Category: Other Thoughts on Science Fiction and Fantasy

• March 21, 2023

  ISFDB, SFADB, and Other Speculative Fiction Tools

  Summary: My favorite public speculative fiction tools and resources include: I know there are many, many more, but these are the ones I usually start with. On a personal level, I have Book, Comic Book and SF Magazine Databases. I also have a very substantial Excel spreadsheet I use to track my short fiction reading,…
• January 31, 2023

  Octavia Butler: A Black History Month post

  

  Octavia E. Butler was a great science fiction (mostly) writer, who unfortunately died way too young (2006, at age 58). She was African-American, or Black, and she might be my favorite African-American SF writer, and she is one of my favorite SF writers. The only reason I say “might” is that I don’t want to…
• January 8, 2023

  2022: A Year’s Reading in the Rearview Mirror

  2022: I did a lot of reading in 2022, for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that it’s my favorite hobby/recreational activity. My Book Database says that I read 64 books; this includes novella entries published as books. Looking at my short speculative fiction tracking spreadsheet, I read 1,026 stories, many…
• October 12, 2022

  Reading 1976

  The Short: My online short speculative fiction reading group decided to do a group read for SF from a specific year for the first time. After considering and voting, we chose 1976. We had a great time doing it. I suspect we’ll do this again. The Full Story: The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Short…
• October 8, 2022

  Novels versus novellas in Speculative Fiction

  Many argue that the perfect length for speculative fiction is the novella, or short novel. Some believe that this is long enough to tell a successful story while not longer than needed. It is said that this length allows for character development and change, and perhaps multiple plot lines, while short enough to be taut…
• September 18, 2022

  Comfort Reads and Guilty Pleasures

  Reading is an interesting human activity. It does not appear to be something that our brains have evolved for naturally, unlike various activities that involve seeing, muscle coordination, etc. It is not a skill that an infant can observe in a parent and pick up substantially, like speech. Rather, it is a skill that humans…
• September 11, 2022

  Titus Groan and Chicon 8

  I was fortunate to be selected as a panel participant (and moderator!) at Chicon 8 on the first volume of Mervyn Peake‘s Gormenghast series, “Titus Groan“. We had a great time, the audience enjoyed it, and we all learned interesting things. It was great to revisit what is now recognized as a genre classic and…
• September 9, 2022

  Not The Retro Hugos at Chicon 8

  Summary: I was lucky enough to be chosen as a program participant for five Chicon 8 panels. “1946: A Vintage Season For SFF” and “The Likely Hugo Nominees from 1946” were both part of the 1946 Project programming for Chicon 8. I read a lot of 1946 speculative fiction for these panels. Following is a…
• September 3, 2022

  Fun with Epistolary Novels and Short Fiction at Chicon 8

  I was fortunate to be selected for a panel at Chicon 8 on epistolary novels in speculative fiction. We (author and moderator Meg Elison, author Caroline Stevermer, publisher and editor Sarah T. Guan of Erewhon Books, Professor Leigha McReynolds, and myself) had a wonderful and spirited discussion of many facets of epistolary writing and some…
• July 26, 2022

  Dave’s Short Fiction Rating Scheme

  Summary: I have a personal rating scheme for short fiction, where I assign a numerical value from 1 to 5. This is in addition to any review or comment text I may note for short fiction. This was developed for my own personal use and convenience, and is both irrational in some ways yet hopefully…