Browsing all articles by Leo Elijah Cristea.
Monsters, the Monstrous, and Reclaiming the Other
Monsters—or, in the very least, the monstrous—show up fairly frequently in most speculative fiction. Whether under the guise of dragons and creatures from the deep (ocean or space) or by way of vampires and the fickle, often cruel fae, monsters and the absolute other of evil is a mainstay of much of our fiction. Casting the net […]
SFF and Queerness – We Need To Do Better
We’ve just said goodbye to June, month of queer visibility and pride (and gender-nonconforming visibility and pride, too—which many people (but not all) feel belongs under the umbrella of “queer”, and for sake of conciseness, I’m going to group the terms together here), in 2019, and I’m still standing here, yelling into the void about […]
Queer Representation in SFF
One of two things happen when you raise the issue of queer and gender rep in speculative fiction: The first is we’re told it’s not important, that unqueer people don’t care, and that they do not want it “shoved down their throats”. Second, we’re given a blithe, well-meaning shrug and told that people are not […]
Disabilities In SFF: More Or Less Than Fine?
Quite some time ago, I wrote a pretty vague and largely naive (in that I missed a lot) article about disability in SFF. It was exclusively about physical disabilities and was, generally, written by someone who only vaguely knew what he was talking about. I referenced The Wild Hunt author, Elspeth Cooper as she talked […]
Gender and Stereotyping in Fantasy – Part Six: Historical Accuracy
This final part of our extended series on gender and stereotypes in fantasy and science fiction will be both a conclusion and a sweeping reflection on what we’ve already examined, but in the context of that one thing many who fail to see the lack importance (and, indeed, those who oppose diverse and inclusive representation […]
Heidi Heilig Interview – The Girl From Everywhere
Heidi Heilig grew up in Hawaii where she rode horses and raised peacocks. Then she moved to New York City and grew up even more, as one tends to do. Her favorite thing, outside of writing, is travel, and she has haggled for rugs in Morocco, hiked the trails of the Ko’olau Valley, and huddled […]
Vampires: Origins, Evolution, and Role in Fantasy Fiction
The vampire: a figure whose folklore origins date back as far as the cradle of civilisation, is one of the major mythic figures bequeathed to us by the English Romantics. Tracing the vampire’s timeline back through folklore we are presented with either twisted, ghoulesque apparitions, or dishevelled corpses that more resemble the zombies and mummies […]
Gender and Stereotyping in Fantasy – Part Five: Bisexuality
When we talk about queer character representation, there’s letters of the LGBTQIA+ spectrum that get left behind, for whatever reason. With Bisexuality Visibility Week’s focus directing the spotlight, now seemed as good a time as any to explore the characters in SFF who identify (or are clearly identifiable) as bisexual. But first, a working definition: […]
Laura Lam Interview
We are excited to once again have the talented author Laura Lam with us today. Her most recent novel, False Hearts, was released this June and the conclusion to her Micah Grey series, Masquerade, is due out in January 2017. In the years since Pantomime and Shadowplay, the first two books in the Micah Grey series, […]
Flamecaster by Cinda Williams Chima
Flamecaster, by Cinda Williams Chima, is the first of a brand new series set in the same world of the acclaimed Seven Realms quartet, where we leave behind Han and Raisa in lieu of the next generation of Seven Realms heroes: their children and those they meet along the way on their new adventure. Things […]
Tara Sim Interview
Today we are lucky enough to have author Tara Sim here to talk about her upcoming novel Timekeeper (Sky Pony Press, Fall 2016). She can often be found in the wilds of the Bay Area, California. When she’s not writing about mischievous boys in clock towers, Tara spends her time drinking tea, wrangling cats, and […]
Faeries and Folklore – Part One: An Introduction
We’re going to talk about faeries. For the purposes of both my sanity and authenticity, leave any and all notions of Disney’s Tinker Bell at the door. Tinker Bell is a pretty fiction dreamed up in order to invite little girls to dress in frilly gowns that glitter and sparkle in the sun. Faeries are […]
