinking about characters with split personalities in fiction. Here are my favorite fractured minds, what makes them compelling, and a short reading list for science fiction/fantasy readers and viewers.
Hard vs. soft magic systems in popular SF
In today’s guest column, space opera author Luke T. Barnett joins us to talk magic systems in science fiction and fantasy, illustrating the difference between hard and soft magic systems with examples from popular SF books and films.
What’s the most terrifying time travel side effect?
Michael LaVoice joins us to discuss Simon Hawke’s unique spin on the time travel genre in his TimeWars series, and the many terrifying side effects of temporal disruption.
The sci-fi short stories of Isaac Asimov
A luminary of science fiction, and one of the most famous writers of the genre, Isaac Asimov was prolific. He wrote 383 short stories in his life, and is estimated to have written or edited over 500 books. These are the standout sci-fi stories from his long, impressive career.
Book Review: The Postman
As the struggle over the USPS slowdowns and financial trouble burns in the media, a post-apocalyptic science fiction novel from 1985 resurfaces: David Brin’s The Postman.
Gimme the Loot! Virtual Money Laundering in Video Games
Not that the money is virtual—the money is all too real. Criminals have turned to loot boxes in video games as a way to wash money they don’t want the government to know about.
Thanks to a loophole in Counter Strike: Global Offensive, “nearly all” key purchases for loot boxes within the game have been used for money laundering, reports Vice.
An Orchestra of Exoplanets
This is the story seed for every space opera novel ever written, from George Lucas’ Star Wars to the milieu of Iain Banks’ Culture novels. (Guess what I’m reading right now.) How many of these exoplanets are actually habitable? How many are orbited by habitable moons?
The Highlander TV series from 1992 is on Prime
I stumbled across the Highlander tv series from 1992 on Amazon Prime. Title sequence music by QUEEN and starring that ponytail wearing dude Adrian Paul and his lovely lady Alexandra Vandernoot.
Man, that opening scene is cheesy, but something about it sucks me in. THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE. Immortals waging a secret war for immortality with their swords… The battle of good against evil…
And the truest part is…