Monsters, the Monstrous, and Reclaiming the Other
Leo Elijah Cristea
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…
Leo Elijah Cristea
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”,…
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…
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…
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,…
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.…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…