Lately, on the sci-fi blogs that I follow there’s been a resurgence in interest in the classics of the “golden age” of the 1950’s and earlier. These were works that readers loved but critics derided as “pulp,” often unfairly. I began my own exploration of the classics by re-reading a book that I read many […]
Opus 100
In 1970, renowned science fiction Isaac Asimov published his 100th book, and called it Opus 100, which refers to either a literary work or composition, or a large-beaked penguin.* I doubt I will ever catch up with him, since he wrote over 500 books, including both non-fiction and fiction. At least I shall exceed him […]
New Schools of Sci-Fi: The Superversives
The other day I was speaking with a friend about how conservative writers feel they’ve been marginalized by leftists and are trying to change that. He remarked, “What do left and right mean in science fiction? Certainly what is considered liberal and conservative now will change in the future.” This was an excellent point, which […]
Steampunk in Music: “The Two-Cent Show” by Steam-Powered Giraffe
With the proliferation of steampunk culture, it was inevitable that eventually there would be steampunk music. Of all the self-proclaimed “steampunk” groups (yes, there are several) Steam-Powered Giraffe is certainly the most famous. I haven’t seen them perform live, but I have enjoyed much of their work on-line. Steam-Powered Giraffe definitely has a memorable gimmick. […]
Cover Design for Independent Authors
If you do a web search of “cover design” on-line you’ll find that many writers say “don’t do your own covers.” They mention the many pre-made designs available for purchase and recommend using one of those. That’s fine for some folks, but I’m a control freak who can’t let that go. My books are my […]
HIPY PAPY BTHUTHDTH THUTHDA BTHUTHDY* to A. A. Milne
* Owl’s birthday message to Pooh. Today is the birthday of Alan Alexander Milne, creator of Winnie-the-Pooh, born in 1882 in London, England. He wrote his famous “Winnie the Pooh” books for his son, Christopher Robin. Pooh and the other characters were based on Christopher’s toys, and the 100-Acre Wood was based on a forest […]
Diversity in Steampunk
My readers may have noticed that although I often write articles about historical anniversaries, I didn’t do anything topical this Monday for Martin Luther King Jr’s Birthday. That’s because I limit myself to events that happened at least a century ago, and Dr. King was born in 1929. On the following day it occurred to […]